Lawmakers at the North Dakota Capitol were just trying to brighten up the office with some freshly made snacks. In an effort to bring some cheer and friendly camaraderie to their coworkers, House Republicans brought a popcorn machine into the Capitol building earlier this week. The apparent idea was to give representatives the chance to take a break and enjoy some freshly popped popcorn during their workdays, which, as one can imagine, have been quite stressful as of late. In fact, House Majority Leader Chet Pollert has recently described the House Republican caucus as “a little strained,” due to the recent sexual harassment accusations and subsequent expulsion of former Representative Luke Simons, as well as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (via AP News).

However, after Representative Mary Johnson popped her third batch of fresh popcorn on Monday, March 22nd, the building’s fire alarms began to sound — for the second time that day. The alarms also drew the arrival of the Bismarck Fire Department, who had also responded to the alarms that had been set off earlier that morning, and triggered an evacuation of the building — also for the second time that day.

All food appliances, including popcorn machines, are banned from the Capitol building

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