PODCAST · news
A Closer Look with the Monitor
by Craig Blumenshine
This weekly podcast will highlight how policy decisions affect North Dakota residents.Host Craig Blumenshine from Prairie Public will speak with North Dakota Monitor journalists about their reporting, giving listeners a closer look at major topics in the news, from education and state policy to energy and agriculture topics.New episodes every Friday.For more information, visit www.northdakotamonitor.com/podcastsSubscribe to A Closer Look with the Monitor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Episodes
-
Candidate questions, power moves and navigating the election
Three Republican Party officials this week filed a petition to the North Dakota Supreme Court challenging the eligibility of four legislative candidates. Reporter Jack Dura joins host Craig Blumenshine to talk about the arguments in the court case and the secretary of state’s position. Also,...
-
Public trust in focus: North Dakota’s Development Fund and Supreme Court race
Two stories this week put a spotlight on institutions that depend heavily on public trust. Reporter Jack Dura joins host Craig Blumenshine to discuss a recent audit of the North Dakota Development Fund, a state-backed program that provides loans and investments to businesses. Dura also talks…
more -
Farmers feel the squeeze
North Dakota farmers are heading into harvest season facing another major expense – record high diesel prices. Diesel has climbed above $6 a gallon in parts of the state, roughly double what some farmers paid last fall. Monitor Deputy Editor Jeff Beach joins host Craig Blumenshine to discuss the...
-
Ups and downs of speed limit changes
North Dakota raised its top interstate speed limit to 80 mph about a year ago. Today, Highway Patrol data shows shifts in where speeding tickets are being written. Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks with host Craig Blumenshine about the impact of lowering interstate speed limits around North...
-
Digging into Bismarck’s past
The state is working with an archaeologist and funeral home to investigate human remains found near the North Dakota governor’s residence and relocate them to Bismarck cemeteries. Reporter Michael Achterling talks to host Craig Blumenshine about the anomalies discovered while crews were…
more -
At the checkout and the Capitol: SNAP changes and North Dakota’s special session
In this two-part episode of A Closer Look with the Monitor, we preview North Dakota’s special legislative session and how citizens can make their voices heard. North Dakota Monitor editor Amy Dalrymple joins host Craig Blumenshine to highlight what legislation will be considered next week and how...
-
Tackling technology in schools
A year after North Dakota’s cellphone ban took effect in public schools, policymakers are eyeing how to approach artificial intelligence and school-issued devices. North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach describes how a state education official is urging lawmakers to let schools retain...
-
North Dakota fair housing organization in limbo
An organization that helps people confront housing discrimination across the Dakotas is facing an uncertain future. The Grand Forks-based High Plains Fair Housing Center is waiting on a federal grant that was expected in May. If the funding doesn’t arrive by September, the nonprofit will be…
more -
Record demand for food assistance
More than 186,000 people in North Dakota and a neighboring county in Minnesota sought food assistance in the past year, a record for the Great Plains Food Bank. Monitor reporter Michael Achterling talks to host Craig Blumenshine about the increase and the impacts from cuts to federal programs. In...
-
Revealing a mammoth find
A team led by the North Dakota Geological Survey is excavating a mammoth skeleton that’s been hidden under a garage in the northwest part of the state. The mammoth was first discovered in the 1980s, but paleontology crews have spent weeks this summer working to recover it. North Dakota Monitor...
-
North Dakota tackles AI regulation
Artificial intelligence is changing so quickly that lawmakers across the country are struggling to keep up. Now, North Dakota has created a new legislative committee to study whether the state needs additional safeguards, and if so, what they should look like. The committee is not writing...
-
Challenges to dairy and pipeline permits
Two recent stories deal with how state regulators handle environmental protection of permitting of major development projects. One covers the legal challenges surrounding the permit for what could become North Dakota's largest dairy operation, where opponents argue state regulators failed to...
-
Military Gallery construction stalls
The North Dakota Military Gallery was envisioned as a world-class addition to the State Heritage Center in Bismarck, a place to honor veterans, preserve military history and attract visitors from across the country. But just one year after groundbreaking, construction has stopped. The project,...
-
Amplifying Indigenous history at the Roosevelt library
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will open its doors to the public this Saturday on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ declaration of independence. The library will explore the former president’s legacy and his transformational years in the Badlands of North Dakota in the…
more -
JETx at a crossroads: Court challenge and permit approval
The proposed JETx transmission line took two significant turns this week. JETx is a proposed 92-mile-long, high-voltage electric transmission line connecting substations near Jamestown and Ellendale through Stutsman, LaMoure and Dickey Counties. Companies Otter Tail Power and MDU Resources say…
more -
Planning for a nuclear future
North Dakota continues to explore opportunities in emerging energy technologies, including advanced nuclear power. This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, reporter Jacob Orledge talks to host Craig Blumenshine about why state officials recently highlighted the Missouri River as the state's...
-
Energy research and a quiet constitutional vote
Uncertainty around federal grants forced layoffs of some employees at the Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota and furloughs of even more. But Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach discusses how some of those workers are returning along with federal research...
-
ND primary: Ballots, signatures and political influence
This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, Deputy Editor Jeff Beach talks to host Craig Blumenshine about some absentee ballots he saw get rejected in 2024 because of issues related to the voter’s signature. Jeff explains why it’s important for voters who vote by mail to make sure they use a...
-
Federal funding proposal threatens North Dakota tribal colleges
The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed more than $150 million in funding cuts to tribal colleges, universities and postsecondary programs. This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, host Craig Blumenshine speaks with Monitor reporter Mary Steurer about the proposed cuts, and what...
