North Dakota utilities could face legal risks during rampant wildfire season
At least two recent wildfires that have prompted evacuations of North Dakota towns have been linked to power lines. Written By: Adam Willis | ×
The North Dakota National Guard helped to fight a wildfire that scorched the Badlands near Medora on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Josiah C. Cuellar / The Dickinson Press
BISMARCK At the beginning of April, North Dakota experienced one of its most poignant wildfire scares in years: A drought-fueled grass fire burned more than 2,000 acres in the Badlands and reached within a mile of the Old West tourist town of Medora.
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Submitted Photo
A bridge walkway is part of the attraction of Old Settlers Park in Burlington.
A significant investment into the Ward County park system last year means less work to do this year, but the park board continues to make plans for future improvements.
This year the focus will be on Rice Lake, said Travis Schmit, assistant county engineer. The park board will meet May 4 to consider the feasibility of funding beach restoration and restrooms. The county sold 2-¢ lots on the north side of the beach and has allocated that money toward beach improvements.
“We are planning improvements to rehabilitate the swim beach to make it more user friendly and increase our capacity, bringing it to modernization with working restrooms and running water,” Schmit said.
the City of Minot, North Dakota will
receive sealed Bids for the construc-
tion of Manhole Rehab – Minot
Country Club, at the office of the
City Clerk, 515 Second Avenue SW
(Second Floor), Minot, North Dako-
ta, until 11:00 AM on Thursday,
March 25, 2021 at which time the
bids will be publicly opened and
read in the Council Chambers.
All Bids must be submitted, and all
work shall be done, in full and strict
compliance with:
for this project;
project;
Specifications and Details
able for examination and/or $100
purchase Monday through Friday
pm to 5:00 pm at the office of
Ackerman-Estvold, 1907 17th Street
gital project bidding documents are
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
A rendering shows the new look on the exterior of the Mouse River Players building, including new signage with information on upcoming shows.
Submitted Photo
Mouse River Players Community Theater launches a fund drive today for a lobby renovation project tentatively planned for completion by the fall of 2022.
“We’re doing this for our patrons. This is for them,” said MRP President Heather Speer.
Planned changes to the Arlene Theater at 115 1st Street SE in downtown Minot include expanding and renovating the current lobby and relocating bathrooms from the auditorium to the lobby area and giving them an updated look. This will create more space in both the lobby area and the women’s restroom and will help to reduce crowding and lines in a post-COVID world, according to MRP.
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Verendrye Electric Cooperative members experienced rolling blackouts Tuesday morning because of a strain on the power grid caused by bitter cold temperatures in several states.
Verendrye spokesman Tom Rafferty said the the 14-state Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has been unable to keep up with the electrical demand from wholesalers, such as the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a federal power marketing agency that provides power to Verendrye’s seven-county area. As a result, it has been necessary to drop some electrical load to stabilize the grid and avoid larger problems.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission reported many utilities in North Dakota were experiencing controlled outages due to low temperatures, high demand for energy and low amounts of renewable generation, including wind and solar, throughout the region.