By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
Vince Sakraida, director of data center engineering for Geronimo Power, speaks with a visitor at the Bondegard Cafe in Casselton, North Dakota, on Oct. 1, 2026. The company was sharing information about its planned data center. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
Caryn Weber said she is not against data centers, but questions the location of a proposed site in rural Cass County.
“It’s disturbing to see prime farmland covered up with concrete,” Weber said Thursday inside Bondegard Cafe in downtown Casselton.
Representatives of Geronimo Power, the company behind a proposed data center east of Casselton and north of Mapleton, answered questions about the Harmony Energy Park project at the cafe.
Tuesday, the Legislature’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee meets at 9 a.m. at Grand Farm, near Casselton. The following week, on Oct. 14, North Dakota State University is hosting a data center discussion in Fargo.
On the left, Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer speaks to during the party’s state convention on March 7, 2026. On the right, Republican incumbent U.S. House Rep. Julie Fedorchak gestures at supporters during a victory party in 2024. (Photos by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)
By Michael Achterling
North Dakota’s Republican and Democratic U.S. House candidates agree artificial intelligence is powerful and in need of guardrails, but they differ on the level of accountability for AI products and their parent companies.
Republican incumbent Julie Fedorchak said she supports a bipartisan effort in the U.S. House to regulate the expanding industry and hopes accountability measures for AI misuse will come from the process. Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer said AI regulations should be proactive instead of reactive and companies should be held negligent if their products violate the law.
Freshly smoothed dirt rests behind a fence outside the North Dakota governor’s residence in Bismarck on Sept. 30, 2026, after seven coffins containing human remains were exhumed from the site. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Michael Achterling
Archaeologists recently removed seven coffins containing human remains and an unknown wooden box from a construction site near the North Dakota governor’s residence, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
The archaeologists explored more than 80 areas of interest in September after human remains were discovered in May while construction crews were installing a new fence around the property.
Brandon Solberg, facilities management director for the office, said in a statement that archaeologists will now review and catalog all remains and items discovered during fieldwork. That analysis is expected to continue into early 2027.
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Three Republican Party officials this week filed a petition to the North Dakota Supreme Court challenging the eligibility of four legislative candidates.
Reporter Jack Dura joins host Craig Blumenshine to talk about the arguments in the court case and the secretary of state’s position.
Also, Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks about the power demand for a proposed Cass County data center, and editor Amy Dalrymple describes the Monitor’s Voter Guide.
A Closer Look with the Monitor is a partnership with Prairie Public's Main Street.
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FROM STATES NEWSROOM
Online prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are attracting scrutiny from state lawmakers, who argue the platforms are undermining state gambling regulations. (Photo by Alyssa Chen/Minnesota Reformer)
By Kevin Hardy
Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from the government watchdog group OpenSecrets.
Prediction market platforms say they are like commodity markets that offer contracts to speculate on the future price of corn or oil — not sportsbooks that allow gamblers to place bets. But many states reject those justifications, arguing the platforms offer a backdoor to skirt state gambling regulations, particularly on sports.
Inmates moving to new Rapid City women’s prison, but dilapidated unit in Pierre remains in use | South Dakota Searchlight
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