In this country, we have the right to remain silent. But there are times where we also have the duty to speak out. We now live in a time when to remain silent is an act of cowardice, racism and bigotry. I’m not going to dignify this POTUS by quoting his recent disgusting statement referencing the entire African continent. He …
A pair of former Democratic-NPL state senators challenged the North Dakota Health Department to demand a site review by the State’s Public Service Commission before issuing an air pollution permit allowing Meridian Energy Group to build a refinery three miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park at a marathon public hearing by the Department Wednesday night. Former Sen. Connie Triplett of …
Marlon Stewart, Conner Avants and Dale Jones led the University of North Dakota men’s basketball team to its third straight win, a 86-77 nonconference victory over in-state rival North Dakota State University on Tuesday night in Scheels Arena in Fargo. Stewart scored 20 points and Avants and Jones added 17 each for the Fighting Hawks (7-11). Joining those three in …
Mushrooms are one of those vegetables that you either love or hate. For those who dislike mushrooms, it’s usually texture that puts people off more than the taste, while it’s those same qualities that attracts those on the other side of the aisle. One of the reasons I like mushrooms so much is that they often absorb the flavor of the …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Bemidji State University on Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena to close out its nonconference schedule. Nick Jones and Christian Wolanin scored goals for the Fighting Hawks (12-6-6), while Dillon Eichstadt and Leo Fitzgerald scored for the Beavers (11-7-6). Cam Johnson had 18 saves in goal for …
Geno Crandall scored a game-high 25 points to lead the University of North Dakota men’s basketball team to a 89-79 Big Sky Conference win over Weber State University on Saturday afternoon in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Crandall added nine rebounds and eight assists for the Fighting Hawks, who improved to 2-4 in the Big Sky and 6-11 overall. Kienan Walter had …
I’m all a flutter waiting on Kevin Cramer’s big decision. Actually, my heart does have a slight flutter. I should have that looked at. Anyway, our lone congressman needs to decide whether to run against Heidi Heitkamp for her Senate seat, or shoot for another two years in Congress. Anyway, the Cong … Whoa. Wait. Cramer just decided he wants to …
It’s been awhile, but it’s time once again, boys and girls, to play what I call Scammin’ the Scammers. Here’s how it goes. We message a real Facebook scammer, in an effort to waste as much of his or her time as possible. We had a lot of fun with this one over the course of a couple of days. …
Austin Poganski score two goals, the first just 18 seconds into the game, to lead the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team to a 5-1 win over Bemidji State University on Friday night in Bemidji’s Sanford Center. Nick Jones also tallied two goals for the Fighting Hawks (12-6-5), and Trevor Olson added an empty-netter to round out the scoring. …
Hello from Lillian AND Jim. We sat down this week and wrote about one of the coolest things that have happened to us in a long time, and we’re posting it on both our blogs — Wild Dakota Woman and View From The Prairie. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. On summer evenings …
Hello from Lillian AND Jim. We sat down this week and wrote about one of the coolest things that have happened to us in a long time, and we’re posting it on both our blogs — Wild Dakota Woman and View From The Prairie. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. On summer evenings …
Cortes Seales scored 14 points to lead the University of North Dakota men’s basketball team to 81-58 win over Big Sky Conference foe Idaho State University on Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks (5-11, 1-3 BSC) also received 13 points from Conner Avants and Marlon Stewart and 11 points from Dale Jones. Geno Crandall and Billy …
Last week, I described some of my youthful contemporaries as “daring.” Now I’ll return to my youthful adventures … but this time, leave it to you, the reader, to fill in the blank. I’ve been describing youthful fun on the Grand Forks skating rink. Now let’s recall a much more dangerous pursuit — the American Flexible Flyer and the Champion …
Of all things, Russ and I were talking about bath mats. I’d just taken a shower downstairs, and I’d noticed that the mundane incumbent — already bearing the stains of years of feline hairball disposal — had begun shedding bits of fuzz and flakes of latex all over the tile floor. A trip to Target seemed to be in order …
Here at Red Oak House, in the wooded Highland Acres neighborhood of Bismarck, we like owls very much. We frequently have great horned owls and Eastern screech owls in our large blue spruce and green ash trees. Many years ago, my brother, Thomas, took me to Yorktown, Va., where I bought this wonderful wooden snowy owl at street arts and …
A foggy morning walk today took Arlington, Va., photographer Jeff Olson across the National Mall, past Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Nurses Memorial and Constitution Gardens. The area technically borders the part of Washington, D.C., that is known as “Foggy Bottom” because of the fog that naturally lingers there.
