General News

The Fargo-Moorhead Coalition for Homeless Persons has received a 2017 Community Innovation prize from the Bush Foundation.

The Coalition will receive $69,000.

The Coalition’s Cody Schuler said Bush earlier gave the group an innovation grant. He said the grant was used to go beyond just providing a homeless person with temporary shelter and a bed for a night – instead, it is geared toward ending homelessness.

Schuler said because Fargo and Moorhead are border communities, they face a unique problem.

One of the owners of the Maple River Winery in Casselton credits the state’s Pride of Dakota program with helping him grow the business.

Greg Kemple and his wife own the winery and distillery. Maple River Winery began in 2002.

"I was young and naive," Kemple said. "We were like, 'OK -- let's start a small and simple hobby."

Kemple said from that humble beginning, the business has grown.

North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger has unveiled the new state “Blue Book.”

The book contains a number of facts, statistics and stories about North Dakota. It's published every two years.

This year, the book unveiling came on the state’s birthday – November 2nd – where North Dakota is celebrating 128 years of existence.

"The entire goal of the Blue Book is to preserve our heritage," Jaeger said at a Capitol news conference.

The first copy of the Blue Book was given to the Governor’s office. Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford accepted on behalf of the office.

Governor Doug Burgum says global trends are starting to shape how services are being delivered. As reporter Todd McDonald tells us, the Governor has a chance to explain what that means for Higher Education when he spoke with an interim legislative committee at NDSU, Thursday.

With just over a month left to go in the enrollment period for Medicare prescription drug coverage, the state Insurance Department is encouraging people 65 and older to review their current plans and shop around to see if there are better plans for them.

The plans are good for one calendar year.

Insurance Department director of consumer assistance, David Zimmerman, said the plans change every year. Zimmerman said it may not just be a premium cost issue – it could be what prescriptions are covered.

Changing technologies and a changing workforce were the main drivers behind a conference held in Bismarck Tuesday.

"Whether it's mobile Internet, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, the Cloud, we have to deal with this change," said Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary, one of the sponsors of "Disrupt Now," the day-long conference held at the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College.

Seminary said the “Disrupt Well” conference came out of discussions he’s been having with business leaders about these trends.

A new, life-size statue of Theodore Roosevelt now resides in downtown Medora.

It’s just outside the Old Town Hall Theater. It portrays Roosevelt as the leader of the Rough Riders, the volunteer regiment he led in battle during the Spanish-American War. It’s 5-feet-9-inches, and it’s at ground level.

Former Gov. Ed Schafer spoke at he unveiling ceremony. His father, Harold Schafer, had the vision to keep Medora as an historic town and tourist destination.