North Dakota

The Country’s Most Cost-Effective Highway Systems

North Dakota’s highways are in the best condition for the least amount of money, according to an annual report released this month.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

How Common Are Ransomware Attacks? Lawmakers Want to Find Out.

Nobody knows how often government agencies are hit.

  • By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

Timber, Condos, Glamping? States Debate Land Use to Fund Schools

Some states are getting into the development business.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

Oil-Friendly States Fight Back Against Sustainable Investment Trend

New bills would force states to stop investing in companies that use sustainable strategies.

  • By Erika Bolstad, Stateline

Americans Aren’t Actually Quarantining

Many states have quarantine requirements for visitors, but only one really enforces them: Hawaii.

  • By Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Study: The Best—and Worst—State Highway Systems

North Dakota maintained its first-place ranking in the 25th Annual Highway Report, which uses 13 categories to evaluate the condition and cost-effectiveness of state-run highways.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

North Dakota Will Allow Covid-Positive Hospital Staff to Keep Working

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Money runs out on Honolulu rail project … El Paso County plans to set up 10 mobile morgues as Covid deaths rise … Most Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical of ACA challenge.

  • By Laura Maggi

One Republican Governor Reversed Course on a Mask Mandate. Others Are Still Resisting.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared an indefinite statewide mask mandate on Sunday as coronavirus cases continue to spike around the country, but other governors—including those in states hit hardest by the virus—haven't budged.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Covid-19 Cases Dropped by 75% in One State After Local Leaders Were Allowed to Require Masks

A CDC report said the drop followed a spike in cases in Arizona after the state's stay-at-home order expired, underscoring the utility of face coverings in curbing spread of the disease.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In Slumping Energy States, Plugging Abandoned Wells Could Provide an Economic Boost

North Dakota may be the only state using CARES Act money to plug abandoned oil wells.

  • By Erika Bolstad, Stateline

Coronavirus Sparks New Debate Over City's Fireworks Ban

City officials in Bismarck, North Dakota may ask voters whether they'd like to repeal a ban on home fireworks within the city limits, a proposal the mayor said was partially motivated by his desire to provide families with more activities to do together at home.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Governors Ask Residents to Stop Mask-Shaming

Two Republican governors asked residents to stop harassing people who choose to wear face coverings in public, saying the decision to do so should be separate from politics.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
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States Take the Reins in Resilience Planning

Governors say states are taking steps to assure their long-term resiliency in the face of worsening climate change—and in the absence of sweeping federal action.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A Tourism Campaign Centered on a Lack of Tourists

In its 2020 advertising campaign, North Dakota urges travelers to "follow your curiosity—not the crowds," a nod to the state's wide-open landscape and sparsely populated attractions.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

How Communities Can Build Psychological Resilience to Disaster

As climate change makes disasters more severe, researchers say we can prepare by being informed, volunteering, and staying socially connected.

  • By Nicole Wetsman, CityLab

States With the Most Cost-Efficient Highways

The Reason Foundation’s annual highway report gives high marks to North Dakota, Virginia and Missouri for good road conditions and low spending on highway and bridge maintenance.

  • By Andrea Noble

America is Aging and Growing More Diverse, Census Data Shows

“More than four out of every five counties were older in 2018 than in 2010," said one Census Bureau official about new population estimates.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Florida Moves to Allow Teachers to Carry Guns

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Baltimore mayor resigns … New election machines in North Dakota … Marijuana lounges become legal in Las Vegas.

  • By Emma Coleman

When Does a Winter Storm Become a Bomb Cyclone?

What raises a common winter storm to the level of 'bomb cyclone'? It's all about rapid, sharp changes in atmospheric pressure— and the scientists who coined the term meant to highlight their power.

  • By Russ Schumacher, The Conversation

Invasive Species Have Some States Seeking Increased Federal Partnership

More than 5,000 invasive species—from plants like cheatgrass to rodents like nutria—inhabit the U.S. causing about $120 billion in economic damage annually.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Tax Cuts, Whale Funding and Pay Bonuses Among the Priorities in Governors' Proposed Budgets

Across the U.S. governors are rolling out their spending plans for the upcoming fiscal cycle.

  • By Bill Lucia