Cally Peterson

The world changed five years ago when the coronavirus pandemic entered our lives. It disrupted everything, from the way we learn and work to the price of groceries and gasoline. While many facets of our lives have returned to normal (or a “new normal”), the American pocketbook is still wishing and waiting for the return of pre-pandemic pricing.

Energy.

It’s Kelly Armstrong’s word of the year, and what he promises to bring to the North Dakota governor’s office.

I’m prioritizing holiday recipes that mean something to me. This year, those recipes mean more than ever.
I lost two important figures in my life this year. These recipes remind me of them.

Two of my friends lost their dads this year to cancer.

My childhood best friend didn’t even get a week with her dad. Another friend watched her dad struggle with cancer for years.

My husband knows both experiences intimately.
 

A magazine readership survey conducted in August shows familiarity and satisfaction with North Dakota Living are trending upward.

In May 2020, 48% of readers said they were very familiar or familiar with the magazine, while 29% were not very familiar. Familiarity with North Dakota Living increased to 64%, while unfamiliarity dropped to 17% in August 2024.

Similarly, satisfaction increased six percentage points in four years, with 66% satisfied or very satisfied with the magazine. Readers who said they were unsatisfied fell from 6% to 4%.

Service and sacrifice are two things Mike Steier understands well.

After graduating from New England High School, Steier volunteered in 2005 for a yearlong deployment to Iraq. Last year, he retired from the N.D. National Guard after 20 years of service.

After returning from Iraq and working as a farmhand, Steier went to Bismarck State College on the GI Bill and obtained his electrical lineworker degree. Shortly after, he was hired by Roughrider Electric Cooperative in Dickinson, and he’s worked for the co-op ever since.

What can other towns learn from Bowdon and its meat processing cooperative?

“It gets back to the basics of the game, the baseball analogy: Too many are shooting for the grand slam when they could be really focusing on these types of base hits,” says Ellen Huber, rural development services director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC). “Big things get all the attention, but this is an important incremental small business step a community was known for and made sure they could continue to stake their claim.”