Category: Columns

Minot North Athletics Shine Across Courts, Ice, Screens, and Stage

Minot North Athletics stayed busy this week, showcasing talent across the hardwood, the ice, the digital arena, and the dance floor. Last weekend, the Minot United Dance Home Show was a major success, bringing together all Minot dance teams in a collaborative performance that highlighted teamwork, skill, and creativity as they prepare for state this […]

Leadership Approves Condensed STARBASE ND Program Due to Government Shutdown

The STARBASE ND program was recently approved to operate a three-day program (rather than their usual five-day program) in order to ensure every fifth-grade classroom scheduled to attend has an opportunity to do so. The students in these classrooms come from three local school districts: Minot Public Schools, Glenburn Public School, and South Prairie Public […]

Recalling the Space Shuttle tragedy

Note: It’s been 40 years since nearly everyone in this country witnessed what has become one of the most unusual tragedies in American history. On live television, 74 seconds after the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, something went drastically wrong and the aircraft literally exploded before our bewildered eyes. The following is an editorial […]

Never Have I Ever, North Dakota

A few weeks ago, after glancing at my family’s shared Google calendar, I felt a twinge of disappointment.I scrolled through the coming weeks and saw very few entries that felt special. Mostly, it was the steady rhythm of everyday life: school drop-off, volunteer shifts, church commitments, practices penciled neatly into their recurring slots. I caught […]

Not Many Have the Opportunity

As I was waiting in line to enter the Minot Air Force Base the other day I thought about how lucky I really am to enter the world of the U.S. Air Force and encounter the many Airmen and civilians who pretty much have one common goal, the deterrence of our adversaries. President Teddy Roosevelt […]

Minot United and Minot North Athletics: A Week of Grit, Growth, and Competition

It’s been a week of highs, lows, and everything in between for Minot United and Minot North athletics, with every team showing heart, hustle, and determination. The Minot United Boys Hockey varsity team hit a bump in WDA play, suffering their first loss of the season in a hard-fought 3-2 battle against Legacy three days […]

Dragon Master Builders: Great American Defense Community’s MAFB Team

The season ran from September 3rd, 2025 to January 24th, 2026. This year’s theme: Unearthed (archaeology)! Ten fourth and fifth graders, including homeschoolers, participated in 34 hours of hands-on STEAM training. Parent volunteer, Ms. Meghan Langan, shared her experience coaching FIRST Lego League teams in the past and really enhanced the team’s technical focus on […]

A Prayer Request

Many of you know Rod Wilson, I’m asking you to please pray for Mr. Wilson as he has surgery on his back Friday morning January 26th. This is a major surgery and his recovery will take many weeks, so please pray for both a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Rod has a long history […]

I Am Sorry…Really!

If you didn’t read my article last week, then please don’t. I had actually taken my car to the local carwash, been outside and cleaned up a bit in my back yard, and my spouse had cleared the driveway of ice that had dripped from the roof. January is nothin!! But the caveat was that […]

Genealogy is not an exact science

For anyone who has worked on a family tree, it often turns out more challenging than expected and sometimes simple mistakes can quickly send you down the wrong path. This month marks a year since I started working on the “Baker” family tree and I can tell you it’s like watching the World Series, one […]

A week of Competition & Excellence at Minot North

The past week at Minot North High School showcased the dedication and talent of students across athletics, activities, and STEM. From competitive games on the court and ice to championship-level performances in dance and robotics, Minot North students continued to represent their school with pride and determination. Girls basketball faced a challenging slate of games […]

Save the Date: MFLC Lunch n’ Learn on January 20

Our Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life Counselors (CYB-MFLCs) are instrumental in ensuring our military-connected families in and around Minot AFB are supported. I am the point-of-contact for our CYB-MFLCs, and it is a very rewarding position because our counselors are friendly and personable – it is easy to understand why they’re counselors! […]

Fire-Smart Starts Here: SPARKY’s January Safety Tips

Borrowed Traditions and the Gift of Belonging

The first time I ever saw a king cake, it was a cool, clear morning in a suburb of New Orleans. One of my husband’s pilot training classmates grew up just outside the city, and his family graciously invited us to spend the weekend at their home. After a late night in the French Quarter, […]

Where did the bricks come from?

Anyone who travels U.S. Highway 52 from the Canadian border to Minot or vice versa, most likely knows the old bank building in Carpio was recently demolished. The bank opened in 1904, and while Hebron Brick opened in 1904, the bricks for the Carpio bank had predate the opening of Hebron Brick. Unfortunately, none of […]

It’s a Mental State of Mind

I really hate to write anything about the recent trend in warmer weather in January as I am a bit superstitious that as soon as I do we will get one of those Arctic lows and be dealing sub-zero temperatures and wind chills. We have short memories though, as not too long ago we had […]

Meet Erin Park: New CDC/YC M&FLC

Erin ParkChild Development Center/Youth Center Military and Family Life Counselor(571) 320-7162 I am the point-of-contact for our Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life Counselors (CYB-MFLCs). We currently have three on Minot Air Force Base: Ms. Thelma Watkins, Ms. Megan Armenta, and Ms. Erin Park. They assist children and youth up to age 18 […]

Sentinel Surge: Minot North’s Winter Sports Rise Since Mid-December

Since December 15, Minot North athletics has been defined by grit, growth, and moments that have kept fans on the edge of their seats. Across courts, mats, and ice, the Sentinels have navigated a demanding winter schedule, blending standout victories with hard lessons that fuel their competitive drive. The girls basketball team has balanced dominating […]

Continuing a Conversation

My newspaper roots, or newspaper routes, go back to when I was about 7 years old. The town of Maddock, North Dakota had a hometown newspaper, The Standard, but it was not delivered by carriers, instead it came in the mail. We once did a tour of the Maddock Post Office and Postmaster Irv Pritchard […]

It isn’t all doom and gloom

Driving through western South Dakota is like taking a space flight to Mars. You don’t think it’s ever going to end. There are vast stretches of nothing more than ranch land and long distances between communities. For our travel itinerary, it was go to Dickinson, then south on N.D. Highway 22 to Reeder and on […]

ND Insights: Military-Family-Supporting Website

North Dakota’s Insights.nd.gov website now features educational data available to the public. This website “is the state’s official source for information about public education across North Dakota. The information is provided by partner agencies through the Statewide Longitudinal Data System and is brought about through the collaborative work efforts of the following North Dakota agencies: […]

Have you heard about the Divorcees?

We all know that Fargo has always been a growing community. When the railroad reached Fargo in June 1872, our state’s largest city really started to expand. Six years before that, the territorial Legislature enacted a law that allowed for immediate divorce. In other words, a couple not getting along, could arrive in Fargo, walk […]

Making Peace with the Quiet

I can never quite decide if I like this time of year or not.On one hand, I’m ready. After more than a month of building toward Christmas—decorating every surface, planning gatherings, cooking special meals, and trying to soak in all the magic—there’s a sense of emotional whiplash when it all stops. One day the house […]

Still A Good First Impression

Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope you enjoy this edition that highlights the Northern Sentry…i.e. 2025. I keep a library of papers at my office and just added the 51st edition which will be the end of my 2025 papers because we didn’t have a December 26th paper. From my office the saved […]

Minot North Basketball Battles Through Busy Week

Minot North basketball faced a challenging slate of games over the past week as both the boys and girls teams continued early-season play against strong competition. The Sentinels boys team opened the week on the road, falling to Turtle Mountain Community 66–54 on December 12. Minot North stayed competitive throughout the contest but struggled to […]

North Dakota Early Learning Literacy

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) —in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services—recently published a children’s book titled “Building Literacy Skills.” This is a Legendary Family Learning Guide that follows Theo Bison on his first day of Kindergarten and provides readers with an in-depth look on expectations for this milestone, […]

What Winter Can Teach Us If We’re Willing to Look

Last week, I didn’t want to leave the house.It was one of those cold, foggy mornings that convinces me staying inside with a good crossword puzzle is peak wisdom. The house was warm. The coffee was hot. But the to-do list was long. As much as I wanted to curl up on the couch, I […]

A Missileer’s Hall of Fame

It was in September of 1963 that the first LGM 30A Minuteman I would arrive at Minot Air Force Base, eventually becoming combat ready in April of 1964. Now some 62 years later as Minot Air Force Base waits for the eventual replacement of the Minuteman III which became combat ready in August of 1970 […]

History of Christmas in North Dakota

Now that the Christmas season is upon us and we’re inundated with commercial advertising, seldom do we think about what Christmas was like before TV, before radio and before North Dakota was a state.Christmas has been around a long time, our state hasn’t. But, this territory now known as North Dakota, has some Christmas traditions […]

Building The Bench

The Air and Space Forces Association has always been very supportive of the Civil Air Patrol. When I told someone that I had made arrangements for the CAP color guard to present the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance at a recent Military Affairs Committee meeting, my friend replied “Hey, that’s great. You’re building […]

Williston wins ’58 Canadian championship

Baseball season has long passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, but here is a North Dakota baseball story that doesn’t really need a season to be told.Die hard baseball fans in North Dakota who are now retired might remember this, but I’m guessing most of us won’t. I’ve been following baseball […]

STARBASE ND is Back!

STARBASE ND is a program that “provides 25-hours of hands-on, minds-on, high-tech discovery and inquiry-based activities to fifth grade students using a common curriculum that meets or exceeds a variety of National Standards. The 25-hours of STEAM instruction is carried out as an extension of the traditional classroom, where classrooms of students are brought out […]

Simple Ways to Save Money in Minot this Christmas

A few days ago, I walked into TJ Maxx/HomeGoods with a simple mission: buy two packets of specialty hot cocoa as a fun surprise for my kids. Easy. In-and-out. A wholesome, budget-friendly surprise for our Christmas movie night. Except… I didn’t make it 20 feet into the store. Christmas was everywhere. Glittering garlands, tree skirts […]

Local Phone Book: Retro but Current

It is easy to label the phone book as an unimportant resource or archaic publication; however, if you give it a chance – you’ll find hidden gems! For instance, did you know our Ward County population is 68,427? It is! This information can be found on page B-4. There are three sections that I find […]

How Can We Say Thank You…Enough?

My Facebook page was filled with wonderful photos of the Downtown Open House celebration that was held on Friday, November 28th. The tree lighting ceremony was one of the first events I attended when I arrived in Minot on November 7th of 1976. Yep, that was a long time ago. That year they used a […]

Hall of Fame Worthy

Something happened in Watford City Friday night that was monumental, but outside the world of hockey, most people in North Dakota probably didn’t know about it. There was a North Dakota Amateur Hockey Association Hall of Fame induction and when you see the details of this person, you’ll wonder why this didn’t happen five years […]

Minot United Hockey Shines Despite Early Struggles

Minot United Hockey has experienced a season of highs and lows so far, showing resilience and strong individual performances across both the junior varsity and varsity teams. The season opened with a challenging night on November 21st, where the JV squad fell 3-1, and the varsity team lost 4-0. Despite the tough results, goaltenders Luke […]

Minot North Weekly Sports Recap

This past week showed how quickly Minot North’s upcoming winter programs are tightening up and finding their rhythm. Across the board, athletes stepped up, delivered smarter performances, and proved that the Sentinels are settling into the season with a competitive edge. The girls basketball team opened their week with the kind of win that sets […]

Locating Radio Locator

In the world of radio we have some tools to help us better understand AM and FM that can tell us more than what we’re hearing on the radio dial. And in this day and age of Internet streaming, we can find out which radio stations provide streaming services.It’s called Radio Locator and it uses […]

North Dakota Nature: Four Opportunities for Students

Students thrive in nature. I learned this while studying and teaching PreK curricula, which is chock-full of hands-on experiences and nature-inspired connection. During my research, I found students who weren’t exposed to the outdoors at an early age were less prepared and, more gravely, less successful in school. Fortunately, we have exciting NEW opportunities right […]

So Much To Be Said

Where Do I Start? For that past 3 years my wife Sue and I have volunteered to deliver Thanksgiving baskets. The list of names we receive are gathered and vetted through a local agency. I am a member of the Magic City Lions, one of many groups who contribute money to purchase and deliver baskets. […]

Gratitude Shifts that Stick

Thanksgiving is a little like Valentine’s Day. Stay with me. Every February, someone inevitably says, “I don’t need a holiday to remind me to love my spouse,” or “We should love each other every day.” And they’re not wrong. But also… after 12 months of routines and responsibilities, sometimes it’s nice to have a day […]

American Education Week

In honor of American Education Week from November 17th-21st, I write this Letter of Thanks to our students, educators, and community: Thank you, students, for continuing to learn, grow, and thrive amidst an ever-changing political climate in which parents/guardians may inadvertently share their frustrations. Your focus and drive to excel has not gone unnoticed, as […]

43 Times In A Row

Congratulations …to the crew of Air Force Security Police who man the front gate(s) at Minot Air Force base. Today, which is Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, you eclipsed the record. What record you ask? The record of being greeted 43 times in a row with a warm smile and a friendly greeting as I entered […]

The importance of the newspaper

As a lifelong journalist, I’m always going to be partial to newspapers. After all, my paycheck throughout my professional career of 31 years came from newspapers where I held various positions. And, in past articles, I’ve described how a newspaper is important because of weddings, births, obituaries, high school sports reports and so on. This […]

The first newspaper

A question came up the other day asking do you know the name of the first newspaper in Dakota Territory?Between 1861, when Dakota Territory was established, until statehood in 1889, 160 newspapers sprang up in the territory. That’s kind of remarkable, but then, the territory included all of present-day South Dakota as well. But the […]

Not a Hard Story to Tell-or Are They?

When this edition of the Northern Sentry arrives in homes and businesses the activities of Veteran’s Day 2025 will be over. On the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month of 1918, the Armistice was signed to end World War 1. As it was explained to me when I was younger, Veteran’s […]

National Veterans and Military Families Month – Connect with One Another

November is important, because it is officially recognized as Natonal Veterans and Military Families Month.  In fact, the President signs a proclamation each November honoring the sacrifices and contributions of service members and their families.  Around the time of this publication, two Veterans Day assemblies will be held on November 7th, 2025, at our Dakota […]

Farmers Market and Growers look forward

New leadership and a new vision was on display during the recent North Dakota Farmers’ Market & Growers Association’s local foods conference held in Carrington. It was the first time in its 21-year history that the conference was held in the fall rather than late winter. Attendance was down because some farmers’ markets were still […]

Halloween In The Rear View Mirror-Full Steam Ahead to the Holidays!

In recent years that has been a definite increase in Halloween displays in people’s yards. It could be that it is warmer in September and October and those big orange bags not only work for hauling leaves, but make nice decorations, too.We did get out a couple of nights and saw everything from complete graveyard […]

Don’t wait for January, this is the perfect time to declutter

Last year, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I found myself bouncing from thrift store to thrift store on a mission. I was on the hunt for Hot Wheels accessories—tracks, garages, anything to add to my son’s growing collection.I’m all for making my kids’ Christmas dreams come true, but I draw the line at […]

The Ghost of Students Past

Back in May 2025, I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Shelly Weppler, INSPIRITUS Community Health Foundation President. She shared her past as a student who graduated from Minot High School and time spent serving our country as a military member. I could have listened to her stories for hours, but our time was short. […]

Always a Silver Cloud

My cell phone rang late one afternoon; the call was from Capt. Kelli Williamson one of the chaplains at Minot Air Force Base. The 91st Missile Wing was in the midst of an intense exercise, one that would tax every member of the 91st with extra hours and longer days. Having done a story before […]

Beware the boxelder

There’ no denying we all love the fall colors. Leaves turn all sorts of shades for us to enjoy. But along with that comes a couple of really annoying pests, boxelder bugs and wasps. By this time in October, however, the wasps have taken a “chill” pill and aren’t as aggressive as they were in […]

You can love where you are, and grieve where you aren’t

Yesterday, while scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post from Visit Rapid City. I froze, mid-swipe.The caption read, “From our camera roll to yours.” That was it. But I didn’t need any more context. The first photo was a gazebo on a small island in a lake. The next was a rushing creek framed by […]

Take Time to Appreciate…The Little Things

It was a sunny afternoon and I was headed up 16th street going south on my way to a chiropractic appointment. The big orange sign on 16th street by Arrowhead Shopping Center was still in the alert mode. 16th street CLOSED south of 11th Avenue. Yep, same old sign, same old information and same old […]

A never ending harvest

Editor’s note: This article was written by Marvin Baker on Oct. 29 of last year and featured in the Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability (FARRMS) newsletter. Baker recently retired as a commercial gardener. Here on our farm it gets to a point that we welcome the first frost because the workload […]

Military Interstate Compact: The Single Most Important Document in My Office

The Interstate Compact is a document that applies to all military-connected students in public schools, specifically children of the following: active duty members of the uniformed services, including Guard and Reserve; members or veterans who are medically discharged or retired for one year; members who die on active duty, for a period of one year […]

The Buddy System: A New North Dakota Initiative to Support Young Educators – A Military Concept Since 1942

\Senior year is a pivotal time for high school students. Graduation looms and choices abound. To make it a little bit easier to decide, high school students can meet with their assigned guidance counselor, stop by my office, visit with a military recruiter, or attend the Minot Area Career Expo held at our North Dakota […]

Where Have All The Calendars Gone?

