Yesterday I posted a story here about the financial woes of Meridian Energy Group, triggered by the filing last week of a huge construction lien against the company by one of its contractors. There were some things in it I just couldn’t figure out, and I probably should have held off for a day or … Continue reading Refinery Company Slapped With $2,187,973.85 Lien For Non-Payment Of Bills

 It’s a typical November morning at the Bismarck home of Jackie Stebbins, her husband Sean Arithson, and their kids, Kennedy, 7, and Kirby, 5.  Dad gets up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and heads off to work. Mom gets the kids ready for the day, feeds them breakfast, gets one off to school, the other to … Continue reading “The Lawyer Who Wasn’t Crazy” – Jackie Stebbins’ Thanksgiving Story

The three North Dakota Public Service Commissioners went to Emmons County last week to hold a public hearing. Emmons County is where the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL, in the vernacular) Company plans to build a big station to boost the capacity of their still-controversial pipeline hauling oil from North Dakota to out-of-state refineries. The PSC … Continue reading Pipelines Leak

It looks like Wylie Bice is going to have to write a check for $30,000 to the United States Government and tuck away $100,000 in a bond bank somewhere as his penalty for building an illegal bridge on public land in the Bad Lands. (If you’re not familiar with this story, here’s the background.) Those … Continue reading A $30,000 Check And A $100,000 Bond

Here's part of an article which appears in the November issue of Dakota Country magazine, on the news stands now. “If we find the moral courage to save the Little Missouri River valley today we will congratulate ourselves 100 years from now, just as we congratulate Theodore Roosevelt for bucking the industrial zeitgeist a hundred … Continue reading ‘Do What You Want, But Stay Off Of My Little Mo’

I wasn’t going to write about drug prices again because I like my pharmacist, and don’t want to create any ill will toward him or Bismarck-Mandan pharmacists in general. Our pharmacists are not to blame for the outrageous behavior in the prescription drug business. They’re simply retailers, pawns in the big game of chess being … Continue reading Taking Care Of My Eyes, One Canadian Drop At A Time

“It’s like working on a health time bomb, we are the guinea pigs for the largest condensate spill in U.S. history. I am glad I got out but feel sorry for workers still there.” Those are the words of Paul Lehto, the man who's publicly blowing the whistle on what is proving to be one of the largest … Continue reading A ‘Health Time Bomb’ In North Dakota’s Oil Patch

NDCC CHAPTER 61-29 LITTLE MISSOURI STATE SCENIC RIVER ACT The purpose of this chapter shall be to preserve the Little Missouri River as nearly as possible in its present state, which shall mean that the river will be maintained in a free-flowing natural condition, and to establish a Little Missouri River Commission. NDCC 61-29 Little Missouri … Continue reading It’s Okay To Skip This Meeting – That’s What They Want.

When I was a boy growing up in southwest North Dakota, I used to tag along with my dad on his pheasant, grouse and deer hunting trips, mostly along the Cedar River in Adams and Grant Counties. Dad was an optometrist in the small town of Hettinger, the county seat of Adams County, and many, … Continue reading Why The Bad Lands Are Important To Me

Well, Wylie Bice gets to keep his bridge. And he won’t be going to the pokey. If you’ve got enough money out there in the oil patch, you can get away with pretty much anything. If you’ve been following this story, you know that Bice is the guy who put a big concrete bridge over … Continue reading The Bridge Stays