Today in Minot

Public safety cameras are supposed to be watched by police—not by anyone with an internet connection. But a security researcher discovered this week that live feeds from Flock Safety cameras in Cedar Rapids and dozens of other cities were publicly accessible due to a configuration error. The company says it’s fixed. Police say safeguards are now in place. But the episode lands at an awkward moment, just as privacy advocates are pushing Iowa legislators to regulate the growing use of surveillance technology in public spaces. Grace Nieland with Cedar Rapids Gazette has the full story.

Editor’s Note: Adoption of Flock surveillance technology in Minot was considered earlier this year, but the request was ultimately removed due to privacy concerns. A revised proposal for activation of automated license plate scanning already available through an existing vendor will be considered in January.

Watch the disturbing findings of a Flock data access vulnerability below.

If you drove through Minot this year, you felt it—detours, orange cones, heavy equipment reshaping familiar routes. The construction season is over now, and the numbers tell the story: $43 million in city projects, $142 million more for the Mouse River Flood Protection Plan. Levees went up along Railway Avenue and Roosevelt Park. Storm sewers were installed near Dakota Square. Miles of water main were replaced beneath streets you probably sat in traffic on. It was a lot. And next year, there’s more coming. Edward Segal with KX News has the full story.

The International Peace Garden has unveiled its flower bed designs for next summer—and this time, the stars of the show are the pollinators. Butterflies, bumblebees, hummingbirds, even the humble caterpillar mid-metamorphosis. Horticulturist Michelle Burnett, working out of Ninga, Manitoba, designed the beds with education and wonder in mind. There’s also a tribute in the works for Frank Skinner, the self-taught plantsman who figured out how to make flowers thrive on the northern plains. It’s shaping up to be a good year at the Garden.

The tariffs were supposed to help American industry. But for U.S. distillers, they’ve done the opposite. Canadian provinces pulled American alcohol from shelves, and sales collapsed—down 85 percent in the second quarter. Jim Beam just announced it’s closing its flagship Kentucky distillery for at least a year. Now the Distilled Spirits Council is asking trade officials to push back, not with more tariffs, but with a return to zero-for-zero. Turns out the bourbon makers never wanted a trade war. They just wanted to sell whiskey. Devin Stevens with The Canadian Press has the full story.

Pediatricians didn’t sign up to be content creators. But when parents started walking into exam rooms rattled by something they saw online—about vaccines, about Tylenol, about autism—some doctors decided to meet them where the confusion started. Now they’re on social media, debunking myths and absorbing abuse in the comments. It’s gotten harder. The misinformation isn’t just coming from influencers anymore—it’s coming from the government. Bell Cushing with the Wall Street Journal talks with doctors trying to hold the line, one honest answer at a time.