Articles written by Blake Nicholson
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 67
By 
Bomb cyclone storm hammering central US, disrupting travel
Blizzard warnings were posted from Colorado to Minnesota on Wednesday and wildfires were a concern in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as the second so-called "bomb cyclone" storm in less than a month hit the central U.S., raising the prospect of...
Midwest flooding forces evacuations, closing of road, river
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Flooding in the central U.S. on Friday swamped small towns, forced some residents along waterways to evacuate, threatened to temporarily close a nuclear power plant and shut down stretches of a major river and an interstate highway...
North Dakota begins issuing medical marijuana cards
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota began issuing medical marijuana cards this week to patients and caregivers after nearly two years of work developing and implementing a distribution system for the drug approved by voters in 2016. Medical m...
North Dakota seeks federal money for pipeline protest costs
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota on Friday demanded $38 million from the federal government to reimburse the state for costs associated with policing large-scale and prolonged protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. Attorney General W...
Judge rules for North Dakota landowner in pipeline dispute
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A judge has dismissed Montana-Dakota Utilities' eminent domain lawsuit over a proposed half-mile natural gas pipeline in northern North Dakota, a decision hailed by landowner attorneys as a rare victory. North Central D...
Zinke stresses need for projects catch-up at national parks
MEDORA, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reiterated his support for addressing a maintenance backlog at national parks during a visit Tuesday to the one named for a U.S. president known for championing conservation. Zinke toured the P...
Tribe asks judge for 'meaningful role' in pipeline study
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The American Indian tribe leading the legal fight against the Dakota Access oil pipeline is accusing federal officials of being uncooperative as they complete more court-ordered environmental study of the project. The S...
Activist facing riot trial seeks judge's help with evidence
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An American Indian activist accused of inciting a riot during protests in North Dakota against the Dakota Access oil pipeline wants a judge to force prosecutors to obtain and turn over evidence from private security firms. The r...
Seattle activist sentenced in 4-state oil pipeline protest
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An environmental activist from Seattle was sentenced Tuesday to serve one year in prison for targeting an oil pipeline in North Dakota. Michael Foster, 53, cut through a chain link fence and turned a shut-off valve on the Keysto...
Pipeline protester won't get more details on FBI informant
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Denver woman accused of shooting at law officers during protests in North Dakota against the Dakota Access oil pipeline will not receive more information about an FBI informant she alleges seduced her and owned the gun. Red F...
Drought hay aid program helps 491 North Dakota ranchers
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An emergency state program helped nearly 500 drought-stricken North Dakota ranchers with the expense of hauling in hay to maintain their herds through winter. The state Emergency Commission in late August approved $1.5 m...
Tribal request for Dakota Access spill response plan granted
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers and the developer of the Dakota Access pipeline must complete an oil spill response plan for the stretch of pipe beneath the Missouri River in North Dakota, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. D...
Database seeks to highlight attacks on energy infrastructure
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An oil and gas industry group is seeking to highlight what it says is an increase in protester attacks on energy infrastructure such as oil pipelines through an online database cataloguing incidents of "eco-terrorism, sabotage,...
Oil pipeline opponent uses 'necessity defense' _ What is it?
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An American Indian activist and former U.S. congressional candidate in North Dakota accused of inciting a riot during protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline says he'll seek to present a "necessity defense" — jus...
Senator calls for more USDA workers to respond to drought
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is calling on the federal Agriculture Department to send more workers to western North Dakota, where she says understaffed Farm Service Agency offices are dealing with an overwhelming workload w...
Upper Midwest farmers report damage from dicamba herbicide
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Hundreds of farmers in the Upper Midwest are reporting damage from the controversial herbicide dicamba, and state officials are considering restrictions for the 2018 growing season that might surpass even new federal rules. T...
Judge allows Dakota Access pipeline to keep running
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Dakota Access oil pipeline can continue operating while a study is completed to assess its environmental impact on an American Indian tribe. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's d...
Farm Rescue nonprofit marks milestone with 500th aid case
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Amid the most devastating drought in the Northern Plains in decades, a farm aid nonprofit has reached another milestone. North Dakota-based Farm Rescue, which expanded into its sixth state earlier this year, is helping its 500th...
Tribal leader irked by state deal with Dakota Access builder
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The leader of the Standing Rock Sioux and an attorney for private North Dakota landowners believe the builder of the Dakota Access pipeline got off too lightly when it settled allegations by state regulators that it violated r...
2 sides in corporate farming battle seek judge's approval
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The two sides in a legal battle over the constitutionality of North Dakota's Depression-era ban on corporate farming have both formally asked a judge for a decision on whether the law infringes on interstate commerce. The two s...
Protests to escalate against Enbridge pipelines in Midwest
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Protests are ratcheting up against Enbridge Energy's plan to replace its Line 3 crude oil pipeline from Canada to Wisconsin, and against a separate aging Enbridge pipeline under the waterway linking Michigan's upper and lower p...
Donated hay being divided among Northern Plains ranchers
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — State agriculture officials in the Northern Plains on Friday were starting the process of distributing tons of hay donated from around the country to help drought-plagued ranchers in the region. It might be the last best c...
Tribes say Dakota Access pipeline overstates shutdown impact
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — American Indian tribes hoping to persuade a federal judge to turn off the Dakota Access oil pipeline maintain in last-minute court filings that the project's developer has overstated the potential impacts of a shutdown. Standing...
Getting drought-relief hay to Northern Plains no easy task
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Farmers around the country are donating tons of hay for ranchers whose livestock are suffering from the drought in the Northern Plains, but the officials and groups lining up the aid aren't finding it easy getting the feed to t...
North Dakota offers to settle with Dakota Access developer
Bismarck, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators offered Monday to settle state allegations that the Texas-based developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline improperly reported the discovery of American Indian artifacts during construction. The state Pu...
