Today is the six year anniversary of the Galleria fire. It is difficult to believe it was six years ago, I can recall so many of the moments in the week after the fire like they were yesterday - they are burned into my soul. I still remember watching the fire in disbelief as multiple fire [...]
Let me say at the outset that I do not draw conclusions about the actions of law enforcement officers from videos posted on social media. I learned long ago that it is prudent to wait to hear all the facts before coming to any conclusion about whether an officer's actions were lawful and justified. The split-second decisions [...]
When I was young, October meant one thing to me - Halloween. As I got older, I came to also view October as the month of my mother's birthday. After my mother died in 2002, I came to view October as a month in which I memorialized my mother. In 2010, I came to know [...]
One of my favorite business-based community initiatives comes from Bell State Bank & Trust and Bell Mortgage. The initiative, Pay It Forward, which was started in 2008 by Michael Solberg (now the President and CEO of the Bell State Bank & Trust and Bell Mortgage), has resulted in over $4.1 million being given to individuals, [...]
Today I am sharing with you a correspondence that was forwarded to me by my lovely friend Katherine Tweed who aside from being a fabulous person has community service hardwired into her soul. The correspondence comes from Erin Prochnow the Executive Director of YWCA Cass Clay and is a plea for help. I hope that [...]
I was scheduled to speak to members of the Fargo West Rotary today about emergency management. I find it ironic - along the lines of Alanis Morissette's song Ironic - that I am not speaking because of a blizzard that has caused widespread closures and activity cancellations in the area. I think Mother Nature delights [...]
Today my little NDSU team participated in the Chili Cook-Off sponsored by the Sheltering Churches Project. We had an all female team and the three students who joined me - Tamara Nelson, Cari Oye, and Katie Schulz - did an incredible job! Tamara brought a huge crock pot of her secret family recipe chili and [...]
THE NEW FORTY 