Minot’s long-delayed Broadway Circle project — featuring a homeless shelter, affordable housing, and commercial space — will now be managed by Pathfinder Services of North Dakota. Approved Monday by the City Council, the deal ends years of instability following the bankruptcy of Lutheran Social Services and financial struggles at Project BEE. Pathfinder brings deep experience in housing and social services, and will oversee the complex for the next 20 years while repaying the city’s investment through monthly lease payments.
Oilfield service provider Canary, LLC, which operates in Watford City and across several U.S. states, has warned employees of potential payroll disruptions due to financial difficulties. In a letter sent May 2, CEO Dan Eberhart acknowledged the company is temporarily unable to meet payroll and is working to recover receivables. Canary's leadership pledged transparency and updates as they try to stabilize operations.
Progressive groups in North Dakota are hosting "The People’s Session" on May 16 at the Heritage Center to gather public input on policy priorities they say were ignored during the legislative session. Organizers, including Gender Justice and Prairie Action, aim to build a people-driven agenda focused on issues like child care, housing, and health care, rather than what they call divisive culture war bills.
Just one day after publicly opposing efforts to dismantle FEMA, acting Administrator Cam Hamilton was fired by the Trump administration, sparking bipartisan concern. Hamilton, a Navy SEAL veteran, had testified to Congress that eliminating FEMA would not serve the public — a stance at odds with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, both of whom support reevaluating or possibly eliminating the agency. David Richardson, a DHS official, has been named his replacement as hurricane season looms.
In a move stirring partisan backlash, the U.S. House passed a Republican-backed bill to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” codifying part of a Trump executive order. The bill passed 211-206, with Rep. Don Bacon the sole GOP dissenting vote, calling it a distraction from real priorities like Medicaid reform. Democrats universally opposed the measure, which now faces long odds in the Senate. The White House strongly supports the change, while critics deride it as symbolic posturing.
In a historic break with tradition, the Catholic Church has elected Chicago-born missionary Robert Prevost as the first U.S. pope. Taking the name Leo XIV, the 69-year-old Augustinian friar emphasized peace and dialogue in his inaugural address from St. Peter’s Basilica. A dual U.S.-Peruvian citizen and former Vatican official under Pope Francis, Leo’s election signals both continuity and a new chapter as global conflict and church divisions mount.
