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Section of state Highway 22 reopens


By LEANN ECKROTH Bismarck Tribune


north of Killdeer,


nearly six months after it was closed for two separate landslide repairs. The road was rebuilt and paved. The road- way, about one mile south of the Lost Bridge, has been closed since May. The emergency repairs cost $2.7 million. The project fi nished six weeks be-


fore its Dec. 15 deadline, said Larry Gangl, district engineer for the Dick- inson District of the state Depart- ment of Transportation. The repairs forced motorists to use a lengthy de- tour from state Highway 200 west to U.S. Highway 85 toward Watford City. Gangl said the damage was caused


State Highway 22, about 19 miles reopened Nov. 9


N.D. Education, Inc.


Hess corporation donates millions to education in N.D.


By MARA VAN ELLS Bismarck Tribune


more than $25 million to fund a new North Dakota education program. Hess Corp., one of the oldest and largest operators in western North Da- kota’s oil patch, announced at a Nov. 8 press conference that it will fund “Suc- cess 20/20,” a statewide project created to help North Dakota students become better prepared for college and careers. “On behalf of Hess, I’m delighted


by saturated soil. “We’ve had heavy amounts of rain or snow there in the last couple of years. We have deep ravines there —150 feet deep. That Badlands soil is not very stable anyway,” he said. Both landslides occurred on the same half-mile stretch of road, Gangl said. The fi rst happened in May. Gangl said crews were about to reopen the highway from fi rst slide repairs in early July when the new landslide was found, just one-quarter mile south of there. “It’s the same route as before,” he said of the repairs. “The new sec- tion was shifted 500 feet to the west.” The slide was located about 12 miles north of a scheduled road widening project for Highway 22. That 13-mile stretch of maintenance work started from the north edge of Continued on page 5


Drilling regulations


get hearings Several changes will add substantial costs – 5


to give back and donate to the bright future of North Dakota,” said Chuck VanAllen, vice president of unconven- tional resources for the corporation. The goals of “Succeed 20/20” in- clude improving student ACT scores, decreasing the need for developmen- tal or remedial education at the col- lege level and increasing the num- ber of students who complete high school and college programs on time. The program will focus on mid- dle and high school students,


ginning with next year’s fi fth-grad- ers, who will graduate in 2020. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, who has been


be-


working on the program with Hess for more than a year, said the pro- gram is meant to help students dis- cover what they are really interested in and what their opportunities are. The program’s core strategies include


improving career counseling and plan- ning, beginning in the middle grades.


MIKE McCLEARY/Bismarck Tribune


Rep. RaeAnn Kelsch, left, R-Mandan, chairwoman of the House Education Committee, walks away with a smile after the Hess Corporation donated $25 million to fund the statewide education project “Succeed 20/20” at a presentation held at the state Capitol in Bismarck on Nov. 8. To the right of Gov. Jack Dalrymple, center, is Chuck VanAllen, right, vice president of unconventional resources representing the Hess Corporation.


“The age at which we need to start talk- ing (about students’ futures) is younger than we used to think,” Dalrymple said. He said that in today’s world, stu- dents need to be thinking about why they are in school and what they’d like to do in the future by the fi fth grade. The program also is designed to


a North Dakota steering commit- tee led by Hess Corp. CEO John Hess and Dalrymple as co-chairmen. The North Dakota Regional Edu-


increase rural students’ access to ad- vanced placement and career and technical courses through distance learning and other strategies, he said. Another goal of the program is


Coal country,


meet oil patch Fly ash is being turned into a solidifying agent for drilling waster pits – 6


cation Associations will be respon- sible for bringing partners together to design collaborative solutions. VanAllen complimented


North Dakota’s education sys- tem, calling it a “very good system.” “We’re not trying to fi x something


to provide professional develop- ment for teachers and counselors.


that’s broken, but take something that’s very good and make it exceptional,” he said.


Continued on page 5 Mont. oil spill


cost: $135M Exxon Mobile expects to incur costs from oil pipeline break – 14


The project will be guided by An energy company will donate


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