Shrinking services for Indigenous survivors

By Jeff Beach | Deputy Editor

By Nada Hassanein

Organizations serving American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of violence say reductions in federal funding have led to over 1,000 unmet requests for help, according to a new report.

The Urban Indian Health Institute, an Indigenous health research group, surveyed 201 tribes, tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations and nonprofits about how funding cuts are affecting the survivor support and safety services they offer. These include safe housing, counseling, transportation, direct cash assistance, and court accompaniment for survivors of crime and violence. Other services include advocacy for victims of elder abuse, people with disabilities or people who had been trafficked. 

By Monitor Staff

Hot weather is making potentially dangerous algae blooms more likely in North Dakota, with state officials adding Devils Lake to its watch list. 

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality said algal blooms can develop quickly during warm, sunny weather. Water suspected of containing blue-green algae should be avoided.

Two recent stories deal with how state regulators handle environmental protection and permitting of major development projects. 

One covers the legal challenges surrounding the permit for what could become North Dakota's largest dairy operation. 

Another is the ongoing courtroom dispute over the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, with discussion over whether the North Dakota Public Service Commission can even consider public safety when approving pipeline routes.

North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks about those stories in this episode of A Closer Look with the Monitor. The weekly podcast is a partnership with Prairie Public's Main Street hosted by Craig Blumenshine.

An attorney for North Dakota’s Public Service Commission said Tuesday that the agency can’t consider public safety when issuing a pipeline permit.

Attorney Zachary Pelham said while the commission must consider public welfare, that doesn’t include safety.

“Welfare and safety are two distinct things,” Pelham said during a hearing on a dispute over the permit for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.

More than 70 members of the public filled every seat and stood shoulder to shoulder on the side of the room Wednesday as a new North Dakota legislative committee held its first meeting focused on artificial intelligence and data centers. 

Linda Hagen Mathern, a Bismarck citizen concerned about data centers, told lawmakers there were many more people who peeked into the room or left after a few minutes because there wasn’t enough space. 

“When there’s something very upsetting to the people, there’s never enough room, and I don’t understand,” she said. “You’re elected by us, and yet when we want to share our thoughts, there’s never enough room.”

The lion’s share of the public comment provided over the course of 50 minutes focused on concerns with data centers being constructed in North Dakota.

By Jeff Beach

Opponents of what would be North Dakota’s largest dairy argued Monday that a state agency failed to do an adequate review of the environmental threats posed by the milking operation. 

Attorneys for Riverview LLP, the Minnesota-based company behind the 25,000-cow Herberg Dairy in Traill County, and the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality defended the work of the state agency, which issued an environmental permit in 2025.

While attorneys provided some back-and-forth on the value or liability posed by manure from 25,000 cows at a site just west of the Red River, East Central Judicial District Court Judge Susan Bailey said she was more interested in the legal arguments over whether the agency did an adequate review. 

By Michael Achterling

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong will vote against Measure 2 this November, a constitutional ballot measure that would provide free school meals to K-12 students.

Armstrong said he decided to oppose the measure because it would constitutionally mandate nearly $140 million in biennial spending before lawmakers set foot in Bismarck for the 2027 legislative session. The Department of Public Instruction fiscal note attached to the measure puts the biennial cost of providing the meals between $124.3 million to $134.3 million.

“I don’t like constitutional mandated spending at all. Because by its nature, you are saying this is the single most important thing that exists,” Armstrong said

By Ceilidh Kern

Nearly one in 10 approved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications in North Dakota in 2025 had some kind of error.

Under a federal law passed last year, that means the state may have to pay 10% of its residents’ benefits — or nearly $13 million — every fiscal year unless it can bring its error rate below 6%.

A SNAP payment error occurs when a household receives more or fewer benefits than it’s entitled to because of a mistake in the process. It’s not a measure of fraud. In 2025, 9.89% of SNAP approvals in North Dakota over- or underestimated a household’s benefits.

SNAP, previously known as food stamps, supplements low-income households’ food budgets.

Thanks for reading Monitor Weekend Wrap. Did you know our daily morning newsletter is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.