General News

The state of North Dakota and the North Dakota Medical Association are encouraging people who have tested positive for COVID-19 – and are at high risk for serious complications – to look at whether new treatment options – such as monoclonal antibodies – are right for them.

"These new antibodies have really allowed us to take the fight to COVID, and hopefully keep people out of the hospital," said NDMA Vice-president Dr. Joshua Ranum. "WE're also hoping to keep people from having severe complications from the disease."

The Legislature will be considering merging the state Health Department with the Department of Human Services.

Rep. Robin Weisz (R-Hurdsfield) is the main sponsor of that bill. Weisz said this has been talked about for a number of years. And he said after the Division of Environmental Quality was moved out of the Health Department, and became its own agency, it seems a good time to make this move.

"It's not like we're trying to make a 'super-agency,'" Weisz said in an interview.

North Dakota’s eight commercial airports saw a 52 percent drop in boardings in 2020, compared with 2019.

The state's Aeronautics Commission said 572,093 people boarded commercial airplanes in 2020. That's a decrease of 619,476 passengers ffrom 2019.

The reason: COVID-19.

North Dakota Aeronautics Commission director Kyle Wanner said it could have been worse.

"We saw a 95%  decrease in passenger numbers back in April," Wanner said. "That's the worst-case scenario."

Wanner said since that time, there has been a recovery.

A bill pending in the North Dakota Legislature would lengthen the amount of driver’s training for teens before they could get a driver’s license.

A Bismarck state senator has introduced a measure to provide some money to families who have out-of-pocket education expenses as a result of schools being locked down and going to distance learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sen. Mike Dwyer’s (R-Bismarck) bill would set aside $12 million from the next round of COVID relief money for those grants.

Dwyer said he got the idea because he has two children who are teachers, and they have children. Dwyer said the school closed, and so did their day care, and the two were expected to work from home.