Will God Be in the Voting Booth With You?

Our founders wrote separation of church and state into our constitution. Our constitution is subject to interpretation. American religion is also subject to interpretation according to the actions of its citizens. According to the Minot phone book, there are 44 different churches in Minot. There are 16 miscellaneous Protestant churches of various ideologies. Additionally, there

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A Republican Primary Process Predicament?

Polls are somewhat similar to a carpenter’s tool. They are as valuable as the skills of the artisan utilizing them. I recall a very pleasant one on one dinner in 1995 with the head of a “special interest” group based out of Washington, D.C. My dinner companion was a self-made man who due to talent,

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The Real Results of Proposed Property Tax Reforms?

The many questions I have asked about the elimination of real estate taxes have not been answered. There are more which were not included in a prior article. Minot has a high percentage of sales tax revenue for obvious reasons. Thanks to the grace of God and industrious citizens, Minot is the regional center for

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This is a Flawed Location for a Transit Center; We Can Do Better!

At tonight’s City Council meeting, the Council will take up the proposed location of a downtown transit center. If you’re not familiar with that idea, that’s a central hub to which all the public transportation routes eventually return. It’s basically a start, and end, and a transfer station to other routes. The location proposed by

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Begrudgingly, I’m Recycling

Nuance Alert: If you see the world in clear cases of right and wrong, black and white, us and them, you’re going to be confused by what you read next. I color myself fully for the environment. Climate change is real, human impacts are pushing the global environment out of balance, and we should absolutely

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Weighing In for the Battle for Local Control

In 2024, North Dakota voters will probably vote whether or not to eliminate real estate property taxes. It looks like it will be a proxy war between the obvious factions within the North Dakota Republican party. Republicans in recent history have comprised roughly 75% of North Dakota voters. Is the Republican party still the party

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It’s Time to Open Up the North Dakota State Fair

His name is Eric Johnson. His trade name is Eric the Sour. If you see him on the street, you might even say he looks like a Viking. But he’s not a Viking; he’s a brewer. His beer Gin & Spruce won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in 2022. Inspired by Juniper

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Road Trip Reflections & Minot’s Path to Progress

A couple of years ago I brought a car back from Florida. I used the trip as an opportunity to see how Minot measured up. I wanted to see how we compared to other places. I didn’t have a lot of time, so my stops were brief. Most were maybe an hour – just enough

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Is The Twilight Zone Our New American Reality?

Imagine a science fiction episode in the classic old black and white series, The Twilight Zone. The main character is a middle class woman in a middle class town in the Midwest called Lake Flaccid. The woman has a toothache. She goes to her dentist. Her dentist doesn’t treat her but instead offers her his

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Lessons on Ukraine from 1778

Almost 250 years ago, the American Colonies were fighting for our independence from an imperialistic world power. We were an emerging democracy; we were also on the brink. In our moment of need, another world power, France, lent aid, arms, and even troops. It was critical support in a moment of extraordinary need. Undoubtedly, it

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Something’s Not Right

There is now a petition being passed around with the stated goal of protecting election integrity in future North Dakota elections. There are several questions the citizens of our state may wish to consider. County auditors are the boots on the ground regarding North Dakota elections. Do they think there is a problem? The North

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Burgum’s ND Values on the National Political Stage is Good For All Of Us

I lived in the South. I learned an important lesson there. Before doing something stupid that may end up either horrific or just entertaining, you have to say, “y’all hold my beer and watch this.” Consider it said. Let’s get to it. I’m grabbing the third rail. National politics. On the Internet. And for the

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Which States Will Win the Doctors?

For half of you, this may be hard. Imagine you’re a 30-year-old woman. But you’re not just any woman. Eight years ago, you got your undergraduate degree in biology; it was the recommended major for those pursuing a career in medicine. After college, you applied, got accepted, and then completed medical school. Four years ago,

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Will 2024 Governorship Race Deliver Red, Blue, or Black & White?

Is it too early to speculate about next year’s North Dakota gubernatorial race? If Governor Burgum doesn’t run again, what can we expect and who will try to succeed him? We should feel safe to assume that if the Democrats field a candidate, he or she will more than likely have several disadvantages. Let’s start

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It’s Your Community — Get Involved!

Dear Minot: Since being elected as your mayor in June 2022, I’ve learned a great many things. I’ve learned there is a lot going on in Minot that involves the mayor. I’ve learned residents want their voices heard. And I’ve learned that no matter how much I learn, there is always something new around the

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What exactly does a 2,500-square-foot lot look like? And Why does it matter in Minot?

In Montana, affordable housing is a growing problem. The influx of people is putting pressure on prices, and the legislature is looking at some less-common ways to help keep them in check. One idea under consideration — making small lots for developers and home builders more readily available. They’d can do that with a law

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