I’m thinking today of an old friend, Ardell Tharaldson, who left us ten years ago, December 6, 2011. Our friendship dated back to Democratic-NPL politics in 1972, when he ran George McGovern's campaign for president in North Dakota. An unabashed liberal and rebel, and a pretty darn good poker player, Ardell got dealt a couple … Continue reading Remembering Ardell Tharaldson

Some random thoughts, most of which appeared in an article in the December issue of Dakota Country magazine. How do you go about summarizing a year like 2021? Try this: It’s December, the year is almost over, and we’re still here. I’m still writing. You’re still reading. Y’know, considering everything, not much else seems very … Continue reading “Scumbags”

I have a friend who is familiar with the investment banking world. I don’t know much about it because I don’t have much to invest. But he’s been keeping track of the articles I’ve written about Meridian Energy Group, the company that wants to build a refinery next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. From time … Continue reading Is A Refinery Really A Good Investment?

About three and a half years ago, a few residents of the Highland Acres neighborhood in west Bismarck sat down with some staff at the State Historical Society of North Dakota and began discussing the possibility of creating the Highland Acres Historic District, and to nominate it for inclusion on the National Register of Historic … Continue reading Highland Acres Historic District Is Becoming A Reality!

If you happen to be in Texas, in the Houston area, the first week of January, and you've got a little time to kill, you could probably stop by the 215th Judicial District Court House for a little entertainment. There's going to be a trial going on that might interest you. Lawyers for this company called Meridian Energy … Continue reading Refinery Update: Another Day, Another Lawsuit. Ho Hum.

You can read all the newspaper stories with lists of vaccination and testing sites, and death counts, and you can watch the incessant pokes-in-the-arm on the six o’clock news, but  you can’t really understand Covid-19 until you’ve sat at the bedside of a good friend in the intensive care unit of a hospital and watched … Continue reading Sadness And Anger

Well, my e-mails have sure been interesting since I wrote about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) gifts earlier this week. The first was just after I wrote about Rick Becker’s plastic surgery clinic getting a couple of loans: “Hey, what about his bars and restaurants?!?!” Oops. I checked. Yes, he is the registered owner of … Continue reading The PPP Has Been Very Good To North Dakota

This might be the shortest story I ever post here. While doing some research for an earlier story I wrote, I came across the website that apparently tracks every single “loan” made under the pandemic-inspired Paycheck Protection Program. That’s the program that was passed by Congress in 2020 to help keep small businesses afloat during … Continue reading Augmenting Your Business With A PPP Loan

Just when you’ve got a sore neck from shaking your head over the stuff you read and learn about Meridian Energy Group, the company that wants to put a refinery beside our national park . . . there’s this. In spite of the fact that there is no oil refinery, and the only business the … Continue reading The PPP Has Been Really Good To Meridian Energy

I try to write an update on the Meridian Energy Group, the company that wants to put an oil refinery next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, when there’s some news to report about them. Today’s news comes from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Meridian filed an amended report on its offering of … Continue reading New Office Digs For Refinery Company