The Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization has begun updating the metro transportation plan.

That plan is called “Arrive 2045.”

"We will be looking for members of the public, stakeholders, folks interested in transportation," said KLJ project manager Wade Kline. "We want them to come in and help worth through the identification of transportation needs in the Bismarck-Mandan-Lincoln area for the next 20-25 years."

The MPO has developed some projections for population and job growth in the Bismarck-Mandan-Lincoln area.

Williston State College is reporting record enrollment for its fall semester.

The college has 1,124 registered students. That’s a 2.4 percent increase in headcount over the fall of 2017.

College president Dr. John Miller said one reason is scholarships offered by the WSC Foundation, both for tuition and residence hall costs.

Xcel Energy is proposing to use the money it will be saving because of the federal tax cut to clean up a site of a former manufactured gas plant in Fargo.

The plant operated from the early 1900s to 1960.

"Back in the day, coal used be manufactured into gas that was used to light streetlights and be distributed to homes and businesses, much like natural gas is today," said Xcel Senior Regulatory Consultant Dave Sederquist. "There are some residual materials left underground."

On-line retailers are facing an October first deadline to register with the state of North Dakota to start collecting state sales taxes.

North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said the first reflection of that will come in the taxable sales report for the fourth quarter of 2018. That won’t be available until 2019. Meanwhile, Rauschenberger had to come up with an estimate of tax collections from on-line sales, so that could be built into Gov. Doug Burgum’s executive budget recommendation, that will be given to state lawmakers in December.

Taxable sales and purchases in North Dakota were up 10 percent for the second quarter of 2018, compared to the same period a year ago.

Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger sais taxable sales and purchases for April, May and June were $5.15 billion. Rauschenberger said a lot of the growth is coming from western North Dakota.

"The growth is coming from oil exploration," Rauschenberger said. "If you look at Dickinson, taxable sales and purchases were up 14 percent. In Williston, it was up over 30 percent."

The director of North Dakota’s Housing Finance Agency said there appears to be a shortage of home builders who are willing to build single-family homes at the price point that’s affordable for first-time homebuyers.

"What we're hearing is that if the typical buyer is looking for a $450,000 house, that's what they're building," said HFA director Jolene Kline. "There's less profit in the lower, entry level homes, and they're not willing to target that market today."

Kline said the search is now on for builders willing to take on the more modest priced homes.