In North Dakota, if you’re an oil field company and you violate laws or regulations, you sometimes get fined for your misdeeds. Sometimes, the fines are as much as $200,000. Sometimes, they’re only $50,000 or $10,000. No matter. No one ever pays them. Because the philosophy of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, and its chairman, Jack Dalrymple, our state’s governor, is …
The Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 is one of the chestnuts of classical music, so much so that pop musicians have been stealing melodies from it for decades. Eric Carmen, Celine Dion, on and on. The concerto is so popular that many classical music fans tire of its constant repetition in concert halls across the country. Well, it is tiring to hear mediocre …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson captured these scenic shots at Chimney Rock State Park, which is located in Chimney Rock Village near Lake Lure in the North Carolina mountains. Privately owned by the Morse family for more than 100 years, Chimney Rock was acquired by the state of North Carolina in 2007 to become part of the greater Chimney Rock State …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland captured these images on a recent trip to northeastern Minnesota: Split Rock Lighthouse, north of Duluth on Lake Superior, from one of the many hiking trails in the area; Lake Superior sunset; Little Angie’s Cantina and Grill, Duluth; Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth; “Luna,” a resident of the International Wolf Center at Ely.
Here are some of the “Faces” from Saturday night’s UND men’s hockey game against Bemidji State in Ralph Engelstad Arena. UND won the game 5-2 behind Brock Boeser’s hat trick.
Every two weeks since June, someone in my family, someone I went to grade school or high school with or — as happened this week — a friend I respected, has died. It’s almost enough to get depressed about. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. But it has given me considerable pause to think about death and dying. What really DOES matter …
A hike along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and to the Paw Paw Tunnel near Oldtown, Maryland was on the agenda recently for Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson and his wife, Joanne Plager Burke Olson. The C&O Canal, occasionally called the “Grand Old Ditch,”operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md. The canal’s principal cargo …
When my Grandmother Olga Bergeson passed away in 1995, her funeral was held on a perfect September day at the little country church where she had been comfirmed nearly 80 years before. After the graveside service, neighbor Paul Ofstedal pulled my aunt aside and said, “Now, that was a slam-dunk funeral.” Yesterday came Paul’s turn for a slam-dunk funeral. Paul was a citizen of …
As Halloween approaches, I remember one year as a young girl growing up on a farm outside of Ashby, Minn., when we decided to create a “Spook House” in an old abandoned house on our farm. And charge admission. My two older sisters joined in. We were about 5, 7 and 9. We had different “spooky” experiences set up in different …
If you are a University of North Dakota women’s volleyball fan and attended Tuesday night’s match with North Dakota State University in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, you didn’t go home disappointed. A near-capacity crowd (2,232) saw UND hand the Bison a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) loss to up its record to 4-2 against NDSU in the Division I era. With …
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olsons shares these shots of Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, located in Baltimore. The coastal star-shaped fort is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British Navy in Chesapeake Bay in 1814. During the Civil War, the area where Fort McHenry sits served as a military prison, …
Here are some beautiful shots of Lake Tahoe from Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons, who recently won first place in the Wildlife Category in the 12th annual North Dakota Governor’s Photo Contest.
Preface: My mother has a rare brain disorder called primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language disorder that involves changes in the ability to speak, read, write and understand what others are saying. It is often associated with memory loss and dementia, and though mom has only rarely not known who I was for a short time, she does have …
John Berg has died. You may not know his name, but you know his work. I guarantee it. Berg was Columbia Records’ Grammy-winning art director, the man responsible for some of the most iconic album covers of all time. The New York Times calls him the man who made album covers sing. His work includes the famous backlit image of …
Editor’s note: Jim Fuglie wrote this before this past weekend’s pheasant hunting opener in North Dakota. Tomorrow, I’ll join about 90,000 or so of my best friends on one of North Dakota’s favorite days, hunting pheasants on the opening day of pheasant season. I thought I might share here, for those of you who don’t read a magazine called Dakota Country, an article …
Here are a few more images of Greek life from Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland who recently returned from a visit there. Among them is a night view of the Acropolis, which shows scaffolding that is being used by experts carrying out ever more sophisticated preservation of this icon of Western culture; sculpted lions, weathered by centuries of exposure to the elements, …
TV dinners have been around for quite some time, probably almost as long as televisions, so we’re talking the late 1940s or early 1950s. As a kid, I remember chowing down on TV dinners before going away to college. And being a typical college kid ― with very little extra money ― I ate quite a few of them when living off-campus. Some of my …
Here are a couple of shots from Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons of the crystal ball that hangs outside his home that reflect our magnificent fall colors on the trees.
