Robinson, Rugby both feel confident as continental centers

This is unilaterally voted by the editor of The Minot Voice as the most important North Dakota news story of 2017. Read and enjoy.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Diversifying an oil and gas economy in Carlsbad, NM

Carlsbad, New Mexico — it’s a city with more than a few similarities to Minot. Notably, it’s fortunes also rise and fall with the price of oil. It’s a cycle that’s led community leaders and business owners alike if there aren’t better ways to build a sustainable livelihood and economy. Sound familiar? As a solution,

Read & Share   sourced from: Associated Press

Tax & Spend or Borrow & Spend? Or Reject the Premise?

I am very possibly of the minority when it comes to public opinion, but nonetheless in the mainstream with the opinions of the majority of credible economists. If there are tax reductions by Congress, it will in all probability stimulate the economy at least over the short term. A tax decrease would also be popular

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Why North Dakotans should welcome diversity

A couple months back, the Forum editorial staff took aim at the idea of diversity within our culture. The final paragraph, sums on a set of strong arguments. “Easy to overlook, these are reminders that we should celebrate our increasing ethnic and social diversity, not seek to wind back the clock and pretend that we

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Winnipeg talks trash — expects few problems with new garbage collectors

In ‘socialized’ Canada, we see an unexpected example of business-focused privatization. Here in North Dakota’s larger cities, municipal trash pick up is the exclusive territory of government. In Winnipeg, the model is the opposite. Trash pick-up is served by private contractors who provide services based on contracts let by the City. It’s a worthwhile perspective

Read & Share   sourced from: Winnipeg Free Press

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A retired army general offers four tips for cultivating strong leaders

In government, in business, in athletics, and in our culture — it doesn’t matter the field, the need for leadership is inexhaustible. So, how do we grow a new supply that’s at the ready when we need it? Here’s one framework with four simple pillars.

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

North Dakota’s Top Correction Officer Learns from Norwegian Example

It’s not often you’ll find a ‘Mother Jones’ article referenced on The Minot Voice. The reporting there makes many North Dakotan’s angry because we quickly draw adversarial lines opposed to their editorial positions. But occasionally, they cover a story that’s worthy of consideration. This is one of those examples. North Dakota’s top corrections officers took

Read & Share   sourced from: Mother Jones

Endangered butterfly shows trouble is waiting in the wings

The thing about losing a species — no matter how seemingly small and insignificant — is it’s a signal that something in the system is going awry. And when one of those species plays the role of a pollinator, the cascade effect becomes harder to quantify. The northern prairies are home to several endangered butterflies;

Read & Share   sourced from: Winnipeg Free Press

Public servants to go on blind coffee dates for innovation

What does innovation in government look like? In Victoria, Australia, it’s as simple as going for coffee. What matters is who is doing the going, and when it’s two public servants who typically live in separate silos, the results can be transformative. The exciting part for those living in Victoria is this is just one

Read & Share   sourced from: The Mandarin

Guns N’ Roses Covered by Traditional Finnish Band

Well, traditional Finnish band may be a stretch. But the instruments at least look traditional. The band is Steve ‘N’ Seagulls. The song is “You Could Mine” originally by Guns N’ Roses. And this isn’t the first look at these guys on The Minot Voice. The “November Rain” cover was perhaps more remarkable. And that

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A Remote Chinese Province Uses Its Climate To Grow A Big-Data Industry

What does a Southwest China have in common with North Dakota? A cool climate, cheap energy, and a steady wind. Why should we care? Because the Guizhou province of China has built a data storage industry around their natural assets. As we take up the conversation about building a sustainable economy here in Minot, perhaps we

Read & Share   sourced from: NPR

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Small towns find ways to keep grocery stores going

It’s been said that schools are the heart of small towns, and if that’s the case, it may be that grocery stores are the centers of commerce. And as rural North Dakota demographics change, some small towns are finding creative ways to keep their local grocery stores afloat. Check out the story from the West

Read & Share   sourced from: West Fargo Pioneer

Rural Youth Chase Big-City Dreams

Out-migration of young people from the prairie is not a new phenomenon. Growing up here in the 80’s and 90’s, I can attest to the fact that North Dakota youth have been hearing about this problem going back at least 30 years. This past summer, Dante Chinni with The Wall Street Journal did a feature

Read & Share   sourced from: Wall Street Journal

Entrepreneurial Administration as a Goal for Public Administration

“On the conventional telling, public agencies follow specific grants of regulatory authority, use the traditional tools of notice-and-comment rulemaking and adjudication, and are checked by judicial review. In reality, however, effective administration depends on entrepreneurial leadership that spearheads policy experimentation and trial-and-error problem-solving, including the development of regulatory programs that use non-traditional tools.”

Read & Share   sourced from: GovLab

How we recruited over 50 candidates to run for office in Greenwich, Connecticut

Here in North Dakota, most readers of this article will need to withhold judgment after reading the first sentence. If you can do that, you’ll read an inspired call to action to get serious about local government and civic engagement. There’s little we can do to shape the larger, divisive political rhetoric, but locally, there

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Growth in Mandan brings uptick in crime

One of the common gripes heard around Minot is related to the uptick in crime. But the problem isn’t unique to Minot. One hundred miles south of us in Mandan, the population has grown dramatically since the last census. And along with it, there’s been an increase in crime and a need to add new

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune