It was newspaper editor Gideon J. Tucker who wrote those words in 1866. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but we’re all well-advised to keep an eye on what goes on over at the Capitol this winter. I’ve got my eye on a couple pieces of legislation, one bad and one good, and I expect … Continue reading No Man’s Life, Liberty Or Property Are Safe While The Legislature Is In Session

I’ve listened to a few State of the State speeches by North Dakota Governors–probably somewhere between 15 and 20—and even had a hand in writing a few of them, so I think I’m qualified to offer a few comments on the one Doug Burgum gave yesterday to the North Dakota Legislature. As they go, his … Continue reading If You’re Going To Talk Like Teddy Roosevelt, You Better Act Like Teddy Roosevelt

Here’s an update on the strangest, and most fascinating, story I’ve written in all the years I’ve been writing on this blog. This story appears in the current—January 2019—issue of Dakota Country magazine, where it reaches a hell of a lot more readers than I have on this blog. But for faithful Prairie Blog readers, … Continue reading North Dakota Has Its Own Version of the Beverly Hillbillies

Okay, if you came here looking for that sappy poem "Billy Peeble's Christmas" that I usually put on my annual Christmas poetry blog, you're going to be disappointed. Even Lillian rolled her eyes when I headed for my office to start writing. She didn't say much, but I got the hint--aren't you tired of that … Continue reading Some Christmas Poetry: ‘Pure As The Soul Of Christ’

UPDATE: The Forest Service will announce today that they have extended the comment period on the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Oil and Gas Leasing on our Little Missouri National Grasslands.  The 30-day extension means comments will be accepted on the Draft SEIS, outlined below, until January 16, 2019. Although the announcement comes on … Continue reading Notice: Comment Period Extended on Forest Service SEIS

Here's an article I wrote for the December issue of Dakota Country magazine, which should be on the newsstands this week. If you're not already a subscriber, you should be. Here's the place to go to sign up. They've got a Christmas sale going on right now, and the price is right. A year and … Continue reading Fracking and Flaring at Van Hook

A couple final (?) thoughts on the November 6 election in North Dakota. * * * * Did racism play a role in the 2018 North Dakota election? As I’ve said repeatedly over the past few months, North Dakota Democrats needed to focus ALL their messaging opportunities on two topics: Trump’s trade wars and Republicans … Continue reading Election 2018: Racists 1, Potheads 0

Paging through an old book of poetry this afternoon, I came across this poem by North Dakota poet Paul Southworth Bliss, from “Poems of Places.” The poems in the book were written as Bliss traveled the country in 1937. This one came from a stop in Oklahoma, which got oil a long time before North … Continue reading A Thanksgiving Day Poem

Pretty much every political pundit (including me) has declared the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party dead after this year’s election, and the debate continues to rage (well, maybe not rage, but to be discussed) among Democrats about what caused the demise of the party after so many years as a major political force in our state. … Continue reading Why The Republicans Control North Dakota Government

(As many of you know, Lillian and I have a fascination with a North Dakota poet named Paul Southworth Bliss and we are writing his biography. Here, in our final entry in this series, on the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day, is an accounting of his military service, from Lillian’s research.) By Lillian Crook and … Continue reading Homage To Colonel Paul Southworth Bliss, On The Occasion Of The 100th Anniversary Of Armistice Day