OIL PATCH Archives - KVRR Local News

Panel OKs draft legislative redistricting map with new districts in Fargo and the Oil Patch

September 24, 2021

KVRR Staff,

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A panel of lawmakers on Thursday substantially completed a draft of North Dakota’s new legislative map that creates three new districts in the state’s fastest-growing areas but erases an equal amount in population-lean rural regions. The preliminary plan unanimously approved by the Republican-controlled committee also forces several incumbent lawmakers to run against each other to keep…

Dakota Plains Holdings Co-Founder Sentenced For Stock Manipulation Scheme

Ryan Gilbertson also was fined $2 million and ordered to pay more than $15 million in restitution

December 17, 2018

TJ Nelson,

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A Minnesota man who helped found a business in North Dakota’s oil patch has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud in a stock manipulation scheme. Ryan Gilbertson also was fined $2 million and ordered to pay more than $15 million in restitution. The U.S. attorney’s office says Gilbertson co-founded Dakota Plains Holdings, which owned a…

Officer Helps Deliver Baby In North Dakota’s Oil Patch

Arnegard Officer Travis Bateman jokes that he should have had a catcher's mitt

November 28, 2018

TJ Nelson,

MCKENZIE COUNTY, ND — A police officer arrived just in time to help deliver a baby girl along a rural road in North Dakota’s oil patch. Arnegard Officer Travis Bateman jokes that he should have had a catcher’s mitt when he responded to a 911 call last week along McKenzie County Road 30. After just two minutes on the scene Bateman…

Woman Tied To Henrikson Murder-For-Hire Case Found Guilty

Rene Johnson was accused of diverting investors' funds in her business for a high-risk loan to an associate of James Henrikson

November 8, 2018

TJ Nelson,

James HenriksonBISMARCK, ND — A Watford City accountant has been convicted of wire fraud in a murder-for-hire case. Rene Johnson was accused of diverting investors’ funds in her business for a high-risk loan to an associate of James Henrikson. Investors eventually got their money back, plus interest. Henrikson is serving life in prison after being convicted in a murder-for-hire plot that…

Oil Patch Slowdown Leads to Population Loss

Minot's micropolitan area shrunk by 1.7 percent

March 27, 2018

TJ Nelson,

BISMARCK, N.D. — A slowdown in activity in North Dakota’s oil patch is impacting population numbers in the region. The U.S. Census Bureau figures show Minot’s micropolitan area shrunk by 1.7 percent, losing more than 1,300 people. Micropolitan areas have populations of at least 10,000 but fewer than 50,000. The counties of Ward, Renville and McHenry have an estimated 77,000…

Accused Oil Patch Drug Dealer Reaches Plea Agreement

He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years

April 27, 2017

TJ Nelson,

BISMARCK, ND — A man accused of dealing large quantities of drugs in the oil patch has reached a plea agreement. The deal calls for 55-year-old Zachary Smith, known as “Old School”, to plead guilty to two counts, including a conspiracy charge. Authorities say Smith was part of an operation that in 2015 and 2016 moved meth and heroin…

ND Oil Patch Cities See Drop in Population

The exodus of people is largely due to fewer job opportunities, as the state's energy sector continues to try and rebound from an oil price slump

March 28, 2017

TJ Nelson,

DICKINSON, N.D. — The population is dropping in at least two oil patch cities in North Dakota. The number of people living in Dickinson and Williston dropped about three percent last year. The exodus of people is largely due to fewer job opportunities, as the state’s energy sector continues to try and rebound from an oil price slump. The…

Oil Patch Workers Failing to Register Vehicles in North Dakota

People are given a 90-day grace period for registering their vehicle after moving to the state

March 20, 2017

TJ Nelson,

NORTH DAKOTA — The oil boom has slowed, but oil patch workers failing to register their vehicles in the state is still an issue. From February of last year through January of this year, the Highway Patrol wrote more than 3,000 citations. People are given a 90 day grace period for registering their vehicle after moving to the state….