I know it seems silly, but my Mom used to talk about what a big difference it made when we “flipped the calendar” from October to November. October was fall, and November was winter, that’s how simple it was, right? Don’t just say “well it’s only you, Rod” because I have proof. First, I am […]

Riding on the steel rail

When we think about current railroads in North Dakota only two come to mind in Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Canadian Pacific, now called Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). But did you know there are five regional railroads across the state, one private freight carrier and on passenger train?BNSF and CPKC have main lines and […]

College, Career, or Military Readiness

Senior year is a pivotal time for high school students. Graduation looms and choices abound. To make it a little bit easier to decide, high school students can meet with their assigned guidance counselor, stop by my office, visit with a military recruiter, or attend the Minot Area Career Expo held at our North Dakota […]

Autumn Movie Magic in Minot

As a kid, I was glued to the TV every fall. I remember Hocus Pocus’ premiere, I saw Casper in the theater, my mom taped the Olsen twins’ Double, Double, Toil and Trouble and I’d anxiously read the TV listings to plan my life around every other Disney Halloween special the ’90s had to offer. […]

From the 50th State

The Bucket ListOur trip to Hawaii had a couple of bucket list items, the first being my wife, Sue, was able to check off her 50th state visited, including Puerto Rico so really 51, and me being able to visit Pearl Harbor. There is a saying that goes something like this “I have more days […]

Blue skies every day

One thing that North Dakota is blessed with are numerous airports that either get you where you need to go or connect you to flights that will get you to your destination. There are nine “major” airports in the state with all nine of them having direct flights to at least one major hub city […]

Military members are staying in North Dakota

Ever since the early 1950s, there’s been a military presence in North Dakota beginning with the Minot and Grand Forks Air Force bases. And just like any other military reservation, personnel who staff those bases normally move on when their hitch is up. First, there was Minot and Grand Forks, then several small radar bases […]

On-Base Yellowfin Busing Town Hall on October 6

Student safety is a top priority for Minot AFB leadership. Yellowfin Transportation will be providing busing again this year for our on-base students attending Dakota Elementary School, North Plains Elementary School, and Memorial Middle School. Minot AFB is a remote and isolated installation with harsh winters; therefore, we are so lucky to have this service! […]

Share The Roar

Last week I shared that the Air & Space Forces Association convention and conference was as the old saying goes, “like trying to drink out of a firehose.” Educational conferences are by their very nature that way. Evenings we spend looking through the agenda and trying to decide which of topics most interests me, and […]

The Rodeo is Coming to Visit with our On-Base Elementary School Students and Homeschoolers

The Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo is visiting Dakota Elementary School’ Students, North Plains Elementary School’ Students, and on-base Homeschool Students on Thursday, October 9th! Their rodeo clown, queen, cowboy, and/or bull fighter will share specific information about the rodeo and give our military-connected students the opportunity to ask questions. This event serves to educate our […]

That 2012 Olive Garden Review Still Matters

Last week, I got a DM that said, “You may have heard of her, but Marilyn Hagerty just died at age 99. She was an absolute legend—North Dakota food critic and friend of Anthony Bourdain.”I’ll be honest—I had no idea who she was. But I was intrigued. Until last week, I didn’t know Marilyn’s name […]

Montana/Alberta road

A recent report on CITC-TV, a Global network affiliate in Calgary, outlined a situation on the Mon-tana/Alberta border that is causing a lot of concern along the entire U.S./Canadian border. There is a gravel road that separates Canada from the United States and more specifically, Toole County, Montana from the rural municipality of Warner No. […]

Learning About AFA

My first Air & Space Forces Association convention can be compared somewhat to getting that new car and trying to figure out all of the bells and whistles to do little things like set the speed control or adjust the heat and heck, even making the windshield wipers works. First, let’s talk about the Air […]

ND Suicide Prevention and Response Toolkit for Schools: Helpful Resource for Parents

North Dakota Health and Human Services (NDHHS) recently released a Suicide Prevention and Response Toolkit for Schools. This is a comprehensive resource that assists schools in preventing suicide through the implementation of specific strategies and response protocols. It aims to strengthen prevention and support the mental health of students. This is important, because in North […]

Working Hard…. So, We Can Play

It’s reality, it’s time to “pull the sailboat” for the summer. What this procedure entails is winterizing our 27 foot Cal sailboat for the harsh winter ahead. Down come the sails to be folded and stored away. Then there is winterizing the freshwater system with at least 5 gallons of RV anti-freeze. There are what […]

A shield from reality

When something is out of sight, it’s out of mind, right? That’s true to a point, but as North Dakotans we sometimes get a glimpse of what it’s like elsewhere and the reality is, we don’t have it so bad.As we all know, North Dakota has been growing for several years. Driven by oil, the […]

Minot High FBLA Kicks Off Winter Clothing Drive to Warm Local Families

Submitted by Saige Carlson As colder temperatures begin to settle in, Minot High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter is taking action to support families in need across the community. The student-led organization is hosting a Winter Clothing Drive from September 15th to September 20th, with the goal of collecting new and gently […]

Meet our Child Development Center and Homeschool MFLCs

Megan ArmentaChild and Youth Behavioral Military andFamily Life Counselor (CYB-MFLC)Megan.E.Armenta@leidos.com571.376.0703 My name is Megan Armenta, and I’m a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lamar University. Originally from Texas, I began my career in a private practice setting, where I worked with both children and adults for […]

September: If you’re bored you’re doing it wrong

Last week, when I looked at my calendar and scrolled through my mental list of what’s happening, I immediately felt overwhelmed. Everyone talks about how fast summer goes, but no one really mentions how quickly September flies.For me, August is a paradox. It’s both a rush to cram in the last bits of summer before […]

The Monopoly Man

Joe Weigand has been in Medora for many years, as Teddy Roosevelt. He tells the joke about walking briskly across the park in Medora at his way to one of his many performances and having some youngster exclaim “Look Mom, it’s that guy from Monopoly!” Adorned in his black 3-piece tux, including his round top […]

Scams abound

There was a recent news report about an individual here in North Dakota who got scammed out of $100,000. That’s a lot of money and even though you would think a criminal mind could get a loot like that and run, it appears they can’t resist the urge to come back for more. People being […]

Welcome New MAFB District #160 School Board Member

Minot Air Force Base District #160 has a new School Board Member: MSgt Kyle Gahring! MSgt Gahring is a safety professional dedicated to fostering a secure and thriving environment for both the workplace and the community. He actively collaborates with the Minot Magic City Discovery Center to promote hands-on learning opportunities for local youth and […]

North Dakota’s bizarre summer weather

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that this summer has been quite unusual in terms of weather conditions. Granted, we say that every year, but this season has been quite different than the norm.The most obvious thing has been in the amount of precipitation that has fallen across the state. Right now, only Pembina and […]

A Sunday Summer, and a Labor Day Fall…Sort of

Never mind that Sunday was one month and Monday another. A flip of the calendar does not necessarily mean we went from summer to fall, except in 2025. Take Sunday…what a beautiful day on the lake. There were people on pontoons, swimming parties in the middle of the lake, jet skis being as annoying as […]

Fall’s Routine, a Rude Awakening

“Are you ready for school?”That was the question floating through nearly all my conversations in the days leading up to the first day of school. I’ve got a son in elementary school and another in preschool, so the question made sense. “We’ve got all the stuff ready, and mentally he’s ready,” I’d say. “But that […]

Meet our Minot AFB Adult MFLCs

Kate EbackAdult Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC)katherine.e.eback@leidos.com701.500.4826 Kate is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with the state of North Dakota and has been a practicing counselor since 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Kate has been serving MAFB since August 2023 and looks […]

If you start my program now…

Do you ever watch those infomercials in the middle of the night? If you haven’t, they’re always coming up with some fantastic breakthrough in medicine, weight loss or mental awareness. In just about every case, it seems too good to be true, and yet it could cost you a lot of money. I have to […]

It’s Keep a Calendar Time!

It’s about ready to get really busy folks, and I just want to make sure that you start marking those calendars with the special events to come. First on the agenda is Fuel The Fight to be held on Saturday, March 6th from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. Lori Wonnenberg, owner of Dakota Square ARCO, […]

A Little of This and…

I know some folks are really happy when the temperatures reach the 90’s and even 100+ degrees in August; I am not one of those folks. The other day I was checking in at the Magic City Gate and the conversation between the 2 security officers was a discussion on whether a heat index of […]

Bottineau goes against the grain

At a time when small communities across North Dakota are shrinking, there’s one that is bucking that trend and bringing new life to its Main Street every summer. Like most other small towns across the state, Bottineau has lost population to the tune of about 700 people in the past 40 years. So it’s not […]

New Military and Family Life Counselor at Minot AFB Child Development Center!

Our Child Development Center (CDC) at Minot AFB welcomes new Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC): Miss Odette Abbud Aguero! Military children and families experience unique challenges specific to their military lifestyle, so free, confidential counseling is provided as a short term, solution-focused service intended to help the child and family build important skills to […]

Starbase ND to Start School Year 2025-2026

STARBASE is a program that “provides 25-hours of hands-on, minds-on, high-tech discovery and inquiry-based activities to fifth grade students using a common curriculum that meets or exceeds a variety of National Standards. The 25-hours of STEAM instruction is carried out as an extension of the traditional classroom, where classrooms of students are brought out to […]

So Much To See…In So Little Time

Last night (Aug 11) I had the pleasure of meeting Col Mike Taylor and his spouse Amanda. Col Taylor is the new Deputy Commander of the 5th Bomb wing, transferring in from Barksdale Air Force Base. Col Taylor was representing the 5th Bomb Wing at the Military Gallery Open house held last night at the […]

From the front lines to Dickinson

It’s no question that Norwegian and German heritage get a lot of attention in North Dakota. But, there is a small building on the west side of Villard Avenue in Dickinson that packs a powerful punch when it comes to European heritage in North Dakota. Here you’ll find the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, which houses the […]

Slow Summer: It’s okay not to do it all

Last week, I called an impromptu family meeting at the dining room table. I came armed with a notebook, a pen, and a mission: make the most of our last days of summer before school routines return and snow threatens to fall. “What else do you want to do before summer’s over?” I asked my […]

November is Military Family Month: Save the Date for a NEW Minot Air Force Base Family Workshop

November is designated “National Veterans and Military Families Month.” All families are unique and, arguably, military families are even more so, given their distinct challenges and mission successes. Whatever situation defines each family or “a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each […]

Record July Rains Will Bring Great Outdoor Activities

Late in June as I looked out over my back yard I could only guess how long it would be before my lawn would succumb to the dry conditions. Hot weather and limited rainfall had made left my lawn looking like it was August. And then it happened! There were a couple of late night […]

Old grain elevator getting a facelift

In case you hadn’t noticed or seen this on the news, there’s a sort of art renaissance going on in Minot and this isn’t your average, every day painting. There’s an Australian man who is in the process of transforming a downtown Minot grain elevator into a massive work of art. This man is world […]

Don’t Give Up Summer Yet!

I can’t tell you how many times this past week I have heard people say, “the end of the State Fair, the end of summer!” I look at them and say…”seriously? What happened to August? And did they change Labor Day?” With a glass half full attitude I have always let summer be summer and […]

Road Trip Magic: Exploring North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway

This article and many more are featured in the Northern Sentry’s 2025 Summer Adventure Guide, which can be found at various location on base. When people think of North Dakota, wide-open prairies and rugged badlands often come to mind. But tucked away just off Exit 72 of I-94, between the towns of Gladstone and Regent, […]

Excellence at the state fair

As we all know there is a lot of hype about the North Dakota State Fair. After all, it’s the biggest summer event in North Dakota and the 2025 version appears to be another success. If you’re a kid, you love the endless hot dogs, lemonade and ice cream. If you’re a teenager, you love […]

The Surprising Highlight of Our Vacation

While the rest of my family played in the pool, I walked several blocks across the small downtown of Medora, North Dakota, to do some souvenir shopping. I found the shop I was looking for on the tourist map and made my way to an unassuming storefront. It had the same “Old West” façade much […]

New Courses and Lowered Fees: The Minot Area Workforce Academy’s Third Year Open Heralds Expansion – including an Aviation program!

At the Minot Area Workforce Academy’s Governing Board Meeting on July 7th, 2025, the Director, Ms. Pam Stroklund, shared recent updates regarding approved new, expanding, and transferring programs.  To provide some history, Minot Public Schools has had Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for over 50 years.  Aviation and Biomedical started nine years ago and […]

New Logo for High School Co-Ops

At the Virtual Special School Board meeting on July 2nd 2025, the School Board of Minot Public School District No. 1 voted to approve the official name—Minot United—and official co-op logo, featuring an image of Half Magi/Half Sentinel for the following Minot Public Schools co-op activities: Boys HockeyGirls HockeyBoys WrestlingGirls WrestlingGirls Cross-countryDanceSpeechStudent CongressDrumline The co-op […]

Special Moments, Special Sites

The rumble of thunder interrupted a night of sleep, but hey, that’s OK! This has been one of those summers when rainfall has been at a premium in a lot of areas, including Minot. So yes, we can be thankful for the moisture, over ¾ of an inch, that fell early on Tuesday morning. More […]

A thriving co-op

In just about every community in North Dakota you’ll find a local cooperative called Farmers Union Oil Company that is part of the North Dakota Farmers Union and is affiliated with the Cenex brand. The organization was established in 1927 around the principles of cooperation, legislation and education. It’s first convention was on Nov. 4, […]

Are You Looking for PreK?

Although North Dakota does not have universal Prekindergarten, we do have Prekindergarten options for families in and around Minot Air Force Base! We have Head Start, PreK at Glenburn Public School, and Special Education PreK through Minot Public Schools. Head Start has three PreK classrooms for ages three to five-years-old: one at Dakota Elementary School […]

A First Timer’s Guide to the Fair

Where I come from, “the fair” refers to the local county fair. In northern Indiana, we’re less interested in the state fair and more invested in each county fair. Going to the fair means attending your own county’s event, then planning weekends around the neighboring counties’ fairs too.Obviously, it’s different in North Dakota. Here, it’s […]

Sometimes It Just Happens

Well folks, it’s Juneberry picking time. Because of a rather dry spring and early summer there was little confidence in those of us who watch patiently for Juneberries to appear, and then to get enough rain to grow and ripen, that we would even have a Juneberry crisp this summer. But a timely rain of […]

Highway isolation

Traveling across U.S. Highway 2 Monday on the way home, a thought entered my mind. How do the highways get named. For instance, why is U.S. 2, U.S. 2? Why is N.D. Highway 1806 so named?Apparently, it’s a mixed bag of examples and explanations that start with the interstate system.We all know that North Dakota […]

An Orchestrated Event

As I approach my 49th year living in Minot, North Dakota, there are events that still cause me to stop and reflect on how the Minot Air Force Base affects this community on a daily basis. Not for any reason in particular, I will start with the flyover of a B 52 on final approach […]

N.D. County History

We all know there are 53 counties in North Dakota. It hasn’t always been that way. And in the history of this state and territory, there were numerous counties with names that don’t exist today. As you might imagine, Pembina County was the first organized county in this part of Dakota Territory in 1867. It […]

Let’s Talk Turkey!

Most military-connected students in and around Minot AFB attend public schools. The majority attend the schools in the Minot Public School District, which includes attendance at the three on-base schools: North Plains Elementary School, Dakota Elementary School, and Memorial Middle School, known as “Public Schools on Military Installations” or PSMIs. However, our closest off-base neighbor–-Glenburn […]

A New Vantage Point

After checking my son into his recreational class, I headed to the bleachers to sit with the other parents. Not long after I sat down, a mom in front of me turned and said, “I bet Amy will know.”I’d only met this person in passing—just enough to exchange polite smiles while settling in to watch […]

Tell Me About North Dakota

What reporter and storyteller Amy Allender brings to the Northern Sentry is a unique perspective of not only Minot, but North Dakota. I have often said that if Amy Allender was selling you a car, it would indeed be the absolute best car available for you and your family. Like she does in her column […]

Childhood mortality in North Dakota

In last week’s article, we touched on tuberculosis related to the San Haven facility. This was once a major disease in children in this state. There’s been a significant decline in disease and death in the last century, but it ran rampant before 1900.It was actually a significant public health issue for adults and children. […]

What Can Happen In A Career

I may have shared with you that I began my journalism career at a local hometown newspaper. Perhaps I was around 10 years old when the publisher would catch me on my bike and offer me a quarter, or it could have even been a nickel, to sweep the floors and haul out the trash. […]

North Dakota ghost towns

Numerous ghost towns exist across the state of North Dakota. These were often communities that sprang up when the railroad pushed through during territorial days and the early days of statehood.Often times, nearby towns were born that were more convenient, became county seats or were often on a road to and from a larger city.The […]

PCS Survival for Coming and Going

A few weeks ago, I casually used the term “PCS season” on social media. Not long after, a message landed in my inbox:“When I heard you say ‘PCS season,’ I thought you meant ‘Pollen and Construction Season.’ It took me a minute to realize you were using a military term.” We both had a good […]

Are we tornado alley?

Because the month of June tends to bring us the most rainfall, along with that comes unstable and sometimes violent weather in the form of hurricane-force winds and tornadoes.While states like Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska get more tornadoes historically than North Dakota, we get plenty of them in any given year. Tornadoes are labeled in […]

Call Anytime…

   It was a normal Thursday evening with not a whole lot on the schedule. OK, I’ll revise that statement a bit. There is always something on the schedule to be done, but not a whole lot more was going to get accomplished, in fact we were looking forward to going out to supper with […]

North Dakota is a Homeschool Hot Spot

Homeschool or a “program of education supervised by a child’s parent” was legalized in North Dakota in 1989. Since then, many legislative updates have occurred which enabled inclusivity, such as permission to homeschool developmentally disabled children and student participation in public school extracurricular activities. Now, Minot AFB has approximately 116 military-connected K-12th grade homeschoolers and […]

All K-12 Students Benefit from Consistent Policies to Improve AI Education and Discipline

In my last article, I shared information pertaining to three executive orders issued by Mr. Donald J. Trump: EO 14242 – Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, EO 14191 – Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families, and EO 14190 – Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling. Here are two additional orders […]

You Have To Stop

It was an early morning, just after 6 AM and I was in Downtown Minot picking up something at my office on the corner of Burdick and Main. The wind hadn’t come up quite yet, so the smoke that was predicted had not filled the early morning sky.I stopped for a moment and just took […]

Shopping at the Bay

If you live along the northern tier of North Dakota, there’s a pretty good chance you have visited Winnipeg sometime in your life. If you live in northeastern North Dakota, there’s a pretty good chance you have shopped at The Bay.Called “The Bay” for a number of years to be more modern, it’s actually the […]

Executive Orders on Education and Medora On the Map

A number of directives have been issued by the President of our United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. An executive order is one such directive. It must be within the President’s constitutional authority and cannot violate existing federal laws. In fact, the courts can overturn any executive order. However, it is important that we are […]

North Dakota Nice-You Can’t Help It

Best Kept SecretsMinot State University will start this season with the classic theatrical presentation of Nunsense, followed by Fiddler on the Roof. Here is the complete schedule for season 60 for the MSU Summer Theater. It may be a best kept secret for the quality of the talent in the shows but sometimes shows sell […]

What I Didn’t Expect to Love About Minot

No matter how open-minded I try to be, it seems that I inevitably enter a new situation carrying an armful of presuppositions. The latest example of this being that our summer vacation plans have changed last minute. Instead of my meticulously planned trip to the Wisconsin Dells, we’ll be spending a few days in a […]

The lingering effects of Agent Orange

It’s nearly impossible to get precise numbers of people who were either exposed to Agent Orange, or who have had complications because a parent was exposed to it.What we do know is that North Dakota has approximately 15,000 Vietnam veterans and roughy 65 percent of them are receiving compensation after being exposed to the defoliant […]

What Are You Doing This Summer

Fresh from a trip to West Fargo to help celebrate the last day of school for my grandkids, my head was spinning with the number of activities that were planned for the summer. I thought I had a grasp on my granddaughters’ schedule as she is into dance and will be doing a couple of […]

A Dick Tracy story and a 1945 homicide

We briefly touched on the story of Margaret Roeszler last week, a woman of 42 years old who was shot dead in her Jamestown beauty salon on Sept. 19 1945. Roeszler, whose body is buried in the Lutheran Cemetery in Ashley, was known as a good neighbor, someone who would always help out a friend […]

We’re Remembering Our Heroes

My wife opened the door at CashWise foods and deposited her Saturday morning grocery purchase in the car, and asked “there are a couple of ladies in their selling poppies, should I go back and get some?” My answer was “of course” and then my mind slipped back to my young kid days when two […]

New Public Charter Schools Law Takes Effect August 1st 2025

Senate Bill 2241 passed the house and the senate last month. This bill requires public charter schools to be part of North Dakota’s public education system. Governor Kelly Armstrong states, “Expanding school choice is a win-win for North Dakota families and for our state’s workforce and long-term success. The public charter schools authorized by this […]

Cold Case North Dakota

Did you know North Dakota has at least a dozen cold cases with one of them that dated back to 1945.According to the attorney general’s website, there are actually 13, with one of them, the Anita Knutson case in Minot, recently in the news with a trial in Grand Forks. Nichole Rice who was on […]

I’ve Never Been, But I’d Love to Go

I love visitor guides. When we travel, I’m the person who scans the brochure rack in the hotel lobby. I’ll read the guide cover to cover and relay any fun facts I find. At national parks, the pamphlets handed through the window upon entry are never relegated to the floorboards or that crevice between the […]

Playground Safety and Student Success Outside

As a certified Early Childhood Playground Inspector since October 2020, I have inspected seven playgrounds on Minot AFB. The first one was the Lewis and Clark Park, which satisfied my final project requirement for certification. Next, the Bud Ebert Park, which consists of ten play structures and is located at the far end of the […]

North Dakota Border Towns

As we all know, North Dakota borders South Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Montana. What many of us my not know is there are numerous communities that were built right on a border and in a couple of cases, they extend beyond North Dakota. The most obvious border town is Fargo. It’s our largest city […]

Historically quirky North Dakota

Despite our state being only 136 years old, we all know there is plenty of history that happened during those years. Military history, the building of the railroads, cities springing up on the steel rail, massive cattle ranches and bonanza farms are all part of it. There’s also the lesser-known history that most of us […]

The Glass Is Half Full

Whether your passion is hiking, biking, camping, swimming, kayaking or just plain hanging…around on a beach, take some time and fill the glass to overfull with exciting hour long, or day long events. Best Kept Secrets- Small Towns, Big Events:There are so many small communities in North Dakota that host world class events. We have […]

The Spring Shift

Last week, I began clearing things out of my garage to clean and sell on Facebook Marketplace. This is part of my spring-and-fall routine: pull out the large toys—bikes, scooters, strollers, and all manner of plastic monstrosities we’ve accumulated over the previous season. Then I audit. What don’t we use? What are the boys too […]

Big ‘A’ Airmen

You might say “well Rod, that’s what they are told to do” and I will agree. But it certainly would be easy to have a bit of a chip on your shoulder when weather conditions are extreme, and I am pretty sure that not everyone who drives up to the gate is having a Grade […]

Organic farming in North Dakota

There’s some new data from the Organic Farming Research Foundation that outlines the state of organic agriculture in North Dakota. Although our state lags behind the national average of organic farming and processing, there are some solid numbers that should be explained. To start with, there are 113 organic farms in North Dakota encompassing 106,000 […]

Why do you like Minot so much?

