Today in Minot

North Dakota is asking the federal government for permission to ban the use of food assistance benefits for soda, candy, and energy drinks. State health officials say the proposed change would promote better nutrition among SNAP recipients and strengthen the state’s case for additional federal health funding. If approved, retailers across North Dakota will need to update their systems, and about 83,000 residents who rely on SNAP could see the change take effect within months. Mary Steurer with North Dakota Monitor has the full story.

Canada Post has officially handed its survival plan to Ottawa — a roadmap meant to pull the national mail service out of years of red ink and declining use. The proposal, requested by Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound, follows a September directive to rethink everything from rural post offices to delivery timelines. While the details remain under wraps until federal approval, Canada Post’s leadership says the goal is clear: modernize without losing the public trust that’s carried the mail for generations.

A new front is opening in the fight against corporate price fixing — and this time, it’s digital. Across industries from housing to health care, companies are increasingly using shared pricing algorithms that quietly align what competitors charge, often pushing costs higher for everyone else. Lawmakers are taking notice: New York and California have moved to outlaw these tools, and more states may follow. The message is clear — the age of algorithmic collusion is here, and regulators are finally catching up.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Americas are no longer measles-free. The Pan American Health Organization announced that Canada has lost its elimination status after more than a year of ongoing transmission, marking a reversal of the region’s 2016 achievement. With more than 5,000 confirmed cases this year, Canadian health officials are now racing to restore control through renewed vaccination efforts and surveillance. Similar outbreaks in the U.S. and across Latin America highlight how fragile disease elimination can be when vigilance slips. Humberto Basilio with Scientific American has the full story.

As North Dakotans wait for stalled SNAP benefits to resume, one Minot man isn’t waiting on Washington to act. Outside his home on 5th Street Northwest, Eric Locken has built a front-yard food pantry — stocked with groceries, produce, and essentials — for anyone who needs them. What began with a few pull-tab winnings has turned into a community effort rooted in gratitude. After surviving the 2011 flood, Locken says he’s simply paying forward the kindness once shown to him. Kyara Brown with KX News has the full story.

Fargo’s city meetings are about to get a little quieter — at least for those watching from home. Starting later this month, the public comment period will no longer be broadcast on city platforms. Mayor Tim Mahoney announced the change at the end of Monday’s meeting, citing concerns over inappropriate remarks. The move makes Fargo an outlier among nearby cities, where public comment remains part of televised meetings — and it’s already raising questions about transparency and the public’s right to hear its own government in action. Michael McGurran with InForum has the full story.

Sen. Kevin Cramer is taking an unexpected stand — and a practical one. The North Dakota Republican, known for his defense of coal and oil, is teaming up with a Rhode Island Democrat to preserve the EPA’s greenhouse gas reporting program. It’s not a shift in ideology so much as strategy: Cramer argues that accurate emissions data proves U.S. industries outperform global competitors on environmental standards. Rob Port unpacks the politics and the issue in this data-driven piece published on Inforum