#6 On Williston Herald's Top Ten List For 2017 -- Williston's New Airport -- December 31, 2017

The Williston Herald is doing a top-10 countdown for the top stories of 2017: one story a day. Over at twitter was #6 -- the Williston airport continued to move along.

The oil downturn had North Dakota scrambling to save funds anywhere it could, and Williston’s airport project was among the projects that were in jeopardy. The fight to keep state funding for both Williston’s new airport and an expansion of Dickinson’s airport went down to the wire in the 2017 biennium, but lawmakers from the Oil Patch were ultimately successful in retaining some funds for both projects. Williston received $35 million of the $40 million the state had promised.

The cost of Williston’s brand new airport was initially estimated at $265 million, but savings have brought the project’s tab down to $225.4 million.

Much more at the link. The top-10 list will continue tomorrow and presumably end on Friday, January 5, 2018.

Now, over at twitter, #4: DAPL and technology bring oil through the downturn. 

The full top-10 list:

• 10: Thunder takes Montana 6-man crown, link here; the original Mondak, MT; the current Mondak (Westby) -- see map below
• 9: Ms Mund wins Miss America
• 8: competency of suspect in murder under evaluation
• 7: a shooting, and a murder
• 6: airport, see above
• 5: new school
• 4: DAPL, see above
• 3: worst drought in decades
• 2: fire destroys Hedderich's building on Main Street
• 1: opioid crisis hits home;

Honorable mention:

• Williston's business regulations draw fire
• McKenzie County sheriff still facing charges

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The Mondak Thunder