Unheralded

DAVE BRUNER: Photo Gallery — May Snapshots

Photographer Dave Bruner’s landscape images from this past month spark the imagination. Among them, “Milky Way Night on the Prairie of N.D.,” which Dave offers this following description: “I was out until 4 a.m. in the morning on a crystal clear night this week to capture these beautiful shots of the Milky Way. There were meteor showers (falling stars) going on …


TIM MADIGAN: Anything Mentionable — Grace Notes

A few weeks ago, early in my first conversation with a remarkable person, we somehow came across the topic of grief. “I guess you’ve heard what happened to me,” he said. I hadn’t. He told me about the death of one of his children, only a few weeks earlier. How do you respond to such devastating news? I was dumbfounded …

MICHAEL BOGERT: Photo Gallery — The Return Trip To Fox Lake

A pair of loons and one of mallards, a great blue heron and an eagle caught the attention of photographer Mike Bogert on a recent trip to Fox Lake in northwestern Minnesota. Fox is located on a chain of lakes connected by the Turtle River. Other lakes on the chain include Lake Beltrami, Big Turtle Lake, Movil Lake and Little Turtle Lake.

CHEF JEFF: One Byte At A Time — Quick Three-Bean Skillet

Planning weeknight meals can be quite a chore, especially when parents have put in a full day at work. And with school nearly out and summer upon us and the kids constantly on the go with sporting and other events on their plates, it’s even more of a challenge. Oftentimes, it’s easier to stop and pick up a bag of burgers, a …

TIM MADIGAN: Anything Mentionable — Death, Taxes … And Suffering

To death and taxes, suffering should be added to the great inevitabilities — and not just the suffering born of tragedy and injustice. It’s a rare human who does not believe, at least at some deep level and at least some of the time, that he or she is fundamentally defective. It is what we have most in common. Yet …

TOM DAVIES: The Verdict — Lies And Outlandish Nonsense Do Not A Leader Make

Once again, I set off to write an article, and once again, I was so distracted by something on TV that I had to leave the room to finish this in silence. Silence — a term Donald Trump wouldn’t recognize if it bit him in his bum. I thought I had some great ideas. I wrote my first draft and …

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — A Half-Assed Apology

Two things about the article I wrote about campaign signs the other day: I’m going to make a half-assed apology to John Warford for saying he had an illegal campaign sign in his yard because, It turns out the Wayne Stenehjem campaign sign I wrote about wasn’t illegal. Warford in a minute. First the sign. Bismarck did indeed pass a city ordinance …

CHRIS ALLEN: Afghanistan Journal — Between Two Extremes

I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Afghanistan with three University of Nebraska at Omaha colleagues and a colleague from UNO’s office there. This was a needs assessment mission as we begin work with two universities in Afghanistan. We made a decision as a group not to blog or say anything on social media while we were there because …

TIM MADIGAN: Anything Mentionable — Take Off Your Mask

This jumped out at me from an article in the Atlantic: “As brainy social animals, human beings evolved to be consummate actors whose survival and ability to reproduce depend on the quality of our performances. We enter the world prepared to perform roles and manage the impressions of others, with the ultimate evolutionary aim of getting along and getting ahead …

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things

One of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem’s favorite things is to challenge laws passed by other governmental bodies, especially the federal government (and now, it seems, local governments, too). One of Kathleen Wrigley’s favorite things is to see her picture in the paper. One of Odney Advertising’s favorite things is to collect nice commissions on ads placed on behalf of political …

CHRIS ALLEN: Afghanistan Journal — The Mountain

There is a mountain in the middle of Kabul. Forty or 50 years ago, when Kabul was a small town of 250,000, it wasn’t a problem. Now that Kabul has grown to about 4 million, it’s a pain in the city’s neck. Kabul is surrounded by mountains. It sits in a bowl. There are limited areas for growth, and they’re just about …

TOM DAVIES: The Verdict — The Constitution Guarantees Rights To All

It’s becoming difficult to determine whether many people are the new “normal,” bigoted, uninformed, fully informed, hateful, uncaring or just plain stupid. I’m referring to the uproar surrounding the U.S. attorney general taking action to enforce the constitutional rights of transgender people. Unlike the uninformed believe, being transgender is an act of birth, the same as being gay or lesbian. …

NANCY EDMONDS HANSON: After Thought — Sink Or Swim, Summer Interns are Making A Splash

