Always Improving – Page 4 – TheMinotVoice.com

Minneapolis eases liquor license restrictions, restaurants flock to opportunity offering craft cocktail experiences

by: Josh Wolsky | May 20, 2019

When it comes to liquor, the City of Minneapolis chose to take a step back and do a little deregulating. As a step of confirmation, they offered the idea to the citizens through a city charter change; the public supported it overwhelmingly (72% yes). And now, in the first season that restaurants were offered the

Read & Share sourced from: Star Tribune

Bismarck’s Main Avenue to undergo permanent road diet

by: Josh Wolsky | May 15, 2019

Bismarck’s Main Avenue will be transitioned down from 4-lanes to 3-lanes. It’s a project under the emerging practice in engineering known as ‘road diets’. It’s about making roads as friendly to bikes and pedestrians as they are to cars and trucks; there’s also less to maintain. Cheryl McCormack with the Bismarck Tribune has the full

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Bismarck mulls offering liquor licenses based on estimated census

by: Josh Wolsky | May 12, 2019

The Bismarck City Commission has requested City staff draft ordinance language that would move the City to releasing population-quota liquor licenses based on the annual census estimate rather than the 10-year census. Here’s the quote from City Commissioner Shawn Oban: “I think if there’s an appetite for increasing competition and allowing more folks to get

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

North Dakota students lead nation in AP exam pass rate increase

by: Josh Wolsky | May 12, 2019

Over the past few years and since the legislature made an investment in supporting advanced placement instruction in high schools, North Dakota students have made fast advances on their AP test performance. Get the full good news education story from InForum.

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

North Dakota’s ‘grow our own’ strategy aims to tackle doctor shortage

by: Josh Wolsky | May 6, 2019

Where do we get our doctors? Most medical providers are faced with the question, and the problem isn’t unique to Minot or North Dakota. In Fargo, Sanford is finding that adding residency programs gives them an inside track to hiring directly after training is completed. Up the road in Grand Forks, UND Medical School has

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

The fastest-growing US city is scrambling to survive the shale boom

by: Josh Wolsky | May 5, 2019

As the price of oil rebounds and activity in North Dakota picks up, few believe we’ll return to Minot’s circumstances of 5 years ago. But what if we did? What if the oil boom came back? What steps would we take today to ensure the downside after our boom wasn’t as dramatic as we’ve recently

Read & Share sourced from: Bloomberg

Regina city council eliminates permit fee for new street-painting program

by: Josh Wolsky | May 5, 2019

How do you build community? In Regina, street painting is one activity that’s showing promise. How do you discourage street painting? By charging a large administration free. The City’s administration was proposing just such a fee, but the City Council said otherwise. To them, the benefit was worth more than the cost of the not-inconsequential

Read & Share sourced from: Regina Leader Post

Future of Farming: Fargo claims first automated farm, hoping for support environment that goes with it

by: Josh Wolsky | May 4, 2019

What does the future of farming look like? If you’re in the camp that believes the march of technology is unstoppable, than you’re probably willing to bet on automation. Testing that automation in a literal field is a first step to wider introduction. Check out this story from Inforum to see how Fargo is moving

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Filling in the blanks, a perspective on implementing infill development

by: Josh Wolsky | May 4, 2019

Have you heard talk of ‘infill development’ lately? If you’ve followed the local news, probably; it has been a common talking point over the past few years in Minot. It’s also a core principle of Governor Burgum’s Main Street Initiative. In concept, the idea is simple. Focus development towards the urban core of a city

Read & Share sourced from: Winnipeg Free Press

Slow down, pay attention, save a life

by: Josh Wolsky | May 1, 2019

We all know (hopefully) the roads are dangerous places, but from time to time, we’re given a sad reminder. And while there are many steps being taken to protect drivers, it’s often those people outside of cars — pedestrians and bicyclists — that are often the most vulnerable. In Bismarck yesterday, a cyclist was hit

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Survey seeks business input into Minot downtown strategic plan

by: Josh Wolsky | May 1, 2019

There’s been a lot of work taking place behind the scenes in Minot, one focus area has been the larger plan and vision for our downtown commerce district. Prior work included a general survey of the community; now, business and property owners are getting a specific opportunity to share their thoughts. Jill Schramm with The

Read & Share sourced from: Minot Daily News

Lots of ‘bunts and singles’ in developing civic spaces can add up to home runs

by: Josh Wolsky | April 25, 2019

Over the past few years, the City of Akron, Ohio has been working to re-imagine itself. But instead of betting big, the goal was “seating, tables and shade.” The result: they’re proving that small bets, when executed competently and stacked together, add up to a big transformation. Check out the article linked below for more

Read & Share sourced from: Knight Foundation

Bismarck hires two new coordinators to support Native American students

by: Josh Wolsky | April 22, 2019

The transition from a reservation school — where administrators and teachers are more attuned to the particular challenges of native students — to a city school can be daunting. And in Bismarck, where native students make up ~9% of the enrollment, the School District is making an investment in helping these transitions and other challenges

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Hey Minot, care about the plastic problem?

by: Josh Wolsky | April 19, 2019

Once you see it, you’ll see it everywhere. I’m talking about plastic. Particularly single-use plastic and especially plastic bags. This time of year is especially troublesome because we’re forced to look at what’s been hiding under the snow all winter. And if you’re among those who can’t unsee it and think we should do something

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The robots are marching, and they can pull a truck, too

by: Josh Wolsky | April 17, 2019

While this story is not exclusive to Minot, it helps remind us that we’re not immune to the march of technology. And this company — Boston Dynamics — has been the subject of past publishing here on The Minot Voice. If you go back and watch those old videos, you’ll get a sense of how

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United Airlines Adding a Flight Between Minot and Denver

by: Josh Wolsky | February 19, 2019

Air travel from the Magic City is about to get easier. The news release below was issued by the City of Minot Public Information Office. — Official News Release, City of Minot — United Airlines has added a third daily round trip flight between Minot International Airport and Denver International Airport, boosting the number of

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