Author: KVRR Staff

North Dakota Department of Commerce taking applicants for tourism and community enhancement grants

North Dakota State Capitol / BismarckBISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is opening up money to enhance tourism, community infrastructure, and historic preservation across the state. The grants, which were voted on in the last legislative session, are to provide money to communities to support various projects that will contribute to visitor and resident experiences. They range from providing money for…

Prison coding program provides skills, training for civilian life

Simon Jacobson and Vicki Johnson of Billings, Montana, smile at one another after Jacobson completed a year-long web development and coding program offer by The Last Mile, a nonprofit that provides opportunities for justice-impacted individuals, at the North Dakota State Penitentiary on July 18, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Even though he may never get…

Story-telling key to relating Native American culture, elders and educators say

Educators from around North Dakota traveled to the Capitol for the 2025 Indian Education Summit on Thursday and Friday. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, (North Dakota Monitor) — How do you get students to remember what they learn? According to Gladys Hawk, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, you tell them a story. Hawk is one of dozens of…

North Dakota among the states reforming policies on sealing eviction records

An apartment complex advertises vacancies in a residential area of Bismarck. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Montior)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — When North Dakota state Sen. Ryan Braunberger first introduced a slate of tenant protection bills this year, he knew the odds of passage weren’t in his favor. Braunberger, a Democratic lawmaker in a Republican-controlled legislature who represents a renter-heavy district…

North Dakota medical marijuana program adding edibles, making eligibility changes

Cory Barthel, a staff member at Pure Dakota, a medical marijuana manufacturing and processor, trims a cannabis plant at the facility in Bismarck. (Contributed/Pure Dakota)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Changes to North Dakota’s medical marijuana program aimed at expanding program access and product options for patients are set to go into effect Aug. 1. The North Dakota Legislature passed a…

State Senator Nicole Mitchell found guilty of burglary

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KVRR) – Minnesota State Senator Nicole Mitchell has been found guilty of breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes. A Becker County jury convicted Mitchell of one count of burglary and one count of possession of burglary tools. Mitchell displayed little emotion as the verdicts were read. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy was quick to issue…

Ranchers sue to revamp North Dakota Beef Commission appointment process

Cattle gather along a fence in Burleigh County on July 11, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A new lawsuit filed by a group of independent North Dakota ranchers alleges that Gov. Kelly Armstrong and private associations have too much power over who serves on the North Dakota Beef Commission’s board. The primary role of the…