By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
“Strike when the iron is hot. It's the governor who called a special session, and this is more important than any other topic.” - Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, who plans to propose bill drafts related to data centers for the upcoming legislative session.
Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, speaks during a Budget Section meeting on March 18, 2026. He plans to propose bills related to data centers for the upcoming special session. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jacob Orledge
A Democratic lawmaker in North Dakota is calling for the Legislature to address data centers while legislators are gathered for a special session next month.
But a top legislative leader is skeptical that a three-day special session, focused on regulating kratom, is the right time to debate data centers.
Sen. Tim Mathern of Fargo plans to propose a bill draft that would prohibit public officials from signing non-disclosure agreements with data center developers. He also plans to propose a temporary data center moratorium, though acknowledged that is unlikely to be embraced by other legislators.
Students walk down the hall at a public elementary school. The Trump administration has given states more flexibility in spending some federal dollars. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
By Robbie Sequeira
The Trump administration is increasing its efforts to turn more control of federal education money to the states as it continues working to dismantle the Education Department.
Six states have received waivers allowing them to consolidate more than $109 million in federal education funding and bypass certain requirements for local education agencies, said Kirsten Baesler, former North Dakota superintendent of public instruction who is now assistant secretary for the department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
It’s a part of a growing push by the Trump administration to turn federal education measures to state control.
Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on Jan. 26, 2015 in Mill Valley, California. (Photo by Illustration Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
By Shauneen Miranda
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a sweeping executive order that aims to reshape guidance surrounding childhood vaccines, standing alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and was met with immediate pushback.
The order — which calls on federal programs and funding to “support maximal parental choice over childhood vaccines” — came as Trump continued to erroneously connect vaccines with autism during the White House event and his administration has sought to de-emphasize childhood vaccinations’ importance.
Wind turbines built near power lines are pictured near Enid, Oklahoma. A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Department of Defense must resume national security reviews for onshore wind projects. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
By Alex Brown
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Defense to lift its blockade of wind energy projects and resume the permitting process that has ground to a halt during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Under Trump, the Pentagon has stopped conducting the national security reviews that are required for wind turbines over 200 feet tall. Renewable energy companies and Democratic attorneys general sued the administration, saying the refusal to conduct the once-routine reviews has stalled more than 155 onshore wind projects.
Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon issued a preliminary injunction, ordering the Pentagon to resume the review process while the case proceeds. In her ruling, Immergut said the agency had not complied with regulatory deadlines to review permits.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
The Aurora Borealis at Voyageurs National Park near the city of International Falls. (Photo courtesy of National Park Service)
COMMENTARY
By Katelynn Rolfes
In the Declaration of Independence, our country’s founders made “the pursuit of happiness” one of our bedrock principles. As we celebrate our 250th birthday, it feels relevant to ask: What makes us happy today?
Eighty-four percent of Americans say they love or like spending time in nature, with 71% associating nature with relaxation and calm, 49% with joy and 41% with gratitude.
The Great American Outdoors Act 250, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Arkansas, would continue the Legacy Restoration Fund, which has helped tackle the backlog of repair and maintenance projects in our national parks, wildlife refuges, forest service lands, Bureau of Indian Education schools and Bureau of Land Management lands. I can’t think of a better birthday present Congress could give to our nation than by passing this bill.
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