Any parent involved in the youth sports world has probably witnessed cheating — by adults. It usually begins with parents and coaches stacking teams, even at the youngest age levels. Although it may not be illegal, when adults successfully stack teams, kids are cheated out of an honest, competitive experience where good effort and teamwork are emphasized and instead have one where adults …
As the shots rang out just after noon last week, I was in a college classroom with my writing students, discussing the art of the interview. Some few might have wondered from time to time whether they’d survive Media Writing 210, but none of us had ever, ever doubted that we’d live past Thursday. Ten people died, including the teacher, …
For nearly three years, I’ve been involved with a group that meets quarterly called the Forecast Public Art Breakfast Scrambler. About 40 artists, public art administrators, art supporters, educators and Twin Cities area planners gather to share information, learn from each other and network. Started by Jack Becker 37 years ago, Forecast Public Art is one of the nation’s first …
We return now to an old, familiar story, a story of some really bad guys doing some really bad things to the North Dakota environment (or enviornment, as the Bismarck Tribune spells it in really big headlines on the front page today — have you ever seen a worse newspaper?), getting caught by state “regulators,” then given a slap on …
We at the Fish would like to extend a big welcome to Chuck Schumacher. Chuck is an American karate and baseball instructor who originally hails from northwestern Minnesota, Oklee and Crookston, to be specific. Chuck has traveled many paths in his life: professional musician, woodworker, baseball coach, certified personal trainer, martial artist and baseball instructor. He and Lynn, his wife of 32 years, have …
“C’mon, Mason, you can do it! One more strike, put him in the books!” As these encouraging words resonate from the crowd, Mason receives the ball back from the catcher after throwing one in the dirt, allowing the runner to score from third — one ball, two strikes. He pauses for a second to compose himself, taking a breath to …
Who says summer is gone? Certainly not the flowers in the back yard of Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson.
What a perfectly glorious autumn day for a ride on the Mississippi River! Saturday, my husband Arnie and I, enjoyed a three-hour tour from River Heights Marina at Inver Grove Heights north past downtown St. Paul. Our river tour was compliments of Winston Kettle. Thanks, Winston! He and his crew totally remodeled our home, La Condo, this past year. Winston’s …
Regional apple growers are excited to face an avalanche of fruit this fall as the late apples are harvested. However, some trees didn’t bloom last spring, or the rains were a problem that cut the blooms and the yield. Many of the apples we enjoyed either fresh or in apple treats were developed right here in Minnesota. Peter Gideon is …
Here are a few weekend shots from the Itasca State Park area in Minnesota from Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons. While peak colors haven’t quite arrived in some of the forested parts of the state, they are just around the corner.
