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Thursday, August 11, 2022 - With the recent death of our colleague Doug Hamilton, we’re thinking a lot about grief. Here to talk about the stages of grief and how to work through them is Janna Kontz, a grief specialist and Chaplain with Hospice of the Red River Valley. ~~~ Farmers and ranchers try to protect their soil and land, sometimes getting paid by the federal government to do so. For decades, it’s been a pretty routine corner of agriculture. That may be changing, with President Joe Biden announcing a goal to conserve 30 percent of the country’s lands by 2030. Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert reports from Nebraska, where a wary governor has a lot of questions. ~~~ Sue Balcom joins us to discuss problems with pickles.

Friday, August 12, 2022 - James Arnett is the author of Bean Fate, a novel based on a true crime, centered in the village of Bienfait in Saskatchewan, but involving towns in North Dakota as well. It’s the story of a prohibition-era murder investigated by a rookie cop. ~~~ Dave Thompson joins us for this week’s news chat. ~~~ Pride events are underway in Fargo. It comes at a time where a number of topics related to that community have been making headlines. We visit with Mari Hall, one of the organizers.

In the early history of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the offices were in the basement of the original Capitol. It wasn’t a lot of space, which soon became a problem. In 1913, Secretary Orin G. Libby of the State Historical Society, reported, “the crowded condition of the museum rooms… made it impossible for the Society to enter into any considerable collecting …”

In 1913, Orin G. Libby, secretary at the State Historical Society, reported that the curator of the society was anxious to secure representative collections illustrating the early life of the state’s various nationalities. Only one had proper representation, according to Libby; and while you might think that it was the German, Norwegian or indigenous populations, you would be incorrect. The only group reported as having good representation was the Icelandic population.

On this date in 1995 the Bismarck Tribune reported that Nels Berger of Williston received a birthday telegraph from King Harald V (the 5th), King of Norway. Why would the king want to congratulate a retired farmer in North Dakota? Well, not only was Nels Berger originally from Norway, but he had turned 110, making him the oldest person in the state.

In the early history of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the offices were in the basement of the original Capitol. It wasn’t a lot of space, which soon became a problem. In 1913, Secretary Orin G. Libby of the State Historical Society, reported, “the crowded condition of the museum rooms… made it impossible for the Society to enter into any considerable collecting …”

Have you noticed any beaver dams and ponds in your area recently? Beavers are often vilified for plugging up culverts and constructing dams that flood cropland, roads, and the like. And of course, they draw our ire when they drop or girdle our trees. So, it is no surprise that beavers are often shot or trapped, and dams and lodges destroyed. But in many cases, beaver activity can be quite beneficial.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 - Dr. Damian Costello is the author of “Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism.” He’ll be the featured speaker at this year’s Black Elk Convocation and Forum at the University of Mary. Black Elk was born in 1863. He converted to Catholicism, but also continued to practice Lakota ceremonies. He is now designated by Catholics as a "Servant of God," a title indicating that his life and works are being investigated by the Pope and the Catholic Church for possible canonization. Also joining the conversation is Dr. Mike Taylor, professor of education at UMary. ~~~ A Statewide Arts Convening is taking place next week as part of the state’s Main Street Summit. We get a preview from Kim Konikow, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts. ~~~ Sue Balcom is here for a Main Street Eats discussion of pumpkins and squash.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - Our candidate conversations continue, today with independent candidate for Secretary of State, Charles Tuttle. ~~~ “Freeman Vines: Hanging Tree Guitars” is a new exhibit at the North Dakota Museum of Art. It tells a story much deeper than guitars, as we learn from Timothy Duffy, who collaborated with Freeman Vines, artist, a luthier, and a spiritual philosopher, whose life is a witness to the truths and contradictions of the American South. ~~~ A BirdNote feature on the various types of bird calls.

Sue visits with Alicia Hegland-Thorpe on Prairie Public's Main Street show