Stories credited to KVRR Local News, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.

Stories from KVRR Local News
Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)

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Month	Stories	All outlets
March 2026	2	296
April 2026	2	4,538
May 2026	0	none collected
June 2026	0	none collected
July 2026	0	none collected
August 2026	0	1 (collection gap)
September 2026	0	1,320

Who they cover

Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 4 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 5 story–official pairs, from 4 stories.

Republican60% · 3 pairs
Democrat20% · 1 pair
Party not recorded20% · 1 pair

Most covered

Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 4 stories.

Article tone

ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not KVRR Local News’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 4 stories.

Good Look: 1 (25%)
Mixed: 3 (75%)
Informational: 0 (0%)
Bad Look: 0 (0%)

Challenges to these scores

No one has challenged a score on this page yet. Anyone can; editors publish every outcome here.

Articles served from kvrr.com

Sen. Smith holds Senate floor in protest of revoking protections for MN’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — Minnesota U.S. Sen. Tina Smith is holding the floor of the Senate in opposition to legislation that would allow copper-nickel mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Smith says that would be devastating to the pristine wilderness area. Her office says a recent poll showed that 70% of Minnesotans agreed that protecting the Boundary Waters from sulfide-based mine pollution should be a very important priority for elected officials in the state. Smith also says using the Congressional Review Act to overturn a mineral withdrawal has never been done before. The proposed mine is owned by a Chilean mining conglomerate, Antofagasta. Smith says critical minerals will likely be shipped to China for smelting then sold to the highest bidder or use them to build out their own military and electrical grid. “If they want to go against the will of Minnesotans, then I am going to hold the Senate floor for hours to give them every opportunity to change their minds and do the right thing. This is a special place beloved by Minnesota and the country, and this mine poses an unacceptable threat,” said Senator Smith. “We can mine responsibly here in the United States to access the critical minerals we need. But this mine, in this place, using this unprecedented process, is not the way to do it.” Smith took the Senate floor around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday and other senators have gotten up to share their opposition to the legislation. Livestream available here. Categories: Local News, Minnesota News, Politics / Elections Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, China, CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT, COPPER NICKEL MINING, SEN. TINA SMITH, U.S. Senate

Apr 16, 202612 votes

Pulse crop processing plant holds grand opening in Valley City

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (KVRR) — People are celebrating the grand opening of the Columbia Grain Pulse Processing Plant in Valley City. The 11,000 square foot facility can process up to 40,000 tons of pulse crops per year, including dry edible beans, peas and lentils. “This pulse processing plant is an exciting opportunity for North Dakota farmers, giving them a convenient, local market for the high-quality crops they produce. By expanding domestic demand for U.S.-produced ag commodities, we can make the farm economy more resilient against challenging international market conditions, like our farmers are facing right now,” said Hoeven. “We continue working to get our ag producers through this tough stretch until the enhanced farm safety net provisions we passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill come into full effect in October. President Trump is a vital ally in this effort, and we appreciate his support for moving the assistance package that I’m working to craft with Senate Ag Committee Chairman Boozman.” Sen. John Hoeven was there and says value-added investments like this new facility reinforce the state’s role as a leader in pulse production. North Dakota is the nation’s top producer of dry edible beans along with being a leading producer of dry peas and lentils. Categories: Agriculture, Local News, North Dakota News, Politics / Elections Tags: COLUMBIA GRAIN PULSE PROCESSING PLANT, DRY EDIBLE BEANS, PULSE CROPS, Sen. John Hoeven, Valley City

Apr 2, 202612 votes

US House candidate Balazs pledges to hold in-person town halls as he secures NDGOP endorsement

