A Quick Costco Run
In the last week I found myself doing something very…let’s call it North Dakotan. I made a Costco run. On the surface, that probably doesn’t sound unusual. Most of my extended family lives in northern Indiana, and Costco runs are pretty routine there. They can happen on a random Tuesday afternoon if you run out […]
Spending more time with kids can curtail school violence
Note: This is an article I wrote in the Cavalier County Republican in Langdon on May 10, 1999, 20 days after the Columbine, Colo., school shooting. Ever since the senseless tragedy in Littleton, Colo., a number of people have asked if we had any intentions of writing any articles about it. I told them probably […]
68…and Counting
If you have been reading my column, you are familiar with my running total of “good first impression” greetings at the Minot AFB gates. We are at 68 Airmen in a row that have greeted us warmly and smiled and told us to “have a good day” or something similar. On Thursday we were so […]
Purple Graduation Cords
Attention all local military-affiliated graduating seniors! The Minot Spouses Club is providing purple graduation cords again this year! The eligibility criteria: Military-affiliated public, private, and homeschool students with parents who are active duty, retired, or veteran military members across all branches in the local area surrounding Minot AFB. Purple represents all services and the sacrifice […]
We’ll Be Looking For You?
I sat down and thought about the number of non-profit groups that I either belong to or work with in the City of Minot. The purpose of this article is certainly not to brag about the number of volunteer hours I give to these organizations, but more to let you all know that there are […]
The small communities are just as important as the cities
We seem to put a lot of emphasis on “the big four,” Fargo, Bismarck, Minot and Grand Forks. And, in a way, a lot of activity is generated in those communities, so there would naturally be a lot of talk, media attention, just general support. But let’s not forget all the small towns across the […]
Fire-Smart Starts Here: SPARKY’s March Safety Tips
The Unexpected Reason March Matters for Minot Families
Five years ago, my husband was preparing to deploy. I had an infant who refused to sleep through the night, and a three-year-old who refused to nap consistently. We hadn’t faced a deployment since becoming parents. Six months as a solo, stay-at-home mom was an intimidating abyss. I was determined to find ways to make […]
State of the School Liaison Program
I have officially served as Minot AFB’s School Liaison Program Manager for one year. There were a number of unique challenges (Government Shutdowns and MFLC contract changeover) and new laws/procedures (K-12 phone-free legislation and on-base school am/pm supervision). I jumped into a changing landscape, which involved processing overdue STARBASE ND payments, and closing out the […]
A “Where Were You When” Moment
I may have shared with you that I had a journalism teacher in college who would often stop her lecture and start talking about her “Where Were You When” moments in time. Her name was Hazel Heiman, and to get any grade more than a “C” you had to work hard, and be prepared to […]