Rob Port

North Dakota

Blogger and Columnist at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Podcast Host at Plain Talk With Rob Port Podcast

Columnist at Forum Communications

Journalist at Say Anything Blog

Reporter and columnist for @inforum, and host of the Plain Talk podcast. Tip? Email [email protected]

Articles

Port: Trump's legal excesses are bad news for North Dakota

5 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT โ Politics are cyclical. Those who are in power now won't be in power forever. The electorate is fickle. Priorities shift. The Overton window shifts, and new political positions emerge in the mainstream while old ones are gradually edged out. One of the many positive side effects of the democratic process is that these shifts in electoral fortunes have traditionally blunted the authoritarian ambitions of the various political factions.
Plain Talk: 'I couldn't care less that this comes from Donald Trump'

6 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — Dane DeKrey is a criminal defense attorney with the Moorhead-based lawfirm Ringstrom Dekrey. He recently signed onto an amicus brief in a legal fight over an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that exacts retribution on a law firm Trump feels has wronged him. It does so by, among other punitive measures, revoking the firm's security clearances and prohibiting its personnel from entering government buildings.
Port: Appropriators approve $1 million in funding to head off abortion ballot measure

6 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — One of several late amendments to the budget for the Office of Management and Budget would appropriate $1 million to a "life education committee," the purpose of which, at least on paper, would be to contract with a private business to inform the public about alternatives to abortion. But during a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee, supporters of the amendment made it clear that there is another motive.
Port: It would be a terrible mistake to subsidize only private school students

6 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — Lawmakers in Bismarck currently have two versions of school choice bills in front of them. House Bill 1540, which the Senate passed Thursday in an amended form, would provide an education savings account to private school students. Students who attend public school or who are homeschooled are excluded. Each student would receive anywhere from about $4,000 per year to about $1,000 per year, depending on their family's income, which could be used for tuition and other expenses. Sen.
Port: Minot mayoral candidate is delinquent on more than $13,000 in property taxes

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT โ Earlier this month, Minot Mayor Tom Ross resigned after an internal city report indicated that he had sent a lewd video to the city attorney. Thanks to a citizen petition, the city will now hold a special election to choose a candidate to finish Ross' four-year term. He was elected in June 2022.
Port: Minot lawmaker says she won't 'sacrifice' to attend public legislative forums

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — Minot-area Republican Rep. Lori VanWinkle made headlines recently when I reported that she took a weeklong family vacation in the hectic final weeks of North Dakota's biannual legislative session. When called out for her absence, VanWinkle played the victim, suggesting that she was being unfairly targeted for criticism. “This just falls right in line with all their efforts to basically try to intimidate me and make me feel like I can’t say the things that I’m saying,” she said.
Port: There are signs of disunity in the ND Senate in the property tax fight

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — There is a House vs. Senate showdown over property tax reform, though given some events which happened in committee today, the Senate may not be as united in its position as the House is. To catch you up, weeks ago the House passed House Bill 1176, which was sponsored by Rep. Mike Nathe, and which represents the property tax reform plan Gov. Kelly Armstrong has endorsed. As it emerged from that chamber, it gave every owner of a primary residence a $1,450 credit.
Plain Talk: 'I hope it's not that I'm some kind of junky for chaos'

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — When former Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford accepted the job as interim chancellor of the North Dakota University System, he said a longtime colleague contacted him to say he's "proven that you like dysfunction and you like to jump into that."Sanford said he laughed it off. "I hope it's not that I'm some kind of junkie for chaos for goodness sake, but there's a lot in higher ed in general, especially with what's happening at the federal level," he said on this Plain Talk.
Port: Violence and disruption at town halls hurt us all

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — There is a debate over town halls right now. Concerned citizens and activists want Republican members of Congress to hold town halls. The Republicans, meanwhile, are resisting. This has been as true in North Dakota as elsewhere in our country. Sen. Kevin Cramer has said he may schedule in-person town halls, though he hasn't put any on the calendar yet. Sen.
Port: 'Conservative' helicopter parents churning out a generation of snowflakes

1 week ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — I've been a dad for going on 25 years, and not once during that time have I been afraid to leave my children alone with a medical professional. Admittedly, the need for this hasn't come up often. Typically, when I take one of my kids in for a visit with their doctor, I'm with them the whole time. But I have two daughters, and at times, as they've grown older, it's been appropriate for dad to leave the room during the more sensitive parts of their exams, for their comfort as well as mine.