“Why do you like Minot so much?” I get asked that a lot. But last week, over the course of two days, I answered that question for four different people, in four different places. Even for me—a self-proclaimed “Minot guru”—that was a bit above average. So that night, I shared a reel to my Instagram […]

Pen pals 50 years on…

March 30, 1975 was not only Easter Sunday, but was a day that would resonate with two people for more than 50 years. On that Easter Sunday an American teenager wrote a letter to an Australian girl. Forward 50 years and they remain close through email and regular Zoom calls. I was 16 at the […]

Starting To Hear That Word!

PCS…Permanent Change of Station. Some of my Airmen friends say PCS with a smile because they are happy with their new station, others are not happy at all, having grown fond of Minot Air Force Base and Minot. It could be because their kids have enjoyed going to school in Minot, it could be because […]

Not By Coincidence

If you watch sporting events, or any event that requires a team effort, you know that winning is certainly not a coincidence. There are a several factors that come in to play when a team wins consistently. First, there is tradition. A team that has made winning a practice will often have a long tradition […]

Summer parades and car shows…

There’s no question those of us who live in North Dakota, like parades. We see them everywhere when the weather co-operates. And, we sometimes see them leading up to Christmas when it can get quite cold.We have community parades, high school parades, college parades, kiddie parades and even parades for special events, like a big […]

Most wanted fugitive to face trial…

A man whose business partner was involved in a failed Berthold housing development and one who visited Berthold at least one time, has been arrested in El Salvador and is going on trial in San Diego in May.Raymond Mcleod Jr., is accused of killing his girlfriend Krystal Mitchel in San Diego on June 10, 2016, […]

Sitting With The Best!

My seat for the Air and Space Force Association banquet was randomly chosen. It was my responsibility to take photos of the Commander’s Choice Award Winners. The Northern Sentry is also a member of the AFA, so both Ted, publisher of the Northern Sentry, and me were there in support of the 42 Airmen and […]

A Minot Trivia Challenge

After living in Minot for a while, you start to pick up on the little things. You figure out which car wash you prefer, what playgrounds have the best slides, and which roads are most likely to be sanded after a snowstorm. But no matter how long you’ve called Minot home, there’s always something new […]

Let Me Tell You Good Things…

Two parents were walking cautiously down a Central Campus hallway. It was Parent/Teachers conferences, and we were looking for our son’s history classroom. The good news is that we were not the only parents struggling to locate the right classroom, the bad news is that we were supposed to find this classroom and do a […]

March is National MS Month…

Editor’s note: This is the final of a three-part series examining multiple sclerosis and actions that can control this auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. MS can’t be cured, but numerous drugs and therapies are available to manage symptoms, slow disease progression and improve quality of life. As recently as 35 years ago, […]

Five Things To Know If You’re New Here

Last week, my four-year-old and I went on a lunch date on base. Our usual order is the pizza combo from Bomber Bistro, which I think is the best lunch deal in town—and took it to Li’l Riders, the attached indoor playground my kids love. Especially on cold days, it’s a perfect spot for them […]

Music, The Great Communicator

Their stories certainly covered a lot of what makes the bands a special part of the Air Force. When the concert was over several of the audience took turns talking with the musicians, which we hope made their evening in Minot special. It seemed like the evening had just gotten started when it was announced […]

March is National MS month…

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series examining links to multiple sclerosis and why they may trigger this auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. This information isn’t an opinion, but is statistical and draws from several research studies at home and abroad. A report published May 11, 1995 in the […]

Pretty Darned Good!

It was a typical Monday morning, if there such a thing as a typical Monday morning, and I was going through my emails and thinking about some of the topics for this week’s article when there it was! U.S. Strategic Command Announces 2024 Omaha Trophy Winners! Certainly worth opening and reviewing, right? When I read […]

March is National MS month…

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series about multiple sclerosis, an auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. Statistically, North Dakota and Ohio have the second-highest incidence rates in the nation, followed only by New York state. There are numerous possible triggers including a lack of Vitamin D, heritage and radiation. […]

Walking Among Giants!

A recent Visit Minot meeting was held in the Flying Legends hangar at the Dakota Territory Air Museum. The museum is closed to the public right now, but the hangar is still filled with planes that have been restored to combat, and beyond, condition. I can almost name them all from the British Spitfire that […]

Visitor Burnout

As I sit down to type, I’m munching on complimentary Biscoff cookies, sipping strong coffee from a small paper cup, and balancing my laptop on a rickety tray table. We’re on a return flight to North Dakota after spending a week in northern Indiana visiting family. Every time we take this trip, I think about […]

Well done North Dakota…

There’s an article in this month’s National Arbor Day Foundation newsletter that features a small town in North Dakota alongside New York City.The article is called “From The Big Apple to a Little-Known North Dakota Town.” It’s a look into two vastly different communities benefiting from the same iconic Arbor Day Foundation program.The North Dakota […]

A Photo Tells The Whole Story

I had the honor of being able to review every photo submitted to The Northen Sentry in our recent photo contest. It’s always a pleasure to see all of the various photos as they capture the people and the lifestyles of ordinary folks. In my younger days I was a very avid and focused photographer. […]

Where is Fort Rice?

A little known Army fort in a place most people know little about, had a big part in the settling of the western Dakota Territory. Fort Rice was established on July 7, 1864 by Gen. Alfred Sully north of the mouth of the Cannonball River and south of the Heart River’s mouth. In other words, […]

North Dakota Isn’t the Best

I want to set something straight.About a year and a half ago, I opened an Instagram/Facebook account called @HeyMinot. My family has been stationed in Minot twice, and we genuinely enjoy living here. In fact, we requested to come back for our second tour. Even after my husband separated from active duty and attached to […]

It’s all relative…

This recent extended cold streak we had is nothing new to us and although people have been talking about cold it’s been, we’ve seen this before. Zeeland, in McIntosh County, dropped to 40 below zero first. Then it was Crosby, then Carson and Elgin. And finally, New Hradec, in Dunn County recorded a 47 below […]

The Gathering Power of Coffee

You don’t have to live in Minot very long to have someone share information with you that was gathered at one of many coffee groups. There was a time when I presumed that these meetings were purely social…and that the information shared was more small town gossip than valuable news about local issues. Boy was […]

Time To Think Positive?

By the time you sit down do read the Northern Sentry, hopefully the very coldest weather of this horribly awful cold snap is behind us. I often think that the folks on the national and local TV networks look ahead and give us a ray of hope for improving weather conditions. The fact is…there is […]

The end of a long six years

Four days before my birthday and five days before I signed up for my Army pension in 2018, I was diagnosed with small cell renal cell carcinoma, commonly known as kidney cancer. I was shoveling snow one day and got chest pains. I went to the clinic in Kenmare and x-rays revealed one spot on […]

A Little Bit of Rambling

Are we in a rebound? Are things taking a complete 180? What would make me ask that question? I want to start with credit cards. If you have a younger person in your home, say one of your kids is headed off to college, the number of credit card offers is totally amazing. 3-4 per […]

The value of history…

With a minor in history from the University of North Dakota, there’s no doubt I’m biased about history and how important newspapers are as historical documents. They’re valuable for births, obituaries, kids setting records in high school sports and the list goes on to include advertising.That said, I’m going to put a completely different twist […]

Hallmark Has Nothing on Minot

You romanticize things. I don’t even think you know you’re doing it.” Six months ago, a staff member at an appointment told me this. I had never considered it before, but she was right. “There’s a whole movement about romanticizing your life,” she added. “Google it. It’s what you do.”For someone who spends a lot […]

Task Force 21 In Good Hands

Peter Hankla has been active in Task Force 21 since 1999. My guess is that when given the opportunity to be part of Task Force 21 back in 1999 Peter Hankla was probably seen as one of the “younger community leaders” that were recruited to bolster Task Force 21 as the focus switched from retaining […]

Only time will tell…

There’s a bill in the Legislature that’s already been approved by the House, that would eliminate Daylight Savings Time in North Dakota. Apparently, House Bill 1259 was approved on a 55-37 vote. This subject seems to come up again and again and it always gets voted down. Heck, I remember this was a “thing” when […]

The Bright Spot of Winter You’re Probably Missing

Over Sunday dinner at my home, a friend asked what we had coming up this week. Normally, I’ve got an answer (or twenty) to that question. A dear neighbor once described me as “not the type to let the grass grow underfoot.” That’s pretty accurate. I like to stay busy, and I never tire of […]

North Dakota’s hometown heroes…

Most of us who grew up in small towns in North Dakota didn’t believe at the time that we had much of a chance to become famous. The routine was the routine and for all we knew, we would grow up just like our parents and do the same thing they did, live and work […]

The Torch Is Passed

It was a typical Monday afternoon when Mark Jantzer, outgoing chairman of Task Force 21 joined me at the Northern Sentry office. We shook hands and almost immediately began to talk about his role with Task Force 21, and his hand off of chairman duties to Peter Hankla, current vice-chairman of TF 21. “I’ve been […]

Diversity at its finest…

We all know what happened during the oil boom. Some communities in the western third of North Dakota exploded with population and although that has now stabilized, some of those growing pains remain.Williston is one of the best examples. At the height of the boom, the city of Williston, which had a fraction of the […]

The Power Of The Pen

Back in journalism school our instructors would often lecture us about the “Power of the Pen”, which meant that as a journalist you take caution to make sure that you did not misuse your forum, which was the newspaper you were working for, to give an opinion or attack someone. Later, as I expanded my […]

Connections

On 2 different sides of the country there were 2 events. The fires that were turning neighborhoods in Los Angeles into apocalyptic terrain, and the history making winter storm that rocked southeastern states and brought record ice and snowfall, and brought that part of the nation to a standstill. I do not want you to […]

After the rubber meets the road…

Do you ever wonder what happens to your old tires after they’re replaced on your car? Do you ever wonder if there was a better way to prolong tire wear? Do you ever wonder what kind of recycled uses there are for old rubber like worn out tires? In today’s world, whenever you get a […]

How well do you know winter weather?

“Did you bring sunglasses?” my four-year-old asked from the back seat. “It’s so bright,” he added, squinting and shielding his eyes with mitten-clad hands. He was right. The snow blanketed the ground, and the trees were covered in delicate layers of snow and ice, like lace clinging to the branches. The vast landscape was white, […]

Your North Dakota Bucket List

Happy New Year, and it’s time to make your North Dakota (Winter) Bucket list, if you haven’t already done so. I won’t claim that I am going to do all of the activities that I am suggesting this winter, but I can guarantee you that they are all activities that I have done over my […]

The picture is becoming clear…

After searching statistics regarding various coffee brands, obscure entries on websites helped connect the dots about why Tim Horton’s locations in North Dakota may have closed their doors. At one time, there were four Tim Horton’s franchises operating in North Dakota; Grand Forks (2), Fargo and Minot. The first to open was a coffee and […]

What Now? 25 Ideas of Indoor Fun

The holiday season is great. I love the events that stretch from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. I love the special music, the candlelight, the décor, and the traditions. For me, most of the fun is wrapped up in the buildup to the Big Day. If the holiday season were a bell curve, Christmas would […]

Are we growing at the right pace…

It doesn’t matter where you go in North Dakota, you’re going to find that retail, health care, government, farming, education and even sports franchises have job openings. Just walk down the street in almost any community and you will see signs in windows that say “now hiring.” Those messages used to say “now accepting applications,” […]

New Year’s Resolutions

An Apology of SortsWe received notification that the 69th Bomb Squadron would be returning before Christmas, more than likely on the 23rd of December. Normally The Northern Sentry would be on hand to greet the deployed personnel as they returned to Minot Air Force Base, and the front page of our paper on December 27th […]

A Seat at the Table: Finding Connection This Christmas

Last week, I walked into a building many people in town don’t know exists. I, for one, lived here for years before I discovered it: the Minot Adult Learning Center (MALC). As soon as I opened the door, the reason for my visit was apparent. The mingled scents of potluck dishes filled the air as […]

Christmas Memories

It is the time of the year when we often reflect on memories from past Christmas seasons. These reflections can be both positive and of course negative. What I have found over the years is that some of those memories that once brought tears to my eyes, can now bring smiles. I hope that by […]

A shot in the arm for Ellendale…

Could Ellendale, North Dakota become the next Silicon Valley?There’s a new and interesting development happening there that could completely transform the entire community and all of Dickey County. A Dallas company called Applied Digital is in the process of building a data center just south of Ellendale, near the South Dakota state line that is […]

“Spritz”ing Into Christmas-Easy To Make Holiday Favorites

I first want to start my column by admitting that “I am not a baker”. And to be truthful, I am not a very good assistant to my wife, Sue, when it comes to Christmas baking. I think she humors me and lets me think I am an important cog in the process of baking […]

Where do you put the lefse?

On Thanksgiving morning, I woke up with a burning question on my mind: Where does a lefse go in a Hotdish Land holiday buffet line?A couple months ago I made cookie salad for my first time, and documented the experience on Instagram. Nearly 100k views and hundreds comments and messages later, I had gotten many […]

Fargo’s population boom…

We all know that Fargo is the state’s largest city and has been most likely throughout the state’s history. But now, we’re beginning to see that Fargo is larger than we think. The most recent population estimate puts the city of Fargo at 133,000. When the 2020 census was taken, the population was round about […]

Holiday Traditions are Important

Let’s Start With Winter SportsThis past week I was able to touch base with the 3 ski areas in North Dakota, and although the cold weather has tested our resilience a bit, it has allowed all 3 areas, Huff Hills south of Bismarck, Bottineau Winter Park near Lake Metigoshe and Frost Fire near Cavalier, ND, […]

I have a lot to be thankful for again this year

Laughter, a positive attitude, and always looking for the opportunity…these words have helped guide my time as a public servant. It’s not that I want to “piggy back” on the term coined by Gov. Doug Burgum, but this is a time for gratitude. However…I will use “I am Thankful.” I AM THANKFUL for the residents […]

North Dakota’s film industry…

You probably know by now there’s a new movie coming out in late January called Trapped, that was filmed in North Dakota. It’s about sex trafficking and happened to be filmed in Linton. There have been several news reports about this movie and the director was recently interviewed on TV, but the segment didn’t specify […]

It’s More Than One Day

I had a journalism teacher in college who tasked us with writing an article about Thanksgiving. “As journalism students, I expect more from you than just something cliché like we have so much to be thankful for, blah…blah…blah.”The task at hand seemed fairly simple and somewhat well defined. However, it was not as easy as […]

Snowball Cookies: A sweet tradition to mark the start of winter

Many things change over the course of a year. But some things seem to withstand the pace of the world, politics, and everything else. One of the steadfast hallmarks of life in Hotdish Land is wondering when the first snow will come, making guesses about when it will happen, and bracing for it—knowing that the […]

What To Write About On A Blustery Tuesday Afternoon

Looking out the window I am sure that we all had the same view on Tuesday afternoon. We had been given fair warning, and sure enough the wind, snow and colder temperatures arrived almost on que. The National Weather service had waffled in the amount of snow we were going to receive, but when they […]

What’s with the word salad?…

With November being high school football playoff time in North Dakota, there’s been a lot of talk about the teams that have gone through their respective divisions and onto the Dakota Bowl. As many of us know, high school football has been re-aligned again and there are actually six divisions of North Dakota high school […]

The Kiddos Worked Hard!

North Plains Elementary music teacher Dr. Amanda Capote reached out to the staff of the Northern Sentry with an invitation to a Veteran’s Day program to be held on Friday, November 8th at 2:00 PM. I accepted the invitation on behalf of the Northern Sentry. Veteran’s Day has always been a special holiday for me, […]

This might surprise you…

When we talk about immigrants in North Dakota, we’re often referring to people who came here in the late 1800s from Norway, Germany, England and Russia. Most of us today are descendants of those immigrants and we maintain that proud ancestory through festivals such as Norsk Hostfest in Minot, Sauerkraut Day in Wishek and the […]

To Work With Great People

When COVID went global, and people were forced to stay home and find ways to carry on their vocation, a new set of rules emerged. We were already entering a time when working from home, and not in a brick and mortar office, was going to become more of a norm than an exception. But […]

What an honor…

Often times we focus on the negative and how nothing seems to go right. Instead, we should always try to think of the glass as half full rather than half empty. Sometimes good things do happen to us, but we tend to live in the moment then forget about it. An event like that happened […]

From Daylight to Darkness: Practical Tips for NoDak’s Dark Season

It’s been nearly a week since we all changes our clocks back, “falling back” an hour. When I was younger and child-free, I used to call it “invincibility weekend.” Normally sluggish and not exactly a “morning person,” I’d suddenly feel well-rested, perky, and eager to get out of bed as my internal clock was tricked […]

Election will help decide our future path

It’s time to vote. Well, almost. Election Day is Nov. 5. Voting in Minot will be held at the Ward County Administration Building (225 3rd St SE), The Armory at the Minot Municipal Auditorium (420 3rd Ave SW), and the State Fair Center (2005 Burdick Expressway East) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are […]

Annoying and creepy…

There’s no doubt we’re having a mild autumn thus far. How many times do we go into the second half of October with overnight temperatures remaining above freezing or just barely freezing? And daytime highs, on select days of course, have been “hot” for this time of year, especially when the sun is shining. We’ll […]

Minot’s Secret Advantage

We have a joke with my in-laws. Whenever we tell them we’re going somewhere, my father-in-law will say, “Let me guess, you’ll be there in 10 minutes.” It’s a joke that came about because when they visit and we plan our day in Minot, all our commutes are 10 minutes or less. However, when we […]

Hopefully Not Again In My Lifetime

Red Flag warnings are fairly common in North Dakota. Wind is a conversation starter at most coffee circles, as is rain, or in this case the lack of rain. Double digit wind speeds are a way of life. Wind gusts that match the speed limit signs on the highways, well those will no doubt turn […]

Say It Ain’t So…

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Marvin Baker has been growing vegetables at North Star Farms for quite a few years. His garden supplies a group of folks, like me, who get weekly deliveries off fresh vegetables…everything from acorn squash to zucchini. He also sets up a booth at the North Prairie Farmers market […]

Cookie Salad, Old Recipes, and New Memories

We have a tradition in my house. It started years ago when I inherited some old cookbooks from my grandparents. After they sat on my kitchen shelves for far too long, I decided I needed to either make use of them or retire them to the donation bin. I made a deal with my husband: […]

An Attitude of Gratitude

My Dad used to school me daily about having an Attitude of Gratitude. About the time I was moping around the house because nothing in my life seemed to be going right, he would bring to my attention everything around me that I should be thankful for. First would be my Mom. “Just realize that […]

An impressive line up…

Two weeks ago I was at Bismarck State College for an event and it had been 38 years since I was on campus. It has changed drastically, but it was fun to be back there if only for a few hours. When it was my time to speak, I started with asking a question. “How […]

Invasion of the animals…

Just about anywhere in the state of North Dakota, there have been reports in recent years of unusual animal sightingsThese are animals that through recent history, at least, haven’t been seen in the state. But from 2000 on, numerous witnesses have come forward to tell their stories of what they may have seen.

