Thursday was the first day of winter — and the shortest day of the year. Eric Bergeson, The Country Scribe, salutes our new season with Robert Frost’s “Stopping By The Woods On Snowy Evening.”
One of the benefits I enjoy when traveling the world is trying new dishes in the country I’m exploring. My ever-increasing list of favorites include Germany’s humble spätzle, England’s simple Shepherd’s Pie, Scotland’s perfect Scotch Eggs, France’s yummy Brie and Bleu d’Auvergne cheeses, Cuba’s creamy flans and Spain’s authentic paella. Shortly after arriving on Menorca, one of Spain’s three Balearic …
There are a lot of jambalaya recipes floating around the internet. Just how many of them are authentic is anybody’s guess. The way I figure it, for a jambalaya recipe to be the real deal, it must be from someone with ties to Louisiana. The one I’m going to share with you today is just that. It comes from an old …
North Dakota has some unusual situations involving marijuana. On the one hand, the people voted to legalize it for medicinal purposes. After more than a year, the Legislature (that didn’t support the legislation) is still studying the issue. What legislators and the Health Department tasked with implementing the law are using for brains is beyond me. Men, women and children …
He arrived in Rhame, N.D., when I was a senior in high school, this new, young pastor at First Lutheran Church, fresh out of Wartburg Seminary. Rick Watson and I got acquainted pretty quickly because I was the church organist and pianist, and I sang in the choir. Little did I know that this talented and brilliant young man from …
The University of North Dakota women’s basketball team ran its home winning streak to 11 games with a 85-62 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Monday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks (7-3) were led by Lexi Klabo, who had a game-high 26 points along with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Fallyn …
NDCC 49-22.1-02: “Statement of policy. The legislative assembly finds the construction of energy conversion facilities … affects the environment and the welfare of the citizens of this state. It is necessary to ensure the location, construction and operation of energy conversion facilities … will produce minimal adverse effects on the environment and the welfare of the citizens of this state …
Another important historic trail in North Dakota that has been on my mind this past year is the Fort Keogh Trail. This trail passed nearby to where I grew up in Slope County. As shown on the map above, it ran from Fort Abraham Lincoln (near present-day Mandan, N.D.) to Fort Keogh, west of Miles City, Mont. Completed during the …
Grand Forks Central and Grand Forks Red River skated to a 2-2 tie in North Dakota boys high school hockey play Friday night in Purpur Arena in Grand Forks. The Roughriders (4-0-1) took an extra point in the East Region standings after Tyler Savage’s shootout goal and goalie Nate Bradbury’s final save. The Knights (4-0-2) received goals from Cole Hanson and …
With recent weather disasters, fires and other events of a historical nature ravaging this country, I hope all of us remember who the true heroes really are. The firefighters on the ground and in the air risk their lives every day, but particularly in the California fires, as well as those areas ravaged by the rash of hurricanes, floods and …
Shrimp scampi isn’t an entree most people would consider deer hunting camp fare. But they probably don’t know the Menard boys from Crookston, Minn., either. This past month, I made my fifth trip to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and to Tamarac Resort on Round Lake to join my cousins, Kim, Joe and Tom Menard — and Joe’s son, Matt — for …
Today, after a couple of weeks of Jim’s plea, “When are we going to?” we set aside the time to make krumkake, a Norwegian holiday tradition. I use my half-Norwegian mother’s tried and true recipe with a large amount of butter, sugar and eggs. My KitchenAid stand mixer makes this part so easy! I will never part with it. We …
It will be interesting to see if the president can hold together The Party of Capitulation after Roy Moore’s defeat. Divide and conquer. That’s how you keep your job with a 32 percent approval rating. That and fear. Republicans saw what happened to Jeff Flake. It’s more than party over people. It’s about self-preservation. There are three subfactors in play …
I’ve been wavering for weeks as to whether to weigh in to the recent #MeToo movement. On the one hand, as a survivor of rape as well as sexual harassment who has experienced sexual discrimination, I have some pretty strong opinions on the matter. On the other hand, I am fully aware of subtleties in every case and worry about …
“The Hour of Land: a Personal Topography of America’s National Parks,” Terry Tempest Williams (Sarah Crichton Book, 2016). The National Park Service observed its centennial in 2016. During this year, writer Terry Tempest Williams published “The Hour of Land,” her personal journey and meditation on the national parks, essays written as she traveled the country visiting some of the iconic sites …
