North Dakota
New cybersecurity initiative by North Dakota Hospital Association is first of its kind
GRAND FORKS — A new cybersecurity initiative from the North Dakota Hospital Associatio, made in the wake of rising cyberattacks on hospitals and health care organizations, is the first of its kind.
“We’re super happy with how everything turned out,” said Aaron Brennan, trust administrator at the NDHA. “From our research, we don’t think this initiative has been put together specifically for health care organizations anywhere across the country, so we give ourselves a few pats on the back.”
The initiative, called Cyber Cover, is a partnership between the NDHA, cybersecurity company Critical Insight and insurance company Marsh McLennan Agency. It aims to provide affordable cybersecurity services to hospitals and other health care organizations in North Dakota.
The program provides NDHA members with a discount on their cyber insurance, if they choose to go through Marsh McLennan Agency, with an additional discount if they choose Critical Insight for their cybersecurity services, Brennan said. The initiative is also open to other health care organizations, such as long-term care facilities, smaller hospitals and clinics in the state, though NDHA members will be prioritized.
The decision behind creating Cyber Cover stems from the rise of cyberattacks and data breaches on hospitals and other health care organizations. According to an NDHA press release, a report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows a 93% increase in significant health care breaches from 2018 to 2022. The average breach, the release said, costs the affected organization $10.93 million.
In 2023, a data breach of
Pembina County Memorial Hospital
resulted in information including Social Security numbers, medical information, addresses, phone numbers and health insurance information possibly being accessed. Brennan said it’s only a matter of time before these large-scale hackers begin targeting more organizations in North Dakota.
Pembina County Memorial Hospital declined to comment for this story.
Hospital cybersecurity is unique and becoming more complex due to the number of entry points an attack can come through, Brennan said. The hospital’s internal network, wi-fi and medical devices can all be the starting point for a hacker. Brennan recalled a story where a worker that was part of a crew working on a hospital’s HVAC system connected their hacked laptop to the hospital’s network. The hacker was able to access the hospital through the laptop.
The NDHA’s choice to create Cyber Cover is in the effort to prevent events like this and the breach at Pembina County Memorial Hospital from happening.
“We wanted to be proactive on our end,” he said.
NDHA members and non-members interested in being a part of the initiative can reach out to the NDHA for more information.
Otto is the region reporter for the Grand Forks Herald.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The University of North Dakota is looking to expand its ability to pull minerals needed for electronics by building a refining facility at a coal mine.
University officials are seeking a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a facility at the Falkirk coal mine near Underwood, north of Bismarck.
The project has a total estimated cost of about $100 million, Dan Laudal, executive director and research professor with the UND College of Engineering and Mines said Tuesday during a tour of its pilot extraction facility in Grand Forks.
The tour provided UND the opportunity to show off its work to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey and Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
Cramer, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States needs to develop domestic sources of the critical minerals needed for electronics and the development of artificial intelligence to compete with China.
Duffey said maintaining a technological advantage is key to national security and the department has a need for high-value critical minerals.
“I’ve got a team of folks that know this industry like the back of their hand, know what’s emerging in terms of capability,” Duffey said. “I’m going to make sure that I go back and tell them what I saw here, and that we’ve got awareness of North Dakota, what North Dakota can offer for the department and the nation.”
UND is operating its rare earth pilot plant in what was a coal-fired power plant that served the city of Grand Forks.
Laudal said it brings in about 10 tons of lignite coal per day from western North Dakota. Critical and rare earth minerals are often found bound to coal.
“Ten tons a day of coal on the back end, we maybe get a few kilograms per week of concentrated product,” Laudal said.
That product is a mix of 17 different critical minerals that could be sold to be further separated into individual minerals and then used in electronics.
Laudal said the pilot plant is about 2% the size of a full-scale commercial operation. The proposed commercial demonstration site at the Falkirk mine would be about 10% the size of a full-scale facility.
The Department of Energy grant would help secure other investment, which likely would include state support.
David Straley of North American Coal was on the tour and said the state’s coal industry is on board.
“Lignite is one of the best possible resources for this type of project,” he said.
Using North Dakota’s existing coal mines cuts the cost of developing critical minerals.
He said the coal that remains after removing critical minerals makes an even better fuel.
If UND obtains the grant, Laudal said it may take 18 to 24 months for design and construction and it could be operating and making money by 2029.
Laudal estimated it would take 20 to 30 workers to operate the facility.
In addition to being successful commercially, he said a goal would be to create a model that could be replicated elsewhere.
Cramer and Duffey will visit Minot on Wednesday. Grand Forks and Minot are both home to Air Force bases.
But Cramer said the critical minerals plant tour was the most important stop of the trip.
“The adversary has a supply chain,” Cramer said of China’s critical mineral development. “At this point, we are in a hurry as a nation, rightfully so, to bring more, more rare earth elements, and everything that’s connected to that, domestically.”
N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota State Patrol is reporting one death, several injuries and multiple DUI arrests over the holiday weekend.
From Saturday through midnight Monday, troopers responded to nine crashes statewide, according to information provided by the State Patrol. Those included one fatal crash, three crashes with minor injuries and five crashes that resulted only in property damage.
During the same period, troopers conducted 49 highway assists and arrested 10 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
Boating in Low Water Years (Lake Sakakawea)
District Game Warden Kylor Johnston
If you’ve spent any time around Lake Sakakawea over the years, you know the lake is always changing. Some summers the water creeps up towards parking lots making a nice short walk from the ramp to your truck. Other years, boat ramps stretch farther down than anyone remembers.
This year is shaping up to be one of the lowest water years we have seen since 2008. The goal of this article is not to scare boaters, but hopefully to encourage boaters to use caution to avoid some preventable boating incidents.
Low water isn’t necessarily dangerous, but it does create conditions that can catch boaters off guard, especially people unfamiliar with a particular ramp or section of the lake. Lake mapping is not perfect on any lake and is especially true for Sakakawea.
One issue that may show up this year is where you safely drove your boats last year does not mean it will be safe this year. Hazards typically hidden well below the surface can become a problem quickly when lake levels drop. Rock piles, sandbars, submerged trees and old structures may sit much closer to the surface than expected. Lake points that were underwater last year now are extending farther into the bays.
Low water can also create congestion at usable ramps. Some ramps become difficult to use, funneling more traffic into fewer locations. That usually means longer waits, crowded docks and more opportunities for accidents when people get impatient.
A little patience at the ramp goes a long way.
Lake Sakakawea will still provide plenty of great fishing and boating opportunities this summer. Boaters simply need to slow down a little, pay attention to changing conditions and remember that the lake may not look the same as it did a year ago.
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