Plain Talk With Rob Port

If there's one thing we learned from the first debate between North Dakota's candidates for attorney general, it's that they disagree on a lot. Drew Wrigley, a Republican, is the incumbent attorney general, having been appointed to finish his predecessor Wayne Stenehjem's term by Governor Doug Burgum. Wrigley is now running to be elected to a term of his own, and he's being challenged by Democratic-NPL candidate Tim Lamb. One area where the candidates disagree sharply is on crime. Wrigley's office released the most recent iteration of the state's crime report. It illustrated a 10 percent year-over-year increase in violent crime, and a 20 percent increase since 2017. Wrigley says that's significant and invites a response in the form of tougher penalties for violent crimes, tempered with perhaps a lighter touch for non-violent offense. Lamb disagrees with Wrigley that the state has a crime problem. Lamb, meanwhile, is for a measure on the November ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana. Wrigley, for