Opinion
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"Court rejects radical legislative theory, defends democracy"
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s repudiation of the “independent state legislature” theory in Harper v. Moore. The widely-admired conservative judge, J. Michael Luttig, called it “the most important...
Letter to the Editor: Older North Dakotans deserve better customer service from the Social Security Administration
Most of us have experienced long hold times or dropped calls when trying to get through to a customer service agent. You may have even received incorrect information the first time you called and had to start the process all over again....
Embrace the grind, but take time to unwind
No, we don't need more sleep. It's our souls that are tired, not our bodies. We need nature. We need magic. We need adventure. We need freedom. We need truth. We need stillness. We don't need more...
A love letter to my generator
Dear Generac standby home generator, I want to apologize for calling down multiple elaborate curses upon you for being so expensive as you sat loitering beside the house almost completely idle for the three years since I financed you – despite the...
"Trump trial challenges American democracy and rule of law"
A reader’s question has captured the history-making nature of the forthcoming trial of former President Donald Trump. “What are the implications of the trial for the Constitution, presidential power and the rule of law?” The gravity of the...
Good grief! Charlie Brown has come to life
As I write this, summer has officially begun. It's the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The weather is fine, and it's time to take in a live show (or nine). This year a pop culture icon...
Does TV-industry budget-cutting worry you?
Maybe it’s a good thing that my teenage dream of becoming a TV programmer never materialized. Analysts have regarded the over-the-air free TV networks as dinosaurs for years, but now even the cable...
"Trump trial tests the Framers' Constitution and the rule of law"
“What are the implications of the trial of Donald Trump for the Constitution, presidential power and the rule of law?” a reader asks, adding another important question: “Did the Framers of the Constitution adequately limit presidential...
It's time to BeReal
“Mom, wanna be on my BeReal?” my 16-year-old daughter asked me one day. “Um, sure,” I replied sheepishly, because frankly I didn’t even know what she was talking about. She told me to look...
The Saudis win the golf war
Oil money, oil money. When you have as much of it as Saudi Arabia has, it can buy a lot of things – including a sacred American sports institution like the PGA. As all of us hackers know, the PGA...
We the People: June 19, 2023
Why Congress may impose ethics code on Supreme Court justices Rising calls for Congress to enact new ethical standards for the Supreme Court, sparked by recent revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose financial transactions, have...
Rhubarb is a summer staple
This time of year, there’s a produce patch in my backyard that requires no maintenance other than a regular cutting. It’s none other than rhubarb, and I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I...
Letter to the Editor: When are New Rockford utilities considered a tax and not a service?
Upon receiving a utility bill for water, sewer and garbage service on an investment housing property I’m in the process of rehabilitating, I promptly reached out to our city auditor Becki Schumacher, as we had not received any prior bills to date....
"Reader asks: How do we rein in Supreme Court justices?"
A reader recently wrote to ask a question on the minds of many Americans: “If the courts check the other branches of government, who checks the courts?” The reader continued: “Since the Supreme Court enforces constitutional limits on the...
Postal system stumbles, newspapers still deliver
Newspaper publishers were recently told that our postage rates are set to increase by 8 percent in July. This is the third rate increase since August 2022, and a total of 35 percent in increases in...
Americans rediscover the summer picnic
It’s a positive trend that I hope continues: the resurgence of summer picnics. According to Mental Floss, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a picnic boom beginning in 2020 that is showing no signs of...
Is posting the Ten Commandments in schools constitutional?
The continued revival of interest among state legislatures in posting the Ten Commandments in public schools may present to the U.S. Supreme Court an opportunity to reverse yet another decades- old, landmark precedent, this time one that prohibits su...
What's on your summer reading list?
Summer is a great time to relax with a good book, whether it be under a cabana on the beach or in a chair on your patio. Our local libraries in both Carrington and New Rockford are hosting Summer...
How to "un-dorm" a college student
Every year in late spring, parents of college students all over America travel to university campuses with stylish IKEA storage bags or (in our case) cardboard boxes that once held bulk orders of toilet paper and tortilla chips. When the parents...
We the People: May 29, 2023
“Presidential power, the 14th Amendment and the public debt” The debt ceiling standoff between President Joe Biden and House Republicans has illuminated the public debt clause of the 14th Amendment, one of the most obscure provisions in the...
May we talk about mental health?
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s time to get real. Here in the newsroom, we struggle too. No matter how many positive stories we publish, the “bad news” stories seem to rise to...
Curing our loneliness epidemic
There is a loneliness epidemic in the United States, but there are some simple ways we can address it. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness an...
"In defense of clergy, the court strikes blow for religious liberty"
In 1977, in McDaniel v. Paty, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling that held unconstitutional one of the last anticlerical remnants of the founding era, a 1796 Tennessee law that prohibited ministers and priests from holding public...
Growing kindness and gratitude
Every year for Mother’s Day I give flower pots from a local greenhouse to my mom and my mother-in-law. It’s a great way to show our appreciation, and it brightens their yard and gives them...
Letter to the Editor: Legislative session strengthens North Dakota's insurance industry
You’ve no doubt read the headlines about this legislative session. The past four months have been a rollercoaster of bills and legislative priorities. As the 68th Legislative Assembly has wrapped up and gone home, I want to share some highlights... Full story
