By Amy Dalrymple | Editor
Gov. Kelly Armstrong delivers the State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature during a special legislative session on Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By Michael Achterling and Jack Dura
North Dakota Republican lawmakers are set to discuss a possible special session to ban the substance kratom and address a fundraising shortfall of the state Military Gallery, which has paused construction.
Senate Republicans on Wednesday received a videoconference invitation for a Sunday meeting from Senate Majority David Hogue, R-Minot, in which he said he had met with Gov. Kelly Armstrong and some of his staff members on Monday.
“The Governor is intent on calling us into a special session to consider banning the sale, possession, and distribution of Kratom,” Hogue wrote in an invitation shared with the Monitor, adding, “We will also be addressing the ND Military Museum as well. As you know, the project has a funding challenge and there appears no way to address it short of legislative action.”
Hogue confirmed the Military Gallery funding was a topic for a potential special session, but would not comment further Wednesday. He added he’d have more to say on Monday.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong, at head of table, chairs North Dakota’s State Investment Board on July 29, 2026. (Photo Jack Dura/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jack Dura
A state panel on Wednesday gave final approval to revisions to a scrutinized bonus program for employees of the office that oversees billions of dollars in state funds.
The unanimous decision by the governor-led State Investment Board followed little discussion. The board previously heard about the proposed changes for fiscal year 2027 in June.
The initial performance bonus program, authorized by the 2023 Legislature, drew scrutiny last year from observers who perceived the payouts as excessive – as much as $293,000 for one employee – and overstated based on what investments the Retirement and Investment Office directly manages.
The policy changes include paying out the bonuses in three increments over three years; increasing the eligibility requirement from three months employment to six; and reducing bonus maximum percentages, such as capping two office leaders at 75% instead of 100%, among other revisions, according to a media brief.
Experts studying the rise in pediatric suicide point to many stressors for preteens, including COVID-19 fallout, social media use, lack of sleep, bullying, and policies restricting gender-affirming care that have created fear for some LGBTQ+ youth. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
By Nada Hassanein
The number of preteens — ages 8 to 12 — who die by suicide in the United States each year is relatively small. But the total in 2025 was 194 — the most since at least 2001, according to preliminary data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 2008, the rate of preteen suicide has increased by an average of 8.2% annually, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis, published in 2024, found that Black preteens had the highest overall suicide rate, while girls and Hispanic preteens had the greatest percentage increase. Native American preteens also saw some of the most pronounced increases.
Mental health experts and advocates are calling for more mental health check-ins with preteens, earlier screenings and tailored interventions for Native, Black and LGBTQ+ preteens.
EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
A section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall near El Paso, Texas, on June 6, 2024. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)
By Ariana Figueroa
The unauthorized U.S. immigrant population grew to its highest level ever by mid-2024, increasing to 15.8 million after hovering at about 11 million since 2010, according to data released Wednesday by a nonpartisan think tank that tracks migration.
The increase primarily stemmed from the historic levels of migration at the southern border that started in 2021 and the Biden administration’s wide use of humanitarian parole and other temporary legal status for millions of people, according to a Migration Policy Institute report based on the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2024.
Thanks for reading North Dakota Monitor. Did you know our weekend digest 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.