Marlon Stewart scored 23 points and Geno Crandall added 20 but it wasn’t enough as North Dakota State University topped the University of North Dakota 88-79 on Saturday in men’s college basketball in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. NDSU (4-5) was led by Paul Smith, who scored a season high 30 points. A.J. Jacobson added 12 points for the visitors. Kienan …
Fallyn Freije and Lexi Klabo led the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team to a 79-68 nonconference win over in-state rival North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Freije scored a career-high 26 points and added 12 rebounds, while Klabo added 23 points and 10 rebounds. NDSU (5-5) was led by Michelle Gaislerova, who finished with …
A few miles west of the ranch where I grew up, in Deep Creek Township in the vastness of North Dakota’s Slope County, stands an ornately fashioned wrought iron signpost. This is the signpost. According to Merle Clark of Marmarth, Slope County’s unofficial county historian, it was made by a blacksmith from Rhame, N.D. My mother says her earliest memory …
I really thought (and kind of hoped) when I read in the paper Friday morning that the State Land Board had said good-bye to its longtime North Dakota State Land Commissioner, Lance Gaebe, that the next story I would read about him would be his appointment as director of the USDA Rural Development office in North Dakota. But Donald Trump, …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team gained a tie for first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference after a shootout win over St. Cloud State University on Friday night in Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, but the Huskies came back to take the series finale 3-1 on Saturday night. In Friday shootout, UND’s Christian …
A legislative committee will examine North Dakota’s sexual harassment policy “to make sure it’s up to date,” said Rep. Al Carlson. “I’m hoping for visual aids,” added a committeeman, panting slightly. Existing codes are located between weights and measures, buggy whips and the zoning of sod houses. Current statutes read: A chaste woman shan’t ride alone in a closed carriage …
Jim and I took ourselves Wednesday on over to the United Tribes Technical College for a lunchtime program by a member of the faculty there, Dakota Goodhouse. The topic was “The Geography of the Great Plains,” and we knew it would be a worthwhile use of our retired time, not to mention the huge, delicious sloppy Joes we were fed. …
You have to ask yourself how low the national GOP will go to obtain its goals. Roy Moore of Alabama has been removed from his state’s Supreme Court twice by the U,S. Supreme Court for violating its order and the law of this country. He met his wife when she was a minor. He was in his 30s when he …
At a time when there’s so much to worry about — global war, the long-range forecast, the coming shortage of citrus fruit — it seems almost silly to mention the one threat that causes us most to get hot under the collar. But here is it: the thermostat. As outdoor temperatures crashed this week, the Hansons’ silent battle for the …
Tuesday’s announcement by the North Dakota Department of Health that it is preparing to issue an Air Quality Permit to Meridian Energy to build the Davis Oil Refinery three miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park should come as no surprise. Once again, the state of North Dakota rolls over to the energy industry, but this time it’s threatening more than …
When I am not out exploring trails in my car or with my feet, I do quite a bit of thinking about trails, particularly the old trails of Dakota Territory. As one can see from the graphic above, in the main, the earliest trails followed the rivers. Last winter, I spent quite a bit of time off the trail, looking …
A couple of weeks ago, I was wondering what to do with some leftover chicken, and with the temps in the teens, throwing together a stew came to mind. After all, stew has been known as a comfort food a long time. The following recipe is the result. I didn’t have to venture out to buy any of the ingredients, …
I’m wiping tears from my cheeks as I copy Dan Rather’s post from his Facebook page today. When I see Dan Rather, I see America. “I See America” By Dan Rather “When the time comes, and I hope it comes soon, to bury this era of moral rot and the defiling of our communal, social, and democratic norms, the perfect …
The third annual HollyDazzle Festival of Life was held Nov. 29 in downtown Grand Forks. Sponsored by the Downtown Development Association and Leighton Broadcasting, the event featured activities for kids, a parade and a fireworks display. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
