Plain Talk

It's no secret that the rise of the internet and social media has upended the news business. We've been talking about it for decades. But the industry isn't dying, as many like to say, so much as changing. People still want their news. They just want it in different ways, and the news industry is rising to meet that challenge. That's what Cecile Wehrman, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, had to say on this episode of Plain Talk. Part of that challenge is convincing people that local news is worth paying for, especially in a time of subscription fatigue, but some of the challenges are even more fundamental than that. Many news consumers don't want journalism so much as cherry-picked facts and commentary that affirm what they already believe, and even upstream from that is the problem that many Americans don't like reading. "The last time I checked overall grades, it was 44% are reading at grade level," Wehrman said, referring to numbers from North Dakota proficiency testing. "There are some schools in western North Dakota where that number is as low as 29%." "It's a long play, but we have to be concerned about people not even liking or wanting to read. I mean, it's that fundamental," she continued. "Aside from all of the other distractions and questions about who's paying and who isn't paying and where the news is coming from and all of those things, if people don't like to read, newspapers don't have anything for them. And that spells disaster for our future workforce, our society, for understanding who to vote for, whether our rights are being taken away. And I mean, it's just that bedrock of an issue." Also on this episode, my co-host Chad Oban and I discussed the terrible murder of right-wing organizer and commentator Charlie Kirk, and the terrible way his death has been turned into content for the influencer industry, and a new wedge to drive between Americans of differing political sentiments. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

It's no secret that the rise of the internet and social media has upended the news business. We've been talking about it for decades. But the industry isn't dying, as many like to say, so much as changing. People still want their news. They just want it in different ways, and the news industry is rising to meet that challenge. That's what Cecile Wehrman, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, had to say on this episode of Plain Talk. Part of that challenge is convincing people that local news is worth paying for, especially in a time of subscription fatigue, but some of the challenges are even more fundamental than that. Many news consumers don't want journalism so much as cherry-picked facts and commentary that affirm what they already believe, and even upstream from that is the problem that many Americans don't like reading. "The last time I checked overall grades, it was 44% are reading at grade level," Wehrman said, referring to numbers from North Dakota proficiency testing. "There are some schools in western North Dakota where that number is as low as 29%." "It's a long play, but we have to be concerned about people not even liking or wanting to read. I mean, it's that fundamental," she continued. "Aside from all of the other distractions and questions about who's paying and who isn't paying and where the news is coming from and all of those things, if people don't like to read, newspapers don't have anything for them. And that spells disaster for our future workforce, our society, for understanding who to vote for, whether our rights are being taken away. And I mean, it's just that bedrock of an issue." Also on this episode, my co-host Chad Oban and I discussed the terrible murder of right-wing organizer and commentator Charlie Kirk, and the terrible way his death has been turned into content for the influencer industry, and a new wedge to drive between Americans of differing political sentiments. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

In late June, terrible storms destroyed millions of dollars worth of property, and took lives in parts of the state around Enderlin, Spiritwood, and beyond. In late July, Gov. Kelly Armstrong issued a disaster declaration, asking President Donald Trump administration to release aid to the state. Weeks and weeks went by, until North Dakota's Federal delegation -- Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, and Rep. Julie Fedorchak -- sent their own letter to the Trump administration, indicating that state emergency funds had been depleted, and urging the president to act both on Armstrong's declaration for the June storms, and a more recent one from Sept. 2 related to tornadic storms in August. The Trump administration has been very slow in responding to these sorts of request, taking over a month on average compared to just a couple of weeks for previous administrations. And the declaration for the Enderlin/Spiritwood storm, in particular, took over 50 days before finally being acknowledged by Trump this week. "Look, it's absolutely shameful. You have a lot of Republican politicians failing a lot of Republican voters," state Rep. Zac Isa, the Minority Leader for the Democratic-NPL, said on this episode of Plain Talk (which was recorded before Trump finally acquiesced to Gov. Armstrong's request). "I take the back roads home from Bismarck and I drove through Page ,and Hunter, and the Arthur area. I saw the damage that windstorm did and and I can also look at electoral map," he continued. "I know there's a whole lot of Republican voters in that region. They expect Julie Fedorchak and John Hoeven and and Kevin Cramer to deliver, but those those guys are just rubber stamps for Trump. I mean, do they know there's ways to influence a president beyond kissing his ass all the time?" Ista argues the delegation could not"rubber stamp his policies until he authorizes a disaster relief for North Dakota." "It's just an absolute failure of any influence they might have," he continued. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode.

