Cole Franzen (Feb. 2025 mugshot)OTTER TAIL CO., Minn. (KVRR/KFGO) — A man that took an officer’s taser during a domestic incident has been sentenced to three months in jail and five years of probation as part of a plea agreement. Otter Tail County prosecutors say 28-year-old Cole Franzen of Pelican Rapids was arrested in December. At one point, Franzen was…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump ‘s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government. The memo expands the Republican president’s effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands…
FARGO, ND – JAN. 22, 2025: Students eating lunch at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo on January 22, 2025. Free school meal advocates in North Dakota are calling on the state legislature to prioritize permanent funding to pay for meals.Students eat lunch at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo on Jan. 22, 2025. (Dan Koeck/For the North…
Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, speaks on the House floor on Feb. 25, 2025, about his property tax proposal. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon approved three sweeping packages aimed at reducing property taxes. All three incorporate some form of cap on year-over-year tax increases and would be funded…
Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, speaks on the House floor on Feb. 25, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — Two bills that would have reshaped how candidates get on the North Dakota ballot failed in the House late Tuesday. House Bill 1446, sponsored by Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, would have eliminated the option of getting on the…
Rebecca Binstock, executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, speaks during a committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota House overwhelmingly defeated a bill that aimed to give the Ethics Commission more freedom over how it investigates potential ethics violations. The Ethics Commission pushed for House Bill 1360 as a…
DULUTH, Minn.(KVRR/KFGO) – John Beargease Sled Dog Marathon’s start location moved due to warm temperatures melting the snow. The 40th anniversary of the race, which was originally slated to begin at Billy’s in Duluth, will now start just north of Two Harbors on March 2nd. Deteriorating snow conditions prompted the change. Mike Keyport, president of the John Beargrease Sled Dog…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – The Secretary of State’s Office has approved a petition for a measure that would change North Dakota’s vehicle window tinting law. Under current law, windshield tint must allow at least 70% of light through, driver’s and passenger front window tint must allow at least 50% of light through, and windows behind the driver can be any…
Opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrate in Bismarck in August 2016. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — A behemoth defamation lawsuit brought by the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline against Greenpeace began its trial in a Mandan courtroom on Monday. Energy Transfer, a Texas-based oil and gas company, accuses Greenpeace of using underhanded…
Rep. Bill Tveit, R-Hazen, speaks during a Jan. 27, 2025, committee hearing. On Feb. 24, 2025, Tveit advocated for a resolution urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota House of Representatives passed a resolution Monday proclaiming the interpretation of marriage as between one man and one…