It’s All About Community

Two events that you are going to read about in this week’s Northern Sentry gave me a bit of focus for this week’s article. First, a teacher at Memorial Junior High and now also at Minot North, Mr. Byron Boren, was named CTE (Career and Technology Education) teacher of the year in North Dakota. Mr. […]

Not What You Think…

They Did Things WrightPart II of our recent trip would take us to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When investigating possible events and destinations we discovered that Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers made their first assisted power airplane flight, was indeed located on the Outer Banks. Strange, because we went through Indiana and […]

Property Tax

Although I have been involved in party politics and other grassroots activities over the last 25 years, this is my first time in elected office. Taking the leap into the city council race this spring was a new experience. Campaigning involves fundraising, candidate questionnaires, interviews, and public speaking, which is necessary to show your political […]

To think they’re volunteers…

Sept.14 was an unusual day in our little Ward County community of Carpio. It marked only the third time there had been a parade there in the past 20 years. This time it was the fire department’s parade. The local first responders were celebrating 75 years as a fire department and as a spectator looking […]

I Think Lefse is Lackluster, but I Love it Anyway

“I think we’re going to the Høstfest this weekend. What should we be sure to see?” The word came out “HOST-fest,” an easy giveaway that I was new in town. I asked the question to fill time but wasn’t prepared for the deluge of information that followed. At the time, I was volunteering as a […]

A View From Our Standpoint, Planning the Next 3 Months

The balloon is kind of deflated folks. How’s that? We have returned from our 2 week excursion through Indiana and the Outer Banks. Sure, daily activities will keep us busy but nothing to the extent of 5,000 miles on the road through 12 different states. We’ll share our experiences with family and friends while trying […]

Vermont’s got nothing on us…

You may have noticed the leaves on the trees in your back yard beginning to change color. And as we go later into September, that foliage is becoming more intense and looks stunning.Granted, North Dakota doesn’t have forests like other places do, so you can’t just drive down a road and see what those in […]

Early education, affordable child care are community challenges

I recently had the privilege of attending the Hunt Institute Early Childhood Leadership Conference, and it was truly an eye-opening experience on so many levels. The conference also served as a strong reminder of the challenges every community, including Minot, faces when it comes to available and affordable early childhood education and child care. I […]

Top U.S. Defense Leaders Join Minot Task Force 21 for Annual Nuclear Symposium

Minot Area Chamber EDC (MACEDC) Task Force 21 is excited to announce the speaker lineup for the North Dakota Nuclear Triad Symposium, titled “Enhancing Nuclear Deterrence Amid Great Power Conflict,” scheduled for Friday, September 20, 2024, in Washington, D.C. This annual event gathers leading experts from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and other key sectors […]

America Never Ceases To Amaze!

The TripLast spring we (my spouse Sue & I) decided that there were 2 states (except for Hawaii), that she had never been to, and the time to change that would be now. I know that if you have read my column before that you could accurately accuse me of being a homer. Homer meaning […]

Learning to Lean

Last November, I came down with a nasty intestinal infection. The symptoms were as unglamorous as you could imagine. Understandably, after recovering, I was anxious to put the whole experience behind me, never to relive it again. I hadn’t thought about those terrible, dehydrated days in months. Then, last week, I walked into urgent care […]

Norsk Høstfest is a foodie’s paradise…

The festival coming up in Minot that celebrates all things Scandinavian, is a lot more than just a party to celebrate Norwegian heritage. If you’ve never been there, you’re missing out on some of the best food you’ll ever taste. Numerous vendors have food items as you walk through the halls, but the Høstfest brings […]

Amazing Vision

My Dad Had This Cell Phone Thing Figured Out As a young lad I can remember riding in my Dad’s work pickup. He worked for a company, Northwestern Bell, that was part of a conglomerate of companies referred to as “baby bells.” Smaller phone companies that were owned and operated by AT &T. Eventually it […]

Growing vegetables in North Dakota…

Several weeks ago I was asked to give a presentation to a Christian women’s group about growing vegetables in North Dakota as well as talk about farmers’ markets and how they operate. It was a bit surprising to learn that many people in this group weren’t aware of what is happening in this emerging industry.Growing […]

Minot to Medora: Borrow this Hotdish Road Trip Itinerary

It’s no secret that I love living in Minot. I also enjoy traveling. As a military spouse living states away from immediate family, it can be tricky to justify a vacation anywhere other than “home” to visit relatives. Despite my adoration for Hotdish Land, we’ve spent surprisingly little time road-tripping through North Dakota. Typically, our […]

Just When You Think You’ve Had Enough, North Dakota Gives You A Reason to Stay

Holy Cow! Saturday was one of those memorable days. It all really started on Friday when we (my wife Sue and I) decided to wait until cooler evening temps to mow our lawn. We were headed to the lake on Saturday to celebrate my LXX birthday. If you are a roman numeral expert, you already […]

Haunted North Dakota…

We’ve all heard the creepy, campfire stories that scare us out of our wits. But there are actually documented accounts of the unexplained happening in various parts of our state. You can choose to believe it or not, but the people who tell these stories are quite serious. For instance, during Prohibition tunnels underneath Minot […]

In Minot, school year offers unprecedented opportunities

I know it’s not something teacher or students really want to hear right now, but the 2024-25 school year is already upon us.Area students and teachers will return to the classrooms in the next week or so, and some have already started. In the Minot Public School District, this year will be a little bit […]

Bismarck’s metamorphosis…

I’m sure we’ve all been in Bismarck at one time or another. But, if you don’t live near Bismarck and don’t get there very often, the next time you do, you’ll most likely notice changes. The city of Bismarck seems to defy just about all of the rest of North Dakota and continues with a […]

Budget Talk

The City of Minot is in budget season. Since March, city staff have been working on the preliminary 2025 budget passed by the council earlier this week. There is still work to be done before we give our final approval the first week of October. City Manager Harold Stewart and his team have remained true […]

The Clock is Ticking…

This past week I had numerous inquiries from families who have arrived in North Dakota, either PCS’ing in from another base, or they have arrived in Minot for their very first assignment. Both of the above scenarios are pretty common in August, and I really, really encourage these new arrivals to start taking advantage of […]

The best in the west…

On July 28, we attended the Medora Musical with our grandchildren. It’s always fun to get away from the monotony of our every-day routines to enjoy some taffy, ice cream and the musical. Since that Sunday night, a number of people have commented about the musical after we tell them that we had attended. The […]

North Dakota National Guardsman Rescues Woman from Sinking Car

Devils Lake, ND – U.S. Army 2nd Lt. David Hooge, 231st Quartermaster Platoon, North Dakota National Guard, rescued a woman from a sinking car in Devils Lake, North Dakota, July 29, 2024. While driving south of the city of Devils Lake, Hooge noticed a car behind him swerving back and forth before going off the […]

A Little, Well Actually a Lot of, Nuts

A True StoryWhen I was a kid on the farm we would clean out grain bins getting them ready for the fall harvest. Usually in one corner, or in a randomly placed pail, there would be a pile of grain left by the mice who occupied the grain bin during the summer. Also common was […]

What’s happening with the dairy industry…

A couple of weeks ago KFYR-TV in Bismarck reported North Dakota now has only 29 grade A dairy farms, down from 53 in 2020. That seems unusual given that milk is the official North Dakota beverage. The number of dairy farms has been sinking for many years with no recourse to keep the industry from […]

Your opinion about the 2025 budget is important

The preliminary City budget of 2025 was approved this week by the City Council, but the budget is a long way from being final. City Council members held a special meeting on July 30 to question City department heads and others, including City Manager Harold Stewart, about aspects of the proposed budget. The meeting generated […]

How some late bloomers transformed my perspective of Minot

When we moved into our home, there was no landscaping to be seen. Having been affected by the 2011 flood, it was hastily—and minimally—rehabbed to allow its elderly occupant to return home as quickly as possible. There were no shrubs or perennials, only a few scant weeds growing near the foundation. With help and input […]

Oh My Goodness!

Triple digits! The temp flashed 111 degrees as we took the exit to Medora, and ultimately the Medora Musical. The weather service had predicted 107 degrees for a high temperature, but more often than not they miss their predicted high. 103, 105…hot? Yes, but Medora is always a bit warmer than the rest of North […]

Leonard Peltier in the news again…

It seems like it’s been a long time, but Leonard Peltier is back in the spotlight for a couple of reasons. Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, who is now 79, is serving two consecutive life sentences in a Florida prison for his role in a 1975 shootout on the Pine […]

We Asked To Come Back…

Things Happen in 3’sMy Dad had a saying that “everything happens in 3’s”. Yep, everything in life happens in events of 3. If you have an accident in your family; broken bone, major cut that requires a trip to the emergency room, fall from a tree, my Dad would always tell us to “be careful, […]

North Dakota Olympians…

As the Olympics are beginning in Paris, there’s some interesting information that many people may not be aware of even though they may sports fans. This is the third time since the modern Olympics began in Athens, Greece in 1896, that Paris will be the host city. The games were also held there in 1900 […]

Sharing Thoughts On Events & Decisions

I was recently elected to serve as an alderman on the Minot City Council. The city council consists of 6 aldermen plus the mayor. It is our responsibility to meet the service needs of our patrons while ensuring their freedom to create the community they desire. I am very proud of our community and its […]

Where is the customer service?…

There’s been a lot of chatter lately on social media about lack of customer service. It seems it doesn’t matter if it’s retail, wholesale, the service industry or even medical clinics. Why is this happening? The easy answer that has become a cliche is everybody is short staffed. Employees get stressed out when they are […]

Got visitors?

These are my Mom’s favorite things to do on a trip to Minot. A question floated into my inbox this week: “My parents are visiting the week of the fair. Other than that, any must-sees?” I love this question. It merges two of my passions: proving that Minot is awesome and trip planning. But instead […]

Take What You Are Given

It All Started With Juneberries…It was kind of a hot afternoon when my spouse and I wandered into a field scouting for Juneberries. With the amount of moisture this spring, the word was out that there would be an abundant crop this year, and the information was accurate. When I was a kid there were […]

The highways are changing …

Have you ever heard of Interstate 27? It’s a freeway that currently runs north/south entirely in the state of Texas, from Amarillo to Lubbock. The length of 1-27 is 124 miles, but is about to change in a big way. A number of media, especially those in Bismarck, have been reporting that I-27 will be […]

A Bit Off The Beaten Path

I have talked about my love for sailing, and our sailboat, Celebration. With the 4th of July falling on a Thursday, which is the normal delivery day for the Northern Sentry, everything moved up a day. Stories and ads were due on Monday at Noon. The paper went to press on Tuesday at Noon. And […]

Minot AFB to hold training exercises in local area

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, ND. – Personnel from Minot Air Force Base will conduct military exercises throughout the Minot AFB missile complex between 10-12 July, 2024. These exercises will incorporate the use of blank ammunition from ground and aerial perspectives. Federal and local law enforcement will support exercises from the ground to ensure safe practices […]

Easy Adventure: 5 perfect summer day trips

With Midsummer behind us and the Fourth of July upon us, I’ve reached a familiar point in summer. It’s that limbo when I know there are still many summer days left to take advantage of, accompanied by a growing awareness that I need to spend them wisely before fall catches me off guard. It’s not […]

Who is the most famous North Dakotan?…

Lately, there have been a number of lists that have surfaced about who the most famous North Dakotan may be. There are several separate lists from Sports Illustrated to Forbes, but one thing is clear, on every list except for one outlier, the No. 1 person is the same – Josh Duhamel. Duhamel was born […]

Color It- Amazing!

Not all of us get the perspective of a B-52 flying over the ever changing North Dakota landscape. My conversation with a B-52 co-pilot who is spending his first summer at Minot Air Force Base turned to a question; “What are those fields of vibrant yellow that are popping up all over?” My answer? Well, […]

A Blue Sky

My spouse and I were driving home and both of us at the same time noticed the majestic color of the sky and clouds on Saturday night. Yeah, blue sky and white clouds. But not just any blue sky, but the color we remember from our child hoods.As you remember last summer, there were forest […]

Election proves why being involved matters

This year’s city election is a perfect example of why voicing your opinion matters. We knew all along at least one new council member would be sworn in, with the potential of three new members joining the council. When the dust settled, your vote counted, and we will welcome the three new council members-elect. The […]

Hotdish Dictionary: Oh For Cute

“Oh-fer-cute!” I exclaimed when I saw photos of my friend’s daughter sporting flower-rimmed sunglasses a frilly dress.Last week my phone vibrated with the arrival of a new text. “You’re in the Dells?! Oh for fun!” Recently, while sitting at a coffee shop across from a friend from my hometown in Indiana, I said, “Oh-fer nice.” […]

Sask Power selects Estevan…

There was some new information that came out last week regarding the implementation of nuclear energy in Saskatchewan. Sask Power released a statement saying it has made significant progress in its search for a host site for the province’s first Small Modular Reactor facility and it is seriously close to the North Dakota border.The SMR […]

The Kid Next Door

I need to preface this article with a bit of history. When we found our home on 22nd Street Northwest some 45 years ago, we didn’t really look at the neighborhood more than to ask the realtor if she knew anything about the neighbors. Whether she was just being honest or playing the “less is […]

Not Too Good To Be True

It’s the middle of June, and next week we will experience the longest day of the year in North Dakota, June 21st. The day is 16 hours and 1 minute long. We call it The Midsummer Celebration, and there will be a celebration at the Scandinavian Heritage Park on June 21st-23rd sponsored by the Scandinavian […]

Bismarck to St. Pete…

It’s been just short of a month, but it appears the hype isn’t backing down regarding direct flights from Bismarck to St. Pete/Clearwater, Fla. Since May 15, Allegiant has added this flight twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. Numerous people are talking about this and even though it gets hot in the Tampa Bay […]

Embrace Your Past, Love Your Present

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] “There’s no one else here from your year, so we moved your seat assignment with us,” my mother-in-law said when my husband and I walked into our high school’s Old Gym. Even though the “New Gym” is nearly thirty years old, the space in question will forever be […]

Worried on the West End…

Back in the 1990s when I lived in Langdon, I made frequent trips to Winnipeg, sometimes twice a week and most often took care of business, ate meals, stayed in hotels and attended football games in Winnipeg’s west end. Apparently, that part of town has changed dramatically since the ‘90s and nobody seems to know […]

Tour, Trolley & Treats

The Northern Sentry has been printed in Garrison, North Dakota, for as long as most of us can remember. There are records of the Northern Sentry being printed in Minot as part of the Minot Daily News, and at another local print shop, but BHG, now NorDak North, has been printing, assembling, and shipping the […]

For Everything There is a Season

It’s Change of Command season, and the reality is starting to set in. I know I have written about how the folks “downtown” don’t quite realize the impact the change of commands has on the Minot Air Force Base community. On the military side, it’s kind of business as usual. Families packing up and headed […]

Is it summer yet? It sure feels like it is

Summer isn’t even officially here yet, but it’s definitely feeling like it is, especially with all the things going on in Minot these days. Over the past couple of weekends, area high schools and universities have held their annual graduation ceremonies, events filled with celebrations, speeches full of life advice, time with family, and students […]

Pembina’s unique history…

Anyone who has studied North Dakota history knows that Pembina was the first settlement in what is now North Dakota in 1797. But there’s a lot about Pembina that isn’t common historical knowledge. Most of this history can be found in the Pembina State Museum and it proves that Pembina, and the surrounding area have […]

The Real Magic Wasn’t the Lights

“Sorry that took so long,” my husband said as he came through the front door at 11:37 p.m. I was on the couch surrounded by freshly folded laundry, when he held out the keys and asked, “Are you going?”“No. I’m too lazy and too tired,” I replied.“You waited up. I think you should go.” Two […]

There’s a North in Northern Lights

Friday and Saturday nights gave a lot of folks the chance to see a nice display of Northern Lights. Aurora Borealis happens every couple of months. Sometimes they are brilliant, lighting up the entire sky, and at times on Friday night the horizon was certainly ablaze from west to east. My first experience with Northern […]

Australian muralist coming to Minot…

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] A year after an announcement was made to paint murals on the side of a downtown Minot grain elevator, it appears the project is going forward. Australian artist Guido Van Helten was in Minot recently to survey the premises and get a better idea of what exactly he […]

DAF Special Education Learning Series: PCS Season

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) in the United States Air Force is a comprehensive support initiative program designed to support active-duty service members with dependents who have special medical, educational, or developmental needs.By addressing the unique challenges faced by military connected families with special needs, EFMP plays a crucial role in supporting the well-being […]

Those Darn Dak Rats!

It’s certainly impossible to be a fan of Dak Rats if you live on base. These little rodents certainly lay claim to lawns, playgrounds, park and in general all grassy areas on Minot Air Force Base. I have been surprised by not only the number, but the damage they do as they burrow their way […]

Teddy’s time in Tampa…

A post on Facebook about Theodore Roosevelt revealed a piece of history that was quite shocking mostly because I’ve never seen anything about this while there are multiple articles, TV spots and museum entries in south Florida. Roosevelt and his Rough Riders spent some time in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa before disembarking for […]

Tell Me Something Good

It’s that time of year again: PCS Season. Every spring, my social media feeds and groups spill over with posts about upcoming moves. Friends are looking to purge items in online yard sale groups, questions about selling a house “by owner,” comments about bases across the globe, and, of course, questions about PCSing to Minot […]

Things are Starting to Move

Last week I spent a couple of weeks on the road traversing North Dakota, looking for signs that spring would soon transition to summer. With such a mild winter with limited snow, there are not a lot of water filled potholes (Definition: Pothole- the spot on a field that is lower than the rest of […]

Food deserts are increasing…

There was a report in North Dakota newspapers a couple of weeks ago regarding the closure of a Crosby grocery store. For months there were efforts to save it, but the closure happened and forced the shuttering of several other Jason’s Super Foods stores on the northern tier. Crosby is a community of more than […]

Putting on a different spin…

Editor’s note: This article is educational and is not intended as medical advice. It simply explains the two types of vertigo and the various ways vertigo affects people. Most people don’t like to talk about medical issues, although in some cases, those issues are brought into the public domain as people suffer from conditions manifested […]

Had a Great Week!

May DayI could not believe the number of people who enjoyed last week’s column about May Day. They were especially entertained by my May Basket story. Some knew about the May Basket tradition, but most did not. Here is an explanation of the May Basket tradition from National Public Radio: “Maybe there really was a […]

The Invisible Village

It happened suddenly. I’ve been warned that parenthood is like that, but sometimes it still catches me off guard. You see your children every day. Change happens so gradually it’s hard to detect. Then suddenly, you see what’s going on. They are growing.Suddenly, they’re huge. That’s how it was for me recently. My firstborn son, […]

Faith in the next generation…

There seems to be a lot of talk among the baby boomer generation about the generation of young Americans today who are just making their way in the world. Unfortunately, the talk isn’t so good and it’s mostly about alleged lack of motivation, lack of social skills and mostly about not wanting to work, but […]

A Tradition In Hotdish Land

In the trees I lurk, scanning the back door of a house on our block in the small town of Maddock, North Dakota. Am I up to something? Well, sort of. Today is May 1st…May Day. In my hand I have a small cup of candy, decorated with a handle made from a pipe cleaner […]

Keli’s Been Busy!

Keli Rosselli-Sullivan, Workforce Development and Military Liaison for the Minot Area Chamber EDC has been busy. First, the Minot Chamber EDC announced that this year’s Prairie Warrior Auction was a record setter for the amount of money it raised. $111,855.21 was raised to support Team Minot. “The 37th Annual Prairie Warrior Auction was a huge […]

Pet peeves…

We all have pet peeves that drive us absolutely nuts, right? It might be a wet dog shaking itself off on the couch or a delivery driver consistently delivering your packages to your neighbor. Let’s admit, we all have some.I have some too, 10 in fact, that I’ll share with you in this article. 1.) […]

Wicked Days in Dakota

North Dakota’s capital city of Bismarck took grew out of some of the wickedest days in frontier history. The Northern Pacific Railroad, advancing from the populated East, made it as far as the Missouri River. It was there that Edwinton, later renamed Bismarck, was born. It would be several years before funds were appropriated to […]

Celebrating April as Month of the Military Child

April typically brings special meaning to residents of Minot for a number of reasons. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, it will actually feel like spring and outdoor activities will return after winter subsides.April also means our short construction season is just around the corner. Orange cones and detour signs will start popping up all over […]

Hey Mr. Rod!