Ah, these first fine days of summer break! All over America, college students are heading out for Day One of their summer internships. It takes me back to my own shaky launch. I arrived so promptly that first day that I beat most of the real staffers to the parking lot. I pulled into a spot, then reconsidered: amateurishly crooked. …

TOM COYNE: Back In Circulation — Missing The “Win” In Twins

Did you hear the one about the four Minnesota sports fans who walk into a bar? The Minnesota Wild hockey fan is bragging to the others about his team’s good fortune. “We just hired one of the winningest coaches in NHL history!” he crows with glee. Unimpressed, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ fan is quick to respond. “Well, we just hired one …

Tony J Bender: That’s Life — Toilet Gap

A grave crisis is upon us. All hope for social order is gone. All is lost. Like the Missile Gap that nearly led to nuclear annihilation 60 years ago, there is a Toilet Gap in America. Oh, sure, we could be talking about the national debt, underfunded social programs for an aging population, a moribund economy, global warming (or global …

Bev Benda: My Coach Bev — Bison Named National Mammal: Love, But Do Not Touch!

On May 9, the bison was named the national mammal through the National Bison Legacy Act. The campaign was led by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and 11 other co-sponsors. This act passed through Congress and the Senate easily before being signed by President Obama. A few facts: Bison are the largest land animal in America, found in all …

CHEF JEFF: One Byte At A Time — Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard Sauce

Those of you who are old enough to remember the mid-1960s TV show “The Addams Family ” —  or the 1991 movie by the same name — might recall one of Gomez’s favorite lines: “Oh, Tish, I love it when you speak French.” The John Astin character (Raúl Juliá in the film) then proceeded to kiss the arm of Morticia — Carolyn …

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — There, That’s Over With … Uh Huh

Well, my wife was right. When I wrote a blog last week about this billionaire drug and sex king from California, Henry Nicholas, who’s financing the initiated measure called Marsy’s Law for North Dakota, spearheaded by Kathleen Wrigley, wife of North Dakota Lieutenant Gov. Drew Wrigley, my wife said, “You’re stirring up a hornet’s nest.” Boy, was she ever right. …

MICHAEL BOGERT: Photo Gallery — Three Rivers Petroglyph Site

The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is one of the few locations in the Southwest set aside solely because of its rock art. Photographer Mike Bogert, who took a trip across the southwest part of the county, recently visited the site. The Three Rivers site is also one of the few sites giving visitors such direct access to petroglyphs. The number and concentration …

RUSS HONS: Photo Gallery — North Valley Police Week Memorial Service

Law enforcement officials from across the Red River Valley gathered in Grand Forks on Tuesday for the sixth annual North Valley Police Week Memorial Service that honored the 44 fallen officers from the area who gave their lives in service over the past several decades. Photographer Russ Hons was there to record the service, which was held outside the Grand Forks …

DAVE VORLAND: It Occurs To Me — Thoughts About Being Half-Blind

I’ve been legally blind in my left eye for as long as I can remember. There is a tad of vision on that side and, unlike with my right eye, it is perfectly sharp. That bit of vision on the left has served me well, for example, by detecting the motion of passing cars before they come into the right …

ABOUT US: The Fish Welcomes Brodshaug and Haglund

Unheralded.fish extends a hearty welcome to two new bloggers who have agreed to share their stories with readers of our site. Nothing busts our buttons more than adding people who want to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions via the written word. Jackie Qualley Brodshaug grew up, married and raised a family on a farm near Fargo. As her four …

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — Happy Birthday, Sheila Schafer

wow what a great birthday I am blessed to make it to ninety this morning a serenade by the musical cast cards flowers a dinner a hug from my two of my favorite young men I am so blessed Sheila  That was the Facebook post from my friend — our friend — Sheila Schafer a year ago today. As many of …

CHRIS ALLEN: Afghanistan Journal — ‘You’re Going To Afghanistan? Will You be Safe?’

