April 02 2018

State of North Dakota Wins Multi-State Hackfest

BISMARCK, N.D. (April 2, 2018) – A cross-team group of participants from North Dakota’s Information Technology Department, the North Dakota University System, Department of Commerce, and private sector partner Nexus Innovations won a multi-state “hackfest” competition last week using technology to solve real-world problems.

March 29 2018

STUDENTS SOUGHT TO SERVE ON MAIN STREET ADVISORY COMMITTEE

BISMARCK, N.D. – Applications for students in grades 7-12 are now being taken for the North Dakota Main Street Initiative Student Advisory Committee. This committee will be part of the Healthy, Vibrant Communities pillar of the Main Street Initiative and will focus on allowing youth to share ideas to help build the community they want to call home in North Dakota. 

March 29 2018

Barnes County Residents Encouraged to Complete Livability Survey

VALLEY CITY, N.D.

As part of Gov. Doug Burgum’s Main Street initiative, a survey is being shared in communities throughout North Dakota to help analyze opportunities and challenges unique to each community. These surveys ask questions about livability to better understand why citizens live where they do and help determine changes that can be made to improve quality of life.

March 26 2018

Filling in the blanks: Bismarck encourages infill, redevelopment in growing city

Steve Pine has done a lot with a lot.

Seven years ago, the developer demolished the old Wilhelm Cadillac dealership on West Broadway in downtown Bismarck and redeveloped the spot into the multipurpose Broadway Centre, now complete with a restaurant, offices and condos.

“I would like to think downtown would see more projects, maybe similar to ours,” Pine said. “Our project was ahead of the curve.”

Highlighting Renaissance Zone tax incentives and infrastructure already in place, Pine said infill, redevelopment and downtown rejuvenation have advantages to builders.

March 26 2018

Projects aim to protect existing Bismarck developments

Several projects meant to safeguard existing Bismarck developments are in the works, including a bank stabilization project in north Bismarck, the installation of a drain tile system in the Hay Creek Pines subdivision and flood protection for Fox Island.

A $450,000 bank stabilization project, which is slated for this spring, will bring relief to a number of Arizona Drive property owners, whose backyards are slipping into Hay Creek.

March 26 2018

The Airbnb experience: Locals open their doors for extra income

FARGO — Since 2008, Airbnb has been gaining momentum. In fact, the site that provides a platform for people to rent bedrooms or entire homes earned Fargo and West Fargo hosts $319,400, with nearly 3,500 guest arrivals in 2017 alone. (Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota combined earnings totaled $29 million in 2017.)

March 23 2018

North Dakota to upgrade all schools to high-speed internet

BISMARCK - By next summer, all schools in North Dakota will have access to high-speed internet.

Gov. Doug Burgum and State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, along with the Shawn Riley, the state's chief information officer, and Dakota Carrier Network CEO Seth Arndorfer, announced a plan to upgrade broadband connectivity for state and local governments, K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

March 23 2018

Burgum to tour downtown Dickinson

Gov. Doug Burgum will be touring downtown Dickinson and its renaissance zone as part of his Main Street ND Initiative on April 4.

Dickinson joined the MSI in February. The program provides resources and guidelines to help create vibrant downtown areas and represents a unified effort across the state.

The visit is being hosted by the City of Dickinson and Dickinson Downtown Association.

March 23 2018

Opportunity Zone

Parts of Jamestown could become an Opportunity Zone under a provision of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017.

The Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee approved submitting three census tracts to the North Dakota Department of Commerce for consideration during its meeting Tuesday.

Under the Opportunity Zone program, investors who sell property such as stocks or real estate for a profit could reduce or eliminate capital gains taxes on those profits by investing the proceeds in a low-income community.

March 22 2018

Jamestown Thursday Markets Every Thursday During Summer Months

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Arts Center, the Jamestown Downtown Association, Jamestown Tourism, and the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce are partnering to support a Thursday Market every Thursday throughout the summer.

Read complete article provided by NewsDakota.com.

March 21 2018

Painting the town: Meeting to focus on rules for public murals

Years from now, Grand Forks might be dotted with new, colorful, well-tended murals, all splashed onto buildings from Gateway Drive to the city's south end, as artists make use of pending changes to city code.

At least, that's one possibility. In practice, some leaders worry, things might go differently.

March 21 2018

L. John MacMartin, Minot Chamber, column: In Minot, N.D., an infrastructure boom means the Magic is back

March 20 2018

The 10 Best Places in the U.S. to Launch a Career

Where you live can have a big impact on your career. It shapes the type of professional opportunities available, the frequency with which they’ll be offered to you, and the salaries you can command.  Dickinson, ND ranked 9 out of 10 for best places to launch a career.

Read complete article provided by Travel+Leisure.

March 19 2018

Where Small Town America Is Thriving

Big city America has long demonstrated a distaste for its smaller cousins. This sentiment has, if anything, intensified with the election of President Donald Trump, whose improbable victory was made possible by strong support in small cities and towns across the country.

Read the full story provided by Forbes.com.

March 14 2018

Letter to the Editor: Urban sprawl is a mistake we can't afford

To the editor,

There has been a refreshing shift in Bismarck as key leaders move away from dogma toward an emphasis on accurate data and nonpartisan collaboration. I appreciate Gov. Doug Burgum's commitment to research-based decision-making.

Addressing the problem of urban sprawl at Bismarck's Livability Summit, he stated firmly, "I don't want to have ideological discussions. Bring your data ... we want a data-driven decision on how we build better, smarter cities."

March 14 2018

This is the city where the happiest people in America live

You may love your job but if you hate the city you live in, it can really impact your overall happiness level (as can your salary.) Relocating could make you so much more content.

Personal finance site WalletHub decided to determine which among more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. They looked at 28 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day. So where do all the happy people live?'

March 13 2018

ND Lieutenant Governor talks Main Street Initiative in Velva

VELVA, N.D. - North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford headed to Velva Monday to speak with local leaders and business people on the challenges they face as a small town.

The lieutenant governor expressed the need of bringing a 21st Century workforce into North Dakota communities.

It's all part of Gov. Doug Burgum's ongoing Main Street Initiative.

Read complete article provided by KFYRTV.com.

March 13 2018

Fargo seeks new federal tax incentive zones

March 12 2018

2018’s Happiest Cities in America

The U.S. Declaration of Independence speaks about the “pursuit of happiness” as a universal right Everyone gets joy from different things, whether it’s family, friends, activities, entertainment or work. But what people might not realize is that where you live may also determine how happy you are.

March 09 2018

Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford Shares Main Street Initiative With Chamber of Commerce

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford crossed the river to talk about the Main Street Initiative in Moorhead.

He was a guest of The Chamber to talk about one of the five strategy initiatives Governor Doug Burgum has created.

The Main Street Initiative is Burgum’s way of creating strong, economic communities by attracting and retaining entrepreneurs in North Dakota. Sanford says he and Burgum are constantly talking to communities around the state to see what it would take for them to move.

February 28 2018

Williston leaders learn about downtowns at Main Street Summit

Local business owners and government leaders learned a lot about what they can do to improve downtown — and they have ideas they’re ready to share.

The Main Street Summit ND was held Feb. 12 and 13 in Bismarck. People from all over North Dakota came to the two-day conference to learn about what they can do to grow businesses using all of the following: