North Dakota

'New Twins' for Uncle Sam

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2024

The Jamestown area was pretty proud when North Dakota achieved statehood on Nov. 2, 1889.

“Uncle Sam’s New Twins” was the headline for The Jamestown Alert on Nov. 7, 1889, the first weekly edition of the Alert that ran after statehood.

“By official proclamation, North Dakota and South Dakota are at last provided with snug quarters in the household of the United States,” said a sub-headline.

I’m not sure what is meant by the “snug quarters in the household of the United States,” but that is how reporters wrote the news back then.

The article went on to say that the Dakota Territory had been seeking statehood under one form or another for eight years before it was granted by a stroke of the pen in The White House by Benjamin Harrison on a Saturday afternoon.

The proclamation was not publicly announced until Nov. 4, 1889 which was a Monday.

When it was made official, there was a lot of scrambling going on.

An election held in October had ratified the North Dakota Constitution and elected the first set of state officials. Once the president signed the papers making North Dakota a state, those officials could be officially sworn into office.

There were some questions raised about the process of transitioning from residents of a territory to residents of a state.

An article in the Alert reassured homesteaders that it was indeed legal to file the claim papers for a homestead using a territorial address and get the final proof conveying the title of the land to them with a state address.

And there were some detractors around the nation to North Dakota getting a star on the United States flag.

The Chicago Herald and St. Paul Globe both editorialized that the residents of the new state were too poor and destitute to join the union as full-fledged states.

The St. Paul Globe went as far as sending wagons through the streets of the Minnesota capital city to gather clothes for the poor of newly formed North Dakota.

In all, four states were admitted to the Union in 1889. North and South Dakota on Nov. 2, 1889. Harrison shuffled the papers so no one knows which was signed first, although North Dakota is considered the 39th state and South Dakota the 40th.

A week or so later, Harrison signed proclamations admitting Montana and Washington to the union.

Author Keith Norman can be reached at

www.KeithNormanBooks.com

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North Dakota

Wisconsin basketball wing announces transfer portal destination

Published

2 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin basketball wing announces transfer portal destination

Former Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball wing Jack Robison announced he’d be transferring to North Dakota State University.

The Bison landed the 6-foot-6 forward who still has two years of eligibility remaining.

The 2026 Summit League Champions finished the 2025-26 season 27-8 overall as they suffered a 92-67 defeat in the NCAA Tournament to No. 3 Michigan State.

With only two seniors on their roster a year ago, NDSU is looking to pick up right where they left off. Robison didn’t have a ton of playing time in his two-year career with the Badgers, but his 30 appearances helped him get his feet wet.

Robison averaged 1.8 minutes per game in 2025-26, which was up from the 1.2 he averaged as a freshman. Not only were his minutes up, but he appeared in four more games as he was beginning to catch Greg Gard’s attention.

The Badgers have a ton of turnover heading into 2026-27, but Robison was the first to announce where he’d be heading. Wisconsin still awaits John Blackwell’s decision to see if he’s staying in the Big Ten or not, but Badgers fans at least know where they can follow Robison’s career for potentially his final two collegiate seasons.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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North Dakota

Trump issues several pipeline permits for US-Canada oil transportation

Published

14 hours ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Trump issues several pipeline permits for US-Canada oil transportation

U.S. President Donald Trump issued several pipeline permits ‌on Wednesday, including one for the construction of a new pipeline, to facilitate the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products between the U.S. and Canada, according to documents ⁠released by the White House.

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North Dakota

Current state of gas prices even though North Dakota has oil presence

Published

1 day ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Current state of gas prices even though North Dakota has oil presence

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) — The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to impact gas prices here at home.

We wanted to learn more about the current state of prices and why they aren’t lower due to the presence of the oil industry in our state.

On Monday, we told you gas prices are up roughly 15 cents across the peace garden state since last Monday and almost half a dollar in the past month.

The statewide average of $3.60 a gallon remains well below most of the rest of the country.

Eugene Graner of Heartland Investors said prices should eventually come back down as we approach an end to the conflict overseas.

Graner added that it’s typical for prices to increase as warmer weather approaches, as summer blends require a more expensive refining process.

“Prices currently may have peaked out and conversely see the prices decline towards summer, when we normally expect a price rise,” said Graner.

While North Dakota has drilling, pipelines and refineries, Graner added that doesn’t mean motorists in our state will necessarily see lower prices at the pump, as it still needs to be transported to refineries and then to market.

He added that Fargo can sometimes have ‘lower’ prices since they have three pipelines in the area.

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