In late June, terrible storms destroyed millions of dollars worth of property, and took lives in parts of the state around Enderlin, Spiritwood, and beyond. In late July, Gov. Kelly Armstrong issued a disaster declaration, asking President Donald Trump administration to release aid to the state. Weeks and weeks went by, until North Dakota's Federal delegation -- Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, and Rep. Julie Fedorchak -- sent their own letter to the Trump administration, indicating that state emergency funds had been depleted, and urging the president to act both on Armstrong's declaration for the June storms, and a more recent one from Sept. 2 related to tornadic storms in August. The Trump administration has been very slow in responding to these sorts of request, taking over a month on average compared to just a couple of weeks for previous administrations. And the declaration for the Enderlin/Spiritwood storm, in particular, took over 50 days before finally being acknowledged by Trump this week. "Look, it's absolutely shameful. You have a lot of Republican politicians failing a lot of Republican voters," state Rep. Zac Isa, the Minority Leader for the Democratic-NPL, said on this episode of Plain Talk (which was recorded before Trump finally acquiesced to Gov. Armstrong's request). "I take the back roads home from Bismarck and I drove through Page ,and Hunter, and the Arthur area. I saw the damage that windstorm did and and I can also look at electoral map," he continued. "I know there's a whole lot of Republican voters in that region. They expect Julie Fedorchak and John Hoeven and and Kevin Cramer to deliver, but those those guys are just rubber stamps for Trump. I mean, do they know there's ways to influence a president beyond kissing his ass all the time?" Ista argues the delegation could not"rubber stamp his policies until he authorizes a disaster relief for North Dakota." "It's just an absolute failure of any influence they might have," he continued. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

When Pat Traynor, Gov. Kelly Armstrong's interim Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that excessive use of cell phones and other digital devices is "probably the biggest public health threat that we have," I wrote that he was wrong, and accused him of stoking a moral panic. Traynor came on today's episode of the Plain Talk podcast to talk about it, and said that our devices leave us "continuously distracted." Referring to North Dakota's law law circumscribing cell phone use in public schools, he wondered how studens can be effectively educated when in a "constant distractive state." Since cell phones aren't going away in our society any time soon, does a ban on their presence in schools help or hinder our ability to teach kids how to deal with them responsibly? Traynor says that part is up to families. "Remember there's 24 hours in a day. Just from a standpoint of, parents still control the environment within which their kids grow up. Values. Norms," he said. "For instance, when you have a family meal together, are you present? And that goes for us, goes for me, with my kids and everything of the sort. But you're in charge of your family structure, as a parent or with guardians and others that take care of children." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Kyler Collom, from The Dakotan, discussed the use of a religious litmus test in appointing state Rep. Kathy Skroch to replace former Rep. Cindy Schreiber-Beck in District 25, and the mounting controversy around a similar appointment process playing out in District 42, where Rep. Emily O'Brien resigned her seat to take a position in Armstrong's administration. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

When Pat Traynor, Gov. Kelly Armstrong's interim Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that excessive use of cell phones and other digital devices is "probably the biggest public health threat that we have," I wrote that he was wrong, and accused him of stoking a moral panic. Traynor came on today's episode of the Plain Talk podcast to talk about it, and said that our devices leave us "continuously distracted." Referring to North Dakota's law law circumscribing cell phone use in public schools, he wondered how studens can be effectively educated when in a "constant distractive state." Since cell phones aren't going away in our society any time soon, does a ban on their presence in schools help or hinder our ability to teach kids how to deal with them responsibly? Traynor says that part is up to families. "Remember there's 24 hours in a day. Just from a standpoint of, parents still control the environment within which their kids grow up. Values. Norms," he said. "For instance, when you have a family meal together, are you present? And that goes for us, goes for me, with my kids and everything of the sort. But you're in charge of your family structure, as a parent or with guardians and others that take care of children." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Kyler Collom, from The Dakotan, discussed the use of a religious litmus test in appointing state Rep. Kathy Skroch to replace former Rep. Cindy Schreiber-Beck in District 25, and the mounting controversy around a similar appointment process playing out in District 42, where Rep. Emily O'Brien resigned her seat to take a position in Armstrong's administration. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