I once again accepted the challenge of being a Junior Achievement educator. Junior Achievement is sponsored by the Minot Area Chamber/EDC, and it involves community leaders sharing the Junior Achievement information with area grade school kids. At the first grade level we spend a lot of time on community. What is a community? What should […]

Drake Landing…

Have you ever heard of a place called Drake Landing? I didn’t either until I read a recent news article about it.Drake Landing is perhaps the most unique community in North America because more than 90 percent of the power to heat the 52 homes in Drake Landing is solar. What’s even more unique is […]

Angling Ambition

He’s been in the fishing tackle business for 14 years, yet he’s only 22 years old. Peter Olson of Washburn grew up in a family with a love of all things outdoors – fishing, hunting, camping. He started making his own fishing lures at age 8 and still does today operating Missouri Secrets Tackle. It’s […]

Simplifying Spring Symbols

“Mom, why are there so many bunny things at Easter? Why do we hide eggs? What do eggs have to do with Easter anyway?” These springtime questions seem to be an annual tradition in my household. And this year is no different. The first time the question arose, I delved into some research. Over the […]

Lion or Lamb?

There is a saying, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. So, what is Mother Nature doing scheduling a winter snow “event” on the 24th of March? When I am out shoveling, and the wind is biting me to the bone, it sure seems like more of a lion than […]

A model for business…

Several weeks ago my wife and I met a friend from New Zealand who was visiting North Dakota. We agreed to meet in Bismarck and chose the downtown restaurant Pirogue Grille. Several years ago we frequented that restaurant, but because we live on the northern tier of the state, it’s hard to get to Bismarck […]

True Tale from Dakota Territory

A story that captured the attention of newspaper readers all across the United States had an unbelievable ending in North Dakota, then Dakota Territory. The year was 1877, one year after the defeat of Lt. Colonel George Custer and five companies of the vaunted 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The Nez […]

Purple Up Day

It is almost time for North Dakota to “Purple Up” in celebration of military connected children statewide across all services on April 3rd, 2024! We are beyond thrilled to partner with incredible stakeholders to host the Month of the Military Child (MOMC) Proclamation Event at Memorial Middle School at Minot AFB on April 3rd, 2024 […]

Annual Tenant Survey

Team Minot Base Housing Residents, The FY24 DoD Annual Tenant Survey is here! The survey started on March 4th and runs through April 18th. Use the QR code in the attachment to opt in to receive your survey via Text, otherwise you will receive it at the email on file with the leasing office. This […]

Nominations Needed

Our local Applebee’s restaurants are looking to give recognition for Neighborhood Heroes. What is a Neighborhood Hero? Well, it’s those folks who take on a job to help their community, and don’t expect any type of recognition for a job well done. It could be a Scout leader, a daycare provider, your local newspaper delivery […]

Losing a childhood friend…

My intent this week was to write about a special restaurant in downtown Bismarck and the people who operate it. However, there is a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Another friend was lost to cancer last week and what appears to be remarkable about his case, is that it could have been […]

There’s Always Tomorrow

When does Spring arrive? Seems like the answer is always tomorrow, but then I’ve grown accustomed to disappointment over my many years in North Dakota. I enjoy the changing of the seasons, others do too, but my patience is quite limited when it comes to Spring. It’s a struggle for me when Spring refuses to […]

Do you guys want a pop?

A group text between my husband, Derek, our friend Ben, and me has been ongoing for more than a decade now. Ben, a born-and-raised hotdisher, is one of the most Minot people I know—and I mean that in the best way possible. In our group chat, we typically coordinate weekly Sunday dinner plans. Sprinkled among […]

A Risky Splash

Several years ago, I was the key instigator of an incident that still wakes me up some nights. Not in a cold sweat or turn-on-the-light fear, but rather with a chuckle and a laugh. However, the incident which I am about to reveal placed me in a situation so precarious that I might never have […]

Celebrating local foods…

Excitement is mounting and those of us involved in the North Dakota Farmers’ Market & Growers Association, are counting down the days until the local foods conference. This celebration of all things local foods is how a small, but determined group of individuals set out to make sure this year’s conference is something special. We […]

PCS…It’s Part of the Lifestyle

Every year about this time I start to hear about my friends at Minot AFB getting orders for another position at another base. As much as it is part of the lifestyle of a military family, it still becomes one of those scenarios; “What scenarios? You ask?”Well, I have developed an attitude of “Don’t ask […]

Exciting Times Ahead

Yeah, I know, just when we think we’ve escaped winter’s fury, seven inches of snow with below zero temps. The snow shovels and snow broom were just about put away for the winter. I had a hunch there was going to be at least one more “snow event” as the weather guy called it on […]

How is this possible?…

Do you remember the TV show The Incredible Hulk? It was a weekly series about a muscle-bound guy who would suddenly completely change into some sort of a green monster. As the narrative stated in the show, a strange metamorphosis occurs that transforms this man into the incredible hulk. It seems weeds are like that. […]

Dogsitting Riley

I volunteered for the task, like it too. But it has come with some interesting moments. Perhaps some are too interesting. Maybe that’s why I keep doing it. I am referring to my adventures as a dog-sitter. Not just any dog, but Riley, a Brittany spaniel that is quick, resourceful, cunning, and fun. We have […]

Minot takes home AFGSC Outstanding Team of the Year Award

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —Units encompassing the entire aviation resource management career field (1 Charlie/1C) across Minot Air Force Base secured the Sergeant Dee Campbell Outstanding Large Unit of the Year award. The award is granted based on contributions to unit initiatives, direct operational support and effective management of unit resources. “As a team, […]

Hotdish Lexicon: The Farm

“I think it’ll be best if I go for a quick walk,” I said in my calmest, creamiest voice. Years ago, I read a magazine article about hiker safety. When it came to animals, there was one overarching tip. If you couldn’t remember what to do, speak in a calm, soothing voice. An angry animal […]

Lots Going On…

We will start out this week’s column with a congratulations to now Brigadier General Michael Walters as he accepted his promotion this past week in Washington, DC. Chewy, as we kind of all got used to calling him, was the 5th Bomb Wing commander from 2020 to 2022. As history will probably have it, Col […]

Rural North Dakota at its best…

This winter in North Dakota has been remarkable for a lot of reasons and because of it, I took advantage and did some traveling across the state. The farmers’ market manager in Wahpeton contacted me about the lack of vendors at her market. It seemed like a desperate situation and because of Wahpeton’s size, I […]

Clever or Quirky, Wise or Weird…Hmmm

Lest you think I fell off a dock and hit my head on my fishing boat, it is with complete honesty that I am about to freely reveal, in complete detail, precise facts of a very important and personal nature. I have not been coerced, am not under the influence of drugs of any kind […]

The Old Blue Coat

Several years ago, when I was still riding with Company M, U.S. Army 7th Cavalry memorial regiment, I became friends with one of the older members of the unit. We were both very interested in the frontier military, and each had a collection of artifacts and reproduction items. At one of our events he was […]

Creating a better product…

For the past several months, and even going back a couple of years, I’ve noticed some interesting changes in radio across North Dakota. I researched and found the official answer to this, but there are all kinds of speculation surrounding these changes on a national scale. In any event, there have been a number of […]

What Do You Do, BePa?

It was President’s Day weekend, and my grandkids were lucky enough to have Monday, President’s Day, off from school. The decision was made to head for their home in West Fargo and spend a couple days with them. Yeah, I am BePa, and that is a story for another day. We have 4 grandchildren ages […]

Talking Tennis Ball

I know what you are thinking, this guy must have hit his head in a foiled attempt to leap the net. There is no such thing as a talking tennis ball. True, to my knowledge, but since you’ve already been lured in by a catchy headline and are curious about my sanity, at least let […]

You’ve Exceeded Our Expectations!

There is a saying that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. A young Airmen was explaining to me that she had never been one to carry a camera, and that most of her photos were the selfies of her and her friends. Well, that was until she came to North Dakota and […]

Missing the human element…

There’s a situation happening right now that could have a long-term effect on the human psyche, and it doesn’t appear that too many people are concerned about it, at least not publicly. If you’ve gone to a fast-food establishment lately, you may have noticed that some have completely replaced actual employees with kiosks where you […]

Brewing Positivity in Daily Encounters

As I pushed the door open, the aroma of fresh coffee enveloped me. The coffee shop had just opened, and only one other customer stood at the counter. Typically, I’m not an early riser, but my body clock was still set to Hotdish Time. Back home, it was nearing lunchtime, but in Kona, Hawaii, the […]

It’s Fair To Say

The Midwest translation of “what you say is accurate” is a 4-word statement, “it’s fair to say.” I don’t believe there is a negative version to this saying, but let’s put the statement to the test (another Midwest statement that gives finality to many conversations.) So, it is fair to say that our winter weather […]

Gaining a whole new respect…

Minot was a busy place over the weekend. There were three major events going on so there were a lot of people in town.First, the KMOT Ag Expo was happening. This has become one of the largest events of its kind on the northern Great Plains. Second, there was a farmers’ market symposium at the […]

Machine Talk

I replied courteously and, realizing what I had done, looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. There was. How embarrassing! But wait. People within hearing distance were not staring, pointing or anything like that, just chatting. Much to my relief, nothing out of the ordinary was directed toward me. However, some of those […]

Loathing Winter is a Choice: Here’s How to Choose More Contentment

When it comes to Hotdish Land winters, we don’t choose the wind chill, select the date for a blizzard, or have the luxury of opting out of subzero temps. Maybe you didn’t choose to move here. Maybe in the middle of a Minot winter, it seems like you have no choices; like you’re stuck. Maybe […]

And No OneTook A Knee

It was one of those days…running a bit behind but headed to the base to cover a Star Student assembly/celebration at North Plains Elementary School. The Northern Sentry had been contacted by several North Plains teachers asking if we could cover their monthly celebrations, and it certainly seemed like something that we should cover with […]

What a Snarled Mess

It didn’t seem so bad with the door closed but, good grief, what a mess. A real, big time, embarrassing mess.What kind of person could create such an embarrassment? Ah…me. Now, dear reader, I respectfully ask that you do not rush to judgement as to my general habits in creating such a mess. Rather, I […]

Natural Products Expo West

From March 12-16, there’s an event happening in Anaheim, Calif., that is unlike any other in the United States, except for a parallel event that happens each September in Baltimore. It’s called Natural Products Expo West and it brings tens of thousands of exhibitors, guests, media and sponsors together to look at the latest innovations […]

Like a Well-Rehearsed Ballet

I’ve seen it several times, and still the movement of a missile convoy across the plains of North Dakota amazes me. The movement of each vehicle in the convoy almost seems choreographed, and I am sure they are. I had just left the main gate at Minot Air Force Base when the action began. Ahead […]

Doing a major rebranding…

On May 4, 2023, one of my employees and I attended the annual North Dakota Farmers’ Market and Growers Association local foods conference in Bottineau. When we arrived at the hotel on schedule, nobody else was there. The following morning people started to trickle in, but overall, the conference was poorly attended.The venue for the […]

Cold Adjustment

Weird how 0-10 degrees feels pretty good after a spell of below zero temperatures and “dangerous” wind chills. I call it a North Dakota heat wave. A bit much perhaps, but after a cold snap of several days like what was experienced throughout the state recently, a dose of warmer weather sure seems agreeable. Crazy […]

There’s No Pause Button: The Worst Advice I Ever Got

The first time the I got the worst advice of my life, I was sitting in a bland meeting room at Whiting Naval Air Station, in Milton, FL. I was fresh out of college, new to town, and had been married a whopping three months. I knew nothing about being a military spouse, and to […]

I’m From Around Here- And It’s Cold!

My Thursday started with a trip to the Minot AFB. I had several appointments, and hey, I’m used to this cold weather, right? As I approached the base I was able to watch a B 52 take off. The smoke generated by the takeoff on this -18 degree day was amazing. Quickly my mind slipped […]

Touting the unusual…

When I worked as ag reporter for the Minot Daily News, I did an annual report on the crops in North Dakota. This was generally a fairly long article because as you know, this state produces a lot of agricultural products. We produce a lot, but many of those crops and livestock don’t get the […]

An Examination of Normal

Well, that’s different. So different that it is normal. Huh? When purchasing a cup of coffee a few days ago at a local convenience store, choosing what brew I would try, I found myself staring at normal as a selection. I was expecting to see Caribbean sunrise, morning breakfast blend, or maybe extra-dark French roast. […]

The Purple Star Is a Big Deal!

Let’s face it, there are those kids who can walk into a new school and immediately fit into the fabric. They find friends, they are not afraid to get involved, in general they fit in right away. Well, that would not have been me. In our small-town school, the traumatic move was from the grade […]

Latest Freeze for Sakakawea

When the big water freezes is something that has captured my attention as long as I can remember. By big water, I’m talking about Lake Sakakawea, which is actually a reservoir. Garrison Dam, Lake Sakakawea, call it what you want. By any name it is North Dakota’s largest body of water and a major attraction […]

Expanding into the states…

There have been some new developments regarding Canadian Football League expansion, developments that could spawn teams in North Dakota and South Dakota. I’ve written about this topic in the past, but this time there seems to be a bit more urgency.For the past seven years, the CFL has been looking to expand to Halifax, Nova […]

Reflections

When one year comes to an end and the other begins, it is a natural time to reflect on the year past and to hopes for what the new year may bring.Of course, resolutions abound – lose weight, quit smoking, finally take that trip you’ve been promising yourself. There’s an infinite number of possibilities. I’ve […]

It’s Fun To Look Back

You’ll notice that this is our annual “Year in Review” edition. It’s always fun to look back at the stories that made the Northern Sentry a great periodical in 2023. Take a few minutes to read and reminisce. Those of us who contribute regularly to the Northern Sentry, and our Weekly Post Brief email edition, […]

Too small or just right?…

Because we aren’t most people who go to Grandma’s house for Christmas, it was a traveling holiday to Rapid City, S.D., and back. It’s a long trip, nearly 1,000 miles round trip and just to do something different, we took U.S. Highway 85 from Watford City to Spearfish, even though it’s a little out of […]

15 Hidden Gems and Secrets for your 2024 Bucket List

If your newsfeed is anything like mine, it’s filling up with lists of 2023’s best/worst moments, and ways to improve your 2024. Maybe those lists have sunk into my subconscious, or maybe it’s I’ve spent too many late nights scrolling BuzzFeed—but I’ve been inspired to create my own list for Minot Hotdishers only. Here are […]

Call It Giving Back

This is my last column…for 2023. So often I hear about the awesome support that the community of Minot gives the Minot Air Force Base. That may be true, but it’s a 2-way street, and it’s only fair to bring into focus what the Minot Air Force Base does for Minot, each and every year. […]

Bird Chatter

Every December dedicated bird watchers conduct Christmas Bird Counts throughout the United States. Several of the counts are conducted annually in the Minot Area. The counts are part of a national effort led by the Audubon Society.Though I have never considered myself a serious birder, I’ve been present at numerous bird counts over the years […]

Too much Christmas…

I think most people will agree that Christmas was around too long and now that it’s in the rear-view mirror we wonder where the time went. Honestly, I could have written this article two months ago, but I refused, waiting until Christmas was past before voicing my opinion about said holiday. I get why retailers […]

In The Spirit of Christmas

The CP Rail, now the CPKC Holiday Train has been making annual visits to the Magic City for 25 years. On Saturday Downtown Minot was packed as families gathered to greet and view the train as it made a stop at the north end of Main Street. The weather was absolutely perfect with temperatures hovering […]

Airport Humanity

In the lives of my children, few joys exceed that of airport moving walkways. I was reminded of this last week when we flew home to North Dakota, after being out of state for a whopping three months. Giddy anticipation, they galloped through crowds—often dragging me along behind. Once at the edge, where they could […]

A Christmas to remember…

It was late November 1995 and I had just been hired as editor and publisher of the Cavalier County Republican in Langdon. Then, my entire world was turned upside down. The very day I was supposed to start my new job, we attended my mother’s funeral in Hazelton. I was devastated and my siblings were […]

The Muffin Caper

Recently, dear reader, I was the mastermind, the architect, of a clever plot very carefully planned so that I could gain the upper hand. However, like the flinging of a boomerang, all is wonderful until it hits you in the back of the head.Of course, as is my very nature, I meticulously weighed the possible […]

A time to remember -and cherish – our families

My father lost his battle with Alzheimer’s on Dec. 27, 2019. Since then, every holiday season has been bittersweet. While I know in my heart my dad has his memory back and he is with his family and friends solving all of the world’s problems, there is still an emptiness in missing his words of […]

Last Minute Shopping – Head Downtown

Don’t quite have that Christmas list filled. Need some ideas for last minute gift giving? It seems that over the years I have found most of those last minute gifts in downtown Minot. I can’t even pretend to know what you are looking for, but with Christmas only 8 days away (on December 16th), I […]

New Hardiness Zone map reveals changes…

When you first look at the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone map that was recently published, you’ll see subtle changes for those of us who live in North Dakota. The biggest changes are on the southern tier of the state. Richland, Dickey, LaMoure, with parts of Stutsman, Dickey, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Sioux, Grant, Bowman, Slope, Stark, […]

Pleasant Pleasures

Politics. Scandals. Wars. Protests.Sometimes it is hard to slow down and appreciate life, to enjoy the real pleasures of life rather than get caught up in clashes of every sort. Do this. Do that. Beware. Believe this. Believe that. Fact check. It makes it hard to clear the senses and get away from it all, […]

Burning Leaves, Notre Dame, and Amish Cooking–I’m From Around Here

Northern Indiana is full of trees. Full. There are trees everywhere you look. Lots of them, and all different kinds. Oak, maple, ash, cherry, gum, dogwood, cottonwood, the list goes on. If it’s a tree, it’s probably here. My husband and I grew up here. For 22 years, I didn’t bat an eye at all […]

Measuring Up

On Wednesday, December 6th, just one day before the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, they laid Edward Zilli to rest in the veterans’ section of Rosehill Cemetery. He began his life in Clifton, New Jersey, which was some 1,700 miles from where his life ended. Never having been to Clifton, New Jersey, I did a bit […]

Much More than a Game

The scoreboard above the end of the rink reads 2-0 in the first period. A young player is called for cross-checking, a two-minute penalty, and shows his disgust by pounding on the plexiglass before stepping into the penalty box and slamming the door. The angry display doesn’t go unnoticed by the referee who responds by […]

Our personal affairs are important…

There was a recent funeral I attended and before the service, I was chatting with the funeral director, who has been a friend for many years. He was telling me that he was dealing with a separate situation in which the deceased didn’t have a will, didn’t have a life insurance policy and the loved […]

Minot AFB Pollinator Project: A Great Example of Partnership!

