CASSELTON, N.D. — People in Casselton have approved a tax increase for a wellness center. The vote was 307 to 279. A vote extends the city’s sales tax from 1% to 2%. A new community center will soon be built in Casselton, connected to the Central Cass School. The revenue will go towards funding a Wellness Center. The vote…
REGIONAL — North Dakota’s senators and mayors from Fargo and Moorhead are trying to keep the F-M Diversion on track. Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven along with Fargo Mayor Mahoney and Moorhead Mayor Williams met with White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to urge him to continue federal support for the diversion. The budget the Trump administration released last week…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Dayton has vetoed legislation that would have decreased the oversight of a state electric utility regulator. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the bill earlier this month altering the Public Utilities Commission’s responsibilities for electric co-ops. It would have given authority to handle disputes about fees for installing solar panels or wind generators to a third-party…
COURTESY: KFGO FARGO, N.D. — A state senator from Fargo says the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund will not pay a claim to Susan Bala. She is the founder of a former horse racing betting company in Fargo whose conviction for illegal gambling was overturned. Bala is now owed over $13 million in taxes collected by the state. State Sen….
BISMARCK, N.D. — Backers of a successful North Dakota citizen initiative to allow medical marijuana are contesting new rules written by the Legislature. A bipartisan bill removed provisions that would have allowed growing marijuana as medicine and only allows patients to smoke it if a physician finds that no other form of marijuana would help. Rilie Morgan, who headed…
BISMARCK, N.D. — Carry and conceal without a permit is closer to becoming law in North Dakota. The Senate has approved the measure by a vote of 34 to 13. The House last month passed the proposal that allows people 18 and older to forgo background checks and classes that are now required. Supporters say the bill promotes constitutional…
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Judge Galen Vaa of Moorhead has lost his legal challenge to a Minnesota law that forces judges to retire at the age of 70. Judge Vaa claims the mandatory retirement age for district court judges is discriminatory and unconstitutional. A Ramsey County district court judge ruled that the Minnesota Constitution gives the legislature authority to impose the…
MORTON COUNTY, N.D. — The company building the Dakota Access pipeline claims that there have been coordinated physical attacks along the line. The brief court filing late Monday from Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners didn’t detail the attacks, but said they “pose threats to life, physical safety and the environment.” Company officials say the project remains on track to start…
WAITE PARK, Minn. — Leaders of a new school that helps students struggling with alcohol abuse are asking lawmakers for funding. Seven students have been treated so far at the McKinley Recovery School, which is in its first year in Waite Park, Minnesota. It’s one of only six so-called sober schools in the state. School leaders say that despite…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Justice Department’s review is in on how Minneapolis handled the aftermath of the Jamar Clark shooting. Clark’s death in a confrontation with two officers sparked weeks of protests that were largely peaceful, though one on November included skirmishes between officers and demonstrators. The review found the city didn’t have a coordinated response to the 18…
