News

​U.S. Citizen detained by ICE speaks out

January 16th, 2026

By Bryce Haugen

Not everyone detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an undocumented immigrant. After a Jan. 12 scuffle at a local Walmart, Tim Catlett, a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., was held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities, despite his U.S. citizenship. He was held in an area designated for citizens. 

Catlett, the technical director for the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud, is not new to protesting,…

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​ICE presence, arrests in western Minnesota

January 15th, 2026

By Bryce Haugen

In the week since Renee Good was killed by an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, the state’s largest city, ICE officers have fanned out throughout Minnesota. ICE agents have been spotted in several smaller communities, including towns in Becker County and Otter Tail County in western Minnesota. So far, there have been only a handful of confirmed detentions in the region.

Witnesses reported that one person was arrested at the China…

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​The world watches Minneapolis after Renee Good shooting

January 12th, 2026

By Bryce Haugen

Additional reporting by Alicia Underlee Nelson


Five and a half years later and one mile away from George Floyd’s murder, Minneapolis is once again at the epicenter of a law enforcement-related death that has reverberated around the world. On the morning of Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good,, an American citizen and award-winning poet who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Kansas City with her six year old son, was shot three times in the face by an Immigration and Customs…

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​Venezuelan takeover draws mixed feelings

January 12th, 2026

By Bryce Haugen


At age 43, Maria Romero remembers what it was like before the authoritarian takeover of Venezuela, when the oil-rich country was the most prosperous in South America and the currency was as strong as the U.S. dollar. Then in 1999, Hugo Chavez took over and the deterioration began. It continued under Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s hand-picked successor, after the strongman’s death in 2013.

A resident of Margarita Island, Romero — who asked to use an alias to protect…

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​Hemp laws in the weeds

December 16th, 2025

By Bryce Vincent Haugen

brycevincenthaugen@gmail.com

Audra Maurer never used marijuana until Minnesota businesses started to sell low-dose hemp-derived THC products.

“The first time I was pain free was using legalized hemp edibles,” said the 36-year-old Moorhead resident who was attending a fundraiser at Junkyard Brewing, which sells a variety of THC drinks it makes in-house.

Those products, including all intoxicating hemp-derived drinks, gummies, vapes and oils will no longer be…

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​Government shutdown ends, but at what cost?

November 14th, 2025

By Bryce Vincent Haugen

For the first nine months, the dysfunction of the Trump administration and Congress was a four-time-zone-away abstraction for a Moorhead native living in Alaska’s interior. But it became all too real when the federal government shut down on Oct. 1. Bureau of Land Management records specialist ML, granted anonymity for fear of reprisal, joined about 700,000 federal workers furloughed without pay. Another 700,000 workers, those considered essential, were required…

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​Local communities join national protests on October 18

October 13th, 2025

By Alicia Underlee Nelson

alicia@hpr1.com

Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s actions, including sending National Guard troops into U.S. cities without the consent of state and local authorities.

Over 2,500 rallies, protests and community actions are scheduled across the country, including events in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Valley…

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​Fired Up Fridays: protestors persist for months

October 13th, 2025

By Alicia Underlee Nelson

alicia@hpr1.com

The silvery trills of a trumpet duet announce the Friday afternoon protest outside the downtown Fargo Post Office long before it comes into view. Nearly 70 protestors are lined up along the sidewalk in a neat row. Their signs, chants and clothing voice support for federal workers, immigrants, the people of Ukraine and Palestine and their LGBTQIA+ neighbors. They call for the preservation of women’s rights and civil liberties and the…

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​Dinosaur Day Set at North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum

October 6th, 2025

Press release

Celebrate Dinosaur Day on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum (612 E Boulevard Ave. in Bismarck). This free, family-friendly program is open to all ages. A preschool-friendly dinosaur program begins at 10 a.m., featuring music and movement activities for young learners. Throughout the day, visitors can assemble foam dinosaur puzzles, get temporary tattoos, and have an up-close look at fossils and bones. North Dakota…

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​First look of upcoming Germans from Russia exhibit unveiled

September 29th, 2025

Press release

The Germans from Russia Heritage Collection (GRHC), NDSU Libraries, has partnered with Upland Exhibits of Newton, Kansas, to design, fabricate and install a permanent exhibit showcasing the history, culture and legacy of Germans from Russia. Early renderings are now available, offering the public a first look at the vision for this major cultural project.

Upland Exhibits specializes in museum-quality exhibits and was chosen for its expertise in captivating storytelling,…

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