A new North Dakota law which went into effect on August 1 states that "every regular meeting of a governing body of a city, county, township, school district, district park district, water resource district must include an opportunity for an individual to provide public comment." Over the last five years or so, school board meetings have become a flashpoint for the culture wars and other political battles, but in North Dakota and nationally. How does the state's school boards feel about this new public comment requirement? Amy De Kok, executive director of the North Dakota School Boards Association, says she doesn't see it having much impact. "Most of our school boards have little to no, you know, public attendance on at their regular meetings," she said, adding that "a large majority of our local school boards have been providing this opportunity to their community at the regular meetings for several years, some for more than a decade." While De Kok and her organization feel the legislation wasn't necessary, she argues it does some good in that it sets in law some limits on what sort of comment can take place. "What this bill does do that I think is positive is set some kind of guard rails for local our local boards, our local school boards and cities and counties and and whatnot to make sure that they can properly manage public comment," she said. The bill allows the government entities to which it applies to set time limits on comment, content limits (comments can be limited to only what's on a meeting's agenda), and it also allows them to prohibit any speech that's harassing or defamatory. She also said that, while school board meetings have been getting rowdy in recent years, things have "definitely calmed down since the pandemic." If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

A new North Dakota law which went into effect on August 1 states that "every regular meeting of a governing body of a city, county, township, school district, district park district, water resource district must include an opportunity for an individual to provide public comment." Over the last five years or so, school board meetings have become a flashpoint for the culture wars and other political battles, but in North Dakota and nationally. How does the state's school boards feel about this new public comment requirement? Amy De Kok, executive director of the North Dakota School Boards Association, says she doesn't see it having much impact. "Most of our school boards have little to no, you know, public attendance on at their regular meetings," she said, adding that "a large majority of our local school boards have been providing this opportunity to their community at the regular meetings for several years, some for more than a decade." While De Kok and her organization feel the legislation wasn't necessary, she argues it does some good in that it sets in law some limits on what sort of comment can take place. "What this bill does do that I think is positive is set some kind of guard rails for local our local boards, our local school boards and cities and counties and and whatnot to make sure that they can properly manage public comment," she said. The bill allows the government entities to which it applies to set time limits on comment, content limits (comments can be limited to only what's on a meeting's agenda), and it also allows them to prohibit any speech that's harassing or defamatory. She also said that, while school board meetings have been getting rowdy in recent years, things have "definitely calmed down since the pandemic." If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

