MSUM partnering with MSCTC

MOORHEAD, Minn. – A new “experiment” between Minnesota State Community and Technical College and Minnesota State University Moorhead could be a win-win for the state’s higher education institutions and students.

Incoming ND SBHE president wants fresh start

FARGO, N.D. — The incoming president of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education is looking at her term as a fresh start for an organization that spent much of the last year answering complaints, including a kerfuffle over the chancellor the group hired and ultimately decided to replace.

Fed: Fracking study won't be done until 2016

CLEVELAND — A comprehensive government study of the effects of shale gas drilling on water quality and the environment won't be completed until 2016, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said this week during an Ohio conference.

Iowa health insurer to seek smaller rate hikes

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Months after customers blasted the company for years of skyrocketing rates, Iowa's dominant health insurer said Tuesday it will limit premium increases in 2014 to less than 6 percent for individual and small business policyholders.

SD regents to discuss possible tuition freeze

PIERRE — Later this week, the state Board of Regents will discuss whether to ask the Legislature next year for a freeze on tuition and fees for state university students.

Oppidan breaks ground on western ND projects

STANLEY, N.D. - Minneapolis-based Oppidan Investment Co. broke ground on two retail developments in North Dakota’s Bakken region last week.

Williams County trying to halt crew camp construction

WILLISTON, N.D. — Officials in a northwestern North Dakota county have put a moratorium on crew camps that house oil patch workers.

Fargo officials want new City Hall

FARGO, N.D. - City officials agree: the decades-old City Hall here is cramped, outdated and failing.

• Fargo City Hall

Food stamps take center stage in farm bill debate

ST. PAUL -- Food stamps are at the same time the biggest hurdle to enacting federal farm policy and a necessary part of passing the farm bill.

• Collin Peterson

Amazon drops Minn. affiliate websites over sales tax

ST. PAUL — Amazon.com says it will drop its Minnesota-based affiliate websites before the state's online sales tax becomes law July 1.

UND vice presidents support Kelley in letter to SBHE

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Six vice presidents at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks say they welcome a full review of President Robert Kelley because they “respectfully disagree” with his job evaluation, which was written last week by the outgoing chancellor of the North Dakota University System.

• Robert Kelley
• UND President defends performance

Scientists discuss new photo-taking satellite

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Nearly 120 scientists and engineers from around the world are meeting in South Dakota this week to discuss operational and technical issues with collecting images from the Landsat 8 satellite.

ND general fund revenue beats forecast by $1.6B

BISMARCK – Revenue streaming into North Dakota’s general fund has surpassed the state’s forecast by $1.6 billion with one month left to go in the two-year budget cycle, state Budget Director Pam Sharp reported Tuesday, prompting one lawmaker to ask, “How can we be that far off?”

South central ND needs more housing

JAMESTOWN, N.D. -- By 2020 the nine-county area serviced by the South Central Dakota Regional Council will need 2,799 more housing units, according to a new study.

Minn. businesses seek repeal of expanded sales tax

ST. PAUL – Some Minnesota businesses affected by a new sales tax expansion are complaining loudly about the recently-passed law, and they want to see parts of it repealed next year.

Fort Pierre riverfront project headed to court

FORT PIERRE, S.D. — A proposed $16 million development on the Missouri River that would be the largest commercial undertaking in Fort Pierre history appears headed to the courts after the City Council rejected new petitions seeking a public vote on more aspects of the project.

Rural training a valuable experience for future docs

WILLMAR, Minn. -- Ingrid Anderson learned in medical school about carotid bruit, the noise made by turbulent blood flow when the main artery in the neck is narrowed from cardiovascular disease.

Adding value to local businesses

LAKEFIELD, Minn. — Minnesota Department of Agriculture Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Poster and Marketing Division Director Mary Hanks visited farms and businesses in southwest Minnesota Monday.

• Brandt Gardens and Greenhouse

NDUS responds to accreditation concerns

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — North Dakota University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani provided “clear and compelling evidence” the State Board of Higher Education is “committed to and compliant” with accreditation guidelines, according to a document released Saturday.

Minn. poll shows support for tax increases

MINNEAPOLIS — A new poll finds broad support for recently-enacted tax hikes on wealthy Minnesotans and cigarette smokers.

GF developer to build apartment complex near Sanford Center in Bemidji

BEMIDJI, Min. -- A new apartment building is slated for Bemidji’s south shore.

Shirvani criticizes heads of NDSU, UND, Minot State

BISMARCK – North Dakota University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani has less than one month left in his position, and he’s not going quietly.

• Hamid Shirvani
• NDUS responds to accreditation concerns

Officials: immigration critical to ND businesses

FARGO, N.D. – An immigration reform bill taking shape in the U.S. Senate could have important ramifications for North Dakota businesses and their ability to grow.

