“Mail call!”
A voice rings out in a banquet room where more than 100 veterans are passing around stories of their military service. Their feet are tired from the journey that started before dawn at the Bismarck airport. But their minds and memories are youthful again in this space of shared experience and unspoken understanding. Murmurs of delight follow the mail delivery from table to table, a tradition on the Western ND Honor Flight journey.
Fear.
Joan McKinzey knows it well. She knows it can stop time. She knows it can take root in your memory, keeping you from ever moving forward. She knows because a violent attack while walking home from a party in the 1970s nearly killed her. But the fear from that attack might have done worse.
“I’m sure he thought I was already dead,” McKinzey remembers.
Although she was stabbed multiple times and suffered a collapsed lung, she managed to escape her attacker and run to a neighbor’s house. The neighbor called an ambulance.
 Scan this QR code to find a full photo gallery from the September Western ND Honor Flight or click the link here: https://www.ndliving.com/wnd-honor-flight-10-photo-ga |
This fall, Chase Dauenhauer will wake up each morning in his home off Bismarck’s River Road to the idyllic view of orange pumpkins streaming through his yard. His neighbor, Dave Pearce, knows the scene well. Every September through October for 43 years, it marked the start of a meaningful day’s work.
Children dance below the stage at the Washington Elementary School in Minot, skipping in circles and clapping wildly after every song while their parents watch from the sidelines.
On stage, four high schoolers in sequin hair stickers and star freckles, play songs new and old for their audience, from Chappell Roan’s viral hit “Pink Pony Club” to classic tunes from times before.
After spending decades of his life in public service, former Gov. Ed Schafer believes the future of American democracy depends less on what happens in Washington, D.C., and more on what happens between neighbors.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Schafer believes restoring civility can strengthen democracy. He says it begins around the kitchen table, in churches, community organizations and small towns, where people learn not only to understand differing opinions, but welcome them.
As part of its commitment to informing voters, North Dakota Living introduces readers to candidates seeking statewide office.
For the 2026 general election, North Dakota Living asked candidates in certain statewide races, including the U.S. House of Representatives and North Dakota Public Service Commission, to respond to two questions.
Besides the statewide races highlighted in this issue, voters will see legislative, county and local races on their ballots Nov. 3.
This summer, take a road trip through 250 years of history without ever leaving North Dakota.
On July 1, “ND 250 Road Trip: Our American Story” opens in the Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives Governors Gallery at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. The exhibit traces the state’s history from 1776 to 2026.
