Town For Sale

This story was all over the wires today. It's a good story, too, as much about a 93-year-old woman (who seems like a hoot) as it is about a small town. By Blake Nicholson of the AP, here is how it appeared in the Washington Post. (Nice work, Blake.)

Toots Hagglund, Founding Mother

Just Like So Many College Grads ...

... Bees are fleeing North Dakota.

Bye-Bye Bees

Interesting revelations:

1) North Dakota has an apiary inspector.

2) North Dakota leads the country in honey production.

3) Hive husbandry is slipping.

Legalize It

"Squeaky clean" North Dakota farmer loves hemp -- for rope, cloth, livestock feed and all that -- and brings the word to Vermont. But alas, every time he plant a seed, they say kill it before it grow.

N.D. hemp advocate in Vermont

Even More Remembering the Flood (Cont.)

Chicago Tribune editorial: Norwegians in North Dakota are stoic. The rest of you should stop whining, too.

ChiTrib on the "whine-free life"

Tractor

For some reason, this story set off alarm bells in the heads of wire editors across the country, perhaps confirming long-held suspicions. Here it is in the Washington Post:

N.D. Senior Goes to Prom in Tractor

Slow News Day

Not much new today, so we'll go back to 2003 for maybe my all-time favorite Onion news article.

North Dakota Found To Be Harboring Nuclear Missiles

And then's another article on the state's new incorporation rules. Strap yourselves in, it's one exciting story.

Reuters: "Don't expect a rush of large companies to the sparsely populated state."

The Writer and the Mascot

I acknowledge that this isn't exactly a national news event, but it gets to the (poorly stated) point of this site: How does the rest of the world view our generally unknown state?

Louise Erdrich and the Fighting Sioux athletes are people we should want North Dakota associated with -- talented folks who excel in the top ranks of their chosen fields, in this case, literature and college sports. It'd just be nice if we could have the one while avoiding being thought of as stubbornly resistant to giving up our offensive imagery.

Author Erdrich rejects UND honors

("Sure," you say, "but how many hockey trophies has Louise Erdrich won?" But still ...)

Wonkette Is Snarky

This site always kinda bugged me, to be honest. Here it makes the trenchant observation that North Dakota is cold (and that state legislatures can make oddball laws).

D.C. gossip blog on anti-microchip bill

More Remembering the Flood

It's all about the hardiness. Or something like that. The Chicago Tribune calls some people in Grand Forks to talk about the flood. That Mike Jacobs stays awful busy with this stuff.

Grand Forks in ChiTrib

Look Out, Delaware!

The Economist lauds North Dakota's new incorporation laws. The writer also followed the no-one-knows-anything-about-North-Dakota-but-bad-weather theme. God knows, Delaware's lax incoporation laws have helped that state burn brightly in the world's imagination, so maybe this will help.

"Look Marge, I'm reading the Economist! Did you know Indonesia is at a crossroads?"

The Big Flood, 10 Years Later

As reported by Weekend Edition. Includes a good slideshow of Grand Forks then and now, interviews with Mike Jacobs, Pat Owens and others. Perhaps NPR music director and Grand Forks native Ned Wharton helped steer NPR's attention to the anniversary. Or maybe it's just a good story.

Looking back on '97

Prof. Farmer

Fred Kirschenmann, an N.D. farmer, Iowa State prof and organic food guy appears on the Splendid Table, a public radio show about fancy cookin', and talks about farming from a more high-brow perspective than, say, Al Gustin. Not that we have anything against Al.

Public radio, down on the farm

Good Words for Grand Forks

The album, not the town. N.D. native Tom Brosseau gets mentions in the NY Times and on NPR. He's not just for KFJM anymore.

New York Times article

NPR piece

www.tombrosseau.com

Pork, Pols, Pomeroy, and -- oh, yeah -- that war.

Washington Post article on all the add-on projects in the war funding bill. Sensible quotes from Rep. Earl and, in what may be his WaPo debut, Jack Dalrymple. Not bad for a lt. gov., Jack.

War: bad. Earmarks: well ... maybe.

Both Sides Now

North Dakota's proposed "trigger law" banning all abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned meets with joyous/wrathful praise/condemnation by people who are really concerned by the issue.

Abortion law hooray!

Abortion law boo!

More Klosterman, Onion AV Club

Brief mention of UND about halfway through. The rest is the usual pop culture absurdity.

Klosterman in Onion's "Random Rules"

Thomas Kleppe, 87

Notable North Dakotan I've never heard of passes. Before my time, or more accurately, having served under Ford, right of the time of my birth. The Washington Post has a presumably canned obit befitting a 1970s D.C. official. The Bismarck Tribune has a short obit, but seemingly netted a quote from G.H.W. Bush (there's no wire attribution, anyway). Nice going, Virginia Grantier!

Obit in Sunday's Post

Bismarck Tribune obit

Roger Johnson: Our Man In Havana

North Dakota continues its flirtation with Communism. What's next a state-owned mill and elevator?

Roger Johnson goes to Cuba

Hockey Night In Warroad

OK, it's actually about Minnesota, and about a week late. But it's within Grand Forks' orbit. And a nice evokation of small town life up north.

New York Times watches hockey in Warroad and Roseau

Why Minot?

Trying this again. ... Jack Shafer on Slate.com looks at the Minot train wreck/gas attack/bad radio controversy. Mostly debates the alledged evils of media consolidations and Clear Channel or whether it's actually piffle.

What really happened in Minot, N.D.?