“No Brother of Mine” offers an unflinching look at U.S. sex offender policy that reaches beyond the headlines and into the lives of real people. Reported over four years by Diane Richard and Todd Melby, this hour-long documentary combines audio-rich storytelling that puts the listener in the scene with expert interviews that lend perspective and propel the narrative forward. It provides a nuanced examination of issues surrounding federal online registration laws, residency restrictions, Romeo and Juliet laws and the growing use of civil commitment.

No Brother of Mine

Elsie Ejismekwu is a trucker and cabbie in Watford City. Divorced and a mother of five, she moved to the Bakken for the work, which pays more than most other places in America. Says Ejismekwu, "I wanted a fresh start so I came to North Dakota." Photo and story by Todd Melby.

A Fresh Start

Arkansas will always be home to Oscar Everetts, but that didn't stop him from coming to North Dakota to make ribs for roughnecks.

By Todd Melby

Photo by Phillip Batta

Woo Pig Sooie

Oil tankers rumble on lots of roads near Mandaree and New Town, North Dakota. Both towns are on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara. But another tribal town — Twin Buttes — is just east of the Bakken oil field, making it a quiet place.

Twin Buttes resident Cory Spotted Bear and friends recently constructed a traditional earth lodge there. Spotted Bear talked to Black Gold Boom’s Todd Melby about the project and his thoughts about the nearby boom.

Photo by Philipp Batta

Grandma's Got a Nice Truck

People who hate it, call it “pollution.” People who love it, call it “rollin’ coal.” We’re talking about the plumes of black smoke that come pouring out of some diesel pickups. These pickup truck owners are retrofitting their rigs to allow for unburnt diesel fuel to spew from a tailpipe or vertical stack during a fast acceleration. When smoke pours from a pipe or stack, the unburnt diesel is thick and black. Mark Pyatt of Killer Diesel Performance talks about the young men and women who love to roll coal in oil country.

Guy Rollin' Coal in Red Pickup: Calvin Fields of Williston, North Dakota.

Story and photo by Todd Melby.

Stuffed Shirts v. Blue Collars

Fewer Americans are watching movies in theaters—ticket sales fell by 11 percent between 2004 and 2013. For those attending the cinema, just about every movie available is projected digitally. 35-millimeter film, once the industry standard, is now a rarity. But there are still a few places you can watch a film flicker on a dark screen. 2 below zero's Todd Melby goes inside the projection room at the Trylon Microcinema in Minneapolis.

A Night with the Projectionist

Silent film may be a thing of the past, but scoring music to flickering screen classics isn't. This documentary focuses on three Minneapolis bands who are intrigued, perhaps even obsessed, by silents. Produced by 2 below zero's Todd Melby for KFAI's Minneculture program.

Sounds Of Silents

After moving from Wyoming to North Dakota during the height of the oil boom, Steve Brown started a water hauling company. Now it's the summer of 2015 and rig count has dropped to its lowest point in six years. As a result, Brown is struggling to keep trucks on the road.

Going Good, Then The Rig Count Dropped

After moving to North Dakota, Kendra Hill's husband doubled his wages. Now the young couple have two kids and a new house. By the summer of 2015, the state's drilling rig count had dropped to under 80 rigs, meaning jobs was disappearing. No matter what happens in the oil industry, Kendra says her family is here to stay. (Photo by Ben Garvin)

This Is Our Home Now

Fewer rigs. Fewer trucks. Fewer jobs. With oil prices down, there's a lot less activity in North Dakota's oil patch. Don Williams, who lives and works in Ross, says the bust could have at least one positive aspect.

Hoping The Downplay Hurts The Greed

The 1996 movie "Fargo" stirred widespread curiosity about snowy winters, funny accents and bloody mayhem on the frozen tundra of North Dakota and Minnesota. The film won two Oscar awards and inspired a popular television series. But how well did it actually capture and reflect the region? In this documentary, reporters Diane Richard and Todd Melby unravel the mystery behind the parkas, prowlers and wood chippers. Check out Todd's book on "Fargo" here: https://www.toddmelby.com/book

We Don't Talk Like That: 'Fargo' and the Midwest Psyche

Pipe organs at movie houses didn't completely disappear with the end of silent films. The Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights, Minnesota is home to an organ with 1,100 pipes and xylophones, drums and a whoopee cushion. The local chapter of the American Theater Organ Society owns the organ and hopes to more than double its size in coming years, making it the largest theater organ in Minnesota history. Produced by Todd Melby.

Serenaded by a Pipe Organ at the Heights Theatre

Enter the world of passionate collectors and compulsive shoppers to find out why people spent money on objects they don't need.

Consuming Desire

A documentary exploring the environmental consequences of traditional funeral and burial practices.

Death's Footprint

Does getting older spell the end of sexuality? Not always.

Spirit and Body Willing: Sex Over Age 70

Daniel Brock of Rock Springs, Wyoming traded in his teaching job for an oil field job. He doubled his money in the first year. “It’s way worth it,” he says.

Daniel Brock: It's Way Worth It

Jayce Mitchell and Logan Bice are stepbrothers who like to spend their free time roping steers. They’ve moved to North Dakota to clean tankers. Reporter Todd Melby bumped into the pair at a truck stop in New Town. The pair were practicing their roping skills on a dummy steer, a plastic replica with horns. When you hear the words “Gotta be an eight” in this audio portrait, the number eight refers to the length of time in seconds they’d like to rope a particular steer. Eight seconds is a very good time.

Gotta Be An Eight

Alfredo Cantu, Kelvin Lacey and Julio Pulido work together and hang out together. They drive truck in Tioga, North Dakota, but spend days off in Minot watching movies and shopping at Walmart. Audio portrait and photo by Todd Melby.

Want To Go To The Movies?

An excerpt from the audio documentary "No Brother of Mine," co-produced by Todd Melby and Diane Richard for public radio.

No Brother of Mine (Excerpt)

An excerpt from the audio documentary "We Don't Talk Like That: 'Fargo' and the Midwest Psyche," co-produced by Todd Melby and Diane Richard for public radio.

We Don't Talk Like That: 'Fargo' and the Midwest Psyche (Excerpt)

Bobcat John is a 57-year-old man from Idaho who came to the oil patch with his pickup truck and a trailer full of knives. His mission: Sell knives — all kinds of knives — to oil workers. Producer Todd Melby caught up with him in New Town, North Dakota.

Meet Bobcat John. He Sells Knives To Oil Workers.

In the oil patch of western North Dakota, there aren’t many restaurants. So when truck drivers, construction crews and oil hands get hungry, they often turn to food trucks like the Gourmet Grill on Highway 85, not far from Alexander. Owner Adelle Hackworth calls the road the "highway of hope" because people who drive there want to turn their lives around. Audio portrait by Todd Melby. Photo by Ben Garvin.

Highway of Hope

An audio postcard of the "Williston Basin Blowout," a mixed martial arts fight night held in Williston, N.D. on May 19, 2012. By Todd Melby. To see a slideshow created with this audio, go to http://blackgoldboom.com/

Fight Night in Crude Country

While other boys were working on paper routes or not at all, Richard Karpe labored on drilling rigs. Today, he supervises a truck operation near Watford City, North Dakota. He spoke to Black Gold Boom reporter Todd Melby about life in the oil field.

Richard Karpe: You Gotta Be Careful Out There

They arrive in oil country by train, bus and automobile looking for work. Or if they're like Robert Reid, they shove everything they own into a backpack and hitchhike to North Dakota. Reid shared his story with Black Gold Boom reporter Todd Melby.

Nowhere To Lay My Head

School buses have always had to share the road with other vehicles. But in oil country, country roads and highways now throb with traffic. And fatality rates are at an all-time high. A North Dakota Highway Patrol safety program called “Trooper on the Bus” helps buses reach schools safely. Black Gold Boom reporter Diane Richard has the story.

Trooper on the Bus Goes Round & Round

Share your thoughts on North Dakota's oil boom at blackgoldboom.com. It's easy to remember.

Breaker 1-9, Who Loves The Boom?

Brian Martindale drives truck in North Dakota, but his family is back home in Minnesota. Martindale is married with three young children, all under the age of seven. (Audio by Todd Melby. Photo by Ben Garvin)

I Miss My Wife and Kids

Kris Kitko, a singer/songwriter who lives in Bismarck, is worried about the societal and environmental effects of the oil boom. Kitko describes herself as an accidental activist who writes songs about the negative effects of the oil boom. "I write about whatever moves me," she says. "I felt very moved by ... what I heard people were going through." In this interview, Kitko sings "Frack That Oil" and "The EPA Hates Babies."

Kris Kitko: Accidental Activist

A song by Wes St. Jon, the oilfield cowboy. Written and performed by Wes St. Jon. Added to  Black Gold Boom with permission.

Wes St. Jon: American Oil From American Soil

Beth Hafele once lived on the western edge of Williston, North Dakota. Then the oil boom came. From the third floor of her apartment building, she's seen hundreds of houses and an oil rig pop up on the previously empty prairie. Now her apartment is pretty much in the middle of town. Audio portrait by Todd Melby.

Williston Changes Before Her Eyes

Imagine you owned mineral rights in western North Dakota. And crude oil was stuck inside rock under the land where you owned those rights. You’d be rich, right? That’s what one Williston man thought too. Then the state came along and took that oil. Black Gold Boom reporter Todd Melby has the story of one man’s fight for oil he believes is rightfully his.

Stan Reep's Milkshake

When Nathina St. Pierre moved to Watford City, North Dakota, she received lots of attention from men. "It was flattering at first," she said. But it never stopped. Everywhere she went, men of all ages hit on her. The sexual harassment became worse and worse. So St. Pierre took action. This is one story of the oil boom, as told to photojournalist Ben Garvin and produced by Black Gold Boom's Todd Melby.

Photo by Ben Garvin.

They're Like Packs of Wolves

Kelly Reichardt’s films are full of pregnant pauses and extended silences. In fact, her movies often lack a background score. They’re shot in the American West and filled with open skies and people living on the margins.

In this episode of "The Drunk Projectionist" film podcast, Reichardt discusses why she substituted train sounds for soaring music in "Wendy and Lucy" and "Certain Women." The director of several widely-acclaimed films also tells us why she often shoots outdoors in natural light, how men and women sometimes view the scenes differently and why many of her movies are based in Montana and other western states.

Oh, and a personal note: Unlike a lot of artists, Reichardt is always in the moment during interviews. I loved her off-the-cut takes on trains, her behind-the-scene reveal of stealing trains sounds from Gus Van Sant, our comparison of "secret" places in South Dakota and her genuine openness.

— Todd Melby

Ep 1: Kelly Reichardt

Tait Salzer works on drilling rigs in North Dakota. Before joining the oil boom a little more than a year ago, Salzer labored on a South Dakota cattle ranch. An audio portrait by Todd Melby. Photo by Ben Garvin.

It'll Make A Man Out Of You

Diane Richard + Todd Melby = 2 below zero. We're a couple who make thoughtful, thought-provoking public radio stories and documentaries. They also make separate work: Both are writers. Todd's book—"A Lot Can Happen in the Middle of Nowhere: The Untold Story of the Making of Fargo"—will be published in 2021 by MNHS Press.

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