Health & Environment

Minot’s Trinity Health has become the 20th member of the Mayo Clinic Health Care Network.

"We wanted to bring Rochester, MN to Minot, ND," said Trinity President and CEO John Kutch. He said the collaboration came about through patient demand.

"Many time we heard from our patients that they didn't want to travel out of the region for care," said Kutch. "With this partnership, our patient population will not have to travel for care unless it's absolutely necessary."

It’s 87 degrees in the late afternoon sun. But – as reporter Todd McDonald found out -- the early summer heat is not deterring members of Scheel’s Team Road-Rash from getting in their evening practice…

The state Game and Fish Department is working on plans to increase the number of sage grouse in southwestern North Dakota.

A few years ago, state regulators were saying that potash mining may be the “next big thing” in North Dakota.

It hasn’t happened yet. But the state mineral resources department will be holding hearings on rules for mining the high value fertilizer.

"The potash industry was somewhat holding its breath, waiting to see what those rules were going to look like," said state Mineral Resource director Lynn Helms. "Once that process is behind us, the geologist that we hired to work subsurface minerals is going to put together a reporton whet we know about potash."

A House committee is considering proposals to raise the cost for hunting, fishing and boat licenses.

Those fees have not been raised for years.

"We haven't kept pace with states around us," State Game and Fish director Terry Steinwand told the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "We've really become the bargain basement place to hunt and fish for non-residents."

Senator-elect Heidi Heitkamp says she believes a strong case can be made for federal funding of the Red River diversion project.

Heitkamp says she agrees with holding federal spending down – and spending only on demonstrated need – but she says the project meets that test.

"Certainly, protecting Fargo is a huge need this region has," said Heitkamp. "I think it will pay huge dividends in return, in part, because every time we have these seasonal floods, millions of dollars get spent fighting the flood, as opposed to preventing the damage."

The federal Office of Surface Mining has given North Dakota good marks for its coal mine reclamation program.

OSM says North Dakota has an “efficient and effective” program. The program is administered by the North Dakota Public Service Commission.