opinion

I recently saw the article June 27 in The Jamestown Sun about the clean up carried out by the Jamestown chapter of the United Sportsmen of North Dakota at the Pipestem Rifle Range. I was pleased to see that it is in good hands. I live in California but also have a house in Jamestown....

North Dakotans should not cheer too loudly about the decline in youth binge drinking, as reported last week by the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The rate fell from 41.5 percent in 2001 to 21.9 percent last year. That’s a significant decline, but it still puts North Dakota...

The nine days that many Jamestown residents dread, the yearly fireworks bombardment, has come to an end. Some liken Jamestown to a “war zone.” Others leave the city to avoid it. Sadly, the rest of us suffer through it. That’s because our City Council, with the exception of Councilman...

Minnesota’s new medical marijuana law is intentionally and appropriately narrow. Those who truly need the beneficial compounds in cannabis will be able to get it, not by smoking but by ingesting pills or liquid, just like other medications. The law is written tightly enough to discourage...

LONDON - Exploring for oil and gas is like gambling: it's all about playing probabilities, and using technology and skill to improve the odds. Until a well is bored into the ground - possibly thousands of feet below the surface, at a cost of millions or even tens of millions...

Columnist Lloyd Omdahl missed key points with his recent piece, “Plans for Legacy Fund deserve statewide input,” that was published June 23 in The Jamestown Sun. Omdahl wrote about North Dakota’s oil and gas Legacy Fund and an independent ongoing statewide project, the Legacy...

President Barack Obama has come and gone. While on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation south of Bismarck, he gave a message of encouragement to all of the residents in Indian Country. He promised a better future for Native American children by breaking down the old cycles that...

Congratulations, South Dakotans. You’re wasting less money on gambling. That’s bad news to some observers, since a big chunk of the money that South Dakotans lose while gambling goes to state government. Through June 14, the state’s total take this year from video lottery,...

In response to Steve Eckman’s letter to the editor in Wednesday’s Jamestown Sun: For many years, the Fourth of July fireworks display was put on solely by Jamestown Speedway. It was the Speedway’s fireworks show, not a city- or community-sponsored show. The Speedway scheduled...

The letter, “Fireworks display organizers should consider everyone,” that was published Wednesday in The Jamestown Sun gives an opportunity for an important and timely discussion of our rights and privileges as Americans, which we celebrate especially on the Fourth of July. It...

The Jamestown Sun hands out these bravos and buffalo chips this week: * Buffalo chip to the people littering at the Pipestem Rifle Range. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the governmental entity that owns the Pipestem land, could shut the range down due to the condition people are...

Diversion Authority Chairman Darrell Vanyo’s testimony to the Water Topics Overview Committee June 24 prompted some concerns of the veracity of his testimony. Vanyo said the Diversion Authority does support distributed storage throughout the Red River Valley. Unfortunately this...

Independence Day reminds us to honor the men and women in U.S. armed services who dedicated their lives to protecting our country. As Americans take the time to celebrate our nation’s independence with friends and family, the U.S. military is ready to serve and protect our great...

The Fourth of July brings with it fireworks. If you plan to use them, make safety a priority. If children are using them, make sure they’re using age-appropriate fireworks and being supervised by an adult. The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services offers these tips to be...

I have just received word that Jamestown will not have the public fireworks display on July 4. This is not the only Fourth of July without a public display. I remember driving out to the Stutsman County Fairgrounds with my family to enjoy the display a few years back. My family and...