North Dakota

It’s Co-op Month!

Every October, National Cooperative Month recognizes the people and principles that make the cooperative business model unique. Electric cooperatives are part of that celebration.

For more than 90 years, North Dakota’s electric cooperatives, guided by people-first principles and a commitment to service over profit, have helped rural communities not only grow, but thrive. By meeting new challenges and seizing opportunities, electric cooperatives and their communities continue to prosper.

There is a lot to be excited about for North Dakota’s upcoming hunting season. Waterfowl and upland game hunting prospects look excellent, while moose, elk and bighorn sheep populations remain at or near record levels. And mule deer, white-tailed deer and pronghorn populations continue to recover following the devastating winter of 2022-23 and a staggering epizootic hemorrhagic disease outbreak in 2021.

What follows is a quick look into the hunting opportunities in North Dakota this fall.

Pheasants

Jeff Holzer scrolls through photos on his phone: a quiet country road, a dirt-floor room, colorful pots hanging above an open-fire kitchen and the concrete blocks of partially constructed walls.

“They’re building. They want a new structure, a new house up. They know power’s comin’,” says Holzer, the operations manager at Capital Electric Cooperative.

In November, Holzer will lead a group of 12 volunteers from North Dakota’s electric cooperatives to bring power to the agricultural community of San Luis Palo Grande in north central Guatemala.

While Christmas may seem like a long way off, it seems to sneak up on us every year. One day, you’re enjoying the changing colors and reaching for a warmer jacket. The next, the morning dew on your commute turns to ice. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is all over the radio. And you sound like Scrooge from “The Christmas Carol” as you realize, “Bah, humbug. The holiday season is already here.” Store aisles are full of shoppers looking for last-minute gifts and you’re forced to leave Christmas ham preparation to the wrong person.

BSC IS CAREER FOCUSED
Bismarck State College (BSC) delivers career-focused education “Done Right.”

Explore more than 100 affordable career pathways, including more than 15 bachelor’s degrees designed to help students graduate with little to no debt.

As students across the state settle in for another school year, North Dakota voters will decide whether to fund the food that fuels them.

If passed in the November general election, a constitutional measure brought forth by a citizen-led coalition – Together for School Meals – would require state funding for daily school meals. Measure 2 would provide one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day to every student enrolled in public schools and public charter schools. Private and tribal schools may also opt-in for the program.

Anyone who grew up watching “Tom and Jerry” understands the basics of a cat-and-mouse game. The cat devises a new scheme. The mouse finds a way around it. Then the chase begins again.

Before the military service or statewide public service, community service shaped Brian Kalk’s values.

Growing up in Bottineau, with a father employed by North Central Electric Cooperative, Kalk was inspired early to improve the quality of life for his neighbors. Cooperative values run deep in his story.
 

When North Dakotans vote in the Nov. 3 general election, they’ll decide more than who will represent them in office. They'll also vote on two proposed amendments to the North Dakota Constitution.

A constitutional measure proposes a change to the North Dakota Constitution. If approved by voters, the amendment becomes part of the state's governing document.

After spending decades of his life in public service, former Gov. Ed Schafer believes the future of American democracy depends less on what happens in Washington, D.C., and more on what happens between neighbors.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Schafer believes restoring civility can strengthen democracy. He says it begins around the kitchen table, in churches, community organizations and small towns, where people learn not only to understand differing opinions, but welcome them.