"I think our big challenges right now are at the high school level and at the elementary school level. We have to make some big decisions."
-- Mandan Public Schools Superintendent Mike Bitz, on 11 straight years of enrollment growth.
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“It’s not about whether fossil fuels should be used on Earth.”
-- North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann, on the narrow scope of an upcoming public hearing about a proposed capacity expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
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“It had not been loved for a very long time.”
-- Crystal Tretbar, who with Keri Vammer opened a yoga studio in the 100-year-old Lewis and Clark hotel building in Mandan.
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“They’re kind of hard on my wife’s flowers, but it’s fun having them.”
-- Gary Brucker, on the Mandan couple's pet chickens, which are allowed in city limits under a new ordinance.
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“I want to go to prison, get treatment, get out and take care of my baby.”
-- Kezwin Bravebull, 22, of Bismarck, who pleaded guilty to trying to steal a tip jar from a downtown Bismarck coffee shop. The owner was injured in the incident that involved two other suspects who have pleaded not guilty.
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“This entire case was a waste of time and money.”
-- TigerSwan attorney Lynn Boughey, after the North Dakota Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a civil complaint state regulators filed against the DAPL security company.
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"There's just a lot of hatefulness and whatever, I guess. I don't know. It doesn't really matter to me. What happens, happens."
-- Morton Township Clerk/Treasurer Mary Malard, on being one of the targets of a recall effort, after a dispute over a proposed wind farm that divided township residents.
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"I would argue that the way our Legislature is designed, it effectively prevents a good chunk of the population of the state from even thinking about serving in it."
-- University of North Dakota political science professor Mark Jendrysik, discussing whether running for the Legislature is realistic for the average North Dakotan.
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“If there was a derailing, for example, or if there was something that came off of a railcar, there are potential safety concerns with having the public in close proximity to an active freight rail corridor.”
-- BNSF Railway spokeswoman Amy McBeth, on a proposal the railroad does not support to convert the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge into a pedestrian footbridge. It would be 30 feet from where the railroad plans to build a new bridge.
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“I just feel that an ordinance like that should encompass everything and shouldn’t single out one group.”
-- Mandan Mayor Tim Helbling, after casting the lone vote in opposition to an ordinance restricting the parking of trailers and campers on city streets in front of other people's homes.
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“At the end of the day, there’s a legitimate need. This happens naturally, and somebody has to make sure the waste gets handled properly.”
-- Kurt Rhea, corporate radiation safety officer and regulatory adviser for Secure Energy Services, which is seeking permits to dispose of radioactive material at its landfill north of Williston. Low levels of radiation occur naturally in soil, water and rocks, and are removed from the ground during oil and gas production.
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“If you allow one, then you’ll have 15 to 20 in the next four years.”
-- Darrell Dorgan, founder of the North Dakota Energy Industry Waste Coalition, which has concerns about a proposal by Secure Energy Services to accept radioactive waste from the oil fields at its landfill north of Williston.
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"Those first few years when you're a teacher it's really hard, because you spend a significant amount on trying to create your classroom; create a warm friendly environment."
-- Bismarck fifth-grade teacher Heather Hintz, on teachers spending their own money on classroom supplies due to limited school budgets.