MINOT, N.D. – North Dakota Republican delegates enthusiastically endorsed Alex Balazs for U.S. House Sunday over Republican incumbent Rep. Julie Fedorchak, who skipped her party’s endorsing convention this year. Balazs, of Cando, received two standing ovations as the only candidate seeking the NDGOP’s endorsement after Fedorchak chose to gather signatures and focus on the June 9 primary. During his convention speech, Balazs drew on his military background as he criticized Fedorchak and other statewide incumbents for skipping the convention. He compared it to a military service member ringing the bell after quitting specialized combat training. “On the day you ring out, you’re done,” said Balazs, who served in the Air Force and Navy. “We don’t kick them out of the military, we just say, ‘Go do another job, stay a part of us, and still defend the county, but you are not going to be part of this special team anymore.’” He pledged to hold regular, in-person town halls with North Dakota voters. Fedorchak has yet to hold an official in-person town hall with constituents, but has held a series of virtual forums where she answers questions from members of the public. She has also visited with multiple local advocacy organizations and held office hours to meet with North Dakotans in her first term. Balazs encouraged people who boycotted the convention to come back. NDGOP-endorsed U.S. House candidate Alex Balazs, center-left, watches a promotional video backstage with his wife, Cindy, during the NDGOP state convention in at the State Fairgrounds in Minot on March 29, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) “They can join us and that includes the people that supported them,” he said. “We’re not exclusionary, but you have to come back and be with us and follow the guidelines and work with us. That’s unity.” Tom Tracy and Balazs’ wife, Cindy, nominated Balazs for the NDGOP U.S. House endorsement. Cindy Balazs said her husband always stands out of the spotlight and lets others take credit, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a leader. “Elected office isn’t about status or spotlight. It’s about listening first, serving always and recognizing that our rights come from God, not from any government or political class,” she said. During the 2024 NDGOP state convention in Fargo, Fedorchak sought the endorsement of the party, but neither she nor Balazs were able to win a majority of convention delegates after supporters of former state lawmaker Rick Becker intentionally spoiled their ballots, preventing a majority. Fedorchak withdrew from the endorsing contest after the second ballot, which paved the way for Balazs to win the endorsement. Balazs lost a five-way Republican primary for the U.S. House race to Fedorchak with 4% voter support. Fedorchak received 46% voter support during her 2024 primary win. Previously, Fedorchak said she was investing time into the work that North Dakotans elected her to do. President Donald Trump endorsed Fedorchak for another term in August. “The leader of our party, President Donald Trump, has given me his ‘complete and total endorsement,’” Fedorchak said in a statement. “Working with him, I have helped reduce North Dakotans’ tax burden, secure our border, reduce regulatory burdens across industries, and improve safety in our state and nation. I look forward to sharing these results with North Dakotans and earning their support in the June 9 primary and the November election.” In addition to his military career, Balazs spent time working as a senior foreign service officer for the State Department in Europe, the Middle East and South America. He pledged to back veterans “as only a veteran can,” enforce fiscal responsibility, limit the size and scope of government, enforce permanent border security, oppose public land sales to big money and reduce regulations on citizens. Balazs submitted petition signatures and received primary ballot access before he was endorsed. He said during a news conference he wanted to ensure he was on the primary ballot because he thought Fedorchak and other Republican statewide incumbents would show up in Minot. “I thought she’d come and we’d have a toe-to-toe, let’s discuss things,” Balazs said. “Since the rules say there’s a primary, I didn’t want to be left out of it.” Balazs said he voted in support of the Saturday motion to strip North Dakota Republican candidates of their Republican party brand for not attending the convention. The Democratic-NPL Party endorsed Trygve Hammer for U.S. House. This story was updated with a statement from Rep. Julie Fedorchak and additional comment from Alex Balazs. North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at machterling@northdakotamonitor.com. Categories: Local News, North Dakota News, Politics / Elections Tags: ALEX BALAZS, NDGOP, North Dakota GOP, REP. JULIE FEDORCHAK

