Midwest
North Dakota coal miners unearth ancient mammoth fossil, including 7-foot-long tusk: 'Exciting find'
A group of coal miners made a “mammoth” discovery this year while working in North Dakota.
While working overnight at the Freedom Mine during the Memorial Day weekend, the miners uncovered the remains of an ancient mammoth that went extinct in the area roughly 10,000 years ago.
Understanding the importance of the discovery, which came in the early morning hours at the mine located north of Beulah, the miners roped off certain areas and called in the North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS), the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Led by paleontologists from the NDGS, a team worked for 12 days to excavate the streambed where the fossil had been preserved for thousands of years, according to a press release this month from the NDGS.
FOSSIL HUNTER SPOTS 450,000-YEAR-OLD MAMMOTH TUSK WHILE AT QUARRY: ‘STICKING OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB’
Led by paleontologists from the NDGS, a team worked for 12 days to excavate the streambed where the remains had been preserved for thousands of years, according to the NDGS. (North Dakota Geological Survey)
More than 20 bones were recovered from the skeleton, including ribs, a shoulder blade, a tooth, and portions of the hips. But perhaps the most astonishing find was a seven-foot-long mammoth tusk that had been preserved since the Ice Age.
Clint Boyd, a senior paleontologist for the NDGS, told Fox News Digital that the tusk had been scooped up by the miners who were removing heavy rock from the area and placed into the bed of a dump truck.
“So when they dump the dump truck out, the very last thing that came out of the bed of the dump truck that landed right on top of the pile was that full, complete seven-foot-long mammoth tusk,” Boyd said.
In an effort to preserve the fossil, Boyd said the team placed the bones into plastic bags to help retain moisture.
“We have all of the materials wrapped up in plastic right now because this Ice Age stuff is what we refer to as subfossils. It’s not fully fossilized, there’s a lot of organics still in it,” Boyd explained. “The sediment is really wet when you first uncover it, and if it dries out too quickly, it’ll just kind of crack and split and fall apart and kind of destroy itself.”
In order to save the bones, Boyd said the team must soak them in a “special chemical compound” that “takes the water out of the specimen and then replaces it with this slower drying alcohol.”
Perhaps the most astonishing find from the fossil was a seven-foot-long mammoth tusk that had been well-preserved. (North Dakota Geological Survey)
The soaking process to ensure the bones don’t become brittle and crumble, Boyd said, could take a few months. “After that’s done, then it’ll be nice and stable,” he said.
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Boyd said the mammoth fossil is believed to be “the most complete one” that has ever been discovered in North Dakota and that it’s “the first one that’s come out of a coal mine.”
“You get them out of gravel pits once in a while, but usually just like a bone or two, or like an isolated tooth. For whatever reason, we haven’t had a lot of really complete mammoth specimens from North Dakota before, so this was an exciting find,” he added.
The NDGS is also working alongside the Freedom Mine as the duo searches for somewhere to put the remains on display for others to see.
“We’re looking at places where we could potentially get the specimen on display,” Boyd said. “We’re talking with the mine, trying to see if there’s any place close by up there, maybe in the town of Beulah, which is the nearest town, or someplace like that. If not, then [we’re] looking at where we could put it into the state museum here in Bismarck, since we’re only a little over an hour away from the mine.”
“We’d like to get the fossils back on display as close to the area they came from as possible so that local people can see it and understand, you know, what it was and what else they could find out there,” he added.
Mammoths roamed what is now known as North Dakota during the Pleistocene Epoch, more commonly known as the Ice Age. They went extinct in the area around 10,000 years ago, according to the NDGS. (Getty Images)
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Mammoths roamed what is now known as North Dakota during the Pleistocene Epoch, more commonly known as the Ice Age. They went extinct in the area around 10,000 years ago, according to the NDGS.
A variety of mammoth species occupied the land of North America, including the Woolly Mammoth and the Columbian Mammoth, which lived among saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths. Once the bones have gone through the cleaning process, paleontologists will be able to identify which species the fossil belonged to.
Boyd said he hopes the rare discovery will lead to others reporting their findings and keeping an eye out for additional fossils in the future.
“Hopefully this, you know, gets everyone to keep their eyes peeled and let us know if they see anything else out there,” he said of the discovery.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Several new South Dakota laws officially take effect July 1 after being signed into law this session.
This includes new rules on government transparency, online safety, and data privacy.
The Attorney General’s office says the changes are designed to protect South Dakotans both online and in public institutions.
The following 10 bills go into effect July 1:
- Senate Bill 17: Prohibits a candidate or political committee from accepting contributions or loans made by a foreign national. It was unanimously passed by both the House and Senate.
- Senate Bill 41: Revise a provision related to criminal invasions of privacy, prohibit the creation and distribution of digitally fabricated material of an identifiable individual, and provide penalties therefor.
- Senate Bill 42: Enhance the penalties for ingestion, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance in a state correctional facility.
- Senate Bill 43: Address search and seizure provisions applicable to digital currency.
