ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new report shows a growing number of law enforcement agencies are using drones to help with search and rescue efforts, investigations and for public safety in Minnesota. The legislative report says 93 agencies statewide either maintained or used a drone in 2020 with 1,171 flights recorded. The report is the result of new regulations lawmakers…
GRAND FORKS N.D. — Commercial drone pilots have been deemed essential during the pandemic, and one company in Grand Forks is showing us why. SkySkopes has already been on the leading edge of drone technology and is now gearing up to combat the Covid-19 virus. The company has equipped drones to be able to disinfect surfaces of common areas like…
WEST FARGO, N.D.–West Fargo police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that fled a traffic stop around 10:30 p.m. on Monday. The West Fargo Police Department initiated a traffic stop in the 50 block of Fifth Street E. The vehicle fled the stop and police pursued for about a mile-and-a-half where the driver then drove into a field…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol have received federal approval to operate drones over people. The Bismarck Tribune reports the four-year authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration was granted Aug. 5. The North Dakota Highway Patrol received permission two days later. The sheriff’s department says it can now operate unmanned aircraft…
FARGO, N.D. — Hundreds of kids aren’t at the pool, playing video games or doing any other activities they normally do during the summer. KVRR’s Danielle Church tells us how they’re continuing to stimulate their minds while also having fun. Students are creating a buzz at NDSU, thanks to some help from a bunch of drones. “We have programmed some…
GRAND FORKS, ND — Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford unveils a $33 million investment in UAS technology and infrastructure in North Dakota. He made the presentation at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. It includes $28 million in funding for a statewide network that will support drone flights beyond visual line of sight. An additional $2 million of this funding will provide…
BISMARCK, N.D. — The House has reconsidered a measure that would impose penalties for using drones to invade someone’s privacy. Representatives approved the bill on Tuesday but today voted to defeat it. Opponents of the bill say any limitations on drones may hurt the state’s growing unmanned aircraft industry. The bill aimed to make it illegal to use a drone…
FARGO, N.D. — A historical milestone in drone aviation was gliding through the skies right over the heads of tailgaters prior to NDSU’s victory over South Dakota State. North Dakota’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Pilot Program completed its first public mission by flying several drones over the NDSU tailgaters. “The fact that Fargo is a cooperative city as someone who could…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson is stopping in Grand Forks on Monday. Senator John Hoeven will host the secretary at Grand Sky, North Dakota’s unmanned aerial systems research and development park. Wilson will be there to witness General Atomics first UAS beyond visual line of sight flight. The FAA has approved a two-year certificate of authorization…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — A few weeks ago Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke was in Fargo. Now all eyes are on North Dakota yet again as another member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet makes a visit to our region. This time Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is in Grand Forks to learn how drones can impact border security. When it…
