Section: Public Affairs

Another country bans single-use plastic plates and cutlery for environmental reasons

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

When it comes to single-use plastic, England has decided the costs outweigh the convenience. They’re banning a bunch of stuff. Items caught in the policy net include plastic plates, trays, bowls, utensils, and other implements that find their way into the waste stream. England previously banned plastic straws in 2020. The goal is simple —

Read & Share   sourced from: NPR

Montana weed sales estimated at $300M in recreational industry’s first year

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

In 2021, Montana voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana. The law took effect on January 1, 2022, and the first-year data has come in. In the first 365 days, Montanan’s purchased $300 million in marijuana, more than double the state’s high-end projections. Purchases raised nearly $35 million in taxes. Get the full story from the Helena

Read & Share   sourced from: Helena Independent Record

Grant program to help young Minnesota farmers proves popular

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Farming is the biggest business in this part of the Northern plains, and it’s a very difficult business to break into due to high land costs. And last year in Minnesota the legislature set aside money to address the issue by making grant dollars available for qualifying new farmer land purchases. The program opened recently,

Read & Share   sourced from: MPR

How to re-engine a B-52 and make a new bomber fleet

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Minot Air Force Base’s B-52 Bombers are part of a fleet that’s been flying missions for over 70 years. It’s a testament to the aircraft’s design and ability, and it’s a role that’s expected to continue for another 30 years, at least. But to extend the life is going to take new engines, and that’s

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Council Says Yes to First Phase of $2.9 Million Epic TIF

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

This story is a week old but will remain part of ongoing coverage and commentary here on TheMinotVoice.com. In the interim, this article linked below from Jill Schramm at The Minot Daily News can bring you up to speed on the City Council’s approval of a $2.9 million TIF for a mixed-use real estate development

Read & Share   sourced from: Minot Daily News

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Burgum appoints advisory committee to distribute funds from settlements with opioid manufacturers

by: MinotVoice  |  

BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum today issued an executive order creating an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to receive and distribute funds received under settlement agreements and recommend how they should be used by local governments. The state has entered into 11 settlement agreements with 13 opioid manufacturers and distributors in an effort to hold

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Maybe These Political Colors Don’t Mean What We Think They Mean?

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Have noticed political discourse — if we can call it that — seems to include a lot of color-calling? What does it really mean to represent ‘red’ or ‘blue’, and what did it used to mean? The politics of the prairie are not static. And if the topic interests you, then this article from Tom

Read & Share   sourced from: Plains Folk

How much would it cost for a municipality to shovel all the sidewalks?

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

We’ve been covering sidewalk accessibility this week on TheMinotVoice. Two stories, the City of Minot’s initial failure to timely clean sidewalks in their portfolio, and the follow-up comments from elected officials opened the thread. There’s more coverage to come; we’ve filed a FOIA request with the City with hopes that shining a light inside exposes

Read & Share   sourced from: Star Tribune

Grand Forks, East Grand Forks council members revisit next step for bridge projects during joint meeting

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Rivers create both challenges in a community, even more so when they divide two communities and two states. Grand Forks and East Grand Forks share the Red River, as such, they also share the challenges of getting across it. And talks of new bridges are bringing them together, literally and figuratively. And one concern getting

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Bill would increase THC purchase limit for North Dakota medical marijuana patients

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

North Dakota’s regulation of medical marijuana is among the most strict across states that have legalized marijuana in one form or another. To loosen the law up a bit, Senator Kristen Roers, R-Fargo, sponsored a bill to increase the amount of active THC patients can purchase that will also allow for more consistent doses and

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Lawmakers look to cut outdated language from North Dakota Constitution

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

North Dakota’s Constitution has been around since statehood (1889), and though it has had some changes along the way, there remains some holdover language from a different time and sensibility. Several lawmakers have sponsored a bill to update terms and titles of mandated state institutions with language more fitting for the 21st Century. Get the

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

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State Senator Krebsbach On Sideline at Start of Session Recovering From Broken Hip, Wrist

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Minot’s most tenured legislator, Senator Karen Krebsbach, is sitting out the first few days of the 2023 legislative session. Senator Krebsbach is recovering from a December fall on the streets of Minot that left her with a broken hip and wrist. Jack Dura with The Bismarck Tribune has the full story that includes coverage of

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Gambling in North Dakota has become a cut-throat, billion-dollar industry with little oversight

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by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Charitable gaming has quietly become a big business in North Dakota, a nearly $1.7 billion dollar business in 2022. And it’s the legalization of electronic pull-tab machines (the polite way of saying slot machines) that’s multiplied the haul. E-tab machines accounted for nearly 90% of the revenue last year, and with that kind of money

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum

Questions before granting a $14.5 million tax incentive

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Let me say at the outset, that I’m a supporter of tax incentives and TIF districts. The TIF district approved for the Big M building was an outstanding use; we the taxpayers would have owned and paid for the demolition of that building had it not been saved through use of a TIF. Sometimes the

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(TIF)Tax Increment Financing Simplfied

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

TIF stands for Tax Increment Financing. In a very simplified way, It works like this. Say you want to put a second-story addition on your one-story house. The second story will add three bedrooms and $100,000 of value to your house. And you know what comes with new value, right? Yep, added taxes. That new

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County Commission Meeting, January 3, 2022

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

The Ward County Commission will meet Tuesday, January 3 at the Ward County Administration meeting for their regularly scheduled meeting. The agenda is included below.

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