News

‘Out of this darkness, the resistance was born’

March 16th, 2018

North Dakota Democratic-NPL kicksoff - photograph by C.S. HagenGRAND FORKS - Enthused for change, hundreds of delegates, 650 to be precise, kicked off the 2018 North Dakota Democratic-NPL Convention Friday morning at the Alerus Center.

A year and a half after President Donald Trump took office, a “political tsunami is sweeping across this state,” Casey Buchmann from Washburn said. He became the first candidate to receive a North Dakota Democratic-NPL endorsement, and he’s planning on running for the Public Service Commission.

“We need to…

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Film lovers’ paradise: Fargo Film Festival 2018

March 14th, 2018

Design by Raul GomezA sign of the coming spring and a time for old friends and new to make connections while celebrating films, the Fargo Film Festival returns to Downtown Fargo.

Emily Beck, executive director of the Fargo Theatre since 2011, is also director and programmer for the Fargo Film Festival. Emily emphasizes the continued importance of the event to the community, saying, “The Fargo Film Festival enriches the cultural fabric of our community by offering a program of innovative independent film,…

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​Fargo joins student-led walkouts for school safety

March 14th, 2018

At 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, students across the country, including at Fargo's Ben Franklin Middle School, walked out of class in support of school safety - photograph by C.S. HagenFARGO – Schools in Fargo/Moorhead joined the ranks of millions of children across the nation Wednesday morning, lending their voices to the fight to keep schools safe. While some students, boisterous and playful, intermingled with others quietly sitting in solidarity at Ben Franklin Middle School, their message was clear: they know what’s going on, and they all want to feel safe and free.

The walkouts were student-led, and occurred in many middle and secondary schools at 10am,…

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​Man killed in police shooting

March 13th, 2018

Justin Lee Dietrich - Cass County JailWEST FARGO – A 32-year-old man was shot and killed by police Monday night after ramming a K9 vehicle. The incident began at a traffic stop, where West Fargo Police were attempting to locate stolen handguns, and quickly spiraled into a short chase and nearly two hours of negotiations with SWAT and Negotiations teams.

“During the attempted negotiations, at approximately 10:37 p.m. the suspect exited his vehicle, refused to follow commands, and posed an imminent threat to the SWAT…

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​Minot woman sentenced for sexually exploiting her own daughter

March 13th, 2018

Ashley Moore - Burleigh County Detention CenterBISMARCK – A Minot woman was sentenced Monday to a total of 45 years imprisonment for the sexual exploitation of her own daughter, according to the Department of Justice.

Ashley Marie Moore, 29, was found guilty of the sexual exploitation of a child, and distributing images depicting sexual exploitation of children, according to Department of Justice United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers. Moore received 25 years imprisonment for the first charge, and 20 years for count two. Both…

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CAIR asks for investigation into local anti-government group’s display of hatred against Muslims

March 8th, 2018

Members of the North Dakota Security Force III% practicing at targets before blowing up mosque replica - video snapshotFARGO – A civil liberties and advocacy organization is asking state and federal agencies to investigate the North Dakota Security Force III% after the anti-government group posted an anti-Muslim video on YouTube. 

In the video, four men – one of whom was identified as working in Fargo – carrying assault-style weapons practice quasi-military formation while target practicing on a replica of a mosque. 

Pictures of bacon and bacon-flavored crackers are shown at the beginning of the…

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​‘Truth & Lies’: 49th Annual UND Writers Conference

March 7th, 2018

According to 1975 UND Writers Conference alumnus William H. Gass, starting around the 17th century, "History and fiction began their vulgar copulation, or, if you prefer, their diabolical dance. The techniques of fiction infected history; the materials of history were fed the novelist's greed. It is now difficult, sometimes, to tell one from the other. It is now difficult to find anyone who wants to bother."

Although worries about the "corruption" of history have been of concern since at…

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​Officer involved shooting sends one to hospital and one to jail

March 5th, 2018

MnDOT plow cam on I-94 on Monday morning - Minnesota State Highway PatrolMOORHEAD – A car incident on I-94 east of Moorhead led to an officer-involved shooting Monday morning, according to officials.

A Minnesota State Patrol Trooper responded to the incident before 10:30 a.m., and discovered a vehicle had lost control, striking the median barrier, according to Minnesota State Patrol Sergeant Jesse Grabow. At the scene, the responding trooper found one male and one female.

At some point during the encounter, the trooper discharged a weapon, striking the…

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​Legalizing marijuana: a real possibility

March 3rd, 2018

Justin Ludtke, from Mandan, preparing to sign petition - photograph by C.S. HagenFARGO – One day, Justin Ludtke hopes to tell stories to his children about the old days when marijuana was illegal, just like speakeasy tales from the Prohibition of the 1920s, when alcohol was banned across the country.

“The government is out of touch,” Ludtke said. “And I’m glad to finally see this day.” Ludtke drove from Mandan on Saturday to join city and state leaders, volunteers, and hopeful Fargoans in their drive to legalize marijuana by creating a measure the state…

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​The Russians aren’t coming. They’re already here.

March 2nd, 2018

Russian interference with DAPL, picture reporter Amy Sisk took at bottom - Russian social media post - U.S. House Committee reportFARGO – Russian agents aren’t parachuting into the Dakota plains, yet, but they’re meddling with state elections and fanning the flames of the controversial DAPL controversy, polarizing, trying to provoke anarchy.

The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology released a report on March 1 showing how Russian agents targeted the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy – both sides of it.

“Pipelines and domestic energy infrastructure were a primary target of the Russian…

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