North Dakota Monitor
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A nonprofit, nonpartisan source for trusted news, commentary and insight into statewide policy and critical issues affecting the Peace Garden State. Sign up: northdakotamonitor.com/subscribe
Wildfire veterans fear federal tactics, extreme fires could put crews at risk Via @stateline.org buff.ly/stzpqlo
Wildfire veterans fear federal tactics, extreme fires could put crews at risk • North Dakota Monitor
As millions of acres burn across the western United States, some wildland fire veterans are fearful that aggressive fire suppression tactics ordered by the Trump administration — coupled with…
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The stopgap spending bill supported by an overwhelming majority of U.S. senators does not address tens of billions in expiring transportation funding, leaving states facing a massive effective budget cut starting Oct. 1. By @fischler.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/IcWr6Kl
US Senate stopgap fails to renew more than $38B a year in state transportation funding • North Dakota Monitor
The stopgap spending bill supported by an overwhelming majority of U.S. senators does not address tens of billions in expiring transportation funding, leaving states facing a massive effective budget…
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Attorney general nominee tells faith leaders he will take action to restrict abortion drug access By @kelciemmorris.bsky.social of @stateline.org buff.ly/r6cemux
AG nominee tells faith leaders he will take action to restrict abortion drug access • North Dakota Monitor
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is one step closer to confirmation after the Republican Judiciary Committee voted to advance his appointment on a party-line vote on Tuesday, and based on…
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Jamie Selzler, an active leader of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, will take Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee’s seat in the state Senate, the District 44 Dem-NPL executive committee announced Tuesday. buff.ly/X68CdpR
Dem-NPL leader Jamie Selzler tapped to replace Fargo mayor in North Dakota Senate • North Dakota Monitor
Jamie Selzler, an active leader of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, will take Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee’s seat in the state Senate, the District 44 Dem-NPL executive committee announced Tuesday.
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Blanche nomination for attorney general advanced by US Senate panel on party-line vote By @ashleymurray.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/eIOrl5b
Blanche nomination for attorney general advanced by US Senate panel on party-line vote • North Dakota Monitor
U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was one step closer to permanently leading the Justice Department Tuesday, after two skeptical Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to advance his…
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North Dakota is second only to Nebraska for labor force participation, with almost 70% of working-age people working or looking for work. buff.ly/GJe9tGj
Today’s children could prosper in tomorrow’s shortage of young workers • North Dakota Monitor
Today's children could be the first generation since the 1970s to do better than their parents as young workers become more sought after and well paid. They may even see a surplus of housing to make…
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Immigration attorneys and advocates worry the loss in legal aid will put children on a fast track to deportations.
Legal services contract expires, and unaccompanied immigrant children face deportation • North Dakota Monitor
More than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children Monday lost their legal representation because the Trump administration has not entered into a new agreement to take over their legal services after…
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Justices should keep a stay pausing President Donald Trump's order in place through Election Day, Democratic led states argued.
Democratic state officials urge US Supreme Court to affirm pause on Trump vote-by-mail order • North Dakota Monitor
States do not have time before November’s midterm elections to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating overhauls of their mail-in-voting systems, two dozen Democratic state…
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A Senate replacement for Josh Boschee, now the Fargo mayor, is expected later in the week.
Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee resigns from North Dakota Senate • North Dakota Monitor
New Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee announced his resignation from the North Dakota Senate on Monday, effective as of Aug. 4.
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The Senate bill would keep nearly all federal spending steady until Dec. 11, which would save lawmakers from the work of cobbling together the 12 annual spending bills.
Spending deal freezes Trump proposal to gain power over federal grants, extends highway law • North Dakota Monitor
Leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee announced a bipartisan deal over the weekend that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11 and pause the Trump administration’s…
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A Senate committee vote to advance Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination is for Tuesday morning.
Blanche asserts 'anti-weaponization' fund is dead, wins key GOP support in US Senate • North Dakota Monitor
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general appeared on track Monday after he submitted a written assurance to Senate Judiciary Committee lawmakers that the…
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The North Dakota special legislative session to address kratom is set to begin Sept. 2. buff.ly/gVaErAe
Gov. Armstrong announces special session, emergency actions to ban kratom in North Dakota • North Dakota Monitor
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Monday declared a public health emergency banning all kratom products and called a special session of the Legislature for September to further address enforcement.
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As low water ramps emerge from Lake Sakakawea, they will need to be assessed to see what maintenance they will need and how much money it will cost to make them usable.
Shrinking lake, shrinking access: Low water on Sakakawea tough on resorts, boaters • North Dakota Monitor
Low water levels on Lake Sakakawea mean boat ramps that have been submerged for nearly 20 years will likely be needed to access the reservoir next year.
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The new grants are part of North Dakota’s nearly $200 million first year allotment to strengthen rural healthcare as part of the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act.
More than $50 million available in new rural health grants • North Dakota Monitor
Applications are open for a new wave of $50.5 million in Rural Health Transformation Program grants through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.
