News

Lion hunter from ND sparks outrage

July 29th, 2015

Twin Cities animal rights group plans protest

After reports surfaced that Walter Palmer, a Twin Cities-based dentist who is a North Dakota native, shot and killed a lion during a big game hunt in Zimbabwe, outrage took place around the world.

A Twin Cities-based animal rights group planned to protest Palmer’s business in Bloomington on Wednesday. The Animal Rights Coalition was still organizing the protest at press time but is planning for a large turnout.

Chelsea Hassler, outreach…

Violence and panhandling: Q&A with Todd Wahl of the Fargo Police Department

July 9th, 2015

Several high profile violent incidents occurring in a short amount of time in and around downtown Fargo had many wondering just what was going on in the downtown part of the city and if growth had finally started to show its fangs. Is it getting worse or was this just a coincidence that all these incidents happened in a couple weeks’ time? We’ve also recently seen a few debates on social media about whether or not there are more transients downtown and what to do about it.

For…

Hip-hop show’s abrupt shutdown raises tensions in Moorhead

June 30th, 2015

Whether a Moorhead hip-hop show shut down midstream Saturday night created a near riot situation is not clear.

By all accounts, what is clear is that law enforcement were called to assist Days Inn management in stopping the rap show at its halfway point and just before two feature acts were to perform. It is also clear the situation created a very emotional circumstance that had police on edge and concert-goers undeniably upset.

Whether SpringJam 18 was justifiably shut down and done…

Plaintiffs who challenged ND’s same-sex marriage ban react to Supreme Court’s decision

June 30th, 2015

After the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states on Friday, this week U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson declared North Dakota’s gay marriage ban “unconstitutional and invalid” and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs who had challenged the ban.Following his ruling, HPR caught up with some of the plaintiffs in the case, made up of seven couples who banded together to take on the law after similar ones had been struck down all over the country. Their reaction…

TEDxFargo anticipates biggest turnout by far

June 24th, 2015

In 2012, the first-ever TEDxFargo event drew just 100 people. Since then, the expected audience has grown about 20-fold.

Organizers of this year’s TEDxFargo anticipate up to 2,000 attendees at the Fargo Civic Center July 23 -- by far the best turnout yet, according to TEDx PR representative Mark Staples.

Greg Tehven of Emerging Prairie and Dr. Susan Mathison of Catalyst Medical Center are the curators of the event. Along with their team of volunteers, they decided on “wonder” as…

Who will run for North Dakota Governor in 2016?

June 17th, 2015

HPR looks at the potential field of candidates

North Dakota political observers have already started speculating about who might run for governor in 2016 as those choices and the ultimate winner could shape the North Dakota political landscape for a long time. While Republicans have had a stranglehold on statewide offices for some time now, Democrats are hoping that the governor’s race in 2016 will be their time to snag the executive branch.

While it may be a bit before we know who runs…

Unfinished bill sends ND Legislature back in session

June 10th, 2015

Democratic chairwoman explains why work wasn’t complete

When the North Dakota Legislative session ended, many were surprised to learn that their work was unfinished, partly because the GOP majority didn’t pass one bill. It seemed hard to believe the legislature may have to return just to pass one budget bill.

HPR got some answers from Rep. Kylie Oversen (D-Grand Forks), who was recently named the state’s new Democratic chairwoman. At the age of 26, she’s one of the youngest party…

Landowner in ND headed to trial over pipeline

June 3rd, 2015

Could be only dispute as pipeline gets fast-tracked

James Botsford, a Wisconsin attorney who owns property in Grand Forks County, is likely to be the lone holdout as Enbridge Energy Partners tries to build the Sandpiper Pipeline across the upper Midwest. Enbridge’s pipeline, through a partnership with Marathon Petroleum Corporation, will bring Bakken crude oil to Canada.

Botsford is a North Dakota native and went to school at the University of North Dakota. He owns land a couple miles…

Is the Fargo PD profiling a local rap show?

May 28th, 2015

A new gang task force comprised of area law enforcement agencies warned a local venue about the gang affiliation of one of the performers, which resulted in the cancellation of an entire concert.

SpringJam was set to be held at the Fargo Elks Lodge in late April. It was promoted by rapper J Sauce, whose real name is Jason Grant. After the concert was announced, the Fargo Police Department told the Elks Lodge one of the performers had gang affiliations.

General manager Ken Evanson took…

Legislative leader recaps highlights and lowlights

May 13th, 2015

Sen. Mac Schneider on this year’s Legislative session

It’s no easy task being the minority in the ND Legislature to a Republican super majority that always seems to get its way -- particularly in the ND House. Couple that with Republican strongholds in statewide offices including the Governor’s office and it’s a wonder Democrats can get any victories during a Legislative session.

However, with so much going on in the state related to the oil boom and so much money coming into the…