The Board of Higher Education has approved naming the Bismarck State College Health Science Building after former BSC President Donna Thigpen.

But the vote wasn’t unanimous.

Thigpen served as BSC’s President from 1995 to 2006.

The Board’s Budget and Finance Committee approved the name, and forwarded the recommendation to the full Board. But since the Committee advanced that proposal, Board members said they had received some opposition to it. And Board member Kathleen Neset wanted to table the issue, pending further review.

Dickinson State University interim President Stephen Easton may soon be dropping the “interim” designation.

North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott plans to ask the full Board next month to hire him as the permanent President.

"The current interim President has been through a search in 2015, and was also required to go through a second search," Hagerott said. "So we have someone in place who has gone through two searches already, and was selected."

The second search for Easton was for the interim Presidency.

Five candidates have agreed to come to Bismarck for face-to-face interviews and open forums, in the search for a new President at Bismarck State College.

Current President Dr. Larry Skogen is retiring June 30th.

In 2019, a program was launched to streamline safety training in the Bakken.

It was dubbed “One Basin, One Way.” And those involved call it a success.

"It's improved the attitude toward safety," said One Basin, One Way chairman Steve Braden, whon is an employee of Hess. "Our numbers will speak for themselves, once we get the data."

Braden said he believes that data will show the number of incidents is trending downward.

"We would like to think we're a major piece of that improvement," Braden said in an interview.

North Dakota’s Commerce Department and the Housing Finance Agency hosted focus groups in Bismarck to gather information on community needs in housing.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development requires states to have a five-year Consolidated Plan, in order to be eligible to receive federal funding for housing programs.

Before the focus groups met, the Commerce Deaprtment and HFA held some regional meetings to discuss the issues surrounding housing.

The Minot City Council has decided to appeal FEMA’s decision to change the flood maps for the city – a change that could force more Minot residents to buy flood insurance.

Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma said originally, FEMA’s flood maps used a 5000 cubic foot per second flow – which he said is essentially the normal Mouse River flow. But he said FEMA has changed its hydrology, so that it uses a 10,000 cfs flow rate, meaning more people would have to buy the insurance.

From a driver's license to a clam dealer's permit.

Those are some of the hundreds of fees on the books in North Dakota state government.

And the state Auditor’s Office has just completed a performance audit of those fees.

The study had been suggested by Mandan Senator Dwight Cook, who chaired the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee. State Auditor Josh Gallion said once he heard about the study, he was all for it.

"We focus a lot on the expenditure side," Gallion said in an interview. "To me, that's only one-half of the coin."

North Dakota Mineral Resource director Lynn Helms believes the state will soon meet the Industrial Commission’s goals for natural gas capture.

The goal was to capture 88 percent of the gas, starting last November. But as of December, the rate was only 84 percent.

In his recent "Director's Cut" briefing, which covered December production, Helms said he is optimistic that the 88 percent capture goal will be met – and it’s possible that may have happened in January.