Today in Minot

My spouse and I are fortunate enough to be annually invited to a coastal resort in southern California by a family friend. The good company, the beauty and power of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the pleasant weather are offers we can't refuse. For natives...

The other night, my husband and I went to the movie theater, which I can’t remember the last time we went to see a movie. The most popular snack at the movie theater is, of course, buttered popcorn. As we were munching on the popcorn, the...

In a time when cities often feel fragmented and impersonal, Denver Urban Gardens is cultivating more than food — it’s nurturing connection. Executive director Linda Appel Lipsius leads a network of over 200 community gardens and food forests that produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of hyper-local produce annually, all while creating shared spaces that draw neighbors together. This story is about more than gardening: it’s about resilience, community, and how tending to the land can help us tend to each other. Tiffany Owens Reed with leads the conversation; listen below.

Rep. Julie Fedorchak is keeping her promise to stay accessible, hosting her fourth virtual town hall Monday evening — a chance for North Dakotans to ask questions directly. Fresh off in-person office hours in Fargo, she’s signaling a hands-on approach to constituent service, even as she backs key Republican legislative priorities. Whether it’s discussing policy or hearing personal concerns, Fedorchak is positioning herself as engaged and responsive. If you’ve got something on your mind, this is your opportunity to bring it straight to your representative.

Can AI actually think? Plato and Aristotle might have something to say about that. Their ancient distinctions between reason, intuition, and wisdom offer a surprising lens on today’s technologies. Machines may analyze data and generate responses that look like thought, but do they understand? The Greeks argued that true thinking requires something more: an embodied, emotional, human experience — a reminder that what’s at stake with AI today is as much philosophical as it is technical. Ryan Leack, with The Conversation has some contemplative Sunday reading for you.

The Environmental Protection Agency is about to gut the very division that provides the research behind its own environmental safeguards. Hundreds of scientists — the chemists, toxicologists, and biologists who help us understand air, water, and chemical risks — are being shown the door. This isn’t just a bureaucratic shake-up; it’s a profound shift in how (and whether) environmental policy will be rooted in independent science. As the Trump administration pushes forward, the question isn’t whether regulations will weaken — it’s how much public health may be put at risk.

North Dakota’s property tax overhaul is reshaping local budgets, and rural communities are feeling the squeeze. While homeowners are set to receive substantial relief — credits that could wipe out tax bills for some — cities and counties face tight new limits on how much they can raise. Rural areas, especially dependent on property taxes, now confront hard choices: cut services, tap dwindling reserves, or convince voters to approve new taxes. Leaders agree: the reform brings needed relief but leaves plenty of tough questions still to answer. Peyton Haug with Grand Forks Herald has the full story.

Chevron’s $55 billion acquisition of Hess isn’t just about offshore riches in Guyana — it has real relevance for North Dakota too. Hess has long been a major operator in the Bakken, one of the state’s economic engines. While the legal fight that delayed this deal centered on Guyana’s Stabroek Block, the merger now ties North Dakota’s oil fields even closer to Chevron’s global strategy. For North Dakotans, this corporate shake-up could shape how one of the region’s biggest energy players invests and operates in the years ahead. Reuters has the full story on the acquisition linked below.

With America’s 250th birthday just around the corner, it’s worth remembering that democracy isn’t only shaped in courts or legislatures — it thrives in parks, plazas, and on sidewalks where people gather to speak, protest, and debate. Public spaces have always been central to self-government, from the Liberty Tree to today’s city squares. Keeping these places welcoming, accessible, and truly public isn’t just good urban design; it’s essential for a democracy where every voice has room to be heard. If the topic lights your sparkler, you might appreciate this op-ed by Shawn McCaney (writing at Next City.

The Minot City Council will hold its regular meeting on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 10 3rd Ave SW. Residents in need of special accommodations are encouraged to contact the City Clerk’s office at...