Today in Minot

Canmore, Alberta is drawing a line in the snow. Starting in 2026, homeowners who leave their properties empty more than half the year will face a steep new “livability tax” — over $6,000 annually for part-timers. Town leaders say it’s a response to hollow neighborhoods and skyrocketing housing costs, with the revenue earmarked for affordable housing. Critics call it unfair and divisive. Supporters call it overdue. As mountain towns across Canada wrestle with affordability, Canmore’s bold step could set a precedent others soon follow. Matthew Scace with The Canadian Press has the full story.

On May 1st, in a bill signing ceremony that coincided with Law Day, the national commemoration celebrating the rule of law, Governor Kelly Armstrong signed House Bill 1479 designating October 1 as North Dakota Constitution Day. The bill states: To commemorate the adoption of the Constitution...

A late-night debate and a missed opportunity—North Dakota’s push for better campaign finance transparency stumbled just before the finish line. House Bill 1377, once seen as a modest step toward clearer reporting and public accountability, was rejected in the Senate after a conference committee stripped out key transparency measures. Supporters wanted voters to see where campaign money begins, ends, and goes. Critics feared small-town politics might get too personal. In the end, transparency lost momentum—at least for now.

North Dakota lawmakers set state funding for public broadcasting at $400,000 early Saturday, providing money for tower improvements after threatening to cut off Prairie Public funding completely earlier in the session. Gov. Kelly Armstrong had proposed $2.9 million in his preliminary budget for the 2025-27 biennium,...

Two controversial mining projects in Minnesota are getting a federal push—from both Congress and the Trump administration. One would lift a 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters, fast-tracking the Twin Metals project. The other, NewRange Copper Nickel, is now tagged a federal “priority,” with new permits on the way. Supporters tout jobs and critical minerals; opponents warn of pollution, backroom politics, and a stripped-down permitting process. What’s clear: these long-debated mines are back at the center of a high-stakes environmental and political showdown. Dan Kraker with MPR has the full story.

When war and distance conspire to keep families apart, even three days can feel like a miracle. That’s what it was for Anastassiya Andrianvova of Fargo, who finally reunited with her mother, Oksana, after five painful years—three of them shadowed by war. Their time together in Vienna was filled with hugs, tears, and the joy of grandchildren meeting their grandmother for the first time. But the reunion was incomplete—Anastassiya’s brother remains trapped in Ukraine, separated from his own family by a war that shows no sign of ending.

Blue milk may have been pure sci-fi in 1977, but in 2025, it’s on grocery shelves—and that’s not the only “Star Wars” tech coming to life. From harvesting water in the desert like Uncle Owen to dodging space debris like the Millennium Falcon, engineers and scientists are turning fiction into function. Even the Force has a real-world cousin in our own cells. Turns out, a galaxy far, far away might not be so far after all. May the Fourth may have passed, but the Star Wars legacy remains. Daniel B. Oerther with The Conversation has the full story.

The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur dives into the top stories of this week from the intensifying Russian spring offensive to the shocking torture and murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roschyna. Also, the long-gestating minerals deal has finally been signed, what is in it and is it a good deal for Ukraine? All this and more in this week’s episode of Ukraine This Week.

Strong winds and dry conditions turned northern Rolette County into a wildfire battleground this weekend. Flames crept dangerously close to Rolla, knocking out power and forcing a few evacuations as crews worked to contain the blaze. Meanwhile, 13 separate fires continued to burn on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, prompting a state of emergency. A fast-growing fire also triggered outages near New Town. Officials credit new hotspot-tracking technology and quick coordination across agencies with preventing worse damage—but the region’s fire fight may not be over just yet.

Minnesota lawmakers are taking aim at big tech’s data grab—with a proposed “data mining tax” on large social media platforms that profit from user information without ever sending a bill. The idea is simple: if companies are enriching themselves by harvesting your attention and habits, they should pay for the privilege. Supporters see it as a smart first step. But real progress, they argue, will take more than taxing tech giants—we’ll need the courage to fund public priorities by looking beyond easy targets and sharing the load ourselves. That’s the gist; Eric Harris Bernstein with Minnesota Reformer has the rest of the commentary.

Oil diplomacy is taking a sharp turn. Saudi Arabia, long the stabilizer in global energy markets, is now shifting gears—punishing fellow OPEC+ members like Iraq and Kazakhstan for breaking production quotas. The kingdom is ramping up supply instead of cutting back, pushing nearly 2.2 million barrels per day back into the market by November. It’s a signal that Riyadh is done carrying the burden alone—and it lands just as President Trump prepares to visit, with inflation and oil prices looming over his agenda. Olesya Astakhova with Reuters has the full story.