News

​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…

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​Landowner in ND headed to trial over pipeline

June 3rd, 2015

Photo by Jared WinmilCould 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…

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Is the Fargo PD profiling a local rap show?

May 28th, 2015

Cover by Raul Gomez

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…

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​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…

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Uber launches in Fargo

May 13th, 2015

Courtesy of Uber

Starting Thursday morning, F-M residents will have another option for travel throughout town. Uber, the car service app that has become a popular transportation service in major cities across the U.S., has landed in Fargo.

The service operates without a dispatcher, putting the power in the hands of the consumer and driver who find each other via a map that shows who’s available. The advantage of Uber is that, most of the time, passengers can find a ride within a few minutes.

This past…

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Danger Zone: Why does North Dakota have the highest worker death rate in the country?

May 6th, 2015

A new report from the AFL-CIO shows North Dakota had the highest job fatality rate in the nation for three years in a row. The report “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” compiles results from 2013 and shows that the state’s job fatality rate of 14.9 per 100,000 was more than four times the national average. The fatality rate and number of deaths per year have more than doubled since 2007.

The next closest state to North Dakota in the report is Wyoming, which had 9.5 deaths for…

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UND secretary charged with theft

April 22nd, 2015

Illustration by Megan Redfield

Woman alleged to have forged travel vouchers and overtime hours

A former University of North Dakota administrative secretary is facing felony theft charges for allegedly falsifying 31 travel vouchers, submitting 152 trips for reimbursement totaling over $47,000 and 397 false overtime hours totaling over $10,000.

Lori Pesch, East Grand Forks, has a preliminary hearing May 1 in Grand Forks County District Court, where her attorney Alexander Reichert says she will enter a plea of guilty.…

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Fargo Votes: Q&A with the special election candidates

April 15th, 2015

Graphic by Alexis Dietz

Fargo Mayoral Candidates Q & A

Following the passing of the late Mayor Dennis Walaker, voters in Fargo will head to the polls on April 28 to choose a new mayor. For our election preview, HPR spoke with both candidates for mayor in Fargo about their vision for leading the city and the issues facing its citizens.

Brad Wimmer 

Brad Wimmer is a former Fargo City Commissioner and owner of Wimmer’s Diamonds in Fargo. He unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Walker in 2014.

HPR: How will you keep…

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​Group opens Moorhead business to treat overdoses

April 11th, 2015

Missy Patterson, Jeremy Kelly, Warren Stevenson and Jenenne Guffey.

Offers free needles, opiate reversal drugs and training

An organization called The Fargo Moorhead Good Neighbor Project recently opened up a storefront in Moorhead, where it distributes free needles and Naloxone, the opiate overdose reversal drug, which can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose as well as painkillers. It also offers free training to anyone in administering the drug and conducting rescue breathing.

The organization first received training themselves to administer the…

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The Politics of Voter ID Laws

March 25th, 2015

Cover by Ashley Freed and Raul Gomez

After a 2014 election that featured controversial difficulties for student voters due to the state’s new Voter ID law, it appears the North Dakota Legislature won’t be making any changes during the ongoing legislative session.This is despite a North Dakota State University study that found 689 college students were unable to vote because of residency issues.

The only pending changes to the law are contained in House Bill 1333, which was passed by the House and is awaiting a vote in…

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