I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Afghanistan with three University of Nebraska at Omaha colleagues and a colleague from UNO’s office there. This was a needs assessment mission as we begin work with Kabul University and Balkh University in Afghanistan. We made a decision as a group not to blog or say anything on social media while we were …

RUSS HONS: Photo Gallery — New Mexico State 7, University of North Dakota 2

The University of North Dakota men’s baseball team, which found out earlier this spring that the sport is being cut at the end of this season, played its final home game Sunday at Kraft Field and lost 7-2 to New Mexico State. Russ Hons were there to record the historic contest, which left the Hawks with a 4-20 record in Western Athletic Conference …

RUSS HONS: Photo Gallery — On The Road To Cancun

Photographer Russ Hons and his wife, Paulette, recently returned home from a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where they were attending a wedding of some friends. Russ, as usual, had his camera in tow, and the result is this lovely set of photos from the popular Mexican resort site. Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — No Sex, No Drugs …

If you came here looking for my blog post about billionaire sex and drug king Henry Nicholas and his unwitting (I think) North Dakota foil Kathleen Wrigley, wife of Lieutenant Gov. Drew Wrigley, who, together, are bringing you a North Dakota ballot measure called Marsy’s Law, well, you won’t find it here today. I wrote about the two of them last …

DAVE VORLAND: It Occurs To Me — A Medical Analysis Of Today’s Politics

Early in my career as the University of North Dakota’s director of public relations, I mentioned to the late School of Medicine Professor Helge Ederstrom that I was looking for more insight into what it was that motivated human attitudes and behavior. I was especially interested in those individual PR people — then rather naively described as “opinion leaders” — …

CHEF JEFF: One Byte At A Time — Poached Halibut In Alfredo White Wine Sauce

If you’ve ever had a halibut meal in a restaurant or bought fillets in a supermarket, you probably remember it. That’s because halibut not only is tasty, it’s also pricey. In grocery stores or fish markets, halibut can go for up to $24 to $30 a pound. Partaking in a restaurant can mean up to $40 a plate, even in Alaska, where the …

DANIEL HAGLUND: Just The Facts, Man — Pass The Lefse And Krumkake

I hate to rain on Jim Maxson’s May 4 article, “On Burgum, Nelson, Stenehjem, At Least We Know We’re Getting a Norwegian,” from theMinotVoice.com. In it, Maxson claims North Dakotans will have a choice between three gubernatorial candidates of Norwegian descent. Only problem — Fargo Republican Doug Burgum is not Norwegian. Most of his Burgum ancestors were English. I traced his family tree, …

JACKIE QUALLEY BRODSHAUG — View From The Valley: An Open Letter To Sen. Bernie Sanders

Welcome to Fargo! I’m delighted you’re coming to visit. I have closely followed your campaign and applaud your concern for the “folks,” as those of us with Norse ancestry call the middle class. I congratulate you for inspiring so many young people to get involved and continuing your campaign across this country, even to North Dakota. But do you remember …

JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — Sex, Drugs And Marsy’s Law

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I get all agitated whenever somebody from somewhere else dumps a whole lot of money into a North Dakota political campaign. I just can’t stand not knowing who those people are and why they want to spend a bunch of money in North Dakota. So I got curious Wednesday …

NANCY EDMONDS HANSON: After Thought — A Little Less Judgment Can’t Hurt

Nothing damns quite as quickly as the words “drug addiction.” Just look at Prince. Hailed as a groundbreaking artist, the Minneapolis musician was near-universally mourned when he died unexpectedly in the Twin Cities last month. But the tributes had barely begun when hints of something darker began to poke through the admiring narrative: hints that a drug overdose, rather than …

TOM DAVIES: The Verdict — Republican Candidates Dump Credibility For Trump

Criminal charges have been filed against three Michigan State and local officials after an investigation disclosed there were dangerous lead levels in Flint’s drinking water, which fueled public outrage. It also resulted in a visit by the president of the United States, who promised federal assistance, in no small part due to the inaction and cover-up by local politicians. The …

TIM MADIGAN: Anything Mentionable — Texans Spar Over Transgender Bathrooms

FORT WORTH, Texas — On Tuesday, the first scorching day of a Texas spring, hundreds stood in line in the late afternoon sun, waiting to enter the meeting hall of the Fort Worth School Board. The impassioned throng was the largest in more than three decades of school board meetings here, officials said. The issue: school district guidelines intended to …

TERRY DULLUM: The Dullum File — George, Ginny And Me

Perhaps inspired by that clever television commercial in which a guy trades his  lederhosen for a kilt after learning he’s not really German as he was led to believe all his life but rather Irish, the other day Ginny signed us up to take one of those Ancestry.com DNA tests. For about $90, Ancestry.com will send you a DNA test kit. You get to spit …