Dickinson, ND - Live Here, Work Here

Old Trail to be dedicated by Rotary

A piece of Old West history is going to be recalled and formally marked this coming Wednesday as part of the events planned for the District 5580 Rotary Conference in Dickinson. The Great West Trail saw 7 million head of cattle and horses travel its length from Texas through to Canada, also recognized as the Chisholm Trail. A trail marker is to be dedicated in Medora at 5:15 pm on Wednesday, April 30th at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Jum Ozbun, the Rotary District 5580 governor is taking the lead in North Dakota to mark the trail. The first trial marker in Texas was placed at Doans Crossing on May 1, 2004, where the trail crossed the Red River. Rotary member Sylvia Mahoney spurred the club's involvement in Texas and will be coming for the Medora trail marking and will be bringing a quart of Red River Water to pour around the Medora Marker.

Up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil is recoverable

North Dakota and Montana potenially have up to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, recoverable oil in hte Bakken Shale formation, says a report released Thursday by the U.S. Geological Survey. According to a USGS scientist who led the inquiry, Dickinson is sitting right in the thick of it. Dickinson finds itself in an area, known as the "Eastern Expulsion Threshold" which holds some 973 million barrels the report states. It's the largest oil accumaltion the USGS has ever assessed in the contiguous 48 states.

North Dakota has first uranium land lease in 30 years

A California uranium exploration company has leased more than 1,000 areas of land in Slope County, in southwestern North Dakota. The company has three 10-year leases from private landowners about 7 miles south of Amidon and is believed that the deposit extends into neighboring property. The project is called the Conners Uranium Project. In future years the mine could create 50 or more jobs for the region.

Dickinson State University offers new major

Dickinson State University has developed an exercise science major with the aim of fostering coaches and trainers who are in stride with sports research. The classes have started this semester and 25 students have expressed interest in the exercise science major. This degree is designed to give students a very thorough understanding of how the body reacts both short term and long term to training programs and how to apply that information to the training of athletes.

Sales tax use up for vote

On June 10th, voters are to consider whether or not to expand the limits of how the city can use money from its one-half percent sales-and-use tax. Currently, the proceeds are set aside for the West River Community Center, as well as for property tax relief. If voters approve the ballot item, the city would be able to use the money for the construction of new projects, in addition to the community center costs and property tax reduction. Possible projects could be the Badlands Activity Center, outdoor swimming pool, and farther out a new hospital.

Theodore Roosevelt Center

Dickinson State University plans virtual library devoted to Theodore Roosevelt. They will be digitizing president Theodore Roosevelt's papers. The 600,000 page collection includes family documents, general correspondence, speeches, and writings.

Zoning Decision Made for Coal Gasification Plant near South Heart

The vote was unanimous for the Stark County Zoning Board Monday evening. The board approved to recommend a change in the county's zoning from agricultural to industrial for Great Northern Power Development to allow contruction of it proposed $1.4 billion coal gasification plant and three main mine pits near South Heart. The zoning was passed with four conditions. The first condition was that Great Northern needed to obtain all necessary state approvals, licenses, and permts. The second condition was that Great Northern agrees in writing to replace all water lost as a result of damage caused to water wells as a result from mining. The thrid condition was to build and maintain necessary access roads. The fourth condition was that Great Northern needs to work with law enforcement and emergency responders to facilitate public safety.

American Express Hiring for April Start

Growth continues at Dickinson's American Express Corporate Travel Center. A dozen positions were added in January and more are now opened up for an April start.

Dickinson Library Recognized

Both the Mayor's Commission on Employment of Persons With Disabilities and Preservation North Dakota recognized the Dickinson Library recently. THE LIBRARY condensed from a poem by Barbara A. Huff It looks like any building When you pass it on the street, Made of stone and glass and marble, Made of iron and concrete. You cannot tell its magic By the way the building looks, But there's wonderment within it, The wonderment of books.

DSU/NDSU Engineering Program

A partnership between Dickinson State University (DSU) and North Dakota State Universidy (NDSU) will allow Engineering candidates to take their first two years of study at DSU. These individuals will also have an opportunity to do internships and capstone experiences in Dickinson.

Badlands Activity Center Planned

The quality of life improvements in Dickinson keep coming as Dickinson State University is firming up plans for the Badlands Activity Center. This project will consist of all new locker facilities, football field surface, track surface, media facilities, spectator boxes and more at the current Whitney Field site. Area teams and fans will enjoy a State-of-the-Art facility that rivals any in North Dakota.

Allied Syngas to Locate at South Heart

Partnering with Great Northern Power Development, Allied Syngas will build a plant near South Heart, 12 miles west of Dickinson, that will convert lignite coal to natural gas. The project will begin construction in 2009 and building will involve up to 1500 workers at any one time. Once operating, the plant will employ 200 people. These promise to be some of the best paying jobs in the State. Stay tuned for more updates.