On Thanksgiving Day 2022, Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives began its 25th year of serving the co-op community and uniting this community behind a brand that signifies superior satisfaction, strong member engagement and sustained trust.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts electricity demand will drop about 1% during the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, and coal is expected to play a reduced role in the U.S. energy mix.
The EIA projects electricity use will drop to 4,000 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2023 from last year's record high of 4,048 billion kWh.
Millions of Americans tuned in to the first “Monday Night Football” broadcast of the year. Two NFL powerhouses, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, faced off in a Jan. 2 game the oddsmakers had tipped in the Bills’ favor by two-and-a-half points. According to preliminary ratings, the game was the most-watched “Monday Night Football” telecast in ESPN history with 23.8 million viewers, surpassing a 2009 Packers-Vikings game in which many Upper Midwesterners likely were among the 21.8 million viewers.
It was not the game, however, that drew the massive audience.
Akin to a Fitbit for cattle, an ear tag developed by a Fargo-based company is bringing smart technology to the most basic of places – prairie pastures.
The tags have been developed by 701x, a tech startup owned by Kevin Biffert.
If “rural electrification” was a buzzword spreading across the nation in the 1930s, “beneficial electrification” might be a buzzword of the 2030s.
Rural electrification in North Dakota held dreams of making life better for every farm family, and eventually, meant serving members in every pocket of this state, from the most remote to urban areas.
If you’re a garden lover in North Dakota, the planting season may not be long enough to satisfy your yearning to connect to the earth.
However, you can extend the season by planning and preparing prior to planting.
Considering the season’s last frost usually happens between May 16 to 30, depending on where you live in North Dakota, you have some time over the next two months to get a few things ready to make your growing season more productive.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR TOOLS
It’s a Friday afternoon, and Brooke Hilzendeger plops a heavy bag on the dirt floor of the Lineworker Training Center in Mandan, kicking up a trail of dust. She opens it and pulls out climbing boots, a body belt, a pole strap, gloves and a hard hat. These aren’t the items most people would expect to find in a woman’s bag, but for those who know Hilzendeger, a 29-year-old single mom and self-proclaimed tomboy, it comes as no surprise.
“A child care crisis.”
That’s how Gov. Doug Burgum described the state of child care in North Dakota, speaking at a press conference in September 2022 to pitch his child care plan.
“In many cases, parents have to choose between working and paying for child care, or not working at all,” Burgum told the Legislature in his executive budget address in December. “Currently, child care costs account for 15% to 40% of the average household budget in North Dakota, which often isn’t sustainable for young working families.”
Technology in 2023 will continue to advance rapidly. In particular, there will be many new and emerging technologies available to the public, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.
I am excited to see what 2023 brings. Most of these advances in technology will help us live a healthier and better life.
