Main Street

Friday, September 16, 2022 - “Who Cares: A Nurse's Fight for Equity” features Whitney Fear, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she, her family and other members of the Oglala Lakota Nation struggled to survive. It was filmed in Fargo and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Whitney joins us to discuss the issues raised in the film. ~~~ Dave Thompson is here for our weekly news chat. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews the new Pinocchio movie.

Thursday, September 15, 2022 - A recent report from the C.D.C. says the life expectancy nationally for Native Americans dropped by nearly 7 years from 2019 to 2021. While Covid was largely to blame, other factors are present. Here to discuss the problem and how North Dakota’s indigenous community is faring is Dr. Donald Warne of the Department of Indigenous Health at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences at UND. ~~~ Historian Tom Isern has this week’s Plains Folk essay, “The Dakota Herd Law.” ~~~ Sue Balcom is discussing ways to preserve your harvest as she joins us for Main Street Eats.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - Air travel has become quite a challenge on occasion. Like many businesses, the airlines have struggled with staffing shortages that have led to canceled flights and even the closing of some regional airports. Meanwhile, one way to speed up your experience at the airport is to sign up for TSA Precheck. Here to talk air travel is Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of the airport in Fargo. ~~~ After 15 years of living in China, Michael Standaert, a journalist, and author, returns to the US as an enterprise Journalist for the North Dakota News Cooperative. Alicia Hegland-Thorpe visits with Michael about his travels abroad and what it means to be an enterprise journalist.

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 - We get a preview of the Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival from Shawn Cotter, the festival’s programming director; and Sean Coffman of “The Human Family,” the organization responsible for the festival. ~~~ Another effort that examines life in the gay community is the Red River Rainbow Seniors oral history project called “Breaking Barriers: Harvesting LGBTQ Stories on the Northern Plains.” Excerpts from that project have been edited by our staff and made available as a podcast. Today we share another episode as Tony Christensen is interviewed by Robert Stone in a conversation from 2018.

Monday, September 12, 2022 - Chairman Mark Fox of the Three Affiliated Tribes visits with Alicia Hegland-Thorpe at the UTTC Tribal Leaders Summit. Chairman Fox is a new inductee into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor. ~~~ BirdNote has been a regular feature on Prairie Public, and we occasionally include it during Main Street. To learn more about this educational feature, we visit with Executive Director Nick Bayard.

Friday, September 9, 2022 - Alicia Hegland-Thorpe stopped by the UTTC Tribal Leaders Summit & Trade Show. We’ll be sharing a number of interviews from her visit, and we start today with a conversation about the North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance as Alicia visits with Tamara St John, historian for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, NDNTA board member and South Dakota legislator; and Les Thomas, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians tourism consultant and vice president of the NDNTA. ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay about the shaggy mane mushroom. ~~~ Dave Thompson is here for a discussion of the latest headlines. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “The Invitation.”

Thursday, September 8, 2022 - Sugar-related illnesses continue to rise as Americans consume more sweets than ever. Here to discuss how sugar contributes to poor health and how we can ditch the habit is Julie Gatza, doctor of chiropractic and co-founder of the Florida Wellness Institute. ~~~ Horticulturist Ron Smith is here with early fall lawn and garden tips. ~~~ With colder weather on the way, Sue Balcom explains the difference between a frost and a freeze, and what those mean for your plants.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 - We hear a story about two Montana families whose conflicts did much to shape the politics and economy of modern Montana. Bill Vaughn tells that story in “The Last Heir,” recounting twelve decades of triumphs and tragedies. He visits with Lauren Korn, host of The Write Question. ~~~ Music host Scott Prebys previews this weekend’s production of Die Fledermaus in a visit with Kenneth Bowles, vice president of the Western Plains Opera in Minot. ~~~ Tom Isern has a Plains Folk essay titled “The True Character of the Plains.”

Excerpts from Studs Terkel's "Working" Tapes; the President and Vice President of the North Dakota AFL-CIO.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 - Ashley visits with Deanna Raybourn, the author of "Killers of a Certain Age," a twisty, hilarious novel. ~~~ United Tribes Technical College is hosting hundreds of tribal leaders and citizens for the annual Tribal Leaders Summit and thousands more for the annual International Powwow. Alicia Hegland-Thorpe visits with United Tribes Technical College president Dr. Leander McDonald.