• Heidi Heitkamp and David Chapman

Lake Region State College to dedicate wind turbine

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, N.D., will dedicate a 1.6-megawatt wind turbine Wednesday.

• Wind Turbines

Texas, SD governors court Conn. gun makers

HARTFORD, Conn. — The governors of Texas and South Dakota visited Connecticut on Monday to court gun manufacturers that have threatened to leave since the state passed tough new gun-control laws this year in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Dayton admin wants Minn. union law cases tossed

ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton's administration has responded to a federal lawsuit seeking to block unionization of certain in-home day care providers with a court filing saying opponents lack standing to sue.

USDA: Modified wheat appears to be isolated

WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department says it has no indications that genetically modified wheat found in Oregon last month has spread beyond the field in which it was found.

Advocates call MNsure enrollment system unfair

ST. PAUL — Minnesota's new online health insurance exchange is hiring people to help residents sign up for its health plans. But advocates say the system is unfair because consumer assistants will be paid less for helping poor applicants who are reliant on Medicaid.

Raven teams with Google to provide Internet access

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Raven Industries is teaming with Google to provide high-speed wireless internet to rural, remote and underserved areas of the world.

Jamestown lettuce operation scaled back

JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Plans for a large lettuce-growing operation in the Jamestown area are being scaled back.

State-issued irrigation permits soaring in SD

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The number of irrigation permits is soaring in South Dakota, due to a lingering drought and to lucrative market prices for crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

Minn. EDC to apply for entrepreneurship grant

SUNBURG, Minn. — Hoping to harness the forces of a changing economy, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission will seek a $100,000 federal grant promoting entrepreneurship.

Worthington's Northland Mall sold for $1.8 million

WORTHINGTON, Minn. — Northland Mall has been sold for $1.8 million to mall developer Mike Kohan of Queens, N.Y.

• Northland Mall

UND says grad rates not a complete picture

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Graduation rates have been at the center of discussions of how to improve the quality of North Dakota’s colleges and universities. But the numbers are not necessarily simple indicators of institutions’ success, according to University of North Dakota faculty and administrators.

Ethnic stores bring tastes from across the world to F-M area

FARGO, N.D. - Sergii Melnyk’s favorite item while he was shopping at the European Market this week? “Everything,” said the Ukrainian native. “It’s home food, so everything’s good.”

• Katerina Berg, Nancy Halilovic and Danijela Ljeopova

ND woman returns to state, oil business

NEW TOWN, N.D. – Erin Wanner grew up in a family that owned an oil service company, but she never thought about the industry as a career option for herself.

• Erin Wanner

ND tribe preparing to launch yacht

NEW TOWN, N.D. — The Three Affiliated Tribes plans to dedicate a yacht next month that eventually will be used for a riverboat gambling operation on the Missouri River in North Dakota.

• Yacht

U of Minn. Regents OK in-state undergrad tuition freeze

MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has approved a tuition freeze for in-state undergraduates next year.

ND oil production sets another record

BISMARCK -- North Dakota oil production rose 1.3 percent in April, hitting another all-time high despite record cold temperatures for the month and late winter storms that caused widespread road closures.

• Lynn Helms

Sanford beginning AirMed service in Bismarck

BISMARCK — Dakotas-based Sanford Health began its Bismarck-based air ambulance service on June 17.

US rig count up 6 this week: ND unchanged

HOUSTON — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by six this week to 1,771.

• Oil Rig

BCBS to hold forums on Affordable Care Act

FARGO, N.D. – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota is holding eight forums in the next two weeks to prepare employers statewide for changes in health care and its costs as the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented.

Wheat industry worries about GMO controversy

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Like just about everyone else involved in the U.S. wheat industry, Jim Peterson has many questions and few answers about the genetically modified (GMO) wheat found in an Oregon field.

ND oil boom to continue for a few more decades

MEDORA, N.D. — Another report is out dissecting the possible long-term projections and implications of the Bakken energy play to western North Dakota and the findings are more of the same.

Idea rejected for new city in ND's oil patch

WILLISTON, N.D. — Williams County won't be getting a new city.

Grocers allege potato group pumped up spud prices

BOISE, Idaho — A battle between grocers and potato growers has been silently hitting shoppers' pocketbooks, according to a U.S. wholesaler accusing America's spud farmers of driving up prices while spying on farmers with satellites and aircraft fly-overs to enforce strict limits on how many tubers they can grow.

• Potatoes

SBHE’s meetings with presidents could be illegal

BISMARCK – The State Board of Higher Education could again be in hot water for potentially violating the state’s open meeting laws, this time for meetings between three board members and the 11 college and university presidents on Wednesday.

