opinion

All first-half legislative committee and chamber action will be completed by Thursday. Bills passing the Senate and House will move to the other chamber to start the hearing process all over again. Many bills are passed as ideas and concepts to build on for the second half of the...

On Feb. 18, West Fargo Police Detective Sgt. Greg Warren received notice of the recertification of the Red River Child Abduction Response Team (CART). The team is a multiple jurisdictional group of law enforcement agencies, emergency service providers and volunteer organizations...

The Senate and House will have voted on all bills that originated in the individual houses by the end of February. The ones that were voted “do not pass” will not be heard in the other house. Those that passed will begin the process again in the other house. Hearings will begin...

Eyebrows were raised in political and education circles last year when Republican Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee announced that his state was going to provide students with free community college. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama said it was a great idea. That automatically activated...

There are plenty of reasons why fewer women than men run for and are elected to public office, and while those reasons are endlessly studied and even further debated, what is clear is that women’s voices in the Legislature, and more specifically, the lack thereof, impact policy. If...

I am proud of our West Fargo Exchange Club for their support of longtime member Paul Graham. Paul has had a year of health issues that has kept him confined and really changed his life. He has been in the hospital a number of times and needed assisted care. Paul was moved to Sheyenne...

The 64th Legislative Session is nearing the midpoint, or what is commonly known as crossover. In the final days to crossover there is a shifting of gears and a sharpening of focus. The legislative policy committees are winding up their hearings, the appropriations committees are...

On Feb. 8, the West Fargo Police Department hosted a United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) narcotic certification trial. In total, 21 canine teams representing police departments, sheriff’s offices and the highway patrol from North Dakota and Minnesota attended the event. A...

With women holding only 27 seats – a puny 19 percent – in the 141-member state Legislature, we may conclude that North Dakota is a sexist state. After all, figures don’t lie. Without a doubt, there are sexists among the 730,000 North Dakota residents, but before jumping to...

My House colleagues honored me by electing me speaker for the legislative session. I have served as a committee chairman since 1991, so being speaker will certainly be a different role for me. The speaker does not serve on a legislative committee. However, the speaker has the authority...

As the 2015 tax filing season begins, officials are reminding taxpayers to beware of phone scams from people claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service. “It is critical that all taxpayers continue to be wary of unsolicited telephone calls from individuals claiming to be...

During the Jan. 26 school board meeting, the board received a report from RSP and Associates showing West Fargo Public Schools continuing to grow at a rate of 500 to 600 students per year for the next 10 years. At a workshop this month, the board will discuss next steps, given these...