There are incredible joys experienced as a multi-stakeholder project or program approaches the finish line. A few weeks ago, I experienced this joy as seed was laid on a 5 acre plot next to an elementary school at Minot Air Force Base for a pollinator garden. I want to share this joy with you. The […]

Sharing Is Part of the Holiday Season

From the stage of the Christmas Open House in downtown Minot, Mayor Tom Ross asked for a cheer from those in the audience that were from Minot Air Force Base. It was certainly hard to say exactly how many folks responded, but there were a significant number. Joining the Mayor on stage were several of […]

Cellular dead spots…

In this day and age you wouldn’t think something so simple as cellular telephone coverage would be so spotty, but it is.There are numerous “dead spots” across North Dakota, and depending on where you experience this, you sometimes have to shake your head because it really shouldn’t be rocket science. Joel Heitkamp talked about this […]

Our Wildlife Refuges

Minot is situated within a short drive of several National Wildlife Refuges, each with their own diversity of habitat. They are managed for wildlife and for compatible public use. Upper Souris NWR has public use areas for shore fishing, maintains boat ramps for open water fishing on Lake Darling, allows for ice fishing and dark […]

DAPL rears it’s ugly head…

I’m sure just about everyone can remember the Dakota Access Pipeline protests that took place in 2016 and 2017. They lasted a long time and things got ugly. I’m sure some of you reading this were involved in it in some way. First responders were sent, law enforcement was sent, protestors came from all over […]

Thanksgiving: I Can Remember

I have often spoken of my North Dakota heritage, and some of the memories of growing up in a small town. When Thanksgiving rolled around when I was a child it was more than a speed bump on the way to Black Friday. We had a fairly large dining room area that masterfully orchestrated by […]

A Taste of Gratitude: Memories in Every Bite

Food is about more than just eating. Especially during the holidays. Aromas and flavors can evoke recollections, and unlock memories nearly forgotten. And there is nothing more nostalgic, no foods more worthy of reflection than those served up during the holidays. Beginning with Thanksgiving, kitchens across America start rolling out recipes that “taste” like the […]

Man’s Best Friend

I write about dogs a lot, but never enough. They deserve more. No matter what I write about dogs it always seems inadequate, yet here I go again. Dog owners will understand. Dogs do not read. At least I don’t think they do, at least not the written word. Depending on what statistics you wish […]

A North Dakota Tradition 

Deer hunting is one of North Dakota’s most long-lasting traditions. Every November is marked by thousands of hunters taking to the hills and coulees and other favored terrain in search of deer. However, for many, harvesting a deer is not the only measure of success. Participating in a tradition is. I remember my first deer […]

I’m From Around Here

Sunday was an absolute great day, except for the wind. Looking up I even saw a few flocks of geese headed north. Think of how confusing it is for them. Snow before Halloween and 50 degree temps around Thanksgiving. Who would have thunk? (thunk is one of those slang words that works in cases like […]

Denise Manson…

When I moved to Langdon in 1995, the company that owned the newspaper put me up in a hotel until I could find a place to live. It didn’t take but a couple of weeks and I found a decent apartment that wasn’t too expensive and it was close to work so I took the […]

It’s My Privilege

I often sit in line for a couple of minutes when entering Minot Air Force Base through the main gate. The few minutes gives me an opportunity to think back to the first time I entered this gate some 45 years ago, a young journalist working for a local TV station assigned to do a […]

Is outmigration the answer?…

We have some friends who grew up in northeastern North Dakota, went to college at the University of North Dakota, then worked in Grand Forks for many years. Then, the husband got a job in Minneapolis that paid far better than anything he could have ever imagined in Grand Forks or Fargo. The wife was […]

Those Darned North Dakota Winters

Fall. Thud. Winter. North Dakota just went from a very pleasant fall season to a heavy dose of winter in just a few hours. People who were riding bicycles or raking leaves, and children who were joyously jumping in them, turned to winter clothing and shoveling snow almost overnight. Tennis courts and golf courses closed. […]

Gus the Magpie…

As a writer, this piece of information is, well, really stepping outside the box. It’s about an Australian magpie who took Melbourne by storm. Many of us know that Australians love their animals and one example is they worked feverishly to save as many koalas as they could following devastating fires that happened west of […]

And Introducing, Alberta Clipper

Mr. Alberta Clipper blew through on Monday, bringing dropping temperatures, double digit wind gusts, and our first real taste of North Dakota wind chill. I must say that the past two weather events, last week’s winter storm and this week’s Alberta Clipper, have given us an introduction as to what we can expect this winter; […]

From Stranger to Neighbor

“What are the cookies for?” my husband asked as he picked one up from the counter. There were only a few left. All the others had been packed into tidy cellophane bags tied with baker’s twine. “The neighbors,” I replied. “I’m tired of waiting.” I had started thinking that neighbors coming over to introduce themselves […]

Haunting Experiences

Paranormal activity? Hauntings? Ghosts? Possible? Not just possible, but true. At least that’s my view. In the words that follow I offer a few personal examples why I cannot dismiss encounters with the supernatural. A few years back I drove to Fort Laramie, Wyoming to participate in a “living history” week at the actual frontier […]

This holiday season, let’s look out for each other

The holidays are quickly approaching, and that means most of us are looking forward to spending time with family and friends. But that’s not the case for everyone. Unfortunately, within our community, there are many people who may not have the opportunity to spend the holidays with their families. For some, that could lead to […]

Why all the hatred?…

Somebody help me out here. I’ve been a football fan for a lot of years and honestly don’t know what is going on right now. Why is there so much hatred for Carson Wentz? My guess is it’s people who are hiding behind a computer screen and have never played football. I just don’t get […]

Moments and Memories

It is a special place. The fish are big. The memories bigger. Tobin Lake at Nipawin, Saskatchewan has long been a favorite destination of fishermen from both Canada and the United States. Every year anglers descend on the Canadian water with the expectation of hooking into a fish of a lifetime. The unique fishery delivers […]

Winter Coats? Can it Really Be?

I have a very efficient spouse. This morning we awoke to “Winter Storm Watch” text messages. Having lived in North Dakota all of my life, I have often turned a deaf ear to weather forecasters who predict a winter storm when it’s still a couple of weeks away. However, all of my weather apps are […]

Minot AFB Resident Council

The Minot AFB Resident Council is a forum for military members and their families residing in privatized housing on the installation to discuss health & safety concerns, identify potential community improvements, present viable solutions, and establish and maintain positive interactions between residents, wing leadership, Minot AFB Homes, and the Military Housing Office. The Resident Council […]

Operation Homefront: Holiday Meals for Military

The annual Operation Homefront Holiday Meals distribution event will be held Thursday, November 9th from 11:00am-1:00pm at the Minot Air Force Base Exchange. Families can review eligibility requirements and register for the event at MyOperationHomefront.org.For more information email mafb.school.liaison@us.af.mil or call 701-723-1447 or visit the Operation Homefront website.

A Bird in the Hand

Sometimes what seems to be a small, insignificant slice of life has a much greater meaning than first realized. I offer the following example. A few days ago, I noticed my dog was paying an unusual amount of attention to a small pond in my backyard. Curious, I went outside to see what had captured […]

My Best Advice on Winter Gear

It’s mid-October. For some, this means carving pumpkins, putting chili in the crockpot, or eying Christmas décor. For me, mid-October means answering newcomers’ biggest question about Minot: What kind of outdoor gear do I actually need for a Minot winter? Once temps fall to freezing, the questions start pouring in. They come via email, DMs, […]

Dickinson State University…

Dickinson State University was recently in the news for all of the wrong reasons. Five majors have been eliminated and several faculty laid off because of it. Students who were interviewed on TV were obviously upset about this and they have every right to be.For those of us looking in the from the outside; we […]

OK, Where is It?

Where is it? It has to be here somewhere. After all the ranger told us that the oldest tree in North Dakota, a Cottonwood tree, was located on the banks of the Missouri River inside the Cross Ranch State Park. Hey, just letting you know that my column today was written as I overlook the […]

Resident Feedback Channels

There is always room for improvement and your MAFB housing partners are ready to hear resident feedback! Residents have a number of options to ensure their voice is heard. Following each work order, residents will be sent a text requesting satisfaction feedback. This survey is open for the first four days after a maintenance technician […]

What An Opportunity

Minot Air Force Base is a Melting Pot of Cultures Where are you from? It’s the first question that I normally ask after meeting a new Airmen or family member stationed at Minot Air Force Base. “Where am I really from?” is often the answer, “Because I was an Air Force brat and lived all […]

One grows, one shrinks…

During the second half of the 1990s, I operated the newspaper in Langdon and often made short, 38-mile trips to Morden, Manitoba for various reasons. At the time, Langdon’s population was about 2,500 and Morden was just shy of 5,000. That has always been a snapshot in my mind, until a couple of weeks ago. […]

Homer Hanky

The place was absolutely crazy. The noise was deafening. The packed stadium went wild as the baseball soared over the centerfield fence at the old Metrodome in Minneapolis. Put four on the board for the Minnesota Twins! It was a World Series game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek sent the […]

What a Week!

Let’s start with Norsk Høstfest…what a great celebration! I can’t say enough about the hundreds of volunteers that were able to get Høstfest back on track. The time I spent at Høstfest was highlighted by smiles of friends and acquaintances, quite a few of whom I hadn’t seen in quite a while. Everyone was certainly […]

High speed chase in progress…

On Wednesday my young assistant and myself were on our delivery route going through Minot when we saw something we don’t normally experience in Minot. It was a high speed chase involving a late model sedan and three, four and finally seven Ward County Sheriff’s Department vehicles. This happened about 4 p.m., on Wednesday, just […]

The Magic Words

“I’m not from around here. What should I know? What’s your favorite stuff in town? Tell me the secrets.” These sentences seem to roll off my tongue in a rapid fire fashion. For a person who never wanted to move, or start over—I’ve become something of an expert at being, “not from around here.” Nearly […]

Angler’s Anguish – Kooky or Clever?

Most fishermen: What’s the forecast?Answer: Wind 15-20 and a 30% chance of rain.Most fishermen: Yuk. Let’s go another day.Muskie fisherman: What’s the forecast?Answer: Wind 25-35 with higher gusts possible, 80% chance of rain/snow with accumulations of 15-20 inches possible, moon phase favorable.Muskie fisherman: Well, that settles it. Let’s go! It happens. More often than you […]

Dates You Won’t Want To Miss!

Whether you keep your life organized on your smart phone or have a calendar on the wall, like me, there are some important dates coming up of events you won’t want to miss. We’ll start with October 8th at 4 PM at Anne Nicole Nelson Hall on the campus of Minot State University. The Brass […]

Is AM radio going away?…

There have been a lot of articles recently about AM radio and its impending doom. Apparently, some auto manufacturers are eliminating AM radio from their cars, but there continues to be a pushback from government and the private sector.Someone asked me the other day if I thought AM radio will be going away? My reply […]

Finger in the Flame

Quite often men behave like, well, men. At least that’s my explanation for what I am about to reveal. Men relish the tough guy persona, of which the trait of never showing pain is one of the foremost measurements of the male sex. Of course, there’s a limit to how far this illusion can successfully […]

Bearing the Weight of Giants

Aircrafts have changed our way of life. We can reach almost anywhere on the planet in two days or less, and this speed has taken our societies to new heights. It’s amazing to think about the sheer weight of a plane soaring in the air, however, an aircraft’s ability to simply roll down a runway […]

For Two Weeks I’m in Heaven

It’s a brisk fall morning. I grabbed a jacket on my way out the door knowing that more than likely it will be warmer this afternoon and the jacket will not be needed. It’s September in North Dakota, things are starting to change. Most of the birds that migrate south are gone. Above me is […]

Reshaping a Reputation

About two weeks ago I stood in front of a group of Minot’s leaders at the Military Affairs Committee (MAC) meeting. A PowerPoint I’d probably spent too much time perfecting projected behind me. My palms were sweaty. I’d known about this day for a long time, and here it was. More than anything I wanted […]

Spanning 3 Degrees of Latitude…

There’s a 1941 school map of North Dakota that hangs in my garage. Knowing of my interest in geography, one of my wife’s friends gave me that map when she moved away. I look at that map every day when I’m in the garage and after six years of hanging there, it still hasn’t gotten […]

Hollywood Horses

Old photographs have a way of bringing back to life events of years past. Recently I was looking through some photographs taken on the set of the movie “Dances with Wolves,” a 1990 big screen blockbuster in which I played an insignificant part as a Union soldier in the Civil War. I was one of […]

Thank You For Your Service

I have lived in Minot for over 45 years. I arrived here a single, just graduated from college, fledgling journalist. This was my first job in my career field. I found an apartment, set up my household and soon discovered that I needed something, besides my job, to keep me busy. After looking around, there […]

Finally Fall

I got an early start. Could not wait to get on the water. I thoroughly enjoy fishing, especially in the fall.No, it’s not officially calendar autumn, but the fall season is underway. Leaves are starting to change colors, even dropping from some trees. Water temperatures on state lakes have begun to drop slowly. Labor Day […]

Highway Patrol professionalism…

Have you ever been stopped, ticketed or even arrested by the North Dakota Highway Patrol? If so, did you notice there is something different about this law enforcement agency compared to others? It’s simply professionalism. I’m not trying to ding other law enforcement. I have friends in law enforcement, including the Nelson County sheriff, a […]

Not as it Seems

After finishing a meal at my parents’ house, my mother served up a dessert that was topped with whipped cream. Yum! It was delicious. Since she made plenty, mom asked who would like another serving? Several at the table quickly said yes, except for a younger relative of mine. His reply was a sort of […]

And The Old Farmer’s Almanac Says…

96 for a high on Saturday, and then without a lot of warning our high temperature on Tuesday was in the 70’s. Coffee shops were a buzzin’ today with predictions of lower temps, driving all of us old traditionalists to scope out the non-metrological prediction for fall 2023. September? Looks about average, with a chance […]

The Perfect Time to Leave

“Well, at least you’re getting out of here at a good time.” This sentiment, or something similar has been spoken to me countless times over the last six months. You see, my family will be packing up and heading out on an extended time away from our home in Minot. My husband is in New […]

The marvel that is Garrison Dam…

Since July 4, my wife and I have had two opportunities to drive across Garrison Dam. The first trip’s destination was Rapid City and the second, Beulah. I drove the first time and she drove the second time. Have you ever taken a close look at that dam? It’s an incredible feat of engineering. Because […]

What a Resource!

Last week I was able to spend an evening watching as the Minot Air Force Base Force fire department played host to the Glenburn Rural Fire Department in a joint exercise. In March of 2021, the Glenburn Fire Department building that housed their trucks and equipment suffered an early morning fire. Lost was a majority […]

People are visiting…

North Dakota Tourism tells us there are a lot of visitors to our state during the summer months. And that’s true. Just take a drive through the Badlands or visit Medora and you’ll see all kinds of vehicles and license plates from out of state.But tourism isn’t limited to those two areas. We have Lake […]

The $250 Mosquito

Sometimes things just don’t work out as planned. Maybe not even close. The following incident vividly illustrates my point.A few years back I took two daughters on what was destined to be a fun and pleasant fishing trip to Lake Metigoshe. The beautiful lake in the scenic Turtle Mountains contains bluegill, a fish that can […]

It’s Time You Make Some Scotcheroos

I lived in the Dakotans nearly a decade before making a pan of scotcheroos for myself. Looking back, I guess I was just coasting along on the kindness of others. I’m quite spoiled by a plethora of from-around-here friends. It should also be noted that I never miss a church potluck–and there are always scotcheroos […]

Three, two, one…..

By the time this edition of the Northern Sentry is delivered, school will be in session across most of North Dakota. I have even received a few photos from friends that have marked the beginning of their home schooling calendar year. Several schools have already had their initial sporting events, so evenings are also packed. […]

Perfecto and the Chicken

Sometimes deep, dark secrets in a person’s past silently chew on them enough to force a confession, rather than continuing to “bottle up” a troubled and agonizing truth. What follows, dear reader, is written with the belief that revealing a long-held secret that has tormented me for years will relieve me from further internal suffering […]

A step too far…

Have you heard about this incident in Marion County, Kan? Apparently the police chief ordered a raid on the local newspaper the Marion County Record and seized computers, cell phones, a router and photographed the entire office.When this story broke, the reason for the raid didn’t make any sense. The publisher was investigating a DUI. […]

Welcome To Minot

In recent days I have run into quite a few people who just arrived in the Magic City. After exchanging names and a bit of history, the conversation will soon move into one of several common topics. Schools- If they have kids they will ask about the schools. I am always very positive about the […]

What happened to ethanol?…

There was a time not so long ago that you could easily get ethanol (alcohol fuel) in North Dakota, but now you have to search for it and sometimes when you find an E-85 refueler, the place is “out of stock.” Why is this the case? The availability of ethanol is definitely lacking across the […]

Experiencing Fly-in Fishing

I woke to the swaying movement of leafy branches casting distinctive shadows on the ceiling of the tent. The call of a nearby loon, the gentle lapping of water on a rocky shoreline, and smell of a fresh pot of coffee percolating on a Coleman stove made for a perfect morning. It was a fitting […]

Interesting Stories

This past Wednesday North Star Community Credit Union and the Northern Sentry were proud to host the August Dorm Dinner. The event not only allows us a chance to show our appreciation for the young Airmen, most of whom have arrived recently at Minot Air Force Base and live in the dorms, but also gives […]

Aversion to Change

Have I ever told you I hate change? When my five-year-old asks me what I’m afraid of, usually because he’s going to draw a picture of it, try to surprise me with something, my answer is always the same.“I’m afraid of change, honey.” By the ripe old age of five, he’s heard this reply often […]

Maybe the kids could teach us something…

This past weekend we took the grandkids to Medora to see the musical, eat a pitchfork fondue steak and take in the sights. As always, it was first-class entertainment and it was good to see so many young people from within North Dakota picked to perform on stage. We stayed in a Medora hotel and […]

The Lord’s Cupboard

It’s a story that never gets old. People helping people. Concerned volunteers dedicated to a cause. Businesses assisting their community. Groups, teams, generously giving of their time.All the above, and more, have become a part of the necessary service provided by The Lord’s Cupboard food pantry. It is there where the less fortunate, those individuals […]

What Have You Learned?

Remember those days when you were a kid? You would come home from school and your parents would ask “what did you learn today?” Some days I would be filled with information to share. What we learned in science. Who I had issues with on the playground. Oh, by the way, we need a dozen […]

A critical element of education…

In recent weeks I’ve had the opportunity to chat with two 10-year-old girls. One is my granddaughter and the other is the granddaughter of my farm intern. They come from completely different backgrounds; one lives in a city in South Dakota and goes to a private school and the other lives in rural North Dakota […]

Park of Memories

Mom made my favorite, Juneberry pie, from berries I picked there. She made wonderful chokecherry jelly too, gathered in the same area. A portion of one side of the steep coulee was grassy and made for perfect cardboard sliding in the summer. In the winter, when the snow wasn’t too deep, it was ideal for […]

For the Love of Tots

Let’s talk about tater tots. Is that a weird opener? To be honest, I’ve been battling a bit of writer’s block. I’ve sat in front of my laptop for an embarrassingly long stretch–typing and deleting paragraphs. It’s summer, it’s fair time, back to school supplies are appearing on shelves. I could talk about any of […]

The Way It Should Be

An estimated 50-100 people were gathered on the commercial aviation apron at the Minot International Airport, turning their eyes to the sky intermittently, looking to catch a glimpse of a plane carrying members of the recently completed Indo-Pacific Bomber Task Force. Monday’s Welcome Home celebration was certainly not unique, as there have been several Bomber […]

Trouble and Attorneys General

It was a day to remember, no doubt about that, from staring down the barrel of a state trooper’s handgun to having a steak with man destined for prison. Okay. I know. You are wondering what kind of goofy story is this guy writing about. Well, what follows is a real “this happened to me” […]

Welcome to the North Dakota State Fair…

It seems that every year, just before the North Dakota State Fair kicks off, there are construction zones everywhere. In fact, all we have to say is “state fair’s coming to town,” and others know exactly what it means. When I first moved to this area of the state in 2000, it seemed like a […]

OK, It’s Not Usually This Bad

Canadian Wildfires Make For An Interesting Summer Most of my immediate family are from Canada, more specifically Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Summertime usually meant packing up the family car and heading north for a week-long vacation visiting our Canadian relatives. Summers were a bit cooler, and once in a great while we would run into a […]

Trash Talk

Good idea? Not so sure? Supposed to be. Feel good about it. Don’t want to mess with it? Give it a try. Ahhh. The recycling age has begun in Minot. Yup, some real trash talkin’ has descended upon the city. Those blue top, super-sized recycling carts are the talk of the town. Well, that might […]

“Well, I am helping my friends”

The story is repeated many times in a year, mostly on weekends. An evening starts out with several young Airmen arriving at the home of a colleague. It’s been a long week, even a long month, and those in attendance are able to visit, share frustrations with their job (as we all do), and have […]

It’s Enough

“It’s enough.”This is the reminder I have been giving myself since June. Like the proverbial broken record, these words are on a continual loop in my mind. It’s enough. You’re having enough fun. You’re spending enough time outside. The kids are having enough lazy days. The kids are having enough busy days. You’re doing enough […]

Talk to Grandma

I’ve known I had to write about this for quite some time but couldn’t really settle on a way to approach it.Delay. Delay. Delay. Finally, I came to the realization that was precisely the crux of the entire matter. As Nike says, just do it.I know what you are thinking – this kooky writer is […]

Take the quiz…

It’s no secret that students coming out of our high schools lack knowledge of history and geography.Is it poorly taught, does the curriculum matter to school boards, maybe students themselves just don’t like it, or is there some other reason not publicly known.Regardless, we often lack this knowledge and when we become adults and move […]

Is The Glass Half Full, Or Half Empty

Nope, not talking about the difference between an optimist and a pessimist. Instead, let’s look at summer, 2023. We just passed July 4th, and I have heard many times that the summer is half over, it all goes downhill from here.So, let’s just talk a bit, optimistically, about all the good things that are left […]

Boat Dogs

If everyone discovered the benefits of fishing, there would be a shortage of fishing rods. I read that somewhere, or something very close to it. Fishing is fun, to be sure, especially when the fish cooperate, but there’s so much more to it. First and foremost is that thinking about general troubles and difficulties in […]

An obscure staffing shortage…

In last week’s article we discussed how shortages in the trades are making it difficult for businesses to carry out good customer service. But it isn’t just with electricians, plumbers and carpenters. Just about every industry; wholesale, retail, government, schools and military all have shortages in personnel. It’s even hard to find enough baseball coaches […]

Col. Johnny Galbert Takes Command

It was a big day on the parade field at F.E. Warren Air Force Base as Col. Johnny Galbert assumed command of the 90th Missile Wing replacing Col. Catherine Barrington. It was almost picture perfect. An endless blue sky met the acres of green grass of this historic venue. Across the field was a row […]

The Squirrel Wars

“It must have been the wind.” That was my first thought when found soil strewn about the stoop and some freshly planted annuals uprooted from their pots. It had been windy overnight. The soil was light. This was a plausible explanation. If there’s anything I’ve learned from living in Hot Dish Land, it’s that most […]

Sit Down and Eat

The server placed silverware, all neatly wrapped in a napkin, on a nearby table. She set down two full glasses of water. Then two cups into which she poured steaming coffee. She left the coffee pot on the table and set down two menus.Sitting a few feet away, savoring a Clara’s Special breakfast and a […]

Dire straits in the trades…

In the past several months we’ve had a lot of work done on our house and greenhouse. New kitchen cabinets, some electrical rewiring in the greenhouse and house and new plumbing in the kitchen. It’s all but finished now but it brings to mind how critical the trades are and how short they are of […]

What’s in a name?

