News

Standing Rock: “A Change is Coming”

November 10th, 2016

By C.S. Hagen

CANNONBALL – Winds are changing, blowing from the south. Ants are returning early to their hives. The seasons are beginning to shift counter-clockwise, former Standing Rock historic preservation officer Tim Mentz Sr. said.

“Today with the elements, they’re changing,” Mentz said. He spoke during a Standing Rock testimonial hearing at Prairie Knights Casino on Wednesday. “Natural law is changing, and the change is coming now.

“If it goes south, devastation is going…

HPR exclusive: Julie Fedorchak interview

November 9th, 2016

By C. S. Hagen cshagen@hpr1.com

HPR Columnist Jim Fuglie, past Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, thought that “The rest of the North Dakota statewide races feature a lackluster slate of candidates on both sides, none of whom I can see with much more than a long shot at future political stardom in North Dakota, with the possible exception of Republican Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak.

“She (and all the other Republicans on the statewide ballot)…

DAPL Mobilizes to Dig under Lake Oahe

November 8th, 2016

Law enforcement on top of Turtle Hill south of the DAPL drill pad - photo provided by Morton County Sheriff's Department

By C.S. Hagen

CANNONBALL – In two weeks, Dakota Access Pipeline promises it will begin drilling across the Missouri River at Lake Oahe.

In a statement released on national election day, Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of Dakota Access LLC, said it was “mobilizing horizontal drilling equipment to the drill box site… Dakota Access remains confident that it will receive the easement for these two strips of land adjacent to Lake Oahe in a time frame that will not result in…

Clergy Arrested for Defending Standing Rock

November 4th, 2016

Fourteen clergy arrested at north dakota capitol, four more at governors mansion - facebook photograph

By C.S. Hagen

BISMARCK – Nineteen clergy and activists were arrested Thursday evening in the Peace Garden State’s capital; seventeen were sent to jail.

Activists said it was “just another day at Standing Rock.”

The arrests occurred in Bismarck, 45 miles away from Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires camp near Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, at the Capitol Building, and at Governor Jack Dalrymple’s mansion.

Earlier in the day, more than 500 clergy from 20 denominations including…

Trapped at Cantapeta Creek

November 3rd, 2016

Police sprayed mace and pepper spray intermittently at activists in cantapeta creek - photo by c.s. hagen

By C.S. Hagen

CANTAPETA CREEK – Activists defending water fought from inside a near-freezing creek Wednesday in a three-pronged attempt to gain access to Dakota Access Pipeline drill pad.

Early Wednesday morning, activists built a makeshift bridge to span a sixty-foot section of the creek, but law enforcement destroyed it, sparking another standoff.

“Protesters are trying to gain access onto private property also known as the Cannon Ball Ranch,” Morton County Sheriff’s Department…

HPR election guide: 2016 ballot measures

November 3rd, 2016

By C.S. Hagen

cshagen@hpr1.com

A new president, many state leaders, and five measures will be voted on by North Dakotans come November 8. The state will soon have a new governor and perhaps a new congressman, but the measures to be voted on are more than the numbers identifying them.

The inundation of information concerning the presidential race has swallowed the importance of local legislation, and billboards rival the rumors about each measure, telling little of the facts behind each…

Of Mercenaries, Prairie Fires, and “Illegal” Treatment of Inmates in North Dakota

November 1st, 2016

By C.S. Hagen

BISMARCK – The man who dressed as a “water protector” and reportedly drove his white Chevy toward Standing Rock’s main camp, armed with a semi-automatic Colt AR15, is a mercenary for Dakota Access Pipeline.

Kyle Thompson, of Bismarck, also known as “War Eagle” after a native naming ceremony ten years ago, according to a 2007 story published in the Bismarck Tribune, was arrested by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Thursday, October 27. He was an “armed agitator”…

“Battle” for Backwater Bridge Ends Peacefully

October 29th, 2016

By C.S. Hagen

CANNON BALL – The battle for Backwater Bridge erupted hours after law enforcement cleared “Treaty Camp,” arresting 142 people and pushing activists back two miles making room for Dakota Access Pipeline construction. Two Dakota Access trucks and one vehicle were set on fire near the bridge; an electronic billboard sat charred between them making the road impassable.

“It was a very active and tense evening as law enforcement worked through the evening to clear…

Officials Storm Treaty Camp, Some Activists Fight Back

October 27th, 2016

The police line at the frontlines - photo by sacheen seitcham

CANNONBALL – One footstep at a time, law enforcement pushed activists south of their “line in the sand,” overruning the “Treaty Camp,” and arresting 117 by early evening.

Approximately 250 activists held firm, singing native songs, burning sweetgrass and tobacco, against heavily armed law enforcement. Some chained themselves to approaching machinery. Others yelled back at an officer on a megaphone, who, according to the Indigenous Environmental Network, was telling activists to…

The Law Strikes Back

October 27th, 2016

Activists versus the law on highway 1806

By C.S. Hagen

CANNONBALL – Hundreds of heavily-armed law enforcement officials marched on activists at their “Treaty Camp” Thursday morning.

“Hold the line, be brave,” an activist called out.

A massive fire was set at the activists’ frontline barricade on Highway 1806. Thick black smoke billowed toward approaching police, halting their advance. Two more barricades were erected further south; the third built along a county road number 134 to prevent or slow down a flanking…

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By C.S. Hagen

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