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Thousands of workers have flooded into the town. But they're reluctant to call it home.

The population explosion in Williston, N.D., has been a blessing and a curse for many local businesses. Stores and restaurants are struggling to find workers because they can't compete with what most oil jobs pay. Plus, there's now a day care shortage, and housing costs have skyrocketed.

Sen. Kent Conrad has chaired the Senate Budget Committee since 2006. The Democratic senator from North Dakota is retiring in January 2013, but before leaving the Senate, he is a key player in the negotiations to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff." Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin speaks with Sen. Conrad about the challenges to achieving a budget compromise.

Given North Dakota's Republican leanings, it was assumed that GOP Rep. Rick Berg would be virtually certain to win the state's open seat in the U.S. Senate. But the most recent poll shows a tossup between Berg and Democrat Heidi Heitkamp.

Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch is often called the Walden Pond of the West. But the ranch and its pristine land are feeling the pressure of North Dakota's oil boom. Critics say that proposed changes could destroy the solitude that made a lasting impression on Roosevelt.

Ron Barber, a former aide to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will serve the remaining seven months of her term. Republicans tried to tie him to President Obama's policies. Barber painted his Tea Party-supported opponent as "extreme."

Republicans need to pick up four seats to win control of the U.S. Senate in November. One race they're eyeing is in North Dakota, where longtime Democratic incumbent Kent Conrad is retiring. Outside spending is already in play, and the Democratic candidate is distancing herself from President Obama.

Next week, North Dakota voters will decide whether to add an amendment to the state's constitution that supporters say will guarantee religious freedom. But Measure 3 has prompted debate over what it safeguards and what its consequences might be.

Governors in some states are looking to not only cut taxes but eliminate certain kinds of them altogether. But many lawmakers are worried their states won't be able to pay the bills if they eliminate income or property taxes.

The University of North Dakota's Native American nickname and logo has been controversial for decades. The dispute has reached a new level as supporters and opponents fight over the validity of a state law that requires the university to keep the name.