Forty-miles-per-hour winds drove a pouring rain sideways outside the Billings County Courthouse in Medora last Thursday afternoon, washing the Bad Lands dust from a dozen or more cars and pickups (mostly pickups) parked on the streets outside. Inside, another storm was brewing, this one going on behind closed doors, as a handful of drivers of … Continue reading A Big Day In The Bad Lands

NOTE TO MY ONLINE SUBSCRIBERS: An earlier version of my story about Northern Lights contained a reference to being able to watch the movie online. Turns out that is a pirated version, missing much of the valuable footage from the original movie. So I removed that part of the story. But John Hanson says soon … Continue reading Oops.

An e-mail from an old friend, the filmmaker John Hanson, came out of the blue yesterday, the day before the newspapers all said we were going to have a Northern Lights display tonight. The front page headline in the Bismarck Tribune Wednesday blared “Solar storm to create Northern Lights.” Whoa. Not so fast. The correction … Continue reading Northern Lights

He was a handsome young Georgia Marine in spit-shined shoes, a white hat, and a sharply pressed dress uniform, a member of the United States Marine Corps Drill Team, stationed in Washington, DC in the mid-1950s. She was a pretty little country girl from North Dakota, working in the Washington office of a North Dakota … Continue reading And Then There Were None. RIP, Minot Mafia

Been about 10 days since I reported on the status of the Burgum for President campaign. I can report this morning that the e-mail machine is alive and well. I've gotten a couple dozen more e-mails, at least two a day, since Doug announced he was running. I haven't responded. Yet. But I might. You … Continue reading The E-mails Just Keep On Comin’

When I was a boy growing up in southwest North Dakota, I thought my Dad, Whitey Fuglie, was the most patriotic man in America. I know that I heard him say “God Bless America!” at least a hundred times. Maybe two hundred. Maybe several hundred. He really was a patriot. A World War II veteran … Continue reading The Most Patriotic Dad In America

Many years ago (well, actually seven years ago last Sunday), on the eve of the 2016 North Dakota Primary Election), I wrote in this space, “On Tuesday I’m going to vote in the Republican Primary Election for Doug Burgum for Governor of North Dakota.” As I’ve written here many times, I’m a Democrat, and I … Continue reading Just Another ‘Bored Billionaire’

About a month ago I agreed to walk 100 miles in the month of April to raise awareness of cancer and the deadly toll it is taking on us, and to raise money for the American Cancer Society. My goal: $250, to be donated by me and my friends. I had the help of a … Continue reading 102.4 Miles For Cancer Research

As you’ve driven down I-94 to Medora for the last dozen or so years, you’ve seen a couple of yellow signs just inside the national park boundary fence a few miles east of Medora that say “Land for Sale.” Until I found out the story behind them, they gave me some pause. Hmmm. The park … Continue reading 23 Crossings

At about 9:15 Tuesday morning, April 4, 2023, in the Billings County Courthouse in Medora, North Dakota, Billings County commissioners voted to go into executive session and told the general public attending the meeting to leave the room. Well, two of the three commissioners—Steve Klym and Lester Iverson—voted to do that. A third, Dean Rodne, … Continue reading $20,000 An Acre!