Last winter I wrote a series of articles about the outrageous proposal to mine gravel on the ridge above the Elkhorn Ranch site of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, on the banks of the Little Missouri River. The Elkhorn Ranch, you probably know, was the home of President Theodore Roosevelt when he lived and ranched in … Continue reading Elkhorn Ranch Update

A couple months ago, I had occasion to have lunch at the North Dakota Governor’s residence with, among the other assembled dignitaries, the Governor himself. After lunch, the Governor asked those gathered around the table if they had any questions for him. One of the first questions asked was “Governor, is there ever a day … Continue reading Weekenders

A wise friend of mine, the late Rod Tjaden, used to say this about organizations governed by volunteer boards of directors: At any board meeting, there should be just two motions. The first motion is to fire the executive director. If the motion fails, the next motion is to adjourn. Rod’s point was, of course, … Continue reading Best Friends Forever

If you dig deep enough into his FEC reports, you’ll discover that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Duane Sand is running the biggest scam EVER in the history of North Dakota politics. Either that, or he’s the stupidest person ever to run for political office in North Dakota. Read on, and decide. If you read the … Continue reading The Great Duane Sand Political Scam

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE Public Service Commissioners Kevin Cramer and Brian Kalk are both running for Congress. Their campaign funds are being beefed up by donations from the industries they regulate—coal, oil and other energy executives—in what some say is a pretty shady and shameless practice. Which reminds me of an old story told about … Continue reading Weekenders

Well, this is embarrassing. Yesterday I finished a long article on the State Land Board and put it on my blog. In it, I congratulated everyone from the Governor to the dogcatcher for teaming up to offer protection to some valuable roadless areas of the North Dakota Bad Lands. When I wrote it, I had … Continue reading Somebody Fibbed

A few weeks ago I wrote about the activities of the State Land Board, and I said I was encouraged that the board had agreed to remove several parcels of land from a mineral lease sale, parcels that were part of a couple roadless areas in North Dakota’s Bad Lands. “This week we won a … Continue reading A Tangled Web

Politicians will say the darnedest things in an election year. Take Jack Dalrymple. Please. Someone. (Sorry. Just kidding. Old joke. Couldn’t resist.) The Governor addressed a Conference on the Future of Hunting that I attended last week. It was put together by North Dakota’s wildlife organizations, with some assistance from the State Game and Fish … Continue reading “It’s Not What He Doesn’t Know . . . “

Here’s what we know for sure. This is an election year. There are some deep political divisions in this country, fueled mostly by Republican leaders who, more than three years after the 2008 election, are still in shock over the election of a black Democratic president and are continually frustrated by their party’s inability to … Continue reading You Can’t Make Up Your Own Facts

THE SCENE: A quiet winter morning in the Logan’s on Third Building in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota, home to the offices of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. The phone rings at the desk of Petroleum Council President Ron Ness. On the line is Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Division of Mineral Resources, chief … Continue reading Give Me A Frackin’ Break