Today in Minot

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Transportation has temporarily closed the eastbound ramp at the U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 83 interchange in Minot due to emergency culvert repairs. The ramp is expected to reopen within two weeks. During this time, motorists are...

WASHINGTON — Republicans suffered a major setback to their “big, beautiful bill” on Friday, when amid conservative objections the U.S. House Budget Committee failed to approve the measure, a crucial step in the process. In a 16-21 vote, Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Josh Brecheen of...

After more than 100 years, Dickinson’s schools are turning a page. The “Midgets” mascot—long a source of controversy—will be retired at the end of the year. In its place: the Mavericks, a name chosen by students to reflect boldness, independence, and local spirit. With 65% of the vote, the new identity isn’t just a rebrand—it’s a reflection of a community ready to move forward. As the logo takes shape this summer, a new era begins, rooted in resilience and pride on the North Dakota frontier.

While some industries are eager to see tariffs rolled back, North Dakota’s honey producers are asking for more. With prices stuck at 20-year lows and costs rising across the board—from bee feed to labor—they say unfair competition is pouring in through back doors. Chinese honey is still tariffed, but producers argue it’s being rerouted through countries like India and Vietnam, arriving duty-free. They’re now calling on the Trump administration to close the loopholes and level the playing field—for the sake of bees and beekeepers alike. Ariana Gonzalez with KFYR has the full story.

“I was thinking about grilling,” my husband texted me. “How about beans as a side dish?” “That sounds great,” I said. Evidently, he was not worried about beans’ reputation as “the musical fruit.” We aren’t having guests, I thought to myself. We have plenty of room...

This legislative session, Democrats again advocated for targeted investments in our communities and stood against proposals that targeted the most vulnerable among us. Whenever possible, we joined a bipartisan governing coalition to pass good laws and block the most extreme Republican bills. That’s how we helped...

Montana isn’t waiting for a housing crisis to get worse—it’s rewriting the rules to stop one in its tracks. With rising home prices and a flood of new residents, the state has pushed forward with bold reforms, legalizing duplexes and small multifamily homes, and cutting back outdated parking mandates. It’s not just policy—it’s a rethink of how communities grow. From Bozeman to Butte, leaders are asking smarter questions about space, cost, and long-term value. The result? A model for housing reform that other states might soon follow.

As tensions rise between Washington and Hanoi over trade, a new headline is drawing attention for more than just economics. Vietnam has greenlit a $1.5 billion Trump Organization project—complete with golf courses, resorts, and luxury housing—just as it faces sharp new U.S. tariffs. The deal arrives amid pressure from the Trump administration to curb Vietnam’s trade surplus and crack down on Chinese transshipment. Officially, it’s a private investment. Unofficially, the timing raises questions about influence, optics, and where President Trump’s business ends and U.S. policy begins.

After months of promising “90 deals in 90 days,” President Trump now says there’s no time for trade negotiations. Instead, countries will be told—by letter—what tariffs they’ll pay to access the U.S. market. It’s a sharp reversal from the administration’s earlier rhetoric of dealmaking and diplomacy. With just two agreements loosely in place, the new approach sidelines talks in favor of top-down declarations. For partners expecting a handshake, the message is clear: the U.S. will be setting the terms, not trading them. Shannon Carroll with Quartz has the full story.

Talking with animals may no longer be just a childhood dream. A new AI-powered competition—the Coller Dolittle Challenge—is offering up to $500,000 annually, and a $10 million grand prize, to push the boundaries of interspecies communication. This year’s winner? A team decoding decades of dolphin recordings, identifying unique whistles that may act as names or warnings. With AI helping to sort, analyze, and even respond to animal signals, researchers are getting closer to cracking nature’s most elusive conversations—one whistle, wave, or chirp at a time. Mariana Lenharo with Nature has the full story.

Alzheimer’s remains one of medicine’s toughest puzzles—but artificial intelligence just helped researchers crack a crucial piece. At UC San Diego, scientists used AI to uncover a hidden role for a gene long linked to the disease. Turns out, it may not just be a symptom—it could be part of the cause. With help from AI modeling, they’ve identified a promising molecule, NCT-503, that tamps down the gene’s harmful effects without disrupting its normal work. It’s early, but in mice, memory and anxiety improved—offering a rare, hopeful glimmer on a long road. David Nield with Science Alert has the full story.