"It's by far the most important race we've been in in the world." That's what Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "In my opinion, there's two countries that are racing forward to advance AI, to reach super intelligence, to reach AGI [artificial general intelligence], and it's the United States and it's China." Cummins says he wants the United States to win that race, which is why they're investing heavily in data center infrastructure across the country, including billions of dollars' worth of projects in North Dakota. But that push is not without some local headwinds. Opposition to one of their proposed data centers in Harwood, North Dakota, has manifested itself in some shouty public meetings, if not necessarily pushback from the larger public. One bone of contention has been nondisclosure agreements that his company had some local officials, including elected leaders, sign ahead of the Harwood project. Many (including this humble correspondent) have been critical of that move, but Cummins said it's a reality given the nature of their business as a publicly-traded company. "What I will say is there is no purpose to keep information away from the public that they need to have to be informed to know what's going on," he said. "These are typically things that we do prior to us launching a project or doing a project." There are two purposes of an NDA in this context. One is to protect the company's competitive information, since local officials get to tour facilities and learn details about building plans, but the other is to ensure that no illegal trading schemes emerge from the information shared. "So say we have the mayor and he's not steeped in public company rules and regulations, and he tells a couple of his friends or people that work around it or people that he's close with that this big new project could be coming," Cummins said, describing one possible scenarios. "And then they go and find our company, and they say, 'You know what? This is interesting. Maybe I'll buy their stock.' And then you have this issue of potentially violations in insider trading laws." Cummins defended the NDAs by saying they're part of promoting a clean project. "A lot of people who want to yell about, you know, that they're bought and paid for or were trying to hide something would be even happier if one of these guys got in trouble for a simple misstep on something that they didn't know about." And what about the claims that these power-hungry data centers will drive up power prices for North Dakotans? Cummins said that it won't be a problem, because North Dakota already produces far more power than it uses. "When you're a net power exporter and you start using power inside of your state, you just export less power, and so the power is already abundant." He said that at the company's facility in Ellendale, they're actually saving rate payers money, because their facility is allowing utilities to use capacity they were paying for but not utilizing. "With us adding 200 megawatts of load in Ellendale for the last 2 years, we have saved the MDU ratepayers 3.5 million in 2023 that was dispersed back to the ratepayers, and 5.7 million, I believe, in 2024. So we have two years of record of utilizing the infrastructure that's there. The utility makes more money and then shares that money back with its customers." Cummins said he wasn't sure if that would be the case with the Harwood facility, but he's not concerned about his company's power consumption driving up rates. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

"It's by far the most important race we've been in in the world." That's what Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "In my opinion, there's two countries that are racing forward to advance AI, to reach super intelligence, to reach AGI [artificial general intelligence], and it's the United States and it's China." Cummins says he wants the United States to win that race, which is why they're investing heavily in data center infrastructure across the country, including billions of dollars' worth of projects in North Dakota. But that push is not without some local headwinds. Opposition to one of their proposed data centers in Harwood, North Dakota, has manifested itself in some shouty public meetings, if not necessarily pushback from the larger public. One bone of contention has been nondisclosure agreements that his company had some local officials, including elected leaders, sign ahead of the Harwood project. Many (including this humble correspondent) have been critical of that move, but Cummins said it's a reality given the nature of their business as a publicly-traded company. "What I will say is there is no purpose to keep information away from the public that they need to have to be informed to know what's going on," he said. "These are typically things that we do prior to us launching a project or doing a project." There are two purposes of an NDA in this context. One is to protect the company's competitive information, since local officials get to tour facilities and learn details about building plans, but the other is to ensure that no illegal trading schemes emerge from the information shared. "So say we have the mayor and he's not steeped in public company rules and regulations, and he tells a couple of his friends or people that work around it or people that he's close with that this big new project could be coming," Cummins said, describing one possible scenarios. "And then they go and find our company, and they say, 'You know what? This is interesting. Maybe I'll buy their stock.' And then you have this issue of potentially violations in insider trading laws." Cummins defended the NDAs by saying they're part of promoting a clean project. "A lot of people who want to yell about, you know, that they're bought and paid for or were trying to hide something would be even happier if one of these guys got in trouble for a simple misstep on something that they didn't know about." And what about the claims that these power-hungry data centers will drive up power prices for North Dakotans? Cummins said that it won't be a problem, because North Dakota already produces far more power than it uses. "When you're a net power exporter and you start using power inside of your state, you just export less power, and so the power is already abundant." He said that at the company's facility in Ellendale, they're actually saving rate payers money, because their facility is allowing utilities to use capacity they were paying for but not utilizing. "With us adding 200 megawatts of load in Ellendale for the last 2 years, we have saved the MDU ratepayers 3.5 million in 2023 that was dispersed back to the ratepayers, and 5.7 million, I believe, in 2024. So we have two years of record of utilizing the infrastructure that's there. The utility makes more money and then shares that money back with its customers." Cummins said he wasn't sure if that would be the case with the Harwood facility, but he's not concerned about his company's power consumption driving up rates. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive