September 17th, 2014
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton recently created a stir by calling on the federal government to halt construction of the $1.8 billion Fargo-Moorhead diversion project. The result has been a back and forth dialogue between the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority and the State of Minnesota, which could potentially lead to the Minnesota DNR rescinding its support for the lawsuit filed against the diversion. However, nothing has been…
August 21st, 2014
Opponents of Measure 1, the “Life Begins At Conception” amendment on the North Dakota ballot, have officially began their campaign. North Dakotans Against Measure 1 opened their Fargo office this week and began making arguments about why it should not pass. It is sure to be one of the mostly hotly contested issues of the fall campaign and of the eight measures on the statewide ballot.
The measure, upon voter approval, would amend the state…
August 14th, 2014
Coming out as gay, lesbian, bi or transgender to your family and friends can seem tough, even with people you love and trust. But what about being proudly GLBT in the workplace? Do employees who come out face harassment or ostracization from their co-workers or have we progressed enough as a society to where it isn’t as big of an issue? What about our community? How does Fargo-Moorhead match up to other cities…
July 31st, 2014
Dr. Donald Warne is now favorably positioned to become majorly responsible for squashing American Indian health disparities in North Dakota.
Thanks to a $1.4 million grant, North Dakota State University now has the resources to fund its brand new American Indian Public Health Resource Center, which will officially begin work on Aug. 1.
Warne, director of NDSU’s Master of Public Health program and the new center, said he’s feeling very optimistic of its potential to help our struggling…
July 17th, 2014
The Fargo Police Department, which started monitoring downtown crime with cameras in 2012 with three stationary cameras after a rash of vandalism and thefts, also has three moveable portable cameras used for real-time monitoring of large events such as the Fargo Marathon, ESPN Game Day, large events at the Fargodome and this week at the Fargo Street Fair. The moveable cameras act as an eye in the sky for highly crowded events.
“(B)ecause of the uniqueness of large crowds, they provide…
July 3rd, 2014
North Dakota is at the forefront of a movement to use drones or unmanned aircraft for agricultural purposes.
It’s natural that the state and this industry would combine forces early on. Agriculture is the largest industry in North Dakota and the state is positioning itself with changed missions at the Grand Forks Air Force Base and North Dakota Air National Guard to capitalize on the burgeoning unmanned aircraft industry.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International…
June 12th, 2014
The medical marijuana law passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed into law recently by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is a carefully crafted compromise unlike any other medical marijuana law in the country. As such, many Minnesotans are unsure exactly how it will work and how effective it will be.
The compromise was crafted after differing bills passed the House and Senate and law enforcement opposition backed by a threatened veto from Gov. Dayton forced the Legislature to come up…
May 29th, 2014
In the midst of North Dakota’s economic boom, the state is experiencing a rise in homelessness.
Thousands of individuals are being drawn to the oil-fields in the western part of the state in search of work, but not everyone can find a job. Even some of the individuals who do find jobs cannot afford the cost of housing. These individuals are faced with a choice: stay and gamble one’s chance at finding work and/or shelter, or seek these basic necessities elsewhere. Many western-North…
May 22nd, 2014
By Nicholas Leingang
Since 2005, energy debate in the United States has been polarized by so-called “unconventional” fuels. These energy sources require additional technological and energy inputs during extraction and refinement — in North Dakota, this means millions of gallons of chemical mixtures, advanced drilling equipment, and high-pressure injections collectively known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” These developments have turned the Bakken Shale formation into one…
May 16th, 2014
The difference between this year’s Red River flood predictions and the resulting flood was substantial enough for residents to wonder “What happened?”
Forecasters predicted at one time that the crest could exceed 40 feet; however, they continued to lower their predictions partially due to snowfall later in the season and the resulting prolonged melt. The Red River peaked a little over 33 feet.
As a result of this difference, costly preparation for a flood that was forecasted to…