Mar 30, 202612 votes

North Dakota Republican resolution seeks to put nominating power with party

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — North Dakota Republican delegates gathering in Minot this weekend are expected to vote on a resolution pushing for changes to the state’s primary system as statewide incumbents skip the endorsing convention. The resolution calls for partisan primaries to be eliminated in North Dakota and urges Republican leaders to make that a priority for legislation in 2027. In North Dakota, candidates can either submit a certificate of endorsement from a political party or gather signatures to appear on the ballot. The resolution states the NDGOP has been deprived of “any meaningful ability to control who may seek or obtain” a Republican nomination. Sen. Kent Weston, R-Sarles, co-chair of the NDGOP Resolutions Committee, said the resolution does not seek to prevent any candidate from running for office. But if the proposal is supported by lawmakers and becomes law, it wouldn’t allow candidates to have an “R” next to their name on the ballot without endorsement from the party. This year, all of North Dakota’s Republican statewide incumbents declined to seek the NDGOP endorsement, with some citing dissatisfaction over how the 2024 convention was handled. Instead, the statewide officials and many incumbent lawmakers are gathering signatures to appear on the state’s primary ballot as Republicans. Members of the state Republican Party called the act “shameful” during a March 10 press conference. “The party is being ripped apart and very divided and some are picking up their toys and not wanting to play,” Weston said. “That’s not healthy.” Resolutions are scheduled for a vote on Sunday during the NDGOP state convention. During an interview in January at the start of the Republican district endorsing conventions, North Dakota Republican Party Chair Matt Simon said the party favors endorsing conventions over ballot petition signatures for candidates. “The organization (NDGOP) itself is just a collection of people that share values and we should have a right as a private organization to nominate our candidates,” Simon said. Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Nathe, a Bismarck Republican who attempted to eliminate the state party endorsement process through a bill last session, said he’s being encouraged by colleagues to introduce his bill again in 2027. Proponents say they’d rather see the nomination decided by voters in the entire district than a small group of party insiders, Nathe said. “All they’re doing is just building a case to pass that bill next session,” Nathe said. Geoff Simon, vice chair of NDGOP District 30, said the NDGOP leadership “needs to come to terms” with the division within the state’s supermajority political party. In 2024, the state party endorsed candidates for U.S. House and superintendent of public instruction who went on to lose by large margins in the June primary. “There’s a widely held perception that the State Committee doesn’t represent the majority of Republican voters in the state, and that’s just what’s happening right now,” Simon said. This year, candidate Alex Balazs is the only Republican seeking the party’s endorsement for U.S. House, while incumbent Rep. Julie Fedorchak is gathering signatures to appear on the June ballot with President Donald Trump endorsing Fedorchak’s reelection bid. In January, Kate Roberts, a spokesperson for the Fedorchak campaign, said North Dakotans “expect the state party” to stand with Trump’s endorsed candidate. The only other statewide candidate seeking a party endorsement is Deven Styczynski who is running for a six-year term on the Public Service Commission against incumbent Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, who has said she’s not attending the convention. Rules adopted by the party ahead of the convention would prevent floor nominations for other state offices, though it’s possible delegates could vote to suspend the rules. The other state offices up for election this year are attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, tax commissioner, superintendent of public instruction and a two-year term on the Public Service Commission. North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at machterling@northdakotamonitor.com. North Dakota Monitor editor Amy Dalrymple contributed to this report. Categories: Local News, North Dakota News, Politics / Elections Tags: GOP State Convention, NDGOP, NORTH DAKOTA PRIMARY

Mar 27, 20269 votes

North Dakota Republican resolution seeks to put nominating power with party

Mar 27, 20266 votes

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Articles served from kvrr.com

Sen. Smith holds Senate floor in protest of revoking protections for MN’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Pulse crop processing plant holds grand opening in Valley City

US House candidate Balazs pledges to hold in-person town halls as he secures NDGOP endorsement

North Dakota Republican resolution seeks to put nominating power with party

North Dakota Republican resolution seeks to put nominating power with party