Unpaid internships in jeopardy after court ruling

WASHINGTON — Unpaid internships have long been a path of opportunity for students and recent grads looking to get a foot in the door in the entertainment, publishing and other prominent industries, even if it takes a generous subsidy from Mom and Dad.

• Eric Glatt

Ringtones, digital books, more soon taxed in Minn.

ST. PAUL — Need that new Justin Bieber ringtone? Come July 1, buying it will carry a Minnesota sales tax. Hiring a repairman for the office photocopier? That labor will be taxed. Catching a pay-per-view movie on satellite television? There's a tax on that, too.

Minn. financial group invests in ND oil patch

STANLEY, N.D. — A Minnesota financial group plans to build about $150 million worth of commercial and residential projects in the western North Dakota oil patch.

Gifts aim to improve rural Minn. heart attack care

ST. PAUL — Minnesota heart specialists on Thursday touted $6.5 million in charitable gifts that they say will save lives by improving the emergency medical response to acute heart attacks in rural areas.

ABC News to seek dismissal of 'pink slime' lawsuit

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — ABC News says it intends to ask a circuit court to dismiss a South Dakota beef processing company's defamation lawsuit now that it has been moved from federal court.

Health insurance call center to open in September

ST. PAUL — The call center for Minnesota's new health insurance marketplace will be operational Sept. 3 to help prepare consumers for buying coverage when open enrollment begins a month later, officials said Wednesday.

BPI lawsuit back in state court

A federal judge on June 12 moved a South Dakota beef processing company's defamation lawsuit against ABC News back to state court.

SD's tax increases spread unevenly

PIERRE — As a whole, owners of farm and ranch land in South Dakota will pay slightly less in general-education taxes in 2014 than they did this year, the state task force on agricultural land assessments learned Wednesday.

Balancing scenic beauty and the oil boom

THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK NORTH UNIT, N.D. -- Ron Sams remembers a time when very little of note happened in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

• Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit

Dickinson city leaders discuss 'quiet zone' designation

DICKINSON, N.D. -- Railroad tracks in southwest North Dakota are getting a lot of use lately as locomotive transport has become the most popular mode of moving oil out of the Bakken.

• Railroad Crossing

Oil field waste may be used for dust control

WATFORD CITY, N.D. — What is now considered oil field waste could be reused as an affordable way to control dust on western North Dakota roads, officials said Wednesday.

• Dust Control

Minn. historic building to be converted

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. - The future of the historic Kirkbride Building here was decided Wednesday night by the City Council.

• Kirkbride Building

Life less expensive in ND

WASHINGTON — Life is most expensive for people living in Hawaii, New York and Washington, D.C., and cheapest for those in South Dakota, North Dakota and Mississippi, according to U.S. government data released on June 12.

Allete to reduce emissions at Minn. coal-fired power plant

Minnesota utility regulators approved Minnesota Power's $350 plan to retrofit the 585-megawatt Unit 4 at the Boswell coal-fired power plant to reduce mercury emissions to comply with stricter federal environmental regulations.

ND fertilizer plants could cut crop input costs

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Farmers in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota could see substantial savings if two proposed nitrogen fertilizer plants are built near Grand Forks and Spiritwood, N.D.

Pandora buys SD station to get radio content rates

LOS ANGELES — Pandora Media Inc., the biggest online radio service, has bought a station in South Dakota to gain the same access to music and rates as terrestrial competitors.

SBA, industry to host Hangouts during National Small Business Week

WASHINGTON - As part of National Small Business Week, June 17-21, the U.S. Small Business Administration will host a series of Google+ Hangouts featuring an exciting lineup of social media companies, mentorship organizations and distinguished experts.

Tribal leaders focus on energy development

SANDIA PUEBLO, N.M. — Federal and tribal politics and bureaucracy remain some of the reasons energy development has been so difficult in Indian Country, American Indian leaders said Tuesday.

Jet service taking off in Dickinson

DICKINSON, N.D. -- With a small sample size of flight boardings to dissect following the implementation of regional jet service this month at Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport in Dickinson, the concept seems to be catching on.

• Jet Service

Analysts: Midwest drivers to see lower gas prices

LANSING, Mich. — The worst may be over for drivers in the upper Midwest who have been grappling with the highest gasoline prices in the continental U.S.

• Gas Pump

Fargo hospitals receive ‘B’ grade for safety

FARGO, N.D. — Essentia and Sanford hospitals here received a “B” grade for safety in a recent national study.

Altru gets low mark for safety

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Altru Hospital in Grand Forks is lacking in patient safety, according to a nonprofit organization that gave the facility low marks in an annual national performance survey.

• Altru Hospital
• Making the grade: What Altru Hospital's "D" grade means