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Friday, March 4, 2022 - Ukrainians in North Dakota: In Their Voices explores what it means to be both Ukrainian and American. We visit with Bill Palanuk of the Ukrainian Cultural Institute and State Librarian Mary Soucie. ~~~ News Director Dave Thompson has his weekly news debrief. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews Drive My Car.

Most of us are familiar with the hooting of great horned owls. But we hear them a lot more than we see them. It is amazing that they can stay so well hidden. But if you have an interest in seeing them, now might be a good time to begin looking for them in earnest. That is because they have started to nest, and the young should start hatching in about a month or so. With the deciduous trees still bare, the owls are about as observable as they get.

You may know by now that I am getting obsessive about my quest to discover and regenerate the ballads and balladry of the Great Plains. Many a dark morning I carry my coffee with me through digital portals into that world where the Canadian settlers of Emmons County are writing and singing their own homesteading ballad, or where picnicking Grangers are breaking into choruses of “The Farmer Is the Man.”

Just a few years ago—2018, by my notes—I was wondering what had happened to the English sparrows, a.k.a. house sparrows, that I had cussed for years as they cleaned out my bird feeders. A quick internet search disclosed that the sparrow disappearance was a global phenomenon, some sort of plague that had swept across Asia and Europe and North America. Not to worry, the sparrows are back now and as voracious as ever.

As most North Dakotan’s know, the Red River and its tributaries flow into Hudson Bay while the Missouri River and its tributaries flow into the Gulf of Mexico. It might surprise you but there are several major drainage basins in the state. The maps I have seen vary somewhat, but often place the Missouri Coteau within the Missouri River drainage and the Prairie Coteau and Turtle Mountain in the Hudson Bay drainage even though they are largely pothole country with closed drainage.

Today we’re launching a series examining how to retain teachers in North Dakota. North Dakota United Public Affairs Director Tom Gerhardt interviews Kari Nehls, a former Bismarck teacher with 15 years of experience, on her emotional decision to leave the profession she loves.

Thursday, March 3, 2022 - Yesterday there was a rally in support of Ukraine. Director of Radio Bill Thomas shares clips from organizers and participants. ~~~ Biologist Chuck Lura has a Natural North Dakota essay, Nesting Great Horned Owls. ~~~ For this week’s Main Street Eats, Sue Balcom visits with Diane Schmidt, longtime gardener and farmer’s market producer, and one of Sue’s mentors.

In the third installment in our series examining how to retain teachers in North Dakota, we hear from Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, the state’s largest association of public educators and employees.

North Dakota United Public Affairs Director Tom Gerhardt interviews Kari Nehls, a former Bismarck teacher with 15 years of experience, on her emotional decision to leave the profession she loves.

Thursday, March 10, 2022 - Next week is the Fargo Film Festival. We get a preview from Sean Volk, the Fargo Theatre Development and Engagement Manager. He visits with Prairie Pulse Host John Harris. ~~~ Tom Brosseau takes us to the Drayton Curling Club in an excerpt from the Great American Folk Show. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk Essay, The Obnoxious Character of the English Sparrow. ~~~ Sue Balcom is here with tips for getting a head start on gardening.