News

Republican Rebels Help Skinny Repeal Failure

July 28th, 2017

FARGO - The Republican’s crusade against Obamacare has all the signs of a covert mission. They met behind closed doors, revealed plans at the last possible moments, and voted late in the night when much of the public would be too tired to pay attention.

And they failed, again. North Dakota Capitol Building - photo by C.S. Hagen

All 48 Democrat senators voted no to the “skinny repeal,” along with three Republican: senators John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine.

“Three Republicans and 48…

Forgive, But Let’s Not Forget

July 27th, 2017

Victim of hate crime, Sarah Hassan hugs her attacker Amber Elizabeth Hensley Thursday at the Fargo Police Department - photo provided by Hukun Abdullahi FARGO – Two of the three Somali-American women threatened with murder two days ago by a white woman outside a local Walmart, met their attacker Thursday afternoon at the Fargo Police Department, and left in friendship.

“We hugged her, we cried,” Sarah Hassan, one of the victims, said. “I love her.”

On Tuesday evening Amber Elizabeth Hensley was filmed through 15-second WeChat video clips threatening the Hassan sisters and Rowda Soyan around 5:30 p.m.

Laleyla admittedly parked to…

Racist rant caught on video highlights the local face of hate

July 27th, 2017

Three Fargoans originally from Somalia threatened with death outside local Walmart

“People look at us differently,” Soyan said a day after she was approached by a white woman from Mapleton in the Walmart parking lot. The car she was riding in parked a little close to a blue Honda, and the owner wasn’t happy.

“We’re going to kill all of you, we’re going to kill every one of you fucking Muslims,” the woman in the video said.

Since Rowda Soyan’s arrival in Fargo nearly five…

TigerSwan’s Troubles

July 26th, 2017

Open records request info: disregard for state laws, citizens, and property

MANDAN - Trouble followed TigerSwan everywhere the security company went in the Peace Garden State.

Tasked with the mission to protect the Dakota Access Pipeline by Energy Transfer Partners, TigerSwan stepped into a messy scene — chaotic — but the well oiled former Army Delta Force-led security machine went straight to work, starting at the local airport.

Records obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request…

F-M Diversion not diverting its course

July 26th, 2017

Minnesota DNR pulls out of talks while construction continues, and Metro Flood Board of Authority interviews for full-time position

FARGO - Sandbagging is local “schooling” the FM Area Diversion Authority wants to eliminate, permanently.

Fargo native Rocky Schneider remembers sandbagging when he was in high school, and then when studying for a masters degree at NDSU. In those days, he had fun. Kids got out of school. There was free food and drinks, and the memories are strangely…

“We’re Going To Kill All Of You”

July 25th, 2017

White woman threatens Somali-Americans outside of Walmart, fifth hate crime incident in 2017

FARGO – Three Fargoans, originally from Somalia, were stopped Tuesday evening outside of Walmart by a white woman from Mapleton and threatened while dozens of onlookers did nothing to intervene.

The women who were verbally attacked, Rowda Soyan, Sarah and Laleyla Hassan, were enjoying a day off from work when a blonde woman approached. Before they could enter the store around 5:30 p.m., the…

Second DAPL whistleblower to testify

July 19th, 2017

BISMARCK – When Kyle Thompson decided to speak out against tactics used along the Dakota Access Pipeline, it wasn’t because of a change of heart.

“I’ve always tried to look out for the best interests of everyone,” said Thompson, the former program manager for Leighton Security Services, Inc. “Just because I did security for the pipeline, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily wanted the pipeline in the ground. I didn’t really have a view on the pipeline.”

He waited half a…

DAPL cases dropped by state in record numbers

July 19th, 2017

MANDAN – After being handcuffed, forced to strip, locked in dog cages, and hauled to jails across the state, hundreds charged with crimes during the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy are finding vindication through North Dakota’s court system.

Officially, 761 people were arrested during the months-long opposition to the 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline, and already 114 cases have been dismissed by the state. Eleven people received guilty verdicts; 50 pled guilty – primarily on…

IT specialists investigate cyber warfare crimes at Standing Rock

July 12th, 2017

CANNON BALL – The lawsuit against TigerSwan for illegally working security in North Dakota is a civil case, but proof now exists that cyber warfare tactics were used against activists at the Standing Rock camps, according to IT analysts. One question remains: who was responsible for launching the attacks?

Hundreds of mobile phones and vehicles were damaged as batteries were suddenly drained of power, or were “fried,” during warm and cold weather. Incidents of random hot spots for…

Senate Health Care Repeal Plan Not a ‘Rescue’ for North Dakotans

June 28th, 2017

FARGO - The proposed Senate bill that would overturn ObamaCare is called a “rescue mission,” but only for the rich, and not for those who are suffering in North Dakota, according to analysts.

It is a bill offering breaks for the rich and handouts to special interests, according to Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider and nonpartisan think tanks.

“Cramer’s bill would ‘rescue’ those who are already well-off with more tax breaks, while forcing North Dakotans who are…