Community & Culture – Page 5 – TheMinotVoice.com

Do you know the difference between a street, a road, and a stroad? Hint: it’s the reason your taxes are high

by: Josh Wolsky | January 22, 2023

Do you know the difference between a street and a road? A street is a part of an ecosystem for building community wealth and prosperity. A road connection between places. A stroad is a mash-up of the two ideas that fails in both areas. This idea — the differences between streets and roads, comes from

Read & Share sourced from: Strong Towns

Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, Dilworth, and Horace Team Up for Fargo area State of the Cities Event

by: Josh Wolsky | January 22, 2023

The mayors of Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, Dilworth, and Horace gathered up for a joint ‘State of the Cities’ event recently. They teased exciting projects in the works, including some Fargo Dome news, and talked about the good things happening in their respective communities. Get the full story on what’s happening in the Fargo area

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

How This Engineer Is Bringing Biodiversity Back Into Our Cities Through Living Walls

by: Josh Wolsky | January 22, 2023

The Japanese term shinrin-yoku translates closely as ‘forest bathing’; it was born from the idea that emersion in a natural setting is good for us — mind and body. Unfortunately, the reality of urban environments and busy schedules can make it difficult to practice. But what if we could bring the natural setting closer to

Read & Share sourced from: Forbes

Why Are People in the US Becoming Radicalized?

by: Josh Wolsky | January 22, 2023

What makes a person slip from being passionate, but reasonable, to radicalized and unreasonable? It’s a question many across the country are asking because, in the U.S., the rate of radicalization is on the increase, more so than in other developed countries. The answers are still evolving, and they’re coming mostly by looking back and

Read & Share sourced from: WIRED

Dakota Gardener: You have to try this tomato

by: Tom Kalb | January 21, 2023

A friend in a community garden walked over to me. “You have to try this tomato,” she said. I was intrigued. “What’s so special about it?” I replied. “Just taste it,” she said. I looked at it. It was a golden cherry tomato. I had never seen a golden tomato before. It did not look

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To Smudge or Not To Smudge Tests Campus Policies and Inclusivity

by: Josh Wolsky | January 21, 2023

Smudging is the ceremonial practice of burning sacred herbs; it’s common in Native American traditions and rituals. Similar practices, at least in appearance if not name, take place in Catholic masses, too. And the practice recently made news in North Dakota when a powwow on the campus of the University of Mary welcomed visitors with

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Relocation Programs Continue to Grow in Numbers in Rural America

by: Josh Wolsky | January 20, 2023

One story down in our home page news feed, you’ll read about Finding the Good Life in North Dakota, it’s our state’s effort at telling the story that will attract people to fill all the open jobs that are holding our economy back. But North Dakota isn’t the only place playing this game. Other states,

Read & Share sourced from: The Daily Yonder

ND Communities rely on local champions to attract workers

by: Josh Wolsky | January 20, 2023

Have you found the good life in North Dakota? If so, how did you find it? If you’re from here, you were probably taught where to find it, but what if you’re a transplant? In a manner of speaking, that’s the question the Department of Commerce is asking, and to answer it, they’re putting local

Read & Share sourced from: North Dakota News Cooperative

Minnesota lawmakers advance universal school lunch bill

by: Josh Wolsky | January 20, 2023

Another North Dakota neighbor is contemplating keeping kids fed while they’re at school. Last week we pointed you to a similar story out of Montana, this week the source is Minnesota. And the rationale behind the legislative bills is similar — school performance, shame and stigma attached to taking support from current programs and methods.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Road salts washing into the river, damaging ecosystems and pipes

by: Josh Wolsky | January 20, 2023

“There’s pretty good evidence that if we continue to use salt at the rate we do now, it’s going to be detrimental to the rivers and lakes eventually.” That’s the comment of Ryan Westphal, the Facilities Director for La Crosse County, Wisconsin, on the long-standing practice of dumping salt on almost any amount of snow.

Read & Share sourced from: Wisconsin Watch

North Dakota House passes bill for Renaissance Zone reentry

by: Josh Wolsky | January 19, 2023

The state law authorizing Renaissance Zones was first passed in 2001, and at the time, it didn’t account for a time in the future in which a city with lapsed participation in the program — due to changing political fortunes — might want to rejoin. Well, the law is headed for an update, and it’s

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

New Ken Burns film on buffalo includes Indigenous voices from North Dakota.

by: Josh Wolsky | January 18, 2023

The news was released recently; the film will be released in October, and it’s about a story very much at the heart of North Dakota. The filmmaker is Ken Burns, the topic is the story of the American buffalo and its journey to near extinction and back again. The full news release from PBS is

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Regina City Committee Confronts Hypocrisy of Their Own City Center Development Priority

by: Josh Wolsky | January 18, 2023

Regina’s City Council is taking steps to intentionally target development in the city’s core neighborhoods. And in a committee meeting this week, they raised some hard questions, like, if they’re trying to target core development city center, why are they incentivizing development in the greenfield areas? Why does it matter in Minot? We could ask

Read & Share sourced from: Regina Leader Post

County Commission Acts on Ag Land Tax Increases, SW Minot Bypass Advance, and Recreation Trail

by: Josh Wolsky | January 18, 2023

An agricultural land tax increase, the bypass for SW Minot, and the recreational trail between Minot and Burlington were all topics for the Ward County Commission on Tuesday. The commission voted to increase ag land tax, the SW bypass is moving toward a feasibility study, and the recreational trail is going to get some improvements.

Read & Share sourced from: The Dakotan

World’s oldest runestone found in Norway, archaeologists believe

by: Josh Wolsky | January 17, 2023

A remarkable rock was found in a grave field west of Oslo recently. Known as a runestone, it’s the writing and the date that makes it special, and this one is really special because it may be the oldest example yet discovered of writing and the runic alphabet in Scandinavia. Get the full story on

Read & Share sourced from: ScienceNorway.no

Ehh, What Did These Wise Guys Know Anyways?

by: Jim Maxson | January 17, 2023

Our nation’s founding fathers were in search of perfection in an imperfect world. The American experiment, although flawed as is any other human endeavor, is something that has had immeasurable benefit for those of us who are lucky enough to live in this country. Separation of church and state is one of their lasting legacies.

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