harvey brock

Last week, I attended the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan. I made the same trip in 2013 and, to put it mildly, this trip was far different than two years ago. Oil Patch towns have grown substantially and builders in Watford City, Williston and Sidney,...

The North Dakota House of Representatives voted 87-5 Thursday to approve House Bill 1264, which exempts video taken by a law enforcement officer or a firefighter with a body camera or similar device taken in a private place from public records. The Senate passed the bill 45-0 last...

Article 15 amendment of the U.S. Constitution says: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Nowhere does it say that voting will be...

Let me begin by saying that I love babies as much as the next guy. But I think Senate Bill 2165 is wrong on so many fronts. The nuts and bolts of the bill is that the state would put $5,000 of money into a bank for every new baby born every year. The bank would then manage the money...

With apologies to Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm, here is a silly fairy tale for your review: Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a land not so far away, there was a kingdom that had strayed from the dream of its founders. The kingdom was a mess, as its rulers...

Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, students in the state must pass a 100-question civics test in order to graduate from high school. The test will demonstrate their knowledge of U.S. politics, government, geography and history in order for them to earn a diploma. Gov.

There is nothing like New Year’s to make you feel nostalgic and truly old. Thirty years ago, midnight was closer to halfway of my holiday celebration than the end. I can’t thank the folks enough who decided that New Year’s Day should be a holiday from work, most of which...

Like most kids of the early ’60s, I lived as much for Saturday morning commercials as I did for the cartoons they interrupted. My generation didn’t hang out at the mall and you seldom went to a store. My Christmas wish list was really just that a wish list made up of fantasizing...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays; and, no, it is not because there is a lot of food and pie.

The Dickinson Press has won two prestigious awards at a national newspaper contest. The daily publication took home the Community Leadership Award for newspapers with a circulation of 10,000 or less at the Inland Daily Press Association’s annual contest. This award is only given...

The first time I stepped in to a voting booth was the fall of 1974 in Tucson, and yes there were actually voting booths prior to the disco and Saturday Night Fever. On the ballot that day were former presidential candidates and Arizona political giants Barry Goldwater and Mo Udall...

The first of November is next Saturday, and it’s time for no-shave November. Last year, fed up with shaving drudgery every morning, I decided to forgo the razor for a month to raise awareness and money for the American Cancer Society. I pledged $100 for the luxury of not shaving...

One Sunday, years ago, I was sitting in church listening to the sermon and honestly was more focused on what the afternoon held than what he was preaching. Pastor Reiner said something that caught my attention and, looking back, had a profound effect on my life. The pastor said a...

I tried to imagine sitting down at the kitchen table to discuss household finances, and I began by stating our budget this year is probably going to be about 10 times higher than usual. After reviving my spouse with smelling salts, I would calmly explain that there are just a lots...