“The New Wild West: Black Gold, Fracking, and Life in a North Dakota Boomtown,” by Blaire Briody (St. Martin’s Press, 2017). Readers of the Bismarck Tribune will recognize several of the principal characters in this book in which Blaire Briody tells the story of the Bakken Oil boom in western North Dakota. Briody intersperses the stories of many individuals, including …
Nick Jones had a goal and an assist and Cole Smith tied a 65-year-old record for the fastest goal at the beginning of the third period as the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team completed a sweep of National Collegiate Hockey Conference foe Western Michigan University with a 4-1 win Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad University. Hayden Shaw and …
Lexi Klabo scored a career-high 29 points and added 15 rebounds as the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team defeated the University of Northern Iowa 80-72 on Saturday afternoon in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Fallyn Freije chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Fighting Hawks (4-2). UND returns to action Tuesday when it travels to Waco, Texas, …
The University of North Dakota withstood a 6-on-3 disadvantage in the final two minutes of the third period to hang on for a 4-3 win over Western Michigan University in National Collegiate Hockey Conference play on Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. With the win, UND climbed to within one point of league-leading WMU. Austin Poganski scored twice and Ludvig …
If you’d asked me a couple of months ago if I had plans to spend a few days in Menorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, I’d have said not anytime soon. However, when you have a daughter who is a seasoned world traveler and lives in Barcelona, Spain, you learn to keep your options open. Andrea found a terrific …
This one is for North Dakotans — and those who follow North Dakota politics. I received an e-mail this week from some thoughtful person who thought I might be interested in a fundraising event for State Rep. Al Carlson, the Republican legislative leader. Turns out I wasn’t interested in the fundraiser, but I was interested in the e-mail. The e-mail, which …
Much as I am saddened to see the autumn season come to an end, it makes my husband, Jim, delighted when I spend about 12 hours decorating Red Oak House for Christmas. He is just a big kid at heart. I’m stubborn about not taking down the autumn decorations until Thanksgiving has passed, even though I began seeing Christmas decor …
The FCC appears ready to roll back net neutrality rules in December. I know your eyes are glazing over, but hang with me just a second, and let me tell you how this will be good for you. (Silence.) OK, it won’t actually be good for you. Not at first, anyway. But in the same way that tax breaks for …
I am a daughter of Slope County, one of the many grandchildren of Andy and Lillian Silbernagel. Slope County is one of the least populated counties in the United States. I was named after Lillian Hovick, my maternal grandmother. I can see my daughter Rachel’s nose in her nose. My last memory of her is when she and I went picking …
I don’t think North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has a disingenuous bone in his body. But sometimes political naivete can make someone appear disingenuous (actually, my definition of disingenuous is “fake naivete”). There’s still a bit of naivete in Burgum. The transition from the business world to government is not an easy one. He’s still learning, although he’s a pretty …
Mr. President: Are there any limits to the shame you bring upon your office? At a ceremony Nov. 27 at the White House, you were on hand to honor the remarkable courage and invaluable contributions of Native American code talkers during World War II. Three code talkers were present at the White House, representing the 10 other living code talkers …
There have been some pretty spectacular sunrises lately, and Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner has taken notice.
The year I was a sophomore in college, one of my mentors, my Lutheran pastor, was reading a novel. He told me I should read it, and so I did. I remember exactly where we were and what the car in which we were riding looked like. I paid attention, as I greatly respected this man. The book was “Beyond …
Ten years ago, a friend and I were visiting a museum in New Haven, Conn., when she exclaimed, “This is the kind of stuff you read about in textbooks!” Recently, many in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai were equally awestruck during a tour of the British Museum’s “A History of the World in 100 Objects.” In Shanghai alone, …
The 2017 World Series was balanced. The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers were neck and neck in every game, making for a very exciting series to watch and learn from. But if one team had totally outmatched the other, we wouldn’t be calling it one of the best World Series ever. It was as if both teams made each …