GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Despite a contract that states the firm managing the city-owned Alerus Center would suffer a penalty for financial losses, the firm and some city leaders insisted it wouldn't be penalized for losses from several major concerts.

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To explain the convoluted contract the city and the firm signed, I developed a flow chart to explain the contract and how it requires the firm, VenuWorks, to repay management fees if the events center lost money. City leaders said they didn't mean to penalize the firm for risking major concerts that could have a big economic impact and made retroactive changes to the contract to exempt these concerts. 

FARGO, N.D. – This metro area with a population of 234,000 was among the smallest that Garth Brooks visited on his tour yet he scheduled four shows here. That makes for a lot of seats to fill for such a small population.

Using the number of seats from tour venues and population-density data, I found there were more seats available per capita here than nearly anywhere else on the country superstar's tour.

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He mainly focuses on the densely populated Great Lakes region but the Fargo region was an outlier. So there’s either an unusual concentration of fans here or very loyal fans willing to drive very long distances to see him or both. To read full story, click here.

FARGO, N.D. – How much the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority would pay for the $2.2 billion flood diversion, including interest, and when it would pay had not been clear until the agency published two bar charts as part of a presentation to would-be contractors and financiers.

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Claiming the need to ensure competitive bidding and proprietary information, financial consultants refused to provide the numbers behind the charts, which were based on different scales. Using Adobe Illustrator and images of the charts, I measured each bar to within 1/10,000 of an inch to provide a rough replica of the authority's financial data and chart the project's financing.

FARGO, N.D. – New Urbanism rejects the suburban development model that’s been dominant since the 1950s. It takes as its model neighborhoods of old that had a stronger sense of community because many businesses were within walking business.

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Using old telephone directories, I mapped out the location of Fargo-Moorhead businesses aimed at consumers, such as grocery stores and restaurants, in several years before and after suburbanization. The maps show that, contrary to expectations, most such businesses were concentrated downtown. The only neighborhood businesses within walking distance as we understand it today were grocery stores. To read full story, click here.