Main Street

Monday, May 29, 2023 - What is progress? Where do our ideas about progress come from? How come progress looks different from one person to the next? We explore the topic in this month's Philosophical Currents with philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein. ~~~ For Memorial Day, we hear memories of times on service from veterans on their experience and remembering their fallen comrades. Max Sabin interviews North Dakota native Randy Weimer about his service as a navigator on B-52s in Vietnam at the Fargo Air Museum. We also share a Tell Tale: Dakota Folklife and Stories with Donovan Pic.

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - Should and how should AI be regulated? It’s advancing fast, and some suggest it’s showing signs of human reasoning. It’s already affecting our lives in ways that we’re unaware. Jeremy Straub is assistant professor in the department of computer science and the director of the NDSU Institute for Cyber Security Education and Research. ~~~ North Dakota tourism director Sara Otte Coleman. ~~~ An essay from Jessie Veeder: When I Grow Up.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - From the UND Institute of Energy studies, we visit with senior research manager Nolan Theaker. ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay about landscaping and gardening with native plants. ~~~ Journalist Mona Gable joins us to talk about her book, Searching for Savanna. ~~~ "Poetry from Studio 47" profile on poet Bruce Roseland.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - UND offers a major in forensic science, and here to tell us more Nicolette Ras, Class of 2023 pre-med student and Forensic Science graduate; and Dr. Lavinia Iancu, assistant professor and director of the Forensic Science Program at UND. ~~~ Drift Prairie Brewing is now officially open in Jamestown. Sabrina Hornung takes us there. ~~~ Hear from Marine veteran Robert Moore on TellTale, Dakota Folklife and Stories.

Monday, May 22, 2023 - The 37th annual Dakota Cowboy Poetry Gathering is coming up on May 27 and 28. It's a celebration of an art form that is both touching and hilarious. Besides the poetry, there's western songs and a western art and photo show. We visit with one of the emcees, Merrill Piepkorn, and poet and rancher D.W. Groethe of Bainville, MT. ~~~ Horticulturist Ron Smith stops in to offer some lawn and garden advice.

Friday, May 19, 2023 - The OB third floor is perhaps the most significant healthcare improvement achieved by the new Trinity Hospital in Minot. We continue our tour of the facility with Dr. Jeffrey Sather. ~~~ May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a good time to check in with Dr. Jon Ulven, Sanford Health Psychologist. He’s John Harris’s guest in an excerpt from Prairie Pulse. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” ~~~ BirdNote explores the instrumental sounds made by birds.

Thursday, May 18, 2023 - Fargo’s Marshall Johnson has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. He joins us to discuss his new appointment and his work with Audubon. ~~~ Keeping on the avian theme, we have a BirdNote titled Habitat Defined. ~~~ We continue our tour of the new Trinity Hospital in Minot with a look at the 14 operating room spaces and recovery suites. ~~~ We learn about The Old School Center & Teachers Lounge in Fortuna, North Dakota.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America is a new book from Dr. Gregory Smithers, a history professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. We visit about the role of Two Spirits in Native populations. ~~~ We continue our tour of the new Trinity Hospital in Minot, stopping by the emergency room. We’ll also learn about the facility’s role as a teaching hospital. Craig Blumenshine visits with ER physician Dr. Jeffrey Sather. ~~~ NDSU history professor Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay titled “Husband Come Home.”

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 - Main Street visits Trinity Health’s new hospital in southwest Minot as it prepares to open. Main Street talks with Trinity Health vice president Randy Schwan and Dr. Jeffrey Sather. ~~~ Jessica Runck was born and raised on a farm in rural North Dakota, but the love of acting and writing took her to Los Angeles. She joins us to discuss the writers' strike.

Monday, May 15, 2023 - Maggie Tokuda-Hall declined Scholastic’s offer to license her book, “Love in the Library,” after the company insisted that she remove her author’s note about past and present instances of racism. ~~~ A BirdNote feature about birds that can drink on the fly. ~~~ Have you ever thought of foraging for food? For many people, it’s an enjoyable hobby, and they’ll soon be out scrounging for the early wild harvest. We visit with Minnesota chef Alan Bergo, the author of "The Forager Chef's Book of Flora."