“We’ll always have Paris.” Humphrey Bogart said that to Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie “Casablanca.” He was right. I feel that way about my favorite place in the whole wide world, even if I never have the opportunity to return. I’ve been there several times over the years. But actually I do have an opportunity. In July, I’m splurging …
Austin Poganski scored two goals and goalie Peter Thome recorded his first shutout Saturday night to lead the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team to a weekend split with the University of Nebraska-Omaha in National Collegiate Hockey Conference action in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Also scoring for the Fighting Hawks (6-4-2 NCHC, 11-6-5 overall) were Rhett Gardner, Joel Janatuinen, Christian Wolanin, …
The University of Nebraska-Omaha spoiled the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team’s 2018 opener with a 4-1 win over the Fighting Hawks on Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Mavericks (3-6 National Collegiate Hockey Conference, 11-8-1 overall) received goals from Fredrik Olofsson, Luke Norgard, David Pope and Zach Jordan, while Shane Gersich scored the only goal for the …
The year 2017 was the newsiest year on record according to statistics I just made up. Strike that. These are not alternative facts. This is based on actual gut feelings. And anonymous sources. Seriously, the news lurched from one thing to another so quickly, reporters had to step up their cross-fit routines to keep up, although Rachel Maddow sounded like …
An amendment co-authored by North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven to the huge tax cut bill passed by Congress late last year provides generous tax breaks to farmer-owned cooperatives and to farmers who sell grain to them. But it could create real problems for privately owned elevators. If it’s not fixed, somehow, there’s not a farmer anywhere who is going to …
With every turn of a page in “Prairie Mosaic,” the reader will delve into the rich ethnic history of North Dakota. The Rev. William C. Sherman labored for many years to reveal an astonishing level of detail, down to the township level, and to tell the story of the state’s inhabitants. “Prairie Mosaic: An Ethnic Atlas of Rural North Dakota,” …
The University of Montana snapped the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team’s 11-game home winning streak with a 54-43 Big Sky Conference victory over the Fighting Hawks on Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Grizzlies (7-7 overall, 3-0 BSC) were led by Caitlin Lonergan, scored a 12 points and McKenzie Johnston who added nine points and eight rebounds. …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert has been braving the recent cold weather, venturing into the countryside in search of picturesque settings. Here is what he found.
I have two new British friends, thanks to the magic of books (and Twitter). One is the writer, Robert Macfarlane, and the other is the artist Jackie Morris. My friend, Ken, and I have a mutual appreciation of all of Macfarlane’s books. Macfarlane’s Twitter account is a delight as is his Word of the Day, from which I learn something daily, …
Cold weather and comfort food go together like bacon and eggs, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs. That’s why it wasn’t surprising to me to see a billboard ad this morning touting all the soup you can eat from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays at a local restaurant. After all, what’s more comforting when the temperatures are below …
At the end of the meeting between Meridian Energy Group executives and the North Dakota Public Service Commission a couple of weeks ago, Commission President Randy Christmann pretty much told William Prentice, Meridian CEO and the man who wants to build an oil refinery next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, that the next time they meet will probably be in …
We all have memories of the good old days. The older one gets, the more unusual they seem. When I was a young lad growing up in Grand Forks, N.D., the only inside rink in the city was the University of North Dakota arena. It was a glorified farm shed with no heating, and when it was cold outside, it …
Come away with me a few moments to the enchanting world of the late Paul Goble, artist and storyteller extraordinaire, my favorite children’s book author of all-time (admittedly there are many I love). Like most college students, I had courses that I preferred above all others. Mine, taught by some exceptional professors, included Myths & Legends, Shakespeare, and, the best, …
It’s been nearly 41 years since the Minnesota Vikings last played in a Super Bowl. We’ve had seven presidents in that time. The price of gas has risen about two bucks a gallon since the Purple fell to John Madden’s Oakland Raiders back on Jan. 9, 1977. While the Vikings played in relative splendor that day in Pasadena, Calif., Twin …
