Cornerstone Bank opens new facility Opened thirty-five years ago as McKenzie County Bank, Cornerstone Bank now has new location and building they call home in Watford City. North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford was on hand for the ribbon cutting last month. Read more in this press release.

Full-tuition scholarships available to local graduates 2018 graduates from area counties including McKenzie County are eligible to apply for a full-tuition scholarship to Williston State College. This scholarship has helped increase enrollment there to over 1,000 students.

Hardee's opens More dining options have landed in Watford City with the opening of Hardee's in September. Boasting two drive through lanes, the opening month has seen much traffic. Hardee's is located at 104 9th Ave SE, Watford City, ND.

Taxable sales increase for second quarter 2017 Taxable sales and purchases for McKenzie County for April, May and June of 2017 were over $53 million. This represents a $11.5 million increase over 2017Q1. See that and more in the updated version of the Economy-at-a-Glance .

First International Bank & Trust opens new facility in Rugby With its headquarters in Watford City, and over one hundred years of history in McKenzie County, First International Bank & Trust has expanded into dozens of locations throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and Arizona. October 4, 2017, marked the opening of their new facility in Rugby. Read more here.

South Dakota School of Mines students visit With the purpose of understanding career opportunities of the oil and gas industry in the Bakken, eight engineering/geology students and two instructors from the South Dakota School of Mines paid a visit to our area last week. On their trip, they stopped at the Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County to see the oil display and hear the 60+ year history of oil development in the county. They also had visits scheduled with Halliburton, Oneok, and McKenzie Energy Partners.

Rural Leadership program selects Class VIII Among the 26 participants selected for Class VIII of Rural Leadership North Dakota, three have ties to McKenzie County: Wade Elder is the President of Cornerstone Bank, Suhail Kanwar is the Public Works Adminstrator/County Engineer for McKenzie County, and Heather VanGelder is the Community Relations Coordinator for Oneok. For more information click here. $125 billion invested in Bakken to date As reported by the Williston Herald, Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms tabulated a $125 billion investment in the North Dakota portion of the Bakken region, and plans for much more development to come in the years ahead.

Dueling Pianos by Fun Pianos October 21st Dueling Pianos by Fun Pianos will be be a part of the one year anniversary celebration of our Rough Rider Center on October 21st. Ticket and more info available here .

2nd Annual Comedy Cafe October 28th Comedian John Crist and local up-and-coming musician Lexi Wyman will be performing at the Watford City High School Performing Arts Center for the 2nd Annual Comedy Cafe. Proceeds go to the Bakken Oil Rush Ministry. Tickets available at iTickets.

Jeopardy! contestant has local ties Coming off her wins at Stonehome Brewing Co's trivia nights, Sarah Favorite was a contestant on the October 10 episode of the storied trivia television game show Jeopardy!

Don't forget The Bakken Conference & Expo will be coming to Watford City July 16-18, 2018!

Check out the upcoming events listed on our community calendar , like the Connie Wold Memorial Harvest Run on October 14!

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