News

In honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, Gov. Doug Burgum has directed all government agencies to fly the United States and North Dakota flags at half-staff on Sunday, Oct. 4, and encourages North Dakotans to do the same at their homes and businesses.

President Donald Trump has approved Gov. Doug Burgum’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration for the impacts of a severe summer storm that caused flash flooding in several counties and resulted in more than $5 million in damage to roads and other infrastructure.  

Gov. Doug Burgum and the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDOH) announced updated guidance for the quarantining of individuals who are identified as close contacts to COVID-19 positive individuals.

A U.S. Army identification tag belonging to a soldier from North Dakota who lost the tag when he was wounded by a grenade in the Vietnam War more than 50 years ago was returned to the soldier’s widow after the tag resurfaced in Russia.

Media personality and addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky and New York Times best-selling author David Sheff will be featured speakers at the annual “Recovery Reinvented” event on Oct. 28. Gov. Doug Burgum and First Lady Kathryn Burgum will host the fourth annual event, which will be held via livestream broadcast on recoveryreinvented.com.

The United States and North Dakota flags have been flown at half-staff since Sept. 19 in honor of the memory and longstanding service of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Interment for Justice Ginsberg is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29. Accordingly, flags should be returned to full-staff at sunset Tuesday, Sept. 29.

State officials met with leaders of Bismarck’s two largest hospital systems this weekend to discuss the availability of beds for COVID-19 patients as the state and Bismarck-Mandan area in particular continue to see a surge in coronavirus cases and an overall increase in COVID and non-COVID hospitalizations.

Gov. Doug Burgum accepted the resignation of Interim State Health Officer Dr. Paul Mariani, thanking him for his leadership of the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDOH) and appointing NDDOH Chief of Staff Dirk Wilke to fill the role until a replacement can be named.

Gov. Doug Burgum presented the 2020 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Public Service, recognizing team members for their dedicated work in state government and making a positive difference in the lives of North Dakota citizens during an extremely challenging year.

Gov. Doug Burgum and State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced that Kristi Reinke, a social studies teacher at Jim Hill Middle School in Minot, has been named the 2021 North Dakota Teacher of the Year.