FARGO — Picture the classic Hallmark Christmas movie: light snow drifts over a festively decorated town square as a big-city protagonist returns to her charming, but small hometown, and, against all odds, discovers holiday romance.

For many, the Christmas season isn’t complete without watching one — or a few — of these feel-good films. This year, North Dakotans and country music lovers have an extra reason to get festive with these films as the country singing sister duo Tigirlily Gold made their Hallmark debut in one of the network’s newest holiday releases.

The Hazen, North Dakota natives Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh appeared in “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” which premiered Nov. 29 on The Hallmark Channel.

The film carries the familiar warmth of a Hallmark storyline, but instead of a hometown reunion and newfound love, this plot leans into time travel — where romance plays second fiddle to family.

The 1-hour, 24-minute movie follows Gentry Wade (Nikki DeLoach), the daughter of late country music icon Jett Wade (Rob Mayes). After a tragic accident 30 years prior, Gentry abandoned her songwriting dreams and distanced herself from her father’s legacy. When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to represent Jett at their Christmas centennial celebration, she’s hesitant to return to the place steeped in bittersweet memories.

Hallmark’s

description continues: “Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue’s oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995. Gentry’s lifelong friend Mac (Kristoffer Polaha), a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well. Thanks to some Christmas magic, Gentry gets precious time with her father, creative inspiration to finish the song she began decades earlier as a teen and learns surprising answers to questions about her father that have followed her for the last three decades.”

Tigirlily Gold makes a cameo in a performance scene, singing their holiday single “Mistletoe Tipsy,” a country-styled Christmas tune that blends with the movie’s heartwarming, nostalgic tone.

Following the premiere of “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas,” the sisters were recognized as members of the 2025 Opry NextStage Class, alongside Dasha, Kashus Culpepper, Chayce Beckham, Avery Anna and Kaitlin Butts, as they took the stage Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Category 10 for the fifth annual “Opry NextStage Live.”

The sister duo’s cameo can be seen throughout the holiday season on the Hallmark Channel or streamed anytime on Hallmark+.

FARGO — A newcomer to North Dakota elections has launched a legislative campaign alongside two Fargo-area lawmakers.

Shawn Kessel, business development director for Fargo construction company Roers, will seek his first term representing District 27 in the North Dakota House, according to a news release. He joins the Republican ticket with Sen. Kristin Roers and Rep. Greg Stemen, both of Fargo.

“District 27 deserves a representative who can get to work on day one,” Kessel said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career solving complex problems for North Dakota communities, and I’ll bring that same commonsense leadership to the Legislature.”

The Dickinson native will run for a seat held by

Rep. TJ Brown.

District 27 Republicans selected Brown in March to replace

Rep. Josh Christy,

a 43-year-old lawmaker who died unexpectedly on Feb. 18 in Bismarck during the 2025 legislative session.

It’s unclear why Brown decided not to seek election to the post. The Forum has reached out to him for comment.

Kessel started working for

Roers in February.

He was a deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the North Dakota Commerce Department from 2018 until January of this year. Kessel wrote on his LinkedIn page that his time with the Commerce Department came to a “surprising” end as Gov. Kelly Armstrong took office.

Kessel also served as a city administrator for Wahpeton from 2000 to 2009, then filled a similar position for Dickinson until his transition to the state Commerce Department. He was a finalist for

West Fargo city administrator in 2023.

Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune

Sen. Roers, who is also the majority caucus leader in the Senate, has represented District 27 since 2019. She is a nursing and clinical systems consultant for Sanford Health.

Stemen has held his seat since 2021.

District 27 covers parts of southwest Fargo and east Cass County south of Fargo down to County Road 46, extending from the Red River to west of Horace.

“Grown in North Dakota” ought to be a marketing slogan and have meaning worldwide, like Champagne from France or San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. The state should put public money to work to make this happen.

Whether it’s helping farmers and ranchers get USDA Organic certificates or starting our own statewide quality program, our agricultural producers here in ND ought to receive a premium for their product based on our excellent stewardship of the land. There is unrealized value in organic, or natural, products and we as North Dakota should lean into this and be at the forefront.

Along these lines, an article in the journal, “Regulatory Toxicology and Pharamcology,” that was published 25 years ago was just retracted. The article in question asserted that the chemical glyphosate used in RoundUp, the popular weed killer, was not carcinogenic. It turns out, through unrelated litigation, that those listed as authors didn’t actually write the article. They were paid by the company that makes the chemical to stamp their names on it. 

Wow. 

Does this mean that Roundup causes cancer? Not necessarily. But this “scientific” article was apparently used to argue to the public and government regulators over the past two decades that it did not, and now we know that article is probably not true.

This past April our corporate-owned Republican legislature went to bat for the German chemical company that makes RoundUp by passing a bill that insulates them from lawsuits, the only state in the nation to do such a thing. We look like rubes.

Matthew Zimny is a resident of Bismarck.