Politics / Elections

Fargo lawmaker calls for hearing on state impact of federal funding cuts

Sen. Tim Mathern, R-Fargo, speaks on the Senate floor during the organizational session on Dec. 4, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A Fargo state lawmaker is calling on North Dakota legislators to hold a special hearing focused on state impacts from federal funding cuts. “We are hearing from our citizens. We are hearing from our…

North Dakota Farmers Union Vice President weighs in on tariffs & potential economic loss

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Farmers are bracing for heavy impacts from those tariffs. Canada, Mexico, and China are three of the largest buyers of American crops, and the tariffs Trump has placed on imports from those countries have caused them to respond with retaliatory levies. Experts say this will likely cause farmers to lose money on all their major crops….

Senate bill would automatically revoke teacher’s licenses after conviction, regardless of jurisdiction

BISMARCK, N.D. — The House Education Committee gave a do-pass recommendation on a bill that would bar anyone convicted of a crime against a child or sexual offense from holding a teacher’s license. SB 2043 adds crimes like indecent exposure, sexual extortion, and luring minors over the internet to offenses that require an immediate revocation of a teacher’s license when…

North Dakota House committee discusses resolution to add minimum wage raise to 2026 ballot

BISMARCK, N.D. — Work has resumed at the legislature in Bismarck after crossover week when bills move from one body to the other. Lawmakers are considering a resolution to add an article to the state’s constitution regarding a minimum wage. The state currently follows the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour. The resolution would add a minimum wage…

Trump policies leave North Dakota summer tourism prospects uncertain

A view from the International Peace Garden where the Canadian and U.S. borders meet. While the park has not yet seen a notable drop in visitors, some Canadians have voiced dismay at political rhetoric from the Trump administration in recent weeks. (Photo by Michelle Burnett, provided by the International Peace Garden.)WALHALLA, N.D. (North Dakota News Cooperative) — Communities and businesses…

Trump addresses Congress following his tumultuous first weeks in office

(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)President Donald Trump took credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy Tuesday in an address to Congress and the American people about his turbulent first weeks in office. Here’s the latest: Speaker Johnson: ‘It was really shameful what the Democrats did’ House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News there may be a censure resolution…

Congress Looks At Renaming Casselton, ND Post Office After War Hero

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — Legislation has been introduced in Congress to rename Casselton’s post office after hometown hero, Commander Delbert Austin Olson. He served in World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Olson was a member of Observation Squadron 67 which flew low-flying missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to place sensors to monitor hostile movements and listen…

Witness: Most tribal nations at Dakota Access Pipeline protest ‘didn’t know who Greenpeace was’

Representatives of several tribal nations demonstrate in August 2016 in Bismarck against the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A Lakota organizer said in a video deposition played to jurors Monday that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, not Greenpeace. Nick Tilsen, an Oglala Sioux…

Poll: Trump, DOGE policies see strong support among likely North Dakota voters

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota News Cooperative) — North Dakotans strongly support the job President Donald Trump has done in his first month of office but are less enthusiastic about early efforts closer to home from state lawmakers, according to a new statewide poll. The poll of 500 likely voters across North Dakota showed a majority of 52% approved of the…

Demonstrators hold silent protests at 17 North Dakota libraries to oppose bill removing content

Julie Leno of Bismarck reads aloud to her children outside of the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library March 1, 2025, as part of a demonstration showing opposition for a bill that would force libraries to remove and relocate content considered to be obscene. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) —About 1,000 silent protesters read from their books in front…