Commentary – TheMinotVoice.com

A War on Wisdom: The Quiet Destruction of the Humanities

By: Marc C. Johnson, Idaho Capital Sun | April 28, 2025

The president of the United States is destroying the National Endowment for the Humanities, a tiny federal agency that has existed since the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. The defunding of state humanities councils, including in Idaho, is a pathetically short-sighted move. Even worse it’s part of a comprehensive effort by the administration to further “dumb

Read & Share sourced from: Idaho Capital Sun

Term Limits Make the Case on Second Thoughts

by: Jim Maxson | April 23, 2025

A few short years ago, the voters of North Dakota imposed term limits on North Dakota legislators. I voted against that measure, being of the opinion that voters have an opportunity at every election to limit the terms of serving legislators by simply not voting for them. Conversely, yours truly limited his own service in

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Letter: What Ukraine reminds us about freedom

By: Graden Keller, The Kyiv Independent | April 22, 2025

When the cause of liberty seemed most fragile, and its defenders most alone, a man named Thomas Paine picked up his pen and wrote: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” It was December 1776, one of the bleakest moments in the American War of Independence. Washington’s army was in retreat. Winter was biting.

Read & Share sourced from: The Kyiv Independent

Letter: Protecting Newborns Shouldn’t Be Political

By: Dr. Stephen McDonough | April 21, 2025

Newborn screening is one of the United States’ 10 greatest public health accomplishments of this century and greatly helps 15,000 children annually. Newborn screening began in the U.S. over 60 years ago with the PKU test. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act received bipartisan support when it was passed in 2007. The legislation established the

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From Ice to Open Water

by: Doug Leier | April 21, 2025

It was March 7 when my old friend and game warden Cory Erck called on a Friday afternoon. While I was working indoors at a sport show, he was out patrolling his district. After the usual pleasantries, we compared notes—from the boat ramps open on the Missouri River to snow geese showing up on the

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Viewpoint: North Dakota newspapers thankful for legislative votes

by: MinotVoice | April 20, 2025

Cecile Wehrman leads the North Dakota Newspaper Association, and she’s spent the legislative session keeping an eye on efforts that could weaken the public’s access to government information. In her view, this year brought good news. Lawmakers across party lines rejected proposals that would sideline newspapers in favor of government-run websites, instead reaffirming the role

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

What the Fed’s Economic Researchers Are Learning About Tariffs and the Economy

by: Josh Wolsky | April 17, 2025

The Minneapolis Fed, like all branches of the Federal Reserve System, doesn’t set trade policy—but it must respond to its effects. That’s the tension explored in a series of new research papers unpacking how tariffs and trade influence the Fed’s dual mandate: stable prices and maximum employment. Drawing on deep theoretical models, economists show that

Read & Share sourced from: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

The plastic recycling myth and our very real crisis

by: MinotVoice | April 15, 2025

Plastic used to be a convenience. Now it’s a contaminant — not just in our oceans and landfills, but in our bodies and even our brains. This Earth Month, Grove Collaborative CEO Jeff Yurcisin makes a clear-eyed case: recycling isn’t saving us, and industry has to do better. The plastic problem is no longer distant

Read & Share sourced from: Fast Company

Port: This is what a lack of integrity looks like

by: MinotVoice | April 15, 2025

Columnist Rob Port isn’t pulling any punches. In his latest piece, he calls out Minot Rep. Lori VanWinkle’s week-long vacation from the Legislature — not just as bad judgment, but as part of a broader habit on the populist right: playing the victim when called to account. Port argues this isn’t about political bias or

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

What Happens When The World Starts Paying Closer Attention?

by: MinotVoice | April 13, 2025

For decades, Iceland has thrived by staying small, steady, and out of the spotlight — a bridge between continents, a quiet leader in renewable energy, and a model of resilient democracy. But the Arctic is changing fast, and so is the world’s attention. With global powers eyeing Greenland and jockeying for influence in the region,

Read & Share sourced from: Reykjavik Grapevine

Port: The NDGOP’s endorsement process has been corrupted, and the party is powerless to do anything about it

by: MinotVoice | April 9, 2025

In North Dakota politics, winning the Republican endorsement is often the same as winning the election. So it matters—deeply—how those endorsements are decided. But right now, there’s no single rulebook. Local party districts are skirting state GOP guidelines, locking out challengers and keeping party leadership from enforcing transparency. Even in Minot, we’ve seen it: candidates

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Chris Klieman says college football ‘a disaster’

by: MinotVoice | April 9, 2025

When Chris Klieman speaks up, people in college football tend to listen—and right now, he’s sounding the alarm. The former NDSU coach and current Kansas State head man isn’t just venting about wins or losses. He’s calling out the system itself. Between looming roster limits tied to the NCAA’s legal settlement and the chaos of

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Our opinion: Public comment law is a good idea, but should be happening already

by: MinotVoice | April 6, 2025

It shouldn’t take a state law to guarantee public comment at local government meetings—but that’s exactly what’s moving through the North Dakota Legislature. Senate Bill 2180 would require city councils, school boards, and other local bodies to set aside time for public input at every regular meeting. Most already do. Some still don’t. That’s the

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Counterpoint: Crackdown on International Students Is a Self-Inflicted Wound

By: Yehuda Lukacs, Inside Sources | April 6, 2025

Recent detentions and deportations of international students have sparked controversy, raising concerns about the long-term damage to the United States’ reputation as the global leader in higher education. Meanwhile, the increasing number of U.S. students studying abroad underscores the importance of international academic exchanges. Several high-profile cases have highlighted the chilling effects of the Trump

Read & Share sourced from: Inside Sources

Point: Deport Aliens Advocating Evil

By: George Fishman, Inside Sources | April 6, 2025

In then-President Joe Biden’s words, Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians was an act of “pure, unadulterated evil,” resulting in “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” with “more than 1,000 civilians slaughtered,” “stomach-turning reports of … babies being killed.” Yet, over the last year and a half, we have witnessed brazen

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What the Health? American Health Gets a Pink Slip

by: MinotVoice | April 5, 2025

A quiet earthquake just hit the nation’s health institutions. In a sweeping move, thousands of federal health officials—scientists, regulators, and career public servants—were fired, reassigned, or sent packing to remote posts. The official reason? Efficiency. The real effect? Decades of expertise, gone overnight. On this week’s What the Health? podcast, Julie Rovner and a panel

Read & Share sourced from: KFF Health News