Last night, I was still awake at midnight and upon hearing the noise of fireworks, put down my book and looked out the windows. The luminous full moon on the white, almost blue, landscape brought to mind one of my favorite children’s books “Owl Moon,” by Jane Yolen. It is a wondrous story of a father taking his little girl out in …
Fifteen below at noon New Year’s Eve 2017 with record lows in the night convinced me that this was a year to participate in the area Christmas bird count by making observations at the Red Oak House feeders. These are my tools for the day. The hyperborean dawn revealed that the kitchen window suet feeder had fallen to the ground. Red …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team received goals from Cole Smith, Austin Poganski, Matt Kiersted and Jordan Kawaguchi en route to a 5-2 exhibition win over the U.S. Under-18 team Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Ryan Savage and Oliver Wahlstrom scored for the U-18 team. Cam Johnson, Peter Thome and Ryan Anderson shared the goaltending duties for …
Photographer Dave Bruner ventured out in the extreme cold (minus 25 degrees with a wind chill of minus 40) Saturday morning to try and capture some images of the sun dogs, as extreme cold is needed plus ice crystals in the air. It all came together as he was fortunate to capture this phenomenon in full detail. They formed the …
Mikael Granlund had a hat trick and goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped 41 shots in his return to the lineup as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Nashville Predators 4-2 on Friday night in the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Also scoring for the Wild (20-15-3) was Matt Dumba. P.K. Subban and Kyle Turris scored for the Predators (22-10-5). (Check out …
We went away over Christmas for a winter interlude with my sisters and their families and my mother, gathering in a large house in the woods of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Driving west across the Memorial Bridge, we could see chunks of ice in the Missouri River. We traversed familiar west Dakota roads, in the midst of the …
Jared Spurgeon, Eric Staal, Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker scored goals as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2 on Wednesday night in the Xcel Center in St. Paul. Tyler Seguin and Mattias Janmark scored for the Stars. The Wild (19-15-3) were backstopped by goalie Alex Stalock, who finished with 24 saves for Minnesota. Ben Bishop made 27 saves for the …
It’s odd how people will read this column or one of my posts on Facebook and conclude I don’t like folks at the local and state level. That couldn’t be further from the truth. On an individual basis, I like everyone on the Fargo City Commission. I have not met a state or county official I don’t personally like. At …
I’ve never been much for bucket lists. But if I were, I’d have been able to check off a big one earlier this month. That is to see Havana, Cuba, from the backseat of one of the country’s classic American cars from the 1950s and ’60s, still operating on the streets every day. The importation of new cars — and lots of …
For me, a trip to Cuba earlier this month would not have been complete without experiencing the Tropicana nightclub in Havana. Its cabaret show is considered among the top three shows in the world (by people who decide these kinds of things, I guess). After seeing it, I believe it. For openers, Havana’s Tropicana nightclub shouldn’t be confused with the …
As a kid, a lot of stuff confused me. Some of it centered on Santa Claus and Christmas. Part of it was the usual confusing kid stuff. How can Santa and the reindeer fly? How does Santa get down the chimney? How does he get UP the chimney? What if we don’t have a chimney? My confusion wasn’t helped at …
The clatter was tremendous. Decorative brass fireplace implements clanged off the brick hearth and a fine black cloud of soot billowed, and when it had cleared, there stood a man who looked just like the one in the Christmas cards — right down to the red suit and black boots. The small boy at the table stared, a cookie poised …
It’s Saturday of Christmas weekend, and it feels like it’s Christmas Eve. If it seems like Christmas falling on a Monday (and Christmas Eve on a Sunday) seems unusual, it’s because it hasn’t happened for a while. Because of a quirk in the calendar (a few leap years), we’ve gone 11 years without a Monday Christmas, the last one happening in 2006. …
East Grand Forks Senior High and Warroad skated to a 1-1 tie in Minnesota Section 8A high school hockey play Thursday night in the East Grand Forks Civic Center. Landon Parker scored for the Green Wave (6-4-1), while Kip Knutson scored for the Warriors (2-6-1). Goalie Carter Krier stopped 23 shots for No. 5-ranked East Grand Forks. Warroad goalie Max Gausen finished …