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North Dakota saw an 8% drop in enrollment in Obamacare this year, according to an analysis by a health policy research group.
Obamacare enrollment declines in 49 states • North Dakota Monitor
In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined since Congress made coverage more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year.
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In 38 states, the costs of childcare outpaces the average cost of in-state college tuition, according to Child Care Aware of America.
State lawmakers of both parties say it's time to rethink America’s fragile childcare system • North Dakota Monitor
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is calling for an overhaul of the nation’s childcare system, which they say is failing children, parents and providers.
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A National Park Service engineer’s email “stated that the cause of the damage was contractor error via ‘overspray,’" the prosecutor said.
Prosecutors drop vandalism charges for Reflecting Pool damage, blame ‘contractor error’ • North Dakota Monitor
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro moved Friday to dismiss charges against a former Olympian canoeist alleged to have damaged part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentences of leaders of the Jan. 6 attack and pardoned others.
Trump defends massive settlement for ‘great American Patriots’ of Jan. 6, attacks GOP senators • North Dakota Monitor
President Donald Trump defended his highly criticized, nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund on social media and in a Cabinet meeting Friday, as two key Republican senators…
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President Donald Trump has sought to take an axe to the Education Department in his quest to send education policymaking “back to the states.”
US Senate panel advances bill to reject Education Department transfers • North Dakota Monitor
A bipartisan effort to rein in President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education has cleared its first major legislative hurdle in a bipartisan U.S. Senate committee vote.
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Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s will hold a press conference Monday to address kratom substances “to protect public health and safety in North Dakota.”
Growing concerns prompt calls to address kratom substances in North Dakota • North Dakota Monitor
Twenty-three deaths in North Dakota since 2019 were linked to kratom and related compounds, part of a pattern that has worried officials and sparked talks of a special legislative session to do…
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State leaders worry about how the rise of prediction markets may impact the financial and mental health of their residents.
Online prediction markets rile up state lawmakers • North Dakota Monitor
The escalating feud between states and online prediction markets was on full display at a summit of state lawmakers this week as legislators publicly scolded Kalshi and Polymarket, the two most…
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Riverview faces legal challenges in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Opponents sue state over Morris mega-dairy expansion • North Dakota Monitor
Riverview wants to expand West River Dairy from 7,855 cows to almost 19,000 cows, making it the biggest dairy in Minnesota.
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President Donald Trump announced an initiative Thursday for veterans to quickly obtain commercial driver’s licenses, as the administration attempts to fill vacancies in the industry. By @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com
Trump looks to veterans to fill trucking jobs after booting immigrants from industry • North Dakota Monitor
President Donald Trump announced an initiative Thursday for veterans to quickly obtain commercial driver’s licenses, as the administration attempts to fill vacancies in the industry after pausing…
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No ordinary garage find: On our latest podcast episode, hear how a state paleontology team is unearthing a mammoth hidden below a northwest North Dakota garage A Closer Look with the Monitor is a partnership with Prairie Public. buff.ly/nEoUV3u
For the second time in as many weeks, a War Powers Resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war with Iran failed to pass the U.S. Senate Thursday. By @ashleymurray.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com
3 Republicans break with Trump in US Senate vote to block war in Iran • North Dakota Monitor
For the second time in as many weeks, a War Powers Resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war with Iran failed to pass the U.S. Senate Thursday.
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A mammoth excavation under a northwest North Dakota garage is unearthing a more complete prehistoric beast than paleontologists had hoped for when the discovery was made in the 1980s. By @machterling.bsky.social
North Dakota mammoth dig unearths ‘rare’ array of bones from beneath garage • North Dakota Monitor
A mammoth excavation under a northwest North Dakota garage is unearthing a more complete prehistoric beast than paleontologists had hoped for when the discovery was made in the 1980s.
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US Senate panel backs Trump’s CDC nominee after tense hearing Via @statesnewsroom.com
US Senate panel backs Trump’s CDC nominee after tense hearing • North Dakota Monitor
Dr. Erica Schwartz got a step closer in her bid to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a key U.S. Senate panel propelled her nomination to the Senate floor Thursday.
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Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts Via @stateline.org
Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts • North Dakota Monitor
The number of preteens — ages 8 to 12 — who die by suicide in the United States each year is relatively small. But the total in 2025 was 194 — the most since at least 2001, according to preliminary…
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Board approves revised bonus policy for North Dakota investment office employees
Board approves revised bonus policy for North Dakota investment office employees • North Dakota Monitor
A state panel on Wednesday gave final approval to revisions to a scrutinized bonus program for employees of the office that oversees billions of dollars in state funds.
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Todd Blanche, during his confirmation hearing, defended a tax deal for President Donald Trump, his sons and their private organization. buff.ly/1enmRog
Blanche nomination for AG up in the air as vote nears in US Senate panel • North Dakota Monitor
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to permanently fill the nation’s top law enforcement role appeared in limbo Wednesday after two Republican senators remained dissatisfied with…
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