Bakken Media Is Live: Straight Talk From the Bakken

Watford City changes fast. New buildings go up, old ones come down, rigs move in and out, and decisions get made at city hall every couple of weeks. A lot of it is easy to miss if you're working long hours out here.

Bakken Media is a place to keep up with it.

What we cover

• City hall and the county. We read the council and planning agendas so you know what's being voted on, what it costs, and who's asking for it.
• Police, fire, and the courts. Arrests, crashes, lawsuits, and what's moving through the system, from official records and sources.
• The oilfield. Rig counts, layoffs, new companies coming to town, and what it all means for people who work out here.
• Community issues and drama. The stuff everyone in town is talking about: blowups at public meetings, neighborhood fights, arrests, and the issues that split Watford City. We'll lay it out fairly, with every side.
• Local business. Who's opening, who's closing, and what's going in that empty building.

What's on our radar

• A federal civil-rights lawsuit against Watford City, McKenzie County, and several officers is waiting on a judge's ruling. A jury trial is on the calendar for January if it goes forward.
• The owners of Speedie Cab sued the City of Watford City, its police department, Police Chief Jesse Wellen and City Administrator Curt Moen in federal court, asking for $999,000. A federal judge dismissed the case in August, ruling in the city's favor. We're digging into what the lawsuit was about.
• Three residents applied for the open Ward III seat on the city council.
• We're working on a look at the youth and young adults of Watford City: jobs, housing, things to do, mental and physical health, drug and alcohol use, and whether young people plan to stay or leave. If you're under 25 and live or work here, we want to hear from you.
• Planning & Zoning meets October 26. We'll tell you what's on the table.

How we do it

Facts first. We tell you where information came from. An arrest or a lawsuit is not a conviction, and we'll write it that way. If we get something wrong, we fix it out in the open.

Help us out

You hear things on the job and around town that never make the paper. Send us a tip. Sources stay confidential. And follow Bakken Media on Facebook so you don't miss a story.

Straight talk from the Bakken. Welcome aboard.