Integrity & Fair Play – Page 2

Grand Forks School Board members discuss future of Central High School swimming pool

by: Josh Wolsky | January 27, 2023

The Grand Forks school district is losing it’s home for Central High School swim teams, and they’re looking at a partnership with the Grand Forks Park District to solve the problem. The GF Park District is exploring development of a community aquatics center; the extension of a .75% sales tax is the proposed funding source.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

How a Country Embraced the River It Feared

by: Josh Wolsky | January 26, 2023

Few places fight floods as well as the Netherlands, but when it comes to their flood defenses, it’s the ocean-side efforts that get the attention. Lesser known is the degree to which they are innovatively managing their inland flooding risk from the River Waal. While no two rivers and no two floods are exactly alike,

Read & Share sourced from: Reasons To Be Cheerful

Brandon Manitoba Prioritizes Global citizenship, It’s Making a Difference

by: Josh Wolsky | January 26, 2023

For almost three decades, our prairie neighbors to the North in Brandon have been making a point to think globally and act locally. It’s more than a call to action, it’s a call to decency. And one citizen is selected annually and recognized. It’s a small award for a big idea, you can learn more

Read & Share sourced from: Brandon Sun

Brandon Citizens weigh in loudly at last chance to prevent a costly infrastructure project

by: Josh Wolsky | January 26, 2023

In the second story from Brandon in today’s news feed, you can read about a level of community engagement we do not commonly see in Minot. The City of Brandon proposed spending ~$30 million on new lift stations. The public showed up in force, and they weren’t shy with their opinions. They didn’t like the

Read & Share sourced from: Brandon Sun

Billings enters the design phase for a downtown street conversion project

by: Josh Wolsky | January 24, 2023

Designs for a downtown Billings makeover are underway. A big part of the project includes a traffic conversion from 1-way streets to 2-way streets that are safer for pedestrians and better for commerce. What’s especially interesting is how Billings plans to pay for the improvements; it’s with a Tax Increment Financing District (TIF). Why does

Read & Share sourced from: Billings Gazette

Minneapolis artists getting attention with their immersive art in Detroit Lakes

by: Josh Wolsky | January 23, 2023

If you saw a caveman in a block of ice sitting on the corner of the road, it would probably get your attention right? And what if it was sitting little ways down a trail, would it get you to go for a walk to see it? If you’re going through Detroit Lakes anytime soon,

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

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

Why private flood insurance is a positive for FHA-secured mortgages

by: Josh Wolsky | January 21, 2023

The risk of required and rising flood insurance premiums offered by the National Flood Insurance Program has been a proverbial gun to Minot’s head over the past several years. And one problem has been the Federal government’s insistence on using the NFIP for FHA-backed mortgages. It’s a policy that keeps the private insurance market from

Read & Share sourced from: Dallas Morning News

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

Grand Forks County Commission members consider establishing county administrator position

by: Josh Wolsky | January 19, 2023

In the election last November, Grand Forks County residents approved a home rule charter measure; it authorizes the creation of a County Administrator position, and the County Commissioners are considering it. In Grand Forks, though, it’s largely a renaming act. The administration of the County has long been in the hands of a ‘Director of

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

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

Souris-Glenwood Manitoba seeks place health-care workers can stay

by: Josh Wolsky | January 18, 2023

For communities in need of essential workers, all solutions are on the table. And across the border in Manitoba, the small town of Souris needs healthcare workers. They also need places for them to stay. So they’re putting the two problems together to see if they can solve them jointly. Deliver the housing to help

Read & Share sourced from: Brandon Sun

North Dakota House advances bill banning ‘sanctuary’ cities

by: Josh Wolsky | January 18, 2023

A bill that would prohibit North Dakota towns and cities from making policies related to immigration enforcement passed the ND House recently. Jeremy Turley with Inforum has the full story that includes no evidence of any North Dakota towns or cities actually considering laws or policies this bill will prevent.

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

There’s a Right Way and A Wrong Way to Do Government Accountability

by: Josh Wolsky | January 16, 2023

The recall of an elected official is organizing in Bismarck. And then there’s the Capitol riot that took place on January 6, 2020. They’re both examples of citizens exerting power over their government, but they are not the same. Rob Port has commentary on the differences and why they matter in the article linked below.

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Meet The Property Entrepreneurs Solving The Dilemma Of Derelict Homes

by: Josh Wolsky | January 16, 2023

In Minot, it took nearly a decade following the 2011 flood to deal with the abandoned and derelict homes that resulted. It was a problem on many levels from community morale to safety. But it’s not just disasters we have to worry about, many circumstances lead to a lack of care and maintenance that can

Read & Share sourced from: Forbes

Petition Reform Bill Hopes to Put a Damper on Fraudulent Signors and Petitioners

by: Josh Wolsky | January 15, 2023

Over North Dakota’s recent political past, we’ve had no shortage of stories related to petition fraud. It’s the price we’ve paid with a state law that has historically relied more on honor than teeth. This legislative session may change that. Rob Port has the news and commentary on the bipartisan-sponsored House Bill 1230 that’s intended

Read & Share sourced from: InForum