North Dakota

A protestor is treated after being pepper sprayed by private security contractors on land being graded for the Dakota Access Pipeline near Cannon Ball, N.D., Sept. 3, 2016.

Dakota Access Pipeline Protests In North Dakota Turn Violent

7:05pm September 04, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

Private security guards used dogs to try to disperse demonstrators, who say the four-state, $3.8 million Dakota Access Pipeline could affect sacred sites and their drinking water.

Following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' recent approval of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, a coalition of environmental activists held a rally in New York City's Union Square Park to oppose the project.

Amid Tribe's Protest, Construction Of Oil Pipeline In N. Dakota Halts — For Now

5:57pm August 19, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe says a crude oil pipeline set to span from North Dakota to Illinois could contaminate their drinking water and sacred lands.

Hillary Clinton acknowledges celebratory cheers from the crowd during her primary night event at the Duggal Greenhouse, Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. "Thanks to you, we've reached a milestone: the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be

Clinton Looks To Historic Night While Sanders Hopes For Calif. Upset

11:31pm June 07, 2016

by Jessica Taylor

Six states are voting in the last major primary contest of 2016: New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and California.

An oil field truck is used to make a transfer at oil-storage tanks in Williston, N.D., in 2014. It was atop tanks like these that oil worker Dustin Bergsing, 21, was found dead.

Mysterious Death Uncovers Risk In Federal Oil Field Rules

9:41am March 30, 2016

by Emily Guerin

Oil worker Dustin Bergsing, 21, was found dead on top of a North Dakota oil tank in 2012. A journalist and a doctor looking into the death found a pattern of similar fatal accidents.

Queue Listen Now

National

Supreme Court Rejects North Dakota's Bid To Save Strict Abortion Law

1:14pm January 25, 2016

by Bill Chappell

The measure banned abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detected in the fetus — as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law was enacted in 2013.

Flares and electric lights on oil well pads illuminate low-hanging clouds near Watford City, North Dakota.

Oil Boom Means Sky Watchers Hoping for Starlight Just Get Stars, Lite

8:05pm November 05, 2015

by Emily Guerin

Light pollution has increased by 500 percent at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, thanks to nearby oil fields. Stargazers and oilmen are working together to find a solution.

Queue Listen Now

North Dakota Legalizes Armed Police Drones

7:46pm August 27, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Law enforcement agencies in North Dakota are now allowed to operate drones armed with "less than lethal" weapons.

The small town of Wahpeton, N.D., is one of the places where conversations on same-sex marriage are playing out in schools, churches and families.

National

What We Talk About When We Talk About Gay Marriage

9:05pm April 26, 2015

by David Greene

Across the United States, there has been a sea change in public opinion on the issue of same-sex marriage. But that's not the whole story — as NPR's David Greene found on a trip to North Dakota.

Queue Listen Now

In rural North Dakota, where Melanie Hoffert grew up on her family farm, discussing subjects like homosexuality and same-sex marriage is often considered taboo.

National

A North Dakota Family Breaks The Silence On Gay Marriage

12:17pm April 18, 2015

by David Greene

Author Melanie Hoffert grew up gay in rural America, where coming out was difficult. But that hasn't stopped her family from having a frank and challenging conversation about same-sex marriage.

Queue Listen Now

Diane Gira (left) and Valerie Nelson (right) pose with their son, Madison, in their home near Wahpeton, N.D.

National

Church Ceremonies Push North Dakota Town To Grapple With Gay Rights

7:10am April 16, 2015

by David Greene

In a small community in southeastern North Dakota, tension between compassion and faith is ever present in residents' attitudes toward same-sex marriage.

Queue Listen Now