It’s a thrill for me to join friends like Charley Johnson and Bill and Marietta Ekberg and others like Pat Miles and Don Shelby in the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Association of Television Art and Science’s Silver Circle. The award is given for 25 years or more of service to the television industry. Congratulations to fellow inductees Tim …
It was only an exhibition game, but the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team showed it will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2015-16 season. UND easily handled the University of Manitoba 8-3 Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Sophomore forward Johnny Simonson of Grand Forks led the way with a hat trick, but the highly …
The University of North Dakota men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened their 2015-16 season this weekend at the Hyslop pool, and it was a good one for both. The men defeated St. Cloud State, 218-159, while the women came out on top of both SCSU and Minnesota State Moorhead in a championship two-day meet format. North Dakota combined to …
The University of North Dakota women’s volleyball team defeated Montana State on Saturday afternoon in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, running its home winning streak to 11. UND lost the first game 25-27 before reeling off three straight wins (25-21, 25-22, 25-19). The home win streak is its longest since UND joined the Big Sky Conference. Freshman Courtney Place had 14 kills and added a career-best 15 …
The University of North Dakota women’s volleyball team ran its home winning streak to 10 games with a 3-0 victory over the University of Montana in a Big Sky matchup Thursday in Betty Engelstad Arena. UND won 25-23, 25-18 and 25-20 to up its record to 13-6 (2-1 in conference). Montana fell to 4-11 and 0-3 overall. UND’s middles, Faith Dooley and Chelsea …
“Then there’s the strange case of Drew Wrigley, the lieutenant governor and, many thought, heir apparent to the office. Wrigley has gotten himself tangled up in a messy personal situation that probably precludes his nomination …” That’s what I wrote a month ago today, on a quiet Tuesday morning, in an article ostensibly about Jack Dalrymple’s performance as governor (you …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland’s most recent travels in Greece took him to ancient Greek and Roman ruins on the island of Delos. He also visited the isles of Naxos and Mykonos, where he spotted a bar that seemed to pay tribute, sort of, to Jackie Kennedy, who was romanced there and eventually married by tycoon Aristotle Onassis several years after the assassination …
Last Friday night, my wife and I were treated to amazing music made even more special because the artists were friends. A year after he charmed America on “The Voice,” Luke Wade put on an electric performance before a huge outdoor crowd at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Texas. For his encore of “Stand By Me,” he did something so typically …
Our lawns have had a difficult year. We had a wet, cold spring followed by a hot and dry summer, and while we had scattered rain in late summer, it was not enough to offset the brutal year. But good lawn care can help alleviate the bad situation. Here are a few preventative steps you can take: While fall rains …
What happened in the sky Sunday night hadn’t occurred in 33 years. And it won’t be visible again for 18 years. What is it? It’s a total supermoon lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, and Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons captured it in these amazing shots. The supermoon total lunar eclipse is a confluence of three things: The moon is full and …
The appetite for hot and spicy food is gaining in popularity across the country as is evidenced by the emergence of restaurant and fast-food establishment dishes such as Subway’s Buffalo Chicken, Red Lobster’s Extra Jumbo Spicy Sriracha-Grilled Shrimp and Wendy’s Ghost Pepper Fries. For me, if I had to choose between hot and spicy and bland and boring, there’s no question what …
Here are some Faces from Game Day before, during and after the University of North Dakota’s 31-24 Big Sky Conference win over UC Davis on Saturday in the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. UND was led by true freshman John Santiago, who ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and inside linebacker Will Ratelle, who had 15 tackles — 12 …
True freshman John Santiago ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns and inside linebacker Will Ratelle had 15 tackles — 12 of them solo — to lead the University of North Dakota to a 31-24 Big Sky Conference football win over UC Davis Saturday in the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. The victory gives UND a 1-0 conference record (3-1 overall). David …
Someone asked me this week if I ever covered a papal visit. Not one in the U.S., but on September 16, 1984, I covered Pope John Paul II’s visit to Winnipeg for WDAY and WDAZ. It was part of a very long Canadian visit for John Paul, and a fairly historic one, marking the first time a pope had ever …
Bloomington, Minn., photographer Dave Vorland’s recent travels took him to Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Santorini was devastated by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century B.C., which forever shaped its rugged landscape and villages. Santorini has two main towns, including Oia, where whitewashed, cubist houses cling to cliffs above an underwater caldera (crater) and overlook the clear …
Nachos are a popular appetizer for today’s football tailgaters. And there is no limit to the number of ways that this party food can be customized. Recently, I came across a recipe on Facebook that takes nachos to another level. It’s from Marit Mikkelson of Grand Forks, a University of North Dakota fan who posted a photo of “Tater Totchos” a …