Rod Wilson and his wife, Sue, are visiting family in California, consequently the responsibility to write “A View from Our Side” falls to me this week. As publisher, I generally handle the business side of running the paper so writing a column is not something I normally do. Nonetheless I’m happy for this opportunity. As […]

Summer Fire Safety

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, over half (57%) of grill fires on residential properties occur in the four months of May, June, July and August. Grill fires on residential properties result in an estimated average of 10 deaths, 100 injuries and $37 million in property loss each year. To ensure a safe grilling experience, […]

What’s killing the honeybees?…

Believe it or not, there are people out there who still don’t know what’s causing the “mysterious” death of honeybees. I thought this was old news, but apparently not. For a time, that was the case. Nobody knew what was killing honeybees. But research in France during the 1990s proved that a class of chemicals […]

T-ball Explained, Sort of

Oh, my goodness! What sport is it where the jersey is the same length as a bathrobe and players from both teams are as mixed as a bag of marbles at the same time? The answer is T-ball, which apparently includes kids from birth to a year or two older. No knowledge of the rules, […]

….in my rear view mirror

Some of you are old enough to remember singer Mac Davis who hit the billboard charts with the song “Happiness Is Texas in my Rearview Mirror”. The song goes on to describe why he had to leave Texas. But in the end, his love of Lubbock, Texas, finally causes him to yearn to return and […]

Pembina Gorge State Park…

On May 22, Gov. Doug Burgum announced the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area will be developed and become North Dakota’s 14th state park. A total of $6 million in funding for this venture has been secured by the North Dakota Parks & Recreatikon Department during the 2023 legislative session. A matching $2 million will come […]

You’re So Flexible

“You’re so flexible.” Unbelievably, the words were directed at me–spoken while standing in a shady driveway I know well. The voice, too, was familiar. A soft, comforting tone that conjured up memories of high school antics, college summer vacations long past, and cold cookies that always seemed to materialize from the freezer at just the […]

Dog Gone International Incident

An international incident along the North Dakota/Saskatchewan border was resolved, at least temporarily, in a Minot courtroom earlier this month. The intriguing case involved a wandering dog, Rocco, who normally resides in Enniskillen, Saskatchewan, a small community located just north of the United States/Canadian border. Rocco decided to make a visit to the U.S. by […]

Military OneSource: An Invaluable Resource

In the middle of May, I was privileged to be invited to present to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD), Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) Team. The MC&FP Team hosted a professional development summit at the Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia with a focus of “Taking care of those who take care.” […]

The North Dakota Purple Star Award

Did you know the average military-connected child will experience 6 to 9 different schools during their K-12 education experience? This is a challenge for many of our military connected students. However, there are organizations and agencies such as the DAF School Liaison Program focused on the quality education of military connected students across the United […]

I Guess I Was An APG

I was standing in line at Rocker’s waiting to place an order for my noon lunch, when I noticed three young Airmen ahead of me with an APG insignia on their sleeves. I am the curious type, and after trying to think of what APG could stand for, I finally had to ask. One of […]

Memories of Main Street

The beginning of the Magic City all started in downtown Minot, the heart of sales and services for a rapidly growing community emerging on the fading frontier.Of course, over the years there’s been lots of changes. More people. More businesses. More opportunities. Expanded city limits. Interestingly though, are the buildings on Main Street where almost […]

Hardiness Zone changes…

Back in the 1960s, the United States Department of Agriculture produced a map of the nation with a number of hardiness zones to help guide gardeners and landscapers with better planting advice. However, those early maps don’t reflect the same zones as today’s maps. There are no doubt, warmer, albeit slightly, patterns that are moving […]

What It Takes

As a journalist writing a story, you sometimes are forced into situations that are at best, getting information to be knowledgeable enough to write a good story, one that gets and holds the attention of the reader. Four years ago, I had the pleasure of accepting a job with the Northern Sentry. I would be […]

This May Be The Summer My Plants Survive

I’ve lived in Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Dakota, and North Dakota. In each place I did my best to make our house into a “home.” On the casual end of the spectrum that meant painting a wall or two. On the extreme end, it meant tearing out walls during a deployment, or overhauling a […]

It’s not as far as you might think…

Often times when I’m involved with my radio hobby of DXing, I’ll run across a radio station I’d never heard of before. When that happens, I look up the distance between my location and the radio tower. In so doing, I’ve come to realize that we are closer to many places than we realize. I’m […]

Minot’s Baseball Cathedral

The sweet scent of fresh cut grass. Dew glistening on baseball spikes. A mouth full of sunflower seeds. Holding a freshly oiled baseball glove to your face. A full moon rising over the outfield fence and the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs drifting across the diamond and through the grandstand. Memories of Corbett Field, Minot’s […]

A Center of Shopping

The parking lot was full of vehicles. Every available parking space for several blocks in all directions was full too. The crowd was shoulder to shoulder. Parents held tightly to their children. Great excitement in the City of Minot!Huh? The year was 1962. The occasion was the grand opening of Arrowhead Mall, the first shopping […]

Sadly, two more newspapers are gone…

It was recently announced that two more North Dakota newspapers have closed for an indefinite amount of time. They are the New Town News and Mountrail County Record in Parshall. That brings the recent number of closures to six in what seems to be a stunning trend. First, it was the Metigoshe Mirror, then the […]

My Summer Must-Dos

Summer is upon us in Hot Dish Land. For locals this means trips to “the lake.” For military families it means “PCS season.” For all of us it means days outdoors, shedding the translucent pallor of winter, and gloriously long days. There are few things better than a North Dakota summer. They go by quickly, […]

The History of “Dak Rats”

Quite often the discussion between a resident of Minot, and someone who lives and works on base will come to the existence of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels, aka gophers, or as they are referred to by military personnel on Minot AFB, Dak Rats. One of my first memories of exterminating a gopher from our yard came […]

Sunshine and Smiles

Everyone needs a little down time now and then. Maybe sit back and relax, whatever form that may be, and get away from daily routines and responsibilities. One way I’ve found to do exactly that usually involves a fishing rod, good company, and an appreciation for one’s surroundings. Shimmering water, gentle waves, and passing cloud […]

North Dakota’s newest communities…

Last week we summarized several ghost towns across the state. This week we’ll switch it up and take a look at North Dakota’s 10 newest communities. Six of them are either suburbs of Fargo or are nearby. Four are independent communities in western North Dakota. 1.) Oxbow 1988 – This is clearly the newest community […]

Outdoor Report May 19-May 25

Thanks to Woodland Resort, our Outdoors Report sponsor, for helping keep readers up-to-date on happenings throughout the region. For complete details about fishing Devils Lake and its array of recreational opportunities visit their website, (www.woodlandresort.com), Facebook at (facebook.com/woodlandresortDL), telephone (701) 662-5996, extension 1, or email (woodlandresort@gondtc.com). They’re located at 1012 Woodland Drive, Devils Lake, N.D. […]

What Season Are You Getting Ready For?

It’s kind of an unusual question. “What season are you getting ready for?” Let me start by saying that there are a couple of “signs” that summer will soon be upon us. I am certainly not a meteorologist, but when we have a late spring, which we have this year, summer hits us in a […]

Ghosts of North Dakota…

If you’ve ever read a book called “Ghosts of North Dakota,” there’s one common theme throughout the publication. It’s about ghost towns in North Dakota, but nearly every community written about still exists. There are real ghost towns in North Dakota. It’s just that finding history about them is not always easy or plentiful. But […]

The Puppy and the Ticket

The tale I am about to reveal is worth a laugh, a cry, or both. I suppose the reaction will range from “hilarious”, to that “D___ dog!”I’m a member of the hilarious group but, admittedly, for a moment or two, I muttered a few four-letter words. One glance at my dog turned my frown to […]

EFMP PCS Tips

Moving with school-aged children can be stressful, but planning ahead can allow for a smoother transition. If you child is enrolled in EFMP, extra steps should be taken. Consider the following tips as you plan your move with a school-aged child enrolled in EFMP: 1-Update the Individual Education Program (IEP) with your IEP team at […]

It All Happened Over Night

They say that change is inevitable, but today is May 1 and it’s like someone waved a magic wand and transformed once full parking lots around Trinity Health into open spaces. Yesterday was moving day for Trinity Health. The ER is gone, the hospital is empty and also gone are all of the patients and […]

End of the Rope…

There’s a new movie showing in North Dakota theaters that was filmed here in the state. It’s called “End of the Rope,” and is about a farm family in McKenzie County that mysteriously disappears. Evidence begins to surface that a young farmhand of the missing family is responsible. And while the sheriff and the state’s […]

Sleepy, Cold, and Fishing

When my alarm woke me, I thought to myself I must be crazy. It was 3:30 a.m. Dark and cold. I had a ninety-minute drive that I wasn’t looking forward to. Ahhh. The life of a fisherman is sometimes difficult to understand. Explaining it to someone else? Even harder.There are moments, and 3:30 a.m. can […]

Unsolicited Advice on Summer Days

“Ugh. North Dakota? Isn’t it like, really, really cold there?” This is the lament I hear most often when I tell someone we live in Minot. My reply is nearly always the same. “It’s only cold in the winter, and the summers are always worth it.” Then I’ll ramble on for a good, long while […]

Air Force School Liaisons

The Department of the Air Force School Liaisons (SLs) are the central point of contact for commanders, military families, and school districts in all Kindergarten through 12th grade school matters. Speaking the dual language of military to educators and education to the military; they are considered the K-12 education office in the local community and […]

Another ‘rare’ animal shows its face…

Two weeks ago while I was watching huge chunks of ice pass by and the Des Lacs River quickly rise to flood stage, I saw a fur-bearing animal on the water trying to swim upstream. I was able to get some pictures of it, but in using an iPhone, you don’t have the option of […]

What A Teacher!

I have answered several surveys that query the name of my favorite teacher, and why. The question brings pause as I begin to think and narrow the list based on the good things and not so good things that I can remember about my classroom days. 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, nothing stands out […]

You Said Onions?

A friend of mine, Marvin Baker, has a garden in Carpio. In North Dakota having a garden would certainly not make him unique, except that Marvin runs North Star Farms where he raises and sells naturally grown prairie produce. Marvin and I met some years ago as he used to be the weekend editor of […]

Potholes and Road Work

The snow is gone—for now. The streets are dry—for the most part. That crazy ice dam near Jersey Mike’s and Noodles & Co has melted. Signs of winter are fleeting—although the forecast still insists on including a chance of snow flurries, just to keep us on our toes. And while many of us are joyously […]

Maple Sugaring Day

A horse drawn wagon, flannel shirts, floppy eared caps, smiling faces, the smell of fresh pancakes, and sweet maple syrup.Vermont?Nope. Fort Stevenson State Park a few miles south of Garrison. Standing under one of the park’s most reliable box elder trees, Park Manager Chad Trautman, was talking to park visitors.“I know. We’re crazy,” said Trautman. […]

Part II: North Dakota, more diverse than you think…

When looking at farm and ranch statistics from the USDA Census of Agriculture, a person could take all day picking apart the various numbers, crops, livestock and even ag processing. There are farms themselves, which in 2017 totaled 26,374 that included 39.3 million acres. The average size of a North Dakota farm was 1,492 acres […]

PCS & Personal Property Prep

A major stressor during a PCS is what to do and how to schedule the moving of your personal property. Personal property resources are available at https://www.militaryonesource.mil under the “Moving & PCS” section. Online tools include the Defense Personal Property Program (DPS), https://dps.move.mil/, where you can upload your orders, ship household goods, manage unaccompanied baggage, […]

A View From Our Side: Right On Time!

It was Easter Monday, April 10th. It was a really nice day…we were in Bismarck in the afternoon, and it was 60 degrees. On the drive back we were commenting on how there were open fields loaded with geese. A week ago, this wasn’t true. We seemed to miss the majority of the April snowstorm, […]

Slice of Life: The Silence of the Owl

Sometimes a person needs to listen to the silence. Our world is filled with sounds of all sorts, so much so that most of us don’t even realize it. There’s cheering and chatter, the closing of car doors, noise of traffic, televisions, ring tones of cell phones — even our own footsteps. It seems there’s […]

Upside Down Under: North Dakota, more diverse than you think…

It seems that every time we see information about North Dakota agriculture, it’s about the 11 crops that the Ag Department maintains as No. 1 in the nation. In one sense it paints a good picture for us, but in another it’s deceiving because anyone who farms or knows someone who farms, knows North Dakota […]

She’s Not From Around Here: The Best Part of Spring

At this point in the year, it would be easy to bemoan the seemingly endless chilly days. I could fill this week’s column with witty comments about how I’m getting tired of hearing about flurries in the forecast. Or maybe I could come up with a cheeky way to reminisce about the Easter blizzard we […]

A View From Our Side: Looking For That First Robin

Here it is, the first week in April, and this weekend is Easter Sunday. Looking out my back window, there is very little bare grass, and if the weather forecast is correct, we will have had yet another spring snowstorm, or even stronger than that, they are saying blizzard! Not talking a trip to the […]

Upside Down Under: There’s value in vacant buildings…

Last week’s article was about a unique recycling of wood from grain elevators. This week it’s closer to home, maybe even in your own back yard. There are vacant buildings in all 53 counties in North Dakota. Just drive around sometime and see it for yourself. Some of those buildings are in such bad shape, […]

Slice of Life: Some Things Fishy

I can’t remember the first time I went fishing, or the first fish I caught. I’m thinking I was about six years old or so and do know that I’ve been an avid fisherman to this day. Every fisherman has a few tales to tell. Many have much better recollection than I. Mostly I have […]

2023 Chief Master Sergeant Selects

CMSgt. Jeffrey Brown, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron “Back when I was 16 or 17, I had decided that I really wanted to enlist in the Air Force so I took the ASVAB. My dad was prior Army and he said he would never join the Army, so I followed in his footsteps,” said Chief Master […]

Upside Down Under: A new kind of recycling…

There’s an environmental phenomenon going on next door in Saskatchewan that is nothing short of unique. It’s hard work, but the financial rewards are apparently endless.A company called ABMT Solutions dismantles old grain elevators, then uses the recycled wood for environmentally-friendly projects. Alvin Herman, a 75-year-old farmer from Milden, Saskatchewan is the man who is […]

A View From Our Side: The Cycle Begins, Again!

PCS Season StartsThe first part of the PCS season has started as many of the people we work with at Minot Air Force Base, including our own Erin Beene, are planning their mid-summer moves.In Erin’s case, her husband Jeff is being transferred to Hawaii. Tough assignment! She shared with our spouse roundtable that she is […]

Slice of Life: The Promise of Spring

Spring.For me it is the most anticipated season of the year. I’d guess it is for a lot of other people too, especially when winter seems to hang around a bit too long. Spring is never all sunny days and warm temperatures, but it is a season of promise, foremost being that winter, and snow, […]

Slice of Life: Rattlesnakes and Bear Breath

What follows is somewhat difficult to write. However, I can assure you, dear reader, that my intention is not to sway anyone into thinking I am some sort of fearless adventurer. Quite the opposite, more an example of why women live longer than men. As you will see, and undoubtedly agree, what I am about […]

Upside Down Under: Rebranding the association…

Anyone who is a gardener in North Dakota should consider attending the North Dakota Farmers’ Market and Growers Association local foods conference May 4 and 5 at Dakota College in Bottineau. Each year the conference is geared toward better educating gardeners about a myriad of subjects regarding growing, harvesting, having a better display at farmers’ […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Where are we going, Mama?

