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Live Updates: Coronavirus in North Dakota

This page will be updated frequently with news and updates related to COVID-19 in North Dakota.

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Goehring suggests changes in grain elevator regulation

By Dave Thompson • 2 hours ago

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says he is asking the 2021 Legislature to rewrite some of the regulations concerning grain elevators.

Goehring made some of the proposals to the Legislature’s interim Agriculture and Transportation Committee.

"They do clean up a lot of the antiquated language that was in statute," Goehring said. "We were asked by the Legislature to simplify, clarify and bring about some true accountability, and address some of the concerns and issues that have plagued the industry and farmers who have been selling their grain."

1 new death, 117 new COVID-19 cases in ND

By Danielle Webster • 4 hours ago

A woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions has passed away with COVID-19, bringing the statewide pandemic death toll to 113. She was from Stutsman County.

Additionally, 117 new individuals from 23 counties have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the new positive total to 7,713. These results were from a pool of 4,590 tests for a daily positive rate of 2.5 percent.

47 of the new positives were from individuals undergoing serial testing.

91 new COVID-19 cases found in ND

By Danielle Webster • Aug 9, 2020

91 new individuals from 19 counties have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the new statewide positive total to 7,596.

These results were from a pool of 5,652 tests for a daily positive rate of 1.6 percent.

ND COVID-19: two new deaths, 181 new cases

By Danielle Webster • Aug 8, 2020

Two more individuals have passed away with COVID-19 in North Dakota, bringing the statewide death toll to 112.

The patients were a man in his 90s from Burleigh County and a man in his 60s from Richland County. They both had underlying health conditions.

Additionally, 181 new individuals from 24 counties have also tested positive for COVID-19 bringing the new statewide positive total to 7,508. These results were from a pool of 5,861 tests for a daily positive rate of 3.1 percent.

The health department isn’t updating results from serial testing until Monday.

ND Health Dept: 1 more COVID-19 death; 150 new cases

By Danielle Webster • Aug 7, 2020

A man in his 40s with underlying health conditions has passed away with COVID-19, bringing the statewide death toll to 110. He was from Benson County.

Additionally, 150 individuals from 26 counties have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the new statewide positive total to 7,327. These results were from a pool of 5,773 tests for a daily positive rate of 2.6 percent. 46 of the positives were from a pool of 1,766 individuals from serial testing.

1 death; 122 new COVID-19 cases

By Danielle Webster • Aug 6, 2020

A man in his 80s from McIntosh County has passed away with COVID-19. He had underlying health conditions. The statewide coronavirus death toll is now 109.

Additionally 122 new individuals from 24 counties have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the new statewide positive total to 7,177. These results were from a pool of 5,471 total tests for a daily positive rate of 2.2 percent. 43 of today’s new positives were from serial testing. 1,720 individuals tested were from serial testing.

Otter Tail Power will continue estimating power use by consumers, and no meter-readings

By Dave Thompson • Aug 6, 2020

The Public Service Commission has given Otter Tail Power Company permission to continue to use estimates on power use by its customers, rather than having to do meter readings.

Otter Tail suspended in-person meter readings because of COVID-19 concerns. The PSC action means the utility can continue to do this through September 30th.

PSC chairman Brian Kroshus said Otter Tail has done a great job, under the circumstances. But he said the pandemic is raising questions.

MDU preparing for a shutdown of coal generation at Heskett and Lewis and Clark stations

By Dave Thompson • Aug 6, 2020
Dave Thompson / Prairie Public

MDU is moving forward on its plans to retire three aging coal-fired generators, replacing them with natural gas units.

The plants are the Heskett Station units one and two, near Mandan – and the Lewis and Clark plant in Sidney, Montana. MDU will be installing new natural gas turbines at those plants.

Energy Issues and Answers: Oil Well Reclamation, Part 1

By Dave Thompson • Aug 6, 2020

As part of the money the state received from the federal “CARES Act,” abandoned oil wells will be plugged –and reclaimed.

This is a three-part series explaining what are abandoned and/or orphaned oil wells, why the CARES Act money is being set aside for this purpose, how the wells will be plugged and reclaimed, and potentially how some wells could come back to life, should economic conditions improve.

In part two of this series, we’ll talk about how a well is properly plugged.

1 new COVID-19 death; 124 new cases in ND

By Danielle Webster • Aug 5, 2020

A woman in her 80s from Grand Forks County has passed away with COVID-19, bringing the statewide death toll to 108. She had underlying health conditions.

Additionally, 124 new individuals from 22 counties have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide positive total to 7,057. These results were from a pool of 5,725 tests for a daily positive rate of 2.2 percent.

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News from NPR

Aquarium Is Washing Old Wishes To Pay Bills During Pandemic

By • 9 minutes ago

For many businesses, the coronavirus pandemic has created a coin shortage. All the sheltering at home put a crimp in the normal circulation of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, and now some retailers are asking customers to pay with exact change.

Belarus Elections End With Landslide Winner — And Massive Protests

By • 30 minutes ago

There's a winner in Sunday's presidential election in Belarus. But there's no concession from the main opposition candidate.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is refusing to accept the landslide victory declared by the five-term incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko.

Puerto Rico's Primary Election On Sunday Was Historic — In A Bad Way

By • 42 minutes ago

Undaunted by the coronavirus pandemic, voters in Puerto Rico donned face masks on Sunday and headed out to local polling places to cast votes in a closely watched gubernatorial primary election.

There was just one problem: For many voters, there weren't any ballots.

By early afternoon on the day of the primary election day, only a handful of polling places had received their paper ballots, NPR's Joel Rose reported Sunday.

Voters and politicians alike were infuriated, Rose says. One candidate called the situation "embarrassing."

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Main Street

Jack Russell Weistein on Guaranteed Basic Income ~ News Chat ~ Matt Reviews "Relic"

Friday, August 7, 202 - Jack Russell Weinstein joins us to preview Sunday’s WHY radio show. It’s about guaranteed basic income, an idea with relevance to circumstances today as workers receive additional assistance during this time of mass unemployment. ~~~ News director Dave Thompson has this week’s news chat. ~~~ Matt reviews “Relic,” the new horror film from director Natalie Erika James.

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