News

Gov. Doug Burgum has directed all government agencies to fly the United States and North Dakota flags at half-staff until sunset Tuesday, April 6, and encourages North Dakotans to do the same at their homes and businesses, as a sign of respect for the service and sacrifice of the victims of today’s attack at the U.S. Capitol.

Gov. Doug Burgum today visited Billings County to survey areas damaged by a wildfire that broke out Thursday, thanking the firefighters and emergency services personnel from more than 20 agencies who fought the blaze and successfully kept it from reaching the city of Medora, which had been evacuated as a precaution. 

Gov. Doug Burgum today declared a statewide wildfire emergency, enabling the North Dakota National Guard to deploy two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to help fight a Billings County wildfire that has prompted the evacuation of the city of Medora.

As extreme drought conditions continue to spread across North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum today placed the North Dakota National Guard on standby to provide help if additional resources are needed to respond to a growing number of wildfires.

The National Governors Association (NGA) will collaborate with North Dakota and five other states on strategies for equitably meeting the social-emotional needs of students and families during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services confirmed today, Tuesday, that while it works to support the resettlement of refugees and other individuals who are legally authorized to enter the country, the state has not accepted unaccompanied undocumented children from the United States’ southern border.

Gov. Doug Burgum today appointed Dave Krabbenhoft to lead the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR). Krabbenhoft currently serves as the agency’s director of administration and has served as interim director since August 2020.

Gov. Doug Burgum is urging the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to abandon its plan to change the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) criteria, which would cause Bismarck and Grand Forks to lose their MSA designation and risk access to federal funding and information.

Gov. Doug Burgum today announced that Great River Energy (GRE) is in exclusive negotiations to sell Coal Creek Station and GRE’s high-voltage, direct current transmission system. If such a sale occurs, the buyer would continue to operate Coal Creek Station and GRE would not shut it down.

Gov. Doug Burgum this week signed legislation that caps a four-year collaborative effort to pave the way for authentic learning and flexibility in pathways for North Dakota students to achieve graduation.