“Where going, Mama?” My youngest son, Silas asks this question almost relentlessly. As soon as I glance at my shoes, or the coats rustle on the rack, I hear rapid two-year-old steps headed my way. “Where going, Mama?”I’ll give him an answer, but he’ll continue to ask. He’ll ask multiple times before we leave the […]

A View From Our Side: It’s My Pleasure

It’s always a pleasure to write about those experiences in life that give you an “Ah Ha” moment. This past week has been filled with those moments, the first being my return to Minot AFB, and North Plains Elementary School to teach the Junior Achievement course sponsored by Minot Chamber/EDC. A room full of 1st […]

A View From Our Side: It’s a SAD Time

Could It Be We Have Seasonal Affective Disorder? So, Mr. Weatherman, it’s Sunday night. We received 13 inches of snow requiring that we once again drag out the snowblower (hey, not complaining, I am lucky I have one) and the array of shovels to clear our sidewalks, driveway and plow trails through the backyard to […]

Slice of Life: Flooded Minot

There really doesn’t seem to be very much to Minot’s Souris River, generally meandering silently through the city. Usually those who walk the riverbank, or bicycle near it, must look down to see the water which, quite often, moves very little or not at all. It’s a ruse, of course. The history of flooding in […]

Upside Down Under: It’s a Canadian invasion…

Anyone who travels U.S. Highway 52 anywhere between Portal to Minot and beyond is fully aware of the number semi-trailers that are coming from western Canada. I’ve written about this in the past and before retiring, sometimes counted those trucks to have statistics to back up the articles. The last time I did that was […]

A View From Our Side; “March”ing On! Still Neat Things To Do In March

We pulled into Cross Ranch State Park. It was a warm Friday afternoon. The park was clearing out over 12 inches of new snow that had fallen just a few days previous to our arrival. For those of you who don’t know, Cross Ranch State Park is located on the west bank of the Missouri […]

She’s Not From Around Here: The Other Side of the Midwest

Last weekend my family spent a few days in the suburbs north of Detroit, MI. The reason feels like a dirty secret, but I’ll say it anyway: we were there because my husband had been recruited for a job interview. To put it on paper that our family is even entertaining the idea of a […]

Upside Down Under: New Ukrainians in North Dakota…

According to the Centre of Research & Analysis of Migration in London, approximately 19 million Ukrainians have fled the country as of Feb. 13. However, nearly 10 million of them have returned over the past year. The exodus for at least 8 million are other countries in Europe, mostly Poland, while the United States has […]

Slice of Life: Snarling Ghost Dogs of Dog Den Butte

Once was – maybe. Maybe yet today. I’ve always had an interest in the history of our state, mostly the early days before roadways and fences and towns. The period when Dakota Territory was the “Old West”. Sometimes I wish I’d lived back then, just to say I saw it.When I travel in the state […]

Slice of Life: Good Sense

There’s common sense, good sense, nonsense, perhaps no sense. I like to think I have an abundance of the first two on that list, but there are those, in numbers I shall not reveal, that firmly adhere to the belief I am far more fittingly described by the latter two. To that I say nonsense, […]

A View from Our Side: One of Those Small Town Brats Growing Up In ND

It is so common to do an interview and ask the question “So, where are you from?” and receive the response “Kind of from everywhere, I grew up an Air Force (or military) brat.” The friends we have had who have come to Minot courtesy of the U.S. Air Force share their life journey that […]

Upside Down Under: Give recognition where recognition is due…

Ever since a recent Monday night football game in Cincinnati when Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest, we’ve been seeing news segments of the team of first responders, doctors and nurses who worked a miracle to keep a 24-year-old from dying on the field. That’s all good and well. They absolutely deserve recognition […]

A Slice of Life: Those Coveted Coffee Mugs

I’ve noticed that many coffee drinkers have a weird relationship with their favorite coffee mugs. They cling to them as if their very lives were dependent upon it. Strange. Hmmm. As I write these lines, I confess to you, dear reader, that my favorite coffee mug is but a few inches away. That means I […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Three More Minutes

While walking out of the library, I shrugged my shoulder to my ear, pinning my phone in place. This freed up my hands to rifle through my bag for car keys. I turned to push the door open with my back and suddenly said, “Hang on a second, Mom.”I don’t remember what we were talking […]

Upside Down Under: It’s about time!…

Well folks, it took 50 years, but North Dakota now has a three-class high school basketball system. The North Dakota High School Activities Association has now approved the starting a third class next fall. Advocates, mostly from the smaller communities in the state, have fought for this since Class C went away in 1963. But […]

A View From Our Side: Weekly Post Brief Continues To Grow…

It Started As An IdeaThe Northern Sentry does not have a lot of staff, well four to be exact. Ted Bolton owns the Northern Sentry, I am in Marketing & Sales, Erin Beene is our on base reporter and Nikki Greening is our Creative Director/Graphics. Each week we are tasked with producing a 28 page, […]

A Snowman in Sunshine

KEY LARGO, FLORIDA — I’ll admit it’s a goofy concept, at least that’s one perfectly acceptable way of looking at it. I’m talking about a North Dakotan going to the Sunshine State and completely covering up in opposition to it. Yup. Goofy. Wait now. If a fair-skinned Norwegian from North Dakota doesn’t cover up in […]

The Flying Saucer Phenomenon…

These stories about flying saucers just don’t seem to go away. People continue to talk about seeing them or evidence of them all over North Dakota. Numerous people continue to tell me about their experiences with UFOs. They tell me in confidence because they don’t want to be ridiculed. The thing is, these people, many […]

The Pace Never Lets Up

Soon enough, the 2023 Nuclear Surety Inspection at Minot AFB will be over. We have been hearing about preparation for the Nuclear Surety Inspection in our Military Affairs Committee meetings. From what we hear in those short briefings, a lot of time and effort has gone into getting ready for the NSI, and Team Minot […]

Saying, “I Love You,” in Hot Dish Speak

Many of you may be familiar with the “Five Love Languages,” but over the years I’ve discovered that Hot Dishers have a love language all their own. You can’t simply walk up to a Hot Disher and say, “I love you.” That is far too aggressive for gentle sort, for whom being passive is a […]

Worth Every Penny

I am a member of the Military Affairs Committee of the Minot Chamber of Commerce/EDC. We have a meeting once a month with both military and community leaders in attendance. We normally do lunch, have an informative speaker or entertainment, and then receive reports from the 5th Bomb Wing, 91st Missile Wing, and the Army […]

Walkin’ on Water

A non-resident asks, “What makes you darned North Dakotan’s so special?”Resident — “Well, we do walk on water.”Incredulous non-resident — “Are all North Dakotans so arrogant and pompous?”Resident — “Nope. Some don’t ice fish.”That kind of sums it up. Oh yes. In North Dakota we walk on water, at least some of us do. Really, […]

Longer, wider faster…

There’s a program in the Canadian Football League called Touchdown Atlantic in which two of the nine teams in the CFL give up one date a season to play a game in Atlantic Canada. It was created because of a strong interest to put an expansion team in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Halifax has wanted a CFL […]

Who is This Alberto?

The other day I was standing in line and there was an active young man ahead of me. It was obvious that he had been engaged in a shopping trip for way too long, at least for his liking. : As a father, and now a grandfather, I had to chuckle at the conversation between […]

Those Dreaded Lines

After decades of trying, I have never gotten it right. Not a single time. Not once that I can remember. Lines. That’s right – lines. The kind that never move the way you had hoped they would. I know I am not alone here. I think.I’m writing about those many choices a person makes each […]

Water, it doesn’t just grow on trees!…

Call it climate change, call it a long-term weather cycle, you can even call it a coincidence. We can argue about it all day and make it a political football. But there is no doubt water is becoming a serious issue in the western United States, despite recent heavy rain and snow in California. This […]

Honorary Commanders Are Friends For Life

I was assigned my Honorary Commander just before COVID, which pretty much curtailed any public events on the Minot Air Force Base. I can remember our first Military Affairs zoom meeting, then MAC Chair Randy Hauck made mention of the many new Honorary Commanders that had been assigned and “we will induct them as soon […]

Jacket Weather Perspective

“It’s 33, do you think I’ll be too hot if I wear my ski jacket?” This is the question I asked my husband over the weekend when we decided to go tubing. The weather was too nice to pass up.” “Nah. I think you’ll be okay. You can always take it off if it’s too […]

The Electric Chair

A goal of all writers is, or should be, to attract attention. Some of us have devised clever ways to do that. Hence the headline, the “Electric Chair.” But wait, I am not all deception here. This is not one of those “gotcha” gimmicks where you have to read a bunch of mundane paragraphs and […]

Critters in our midst…

Do you suppose there is scientific evidence as to why unusual animals are showing up in parts of North Dakota, or is it pure coincidence? The most obvious of these would be mountain lions, sometimes called cougars or pumas. There was a time not so long ago that any state or federal wildlife officials denied […]

A View From Our Side: The Old Farmer’s Almanac

The recent weather pattern of dense fog and mist have certainly left some amazing photographic opportunities. The lack of wind has given us ample time to get out with our cameras and cell phones and capture scenes of ice coated trees, bushes, and other structures such as towers and even electrical lines. But did you […]

Upside Down Under: Does technology make us lazy?…

After going through a couple of major technological changes in my journalism career as well as other changes observed, I have to wonder if it’s is making us lazy? And since the pandemic, work at home has become “a thing.” People who have the right jobs don’t even go to work anymore. They stay at […]

A View From Our Side: You Just Have To Chuckle

Over the weekend my wife and I were watching a local weather report, which of course is one of the most popular forms of entertainment on television, second only to Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy; and as we always do on Sunday night, pay particular attention to the long range forecast so we have something […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Northern Hospitality

Tears of self-pity leaked slowly from my eyes, down my cheek, and onto my pillow. Just a few days after Christmas, I found myself curled up in a tight ball on my bed in the middle of the afternoon—trying to hide from “one of those days.” Little things, like a morning gone awry, a misplaced […]

Upside Down Under: The forgotten Sioux tribes…

During the 1860s the Civil War took priority for nearly all Americans. It tore the nation apart for the better part of four years and left wounds that lasted for decades. But the Civil War wasn’t the only history happening at that time. Dakota Territory was established in 1861 with scattered military forts to protect […]

Neighborhood Safety: Winter Driving

Due to Minot’s difficult weather conditions and having the presence of large equipment, safe driving techniques are essential for traveling the winter landscape both on and off-base. In addition to harsh elements, drivers also need to be on the lookout for snow removal equipment. It is best for drivers to be patient and keep a […]

MAFB School Liaison Office Education
Working Group (EWG)

Navigating the K-12 education space across the United States of America can often be challenging and difficult to navigate. The systems and services in each state, county and/or city will vary. At times, this can be a matrix and if information is shared, it is dense, complex, and disconnected. However, our greatest resource is our […]

A View From Our Side: I Hear That Tubing Is Awesome

When we were kids there was a certain hill in town that was the host to almost every kid in town. Without the aid of social media, word would get out to meet at the hill just west of town with sled, or inner tube, in hand for an afternoon of fun for any age. […]

Upside Down Under: Another blizzard, another day in North Dakota…

Editor’s note: This article is reprinted from the Jan. 20, 1997 edition of the Cavalier County Republican in Langdon. I wouldn’t do this now, at my age, but back then, I was hell bent on getting my newspaper to its readers.Right in the middle of the fourth blizzard of the season, a decision had to […]

MIC3: Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission

Happy New Year! We are excited for what 2023 has to hold for our community especially with the Month of the Military Child approaching in April. However, I would like to reshare insights on the Military Interstate Children’s Compact (MIC3). There are unique needs for Prek-12 military-connected families Navigating educational systems across the United States […]

A View From Our Side: It All Worked Out

It was Thursday, December 22, or 22 December for those who are tracking with a military calendar. The Northern Sentry office is located on the south end of Main Street in the Main Medical building. Thursday started out as a fairly decent day in the downtown Minot. The sun was out, and the sky was […]

Upside Down Under: County/city combination oddities…

Many of you have probably already begun to plan for your 2023 vacation. If you intend to stay in North Dakota, spend some extra time looking at the map. It’s interesting to note there are many communities with the same name as counties. The odd thing about it though, is that a lot of communities […]

Upside Down Under: Clever… until they’re caught…

I was at my desk one day at The Kenmare News and the telephone rang. It was Karen Pauls of CBC-TV in Winnipeg. She was calling to ask me if I knew anything about some Nigerians who were hospitalized in Kenmare. I hadn’t heard about such a thing and my first question to her was, […]

A View From Our Side: Remember to Share the Warmth of Christmas

I started to write my thoughts about Christmas during the recent snowstorm. Stuck at home like so many others, there was time to reflect and relate. Friends at the base were sending me photos and texts from base housing showing the piles of snow drifts across streets making transportation on base difficult, at best. In […]

A View From Our Side: If It’s Going To Be Christmas, Make it White A View From Our Side:

As a kid growing up most of my immediate family was either in North Dakota or Manitoba, Canada. They played a lot of hockey in the small towns where my cousins grew up. Because my Dad grew up in Canada, my brother and I were rink rats on an outdoor sheet of ice that my […]

A View From Our Side: The Goal- Let Them Experience Minot

I am more convinced that our goal as a community is to give those “first time” folks assigned to Minot Air Force Base the true experience of Minot’s community. Whether they are that new Airmen in the dorms or that family of four who moves into base housing, there is a definite lifestyle that Minot […]

Upside Down Under: Pembina, unique in North Dakota…

Everyone who is aware of North Dakota’s history knows that Pembina is a unique community for several reasons. Most notably, it was the first place in our state that was settled and that was in 1797. It wasn’t part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, but was, at that time, a part of Canada called […]

Upside Down Under: ‘Rolling in on the Holiday Train’…

For the first time in the past three years, the Canadian Pacific Railway’s actual Holiday Train is returning to the steel rail across the U.S. and Canada. Because of Covid 19, the past two years have been virtual holiday trains that quite frankly didn’t hold a candle to the real thing.So it’s been announced, the […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Thankfulness is a perspective

A few weeks ago, everything seemed to be going wrong. My family had gone on a trip where some hard decisions had to be made. Stress levels were high, and during the trip, everyone had gotten sick. My husband, Derek, had a fever, our boys were coughing, noses were running like faucets, and after a […]

Upside Down Under: Proud moment before game time…

Last Sunday before that incredible football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, I listened to the national anthem and something occurred to me that made me think of an interesting moment that happened several years ago.I was in Winnipeg on business and there happened to be a football game in town that night […]

The View From Our Side: A True North Dakota Winter Experience

You are writing your friends and relatives who have the impression that you have been sent to the frozen tundra of North Dakota… a place where all there is to do is hunker down for a long winter of darkness and cold, cold weather. Well, let’s change that dialogue a bit as I give you […]

A View From Our Side: Thought You Should All Know….

Shout Out For EducationAt a recent Military Affairs Committee meeting, Col. McGhee took the podium to report on the activities of the 91st Missile Wing. At the end of his activity report, he added how much his family has appreciated the school(s) in Minot. The audience of those attending from Minot AFB certainly shook their […]

Thanksgiving Safety and Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, home cooked meals, and for some, travel. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires with more than three times the daily average for such incidences. Unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths. […]

Upside Down Under: Fight night in North Dakota…

When we think of boxing, I’ll bet the first thing that enters your mind is Virgil Hill. And for those who may be fairly new to North Dakota, Virgil Hill grew up in Grand Forks, earned a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics and had a very successful professional career. Hill is the “Roger Maris” […]

Upside Down Under: The passive reflection experience…

When people say they did something on their bucket list it usually means going to Hawaii, buying a BMW or running in the Boston Marathon. For me, one of those bucket list items has been much different. It was implementing a radio wave propagation phenomenon called passive reflection, sometimes referred to as passive reception. In […]

A View From Our Side: It Was A Ball

Over the years my charitable work has provided me the opportunity to attend a lot of festive events labeled as “A Ball”. My reservations for the Air Force Ball were made about a month ago and I was truly excited for October 29 to arrive and for Sue, my wife, and I to dawn the […]

Upside Down Under: Anxious for another season to begin…

As we find ourselves at the end of October and into early November, the growing season has ended and nearly all farmers’ markets have ceased across the state. It’s always a bittersweet day when you attend your last farmers’ market. You’re sad that you won’t be coming back next week, but happy that you’ll be […]

Upside Down Under: North Dakota’s Omega Tower…

Most of us know about LaMoure because we’ve either been there or we’re familiar with Loboes sports teams, namely football and volleyball, in recent state tournaments. LaMoure is just like any other small-town county seat in North Dakota. Its economy is based on farming. In fact, R.D. Offutt, synonymous with John Deere, got its start […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Cold is Relative

When you find out you’re moving to Minot, the first thing you wonder about is the cold. When you move to Minot the first thing you’ll think about is the cold. When you tell someone you live in Minot, the first thing they ask about is the cold.Yes, there’s more to North Dakota than cold […]

A View From Our Side: Chanhassen, Just Down The Road

As a lifestyle reporter I am in constant search of those extraordinary events, and my recent trip to Minneapolis and Chanhassen Dinner Theater gave me a chance to see their production of Footloose. You can consider Chanhassen a part of the twin cities, but it is really a small town located on the Southeast corner […]

A View From Our Side: Memories From When I Was A Kid

Staring out the window at my front yard, I see the ground covered with leaves from the once small ash tree that during the summer provides a great amount of shade for our home. I love the colors of fall, until they are all over my lawn. I take a deep breath and convince myself […]

She’s Not From Around Here: The Honor Code

I’ve never been robbed. Not really. There have been two instances in which something of mine was stolen. They are as follows: Once, at a pumpkin patch in Delaware, I painted a small pumpkin that came complimentary with each corn maze admission. I brushed on minimalistic black and white stripes, then let it dry on […]

Upside Down Under: A model of cooperation…

In recent years there’s been a lot of bickering about the dumbest things often resulting in long-term animosity among co-workers, married couples, friends and even students. Believe it or not, there are people, in North Dakota, who will argue with you about what kind of tires you should put on your vehicle or whether Italian […]

Upside Down Under: Bliss on the backway…

This is a continuation from last week about driving on North Dakota’s highways. We have 13 scenic byways and backways and each one of them affords unique natural beauty of its region. Three routes are along the Canadian border, seven are in western North Dakota and three are in the east. A byway is a […]

A View From Our Side: The Arts Have Always Been Important

On a recent bus tour given to Minot AFB residents, I was kind of filling time when I started to mention all of the organizations in Minot and the surrounding area that were consistently doing shows and concerts. There certainly was a lot of interest in these organizations, but in a short time I realized […]

She’s Not From Around Here: A casseroler’s take on life in hot dish territory

“Wow, look at all those shades of brown.” The comment was delivered with faux awe from my passenger seat. Her sarcasm was friendly, not fiery. We both laughed. “Now, now—don’t be judgmental. Look,” I said while pointing out the windshield. “Right there. Val’s Cyclery is bright green. Fun fact, it’s also where I take my […]

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask

We have all been in that situation where everyone is talking about something, and there you stand with very little knowledge of the subject being discussed. Recently at Minot AFB the subject has been Norsk Hostfest.So, let’s do a little educating, because Norsk Hostfest is just the start of what will be a holiday season […]

100 years and counting…

It isn’t easy to stay in business for 100 years, especially given that in the past century, any business to survive that long had to endure the Great Depression in the 1930s. But there are two businesses that have daily impact on many North Dakota residents and both businesses are radio stations. One of them […]

Norsk Høstfest

MINOT–It happened while my family was at Logger Fest over the weekend. I was standing to the side of the bouncy-house obstacle course, waiting for my son to come down the final slide, when I heard foreign speech behind me.In another place I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But this is Minot, and visitors […]

She’s Not From Around Here: Trash Christmas

My favorite biannual holiday starts on Monday.That’s right, I’m talking about Trash Christmas.I know a lot of new folks have moved into Minot since the last Trash Christmas, so I thought it only fair to write about it again. (Read my first article on Spring Trash Christmas, here.) Isn’t letting all these newcomers know about […]

Upside Down Under: Honoring an icon…

For the past several days the news has been dominated by the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and rightfully so. She was probably the best known person on the face of the earth. And while some people believe it has been overdone, there are plenty of Americans, plenty of North Dakotans, who have been mourning […]

A View From Our Side: Around Town…

Fall Festival Provides A Great Opportunity It was a nice day on Saturday, a bit cool in the morning, but by afternoon we had partly cloudy skies with a bit of sun and really nice temperatures, and as many people pointed out, no wind!At 9 AM there were well over 130 classic cars lining the […]

Participation and Enthusiasm

Last Monday, I went to the Soggy Doggy Pool Paw-ty at Roosevelt Park Pool. My sons and I found seats on the bleachers to watch dogs jump from diving boards and wade in the kiddie pool. As I sat there, reveling in the wonderous thing it is to be alive and living in Minot, North […]

Harvest and the prairie skyscraper…

Now that harvest is in full swing, a lot of things come to mind, but there is one thing I doubt many people think about and that is the loss of the old, wooden elevators, sometimes called prairie skyscrapers. On Sunday, we made a trip to Bismarck to purchase a lawn mower and went through […]

Continuing to Talk Like A Farmer

A few weeks back we introduced you all to some of the local vocabulary at harvest time. I realize that there are a fair number of Minot AFB personnel that have grown up on a farm the Midwest, but then there are a lot of new Airmen and families, and I just want to make […]

She’s Not From Around Here: NoDak Bar Culture and a Perfect Bar Recipe

“Are you willing to bring a pan of bars for the after-funeral luncheon?”This sentence was written in a now nearly-decade-old email.As I read and reread that first request for bars, I could surmise the term was referring to dessert. What on earth was a pan of bars? I tried to imagine what a funeral luncheon […]

Upside Down Under: Terrific explosion revisited…

Some locals in the Carpio area still talk about an explosion on a nearby farm that happened 100 years ago on Aug. 31.This was no ordinary explosion like you would think. It wasn’t gasoline and it wasn’t spontaneous combustion. This bomb went boom when 500 pounds of steam in a threshing crew boiler caused the […]

Taking A Few Minutes to Care

The first Wednesday of every month the chaplain group on base organizes what are referred to as Dorm Dinners. It’s really a chance for a local business, or businesses, to show their appreciation to those young Airmen who live in one of the dorms at Minot AFB. This week’s dorm dinner was supported by North […]