Williston Herald editor Jamie Kelly said he didn’t believe the stories about students in his local school district attending class in what were once closets. But then he saw it with is own eyes. The problem? The state’s funding mechanism for local school districts, combined with western North Dakota’s low population density, has created some…
Williston Mayor Told Heitkamp Campaign Not to Use His Comments as an Endorsement, They Kind of Did Anyway
As a part of her bid to get re-elected, Senator Heidi Heitkamp has been touting comments from local officials in campaign press releases. Among them Williston Mayor Howard Klug. It’s hard to say how much these local endorsements matter – typically they do little to sway voters – but a western North Dakota endorsement for…
Williston City Commission Renews Ban on Crew Camps With a Dollop of Hypocrisy
The City of Williston, epicenter of North Dakota’s now-faded oil boom, has been fighting a war on certain business models. Whether it’s food trucks or crew camp facilities serving workers who rotate into and out of the region, the city has been using the law to eliminate competition with more permanent business models. Like restaurants…
Far From a Bust, They’re Still Hiring in the North Dakota Oil Patch
The end of North Dakota’s oil boom – which I was among the first to write about, I think, way back in 2014 – prompted no small amount of schandenfreude in some circles. Certain media types, always on the hunt for a negative story to tell, were quick to announce that the oil boom had…
Funny How Nobody Wants Rent Control When Rents Are Falling
Two years ago, in the throes of a housing shortage driven by the Bakken oil boom, the Williston Herald called for rent control in an editorial. “It has been well-established that rent control is illegal in the state of North Dakota, but it is also gaining momentum from residents and activists seeking change,” the paper wrote.…
AG: City of Williston Broke Open Meeting Law With Meetings About Man Camp Ban
A federal judge has enjoined the City of Williston from enforcing a controversial ordinance which would have banned temporary worker housing businesses from operating there starting July 1. Part of the federal judge’s reasoning for issuing the injunction was his opinion that the city had likely violated their own ordinances requiring a super-majority vote to…
Judge: The Williston City Commission Ignored Their Own Ordinances, Attorney In Banning "Man Camps"
With demand for housing fading alongside oil industry activity, the Williston City Commission decided to try and shore up demand for overbuilt hotel rooms and apartment units by banning crew camps within their jurisdiction. Crew camps are temporary housing built by companies to serve workers who rotate in and out of the region. The idea is…
Target Logistics Sues The City Of Williston In "Man Camps" Fight
The folks at Target Logistics just dropped a press releasing announcing a lawsuit, filed in both state and federal court, against the City of Williston over the man camps fight. For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, Williston’s city leaders have passed an ordinance to ban man camps – or “crew camps” to…
They're Still Hiring In North Dakota's Oil Patch
The drilling jobs have dried up, and oil boom-inflated salaries have dried up. Developers who built too many hotels and apartments and homes are feeling the pinch and, in the midst of an election cycle, some political candidates have taken on apocalyptic tones to bolster their bids for public office. But on the whole? The…
The Folly Of Williston's War On Mobile, Temporary Businesses Is Now Clear
I’ve written pretty extensively about the fight in Williston over “man camps,” but that city has been fighting a lot of different types of mobile, temporary businesses for years now. And that has been a mistake, as we can see now in 2016. The man camps, or crew camps, are housing facilities catering to energy…