WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for secretary of agriculture are as diverse as the department of 100,000 employees that he or she would represent. The choice is especially critical this year as USDA provides extra aid for the hungry and oversees food production amid the pandemic. For Biden, the emerging choice between Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, former Sen….
FARGO (KVRR/KFGO) – Volunteer firefighters answered a call from an expectant father late Thursday night who had stopped on I-29 south of Fargo. The man said that he and his wife were on their way to a Fargo hospital, but didn’t believe they would make it before the baby arrived. Christine Fire Chief Randy Monson says the crew was greeted…
BISMARCK, N.D. – Two of the three people charged with facilitating prostitution following a raid on spas in Bismarck and Dickinson are facing additional charges of human trafficking. Sixty-five-year-old Lance Jacobson and 56-year-old Jiang Jennings were charged with sexual servitude and human trafficking felonies. Jacobson and Jennings were earlier charged with facilitating prostitution after an investigation that led to a…
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota regulatory panel has denied a request by two northern Minnesota tribes to prevent Enbridge Energy from moving forward with its contentious Line 3 oil pipeline replacement. The Red Lake and White Earth Bands of Chippewa asked the Public Utilities Commission to stay its order allowing construction, citing pending litigation in the Minnesota Court of Appeals and…
FARGO (KVRR) – When student activities and competitions resume on December 14, Fargo Public Schools will allow a maximum of 50 spectators per event. The number applies to spectators only and does not include athletes, coaches, athletic staffing, and credentialed event staff. Only home spectators will be permitted. Masks are required for all fans, and table, sideline, and media personnel…
MINNEAPOLIS – Eddie Benton-Banai, one of the founders of the American Indian Movement that was formed partly in response to alleged police brutality against Indigenous people, has died. He was 89. A family friend says Benton-Banai died Monday at a care center in Hayward, Wisconsin, where he had been staying for months. Benton-Banai made a life of connecting American Indians…
Dean BrescianiFARGO (KVRR) – North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani is promising to respond “thoroughly and aggressively” to racist social media posts by some NDSU students. A group of NDSU students has been recently posting the remarks on Snapchat. Breciani says “hate speech” is antithetical to what the university stands for. He says that while “hate speech” is constitutionally…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) – Federal health officials are warning that all people over 65, or those with significant health conditions should avoid any indoor public places. The information is contained in a Nov.29 internal briefing sent to Gov. Doug Burgum from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. “We are in a very dangerous place due to the current, extremely high…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – State health officials say drug overdose deaths in Minnesota increased 31% in the first half of 2020, compared to the same time in 2019. The Minnesota Department of Health said there were 490 overdose deaths from January to June 2020 and 373 deaths during the same period last year. The number of deaths took a…
BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has unveiled a $15 billion budget that bumps state spending by 2%. The plan includes a $1.25 billion bonding package largely aimed at funding statewide infrastructure projects. The governor’s suggested spending does not raise taxes on sales or income. The Republican governor’s budget is the second-biggest proposed by a governor in state…
