The headline above is not exactly breaking news, I know. Anyone who observed the results of Fargo businessman Doug Burgum’s upset, lopsided victory over Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem in the Republican gubernatorial primary earlier this years knows it’s true. Burgum’s campaign focused mostly on fiscal accountability. He accused the state’s current leadership (a “good old boys…
Audit Shows State Regulators Allowed Daycares to Operate Despite Evidence of Drug Use, Child Abuse
Earlier this month we saw the dismissal of criminal charges against Maggie Anderson, the director of the North Dakota Department of Human Services and member of Governor Jack Dalrymple’s cabinet. Those charges were related to an investigation into the drowning death of a young girl while in the care of a daycare facility in Velva.…
John Andrist: Scalia Battle And Heartache In Velva
This is how it could have happened when the two sides started lining up for another partisan fight over a replacement for justice Antonin Scalia, who died last week. Instead of announcing they would not consider confirming any Obama appointment, the Republicans in congress might have suggested a bipartisan group to sit down with the…
Movie Rentals, ATM's And Fast Food Make Up 44% Of North Dakota Welfare Expenditures
I’ve written before of my efforts to review how North Dakota TANF (welfare) recipients spend their benefits, and I’ve gotten a little bit of traction of late. I’ve been trying to get my hands on transaction data from the debit cards used by beneficiaries to spend their allotment of funds. After initially telling me that…
Why Does North Dakota Need A 25% Increase In Human Services Spending?
North Dakotans have become used to stories, in the past few years, extolling the state’s booming economy. North Dakota has some of the fastest growing employment numbers, and lowest unemployment rates. Personal incomes in North Dakota are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation. Yet, according to Governor Jack Dalrymple’s executive budget recommendations, we…