News

​Former Bismarck Federal Officer Sentenced On Child Pornography Charges

May 18th, 2017

By C.S. Hagen

FARGO - A federal officer who once hid cell phones in store dressing rooms to record females changing was found guilty and sentenced in Fargo for charges related to the exploitation of minors.

Michael David Rivera, 30, Bismarck, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to seven years imprisonment, five years supervised release, and fines, after his conviction of Receipt of Images Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, according to the U.S.…

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Fourth estate for sale

May 18th, 2017

Jason Stverak and The Franklin Center

Working from inside a taffy shop in Medora, a little-known conservative nonprofit quickly rose to the national frontline by infiltrating statehouses with trained and like-minded journalists.

The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, part brainchild of former executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party, Jason Stverak, was registered in North Dakota during a record-setting blizzard on January 13, 2009 with one main goal: to…

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​Might and money win again

May 17th, 2017

 Rep. Kevin Cramer and Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren - photo posted on Povnow Facebook page

The collusion between might and money historically has been the beginning of the end for countless empires.

From China’s Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago to the American Revolutionary War against a corrupt monarchy, when power marries money, downfall always follows.

North Dakota government’s collusion with private corporations is “so expansive that there does not appear to be a sense in the general public where there is anything wrong with this,” Barry Nelson of the…

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City Commissioner’s Recall Petition Dies

May 12th, 2017

By C.S. Hagen

FARGO - The recall petition of City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn fizzled out on Friday after two months of volunteers gathering signatures.

The recall ended because Pipekorn promised to obtain the list of all signatories on the “Scott Hennen Show” AM1100 “The Flag” on May 10, according to a recall committee press release.

“So when they turn in the signatures for the Freedom of Information Act, I am going to request a copy of the signatures so we can review them as…

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​Federal Loophole In Medical Marijuana Laws, Police Target Bismarck Stores

May 12th, 2017

By C.S. Hagen

BISMARCK - Before the legal ink dried on North Dakota’s medical marijuana laws, Bismarck Police inspected two health food stores in the state’s capital city Thursday, looking for hemp derivatives.

Police targeted the stores selling products containing Cannabinol, or CBD hemp oil, a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant that contains less than 0.3 percent THC levels, and is known for its efficaciousness as an anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and antioxidant,…

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​White Cloud comes home

May 10th, 2017

“White Cloud came to us this way when she was brought in to Jamestown 19 years ago when she was brought in from Michigan North Dakota with the Shirek family. We picked her up and had a parade through town,” says Arnie Becker,White Cloud the albino buffalo’s former caretaker, “we went up and unloaded her in the pasture. That was back in ‘96 and here we are today having a homecoming for White Cloud as a full mount and placed in a museum. So we’re doing the same thing--having…

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Showdown At City Commission Hall

May 8th, 2017

As the two-hour-long Fargo City Commissioners meeting prepared to adjourn Monday, Erin Buzick, an organizer of the recall petition for City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn, was given permission to speak.

“Basically, I said that I understand that my inclusion in this community comes with a price tag to the city,” Buzick said. “However, I have never been reduced to a dollar sign. My intrinsic value has never been debated in the commission hall nor in the local media.” She addressed…

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​Bison Turf Rises From The Ashes

May 3rd, 2017

Firefighters attempting to extinguish fire at the Bison Turf, 2016 - photo by C.S. Hagen

FARGO - After local watering hole Bison Turf caught fire last July, owner James “Pete” Sabo never doubted he would reopen.

It was only a matter of timing, he said.

Originally, he planned to open last October. Red tape, building permits, and a new water line for an indoor sprinkling system costing him $90,000, set him back months. The entire project will cost up to $1.2 million dollars, a price tag for which insurance companies are coughing up approximately two-thirds, he said.…

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​FMRAC Steps Up, Defines Its Stance

May 2nd, 2017

FARGO - The Fargo/Moorhead Refugee Advisory Council clarified recent actions Tuesday by doubling down on its stance against the recall effort of a Fargo city commissioner primarily due to threats, but not without admonishment.

“We have a simple message,” the Fargo/Moorhead Refugee Advisory Council, or FMRAC, said in a response to an email and directed to City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn. “Please do not spread false rumors. Refugees have already suffered enough, and they don’t…

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​Recall Will Go On

April 29th, 2017

Concerned citizens gathered in a circle - photo by C.S. Hagen

FARGO - Despite an announcement by the Fargo/Moorhead Refugee Advisory Council, the recall petition of City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn will go on.

“Everyone on the recall committee agreed to continue,” Erin Buzick, an organizer for the recall committee, said. “After discussing the release from FMRAC with dozens of refugee and immigrant leaders we heard only one message. The press release was not agreed upon or discussed as a group. There were maybe a handful of FMRAC officers told…

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