-
Seeking solutions for rural grocery stores, food deserts
Rural grocers are facing growing pressures from changing customer habits, rising costs and workforce shortages. This week on A Closer Look with the Monitor, host Craig Blumenshine speaks with Monitor Deputy Editor Jeff Beach about food deserts, efforts to help grocery stores remain viable and the...
-
Tackling North Dakota’s workforce shortage with higher education, rural housing
This week’s episode explores two different efforts to address North Dakota’s shortage of workers: helping people get degrees faster and developing new housing in rural areas. Jeff Beach, deputy editor of the North Dakota Monitor, talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s...
-
Lawmaker financial disclosure forms
A new website allows the public to view the financial interest statements of North Dakota officials and political candidates. Reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about the new transparency requirements and six lawmakers who failed…
more -
Oil prices and impact on North Dakota drilling
The ongoing war in Iran has disrupted oil supply, pushed prices higher, and injected uncertainty into markets around the world. Here in North Dakota, those shifts are being felt, but not always in ways people might think. North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks to Craig Blumenshine,...
-
Voting rights and criminal records in North Dakota
Under state law, North Dakota residents cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony. They can vote after they’re released, however, as long as they meet all other requirements. People can also vote if they’re serving time for a misdemeanor, or if they’ve been charged but not convicted. Volunteers...
-
Drilling discovery: 75 years of North Dakota oil
It has been 75 years since oil was first struck near Tioga, an event that helped transform not just a small North Dakota community, but the trajectory of the entire state. North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge talks with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street...
-
Drug companies bring challenge of North Dakota law to federal court
A legal fight over prescription drug pricing in North Dakota is now playing out in federal court, and at the center of it is a fundamental question. Who actually benefits from a program designed to help low-income patients? A new state law aims to protect access to discounted medications through...
-
Data center developments and previewing the NDGOP convention
As the Applied Digital data center at Harwood takes shape, a new powerline and substation is needed to provide the electricity the AI-factory will need. North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about his latest...
-
North Dakota property tax credit popular but new budget cap causing some headaches
An expanded property tax credit is proving to be popular with North Dakota homeowners, but a 3% cap on annual property tax increases is creating challenges for local governments. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main...
-
Royalties and Roughrider Coin: Questions for North Dakota economy
In the new edition of A Closer Look with the Monitor, reporter Jacob Orledge talks with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about two developments that could influence North Dakota's economy and financial future. First, a recent ruling from the North Dakota…
more -
Catching up on Greenpeace case, previewing the Dem convention
A North Dakota judge recently ordered Greenpeace to pay $345 million to the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline, an official order that came following a nearly yearlong tug-of-war over a Morton County jury’s verdict. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer catches up with Craig…
more -
Legal immigration changes, delays and calls for reform
Delays in the federal immigration system are creating frustration for North Dakota residents seeking legal immigration and employers who have come to depend on immigrants. Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach and reporter Mary Steurer talk with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s...
-
Ag industry watches cattle Ponzi scheme, crop insurance change
A North Dakota man is among five people facing federal criminal charges related to investments in a cattle and beef marketing company that was determined to be a Ponzi scheme. North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main...
-
North Dakota courts see trickle of ICE detention lawsuits
North Dakota has a small but growing number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention cases moving through federal court. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about emergency petitions recently filed…
more -
North Dakota landowners prepare for lithium extraction, other emerging industries
An unwanted byproduct of North Dakota’s oil field could be the key to unlocking a new industry in the state within the next few years. An international company is proposing to begin extracting lithium, a key component of batteries produced for smartphones and other technology, from produced water...
-
North Dakota Legislature sued over term limits ballot measure
A North Dakota ballot measure that would change voter-approved legislative term limits could face a challenge before the state Supreme Court. Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about a new lawsuit that could change what...
-
Rural North Dakota hospital seeks lifeline in legislative session
A southwest North Dakota hospital is at risk of closing due to severe financial trouble, but lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would give the hospital a lifeline. Three lawmakers introduced a bill designed to help the Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center in Elgin, North Dakota....
-
Setting the stage for the North Dakota special session
North Dakota lawmakers took final steps this week to prepare for a special session to authorize the spending of federal health care money. Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about why the Rural Health Transformation Program...
-
Why North Dakota farmers aren't set up for success in 2026
North Dakota’s farmers are looking for higher profits but things may get worse before they get better, ag industry experts say. North Dakota Deputy Editor Jeff Beach chats with Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street program, about why farmers may not be set up for...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
This weekly podcast will highlight how policy decisions affect North Dakota residents.Host Craig Blumenshine from Prairie Public will speak with North Dakota Monitor journalists about their reporting, giving listeners a closer look at major topics in the news, from education and state policy to energy and agriculture topics.New episodes every Friday.For more information, visit www.northdakotamonitor.com/podcastsSubscribe to A Closer Look with the Monitor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
HOSTED BY
Craig Blumenshine
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does A Closer Look with the Monitor have?
A Closer Look with the Monitor currently has 38 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is A Closer Look with the Monitor about?
This weekly podcast will highlight how policy decisions affect North Dakota residents.Host Craig Blumenshine from Prairie Public will speak with North Dakota Monitor journalists about their reporting, giving listeners a closer look at major topics in the news, from education and state policy to...
How often does A Closer Look with the Monitor release new episodes?
A Closer Look with the Monitor has 38 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to A Closer Look with the Monitor?
You can listen to A Closer Look with the Monitor on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts A Closer Look with the Monitor?
A Closer Look with the Monitor is created and hosted by Craig Blumenshine.
URL copied to clipboard!