Today in Minot
A New Way to do the Local News!
Happy Easter!
A few news stories and Minot history is what you’ll find in today’s edition. We hope you SavorMinot today with friends and family!
Today in Minot
Today is Sunday, April 20th. The sun will rise on the 32nd day of spring, and the 110th day of the year at 6:46 AM. We will see 13 hours 56 minutes of daylight before it sets at 8:42 PM.
Today is: National Cheddar Fries Day, National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day, National Lima Bean Respect Day, Volunteer Recognition Day, National Look Alike Day, 420
Today’s Featured Happenings
Live Music!
Dedric Clark LIVE!
Apr. 23rd
@Atypical | Stop in & Warm Up With a Great Local Beer!
The news we share here is ForMinot. You can learn more about what guides our editorial decisions here.
In 1889, five new states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho — stepped into the Union with constitutions shaped by shared values and bold civic ambition. In The Spirit of 1889, author Samuel Western argues that something essential from that founding moment has slipped away. His book is part history, part reckoning — a call to rediscover the public-minded spirit that once defined the High Plains and Northern Rockies. It’s a conversation starter, and maybe even a map back to more grounded politics.
Lillian Stegman didn’t always see herself tending a community orchard, but now she’s the heart of one in Cavalier — and she’s not alone. Across North Dakota, places like the Pembina County Community Orchard and the Devils Lake City Garden are showing just how much can grow when gardeners, students, and neighbors come together. From apples and juneberries to shared laughter and garden wisdom, these spaces aren’t just about food — they’re about community, possibility, and the quiet joy of digging into North Dakota soil. Delaney Otto with Grand Forks Herald has the full story.
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 of independent publications in delivering legal notices. Her takeaway: when transparency is on the line, North Dakota’s leaders largely chose accountability over convenience. Read her full commentary at the Grand Forks Herald
On This Day
On this day baseball gained a now-storied home, a school shooting in Colorado triggered a national conversation and debate that continues to this day, and an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. In Minot, the high school Concert Band was signaling spring, the Chamber of Commerce was sticking its neck out, and the nature of news and editorial in our little weekly paper was starting to take on a new tone.
On this day in 1912, Fenway Park, the iconic baseball stadium and home of the Boston Red Sox, hosted its first professional game, marking the beginning of its storied history in Major League Baseball.
On this day in 1999, the Columbine High School massacre occurred in Littleton, Colorado, when two students carried out a shooting spree, killing 13 people and injuring more than 20 others before taking their own lives, prompting national debates on gun control, school safety, and mental health.
On this day in 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a massive oil spill that became one of the worst environmental disasters in history, resulting in extensive damage to marine and coastal ecosystems and significant economic impacts.
Born and Died: Jessica Lange, (Born, 1949) American actress known for her roles in “Tootsie” and “American Horror Story,” Bram Stoker, (Died, 1912) Irish author known for writing “Dracula,” George Takei, (Born, 1937) American actor known for his role as Sulu in “Star Trek,” Benny Hill, (Died, 1992) British comedian known for “The Benny Hill Show,” Carmen Electra, (Born, 1972) American actress and model known for her role in “Baywatch,” Andy Serkis, (Born, 1964) English actor and director known for his motion-capture work, Avicii, (Died, 2018) Swedish DJ and music producer known for hits like “Wake Me Up,” Luther Vandross, (Born, 1951) American singer-songwriter known for his soulful voice.
Tuesday evening, April 25 at 8 p.m. Arvel N. Graving, veteran band director at Minot high school, will raise his baton and the 55th annual Spring Concert of the Minot high school Concert Band will begin.
Why we published it: These traditions continue, though local news does not seem to cover them to the same degree. Also, if you've been to a theater production at Minot High, you now know who the theater is named after.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Minot Chamber of Commerce of Minot, North Dakota, does request that the North Dakota Public Service Commission approve such proposed merger of facilities. Be it further resolved, that the employees of the railroads accept the change in the long-range interest of the community and state and that the people of the communities affected, view the long-range benefits to their communities and to their state, secure in the knowledge that progress through modernization will far off-set immediate losses.
Why we published it: When the Chamber of Commerce takes positions, it's worth noting; that's the value and chief roles of an organization like the chamber -- speaking, informing, sticking its neck out for the good of the place over any specific interest.
Tentative plans are to publish a 100-page edition with one page being devoted to pictures and features and historical feature stories from each county. Advertising in the special section will be offered to firms wishing state-wide coverage of North Dakota. A total of more than 100,000 copies of this special centennial issue will be printed if present plans go through. It is expected the publication will be distributed late in August or early in September.
Why we published it: Earlier in the article, it was "half' of the state's 100 weeklies were going to participate. Forty years earlier, there would not have been a single weekly left out of an effort like this.
But perhaps the real enemy of education and of teachers is the politician who excites expectations without the means of satisfying them. Perhaps the friend is the person who tells the hard truth.
Why we published it: Federal aid undermines local responsibility, and ultimately local decision making. And it's all great until the federal bloat gets so big that someone cuts it loose. Sound familiar? We were warned.
We can have increased wages without more inflation only if there is increased production per man-hour. That requires two things. One, union policies which recognize the plain fact. The other a tax-depreciation law which will enable management and industry to replace and modernize old machines and plants in order to produce at lower cost. — Industrial News Review
Why we published it: The entirety of this editorial sections starts to hint at what, looking back is now an easily observable theme at the The Ward County Independent. It was transitioning. Perhaps out of politics, perhaps out of profitability pressure, or perhaps because of some other reason entirely. But rather than local editorials, these later years we observe more nationally-written opinions, more political talking points than local perspective. A few short years later, the newspaper would cease operations.
Emile sings a romantic “Some Enchanted Evening.” But Nellie Forbush becomes disenchanted when she learns that Emile has two native children, and Lt. Cable’s love for a native girl, Liat, is touched with doubt and misgiving. The racial theme adds a note of trouble and sadness to the laughs and the romance.
Why we published it: The subtlety and challenges of news and media are on full display here. While the tone of the article is honest and fair, the headline misses the mark—almost suggesting that actual prejudice was central to the production, rather than recognizing that the story uses art to confront prejudice through storytelling. Given some of the larger cultural themes at play today, perhaps it’s time to see this production again. 😉
On the Empowering Nature of Trust in Grace
“Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace.”
— Martin Luther, An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, 1522
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