- Senate Bill 44: Establish investigative subpoena authority to gather business records in certain investigations.
- Senate Bill 45: Revise a provision regulating delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, THC-O acetate, and hexahydrocannabinol for persons under the age of under the age of twenty-one and to provide a penalty therefor.
- Senate Bill 46: Modify the requirements for open meeting agendas and provide a penalty therefor.
- Senate Bill 47: Revise the requirements for executive sessions and closed meetings.
- Senate Bill 48: Clarify that an official open meeting agenda must be posted online at least seventy-two hours before the scheduled start of the meeting.
- Senate Bill 49: Safeguards the integrity, privacy, and security of genetic data and provides a civil penalty therefor.
“These bills protect our citizens from online predators, scammers, and illegal drugs, while they strengthen transparency within state government,” said Attorney General Jackley.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
A 9-year-old child died Tuesday evening after drowning in a western Wisconsin water park.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says first responders were called to the Campfire Cove Aqua Park in Rural Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, around 8:15 p.m.
Though they attempted lifesaving measures, the child died at the scene.
The incident is under investigation, the sheriff’s office says.
Detroit, MI
Priority Waste CEO shares progress on plan to fix disruptions, delays across Metro Detroit
The CEO of Priority Waste announced the progress of the company’s recovery plan following numerous customer complaints across Metro Detroit.
CEO Aaron Johnson sent a letter to residents on Wednesday, July 1, outlining the progress so far on Priority Waste’s recovery plan after numerous communities across Metro Detroit experienced service delays and collection disruptions.
Previous coverage –> Priority Waste apologizes to Metro Detroit customers, outlines plan for improvements
“Our objective is not simply to restore service, but to build a stronger, more reliable company than the one that existed before,” said Johnson. “We will continue to communicate openly, share our progress, and hold ourselves accountable for delivering measurable results. Most importantly, we are committed to earning back your trust, not through words alone, but through sustained improvement and reliable performance which we have detailed for you.”
The letter sent out on Wednesday outlined a 30-day service recovery report.
You can view the full letter below:
Dear Residents:
One month ago, I was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Priority Waste after serving as a senior advisor behind the scenes. From my first day in this role, my focus has been clear: observe, assess, and correct. First and foremost, we want to acknowledge and sincerely apologize for the frustration and inconvenience many of you have experienced. We take full responsibility for the service failures that have occurred. While the challenges we face today were not created overnight, we are committed to addressing them with urgency, transparency, and accountability.
At Priority Waste, we are embracing a culture of continuous improvement. Every day, we are working to be better than we were the day before. Our objective is not simply to restore service, but to build a stronger, more reliable company than the one that existed before. We will continue to communicate openly, share our progress, and hold ourselves accountable for delivering measurable results. Most importantly, we are committed to earning back your trust, not through words alone, but through sustained improvement and reliable performance which we have detailed for you below.
Priority Waste’s 5 Point Recovery Plan
1. Fleet Expansion
To strengthen our operations, Priority Waste has purchased 198 trucks previously operating under rental agreements, as well as 91 new automated side-load collection vehicles equipped with upgraded technology to improve efficiency and reliability. To date, we have received 30 of the 91 new vehicles, with the remaining trucks expected to arrive by the end of August due to manufacturing and delivery timelines. Frequent vehicle breakdowns have been one of the primary causes of service interruptions. As these new trucks enter our fleet, they will improve route reliability and provide more consistent collection service for your household.
2. Staffing Enhancements
Over the past three weeks, we have hired 41 qualified drivers, and our recruitment efforts continue every day. Our goal is to maintain approximately 20 percent excess driver capacity, ensuring we can effectively respond to employee absences, seasonal demand, and unexpected operational challenges without disrupting customer service.
3. Container Reinvestment
Limited investment resulted in a significant backlog of container deliveries and repairs. During my first week as CEO, we invested more than $2 million to purchase 19,000 new containers to begin eliminating that backlog. In addition, we have expanded our container delivery operation from five crews to nine crews over the past 30 days. We anticipate completing all outstanding container requests within the next two weeks.
4. Customer Service Improvements
When service issues occur, our customers deserve timely answers and responsive support. Previously, our customer service operation was not adequately staffed to handle the volume of incoming calls. To address this, we quickly expanded our customer support capacity through a partnership with a Michigan-based contact center, allowing us to significantly improve responsiveness. As service performance has improved, customer call volume has declined by approximately 50 percent.
Ultimately, however, our goal is not simply to answer more calls, it’s to eliminate the need for them by consistently providing on-time service.
5. Recovery Operations
While our goal is always to provide on-time service, we recognize that issues can still occur. When they do, missed collections will be recovered the very next day.
We understand the burden these service disruptions have placed on you and your family, and we sincerely apologize. Over the coming weeks, we anticipate increased operational demands surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, which will provide another opportunity to further strengthen our operations and services. I look forward to providing another update in 30 days and sharing the measurable improvements we continue to achieve. Thank you for your patience, your feedback, and the opportunity to earn back your trust.
Sincerely,
Aaron Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
Priority Waste
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
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