Around the State: June 20, 2022

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

Fentanyl: ‘a prominent problem’

During the City and County meeting in Underwood on May 31, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson spoke about how the county continues to combat the import of illegal fentanyl.

According to Erickson, the McLean County Sheriff’s Department has targeted a specific street gang from Detroit that has been transporting fentanyl to North Dakota.

Between eight and 10 people have been put in prison for the transport of fentanyl due to traffic stops in McLean County.

Additionally, the McLean County Sheriff’s Department has seized “approximately $800,000 of money coming out of the oil patch connected to drugs in the last few years,” according to Erickson.

North Dakota recorded 118 drug-related deaths in 2020, nearly 50 percent more than the year before, according to the Division of Vital Records. Public health and law enforcement professionals believe fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has caused overdose deaths to increase dramatically.

“Fentanyl is the prominent problem, and mental health is taking up a huge amount of time,” Erickson added.

(Story by Cammie Wright, nordaknorth.com)

Tioga City employee alleges bullying

The alleged “bullying” conduct of Tioga’s top economic development official received scrutiny from city commissioners following a human resources complaint filed by a city employee.

The complaint filed by Dan Larson alleges he was pressured to resign from the EDC’s executive board on unjustified legal grounds and only after “bullying” by Dennis Lindahl and Chris Norgaard.

Norgaard, president of the EDC, is alleged to have repeatedly and forcefully demanded Larson resign due to the “appearance of a conflict,” Larson said.

“We’re not aware of any legal basis on which a person could be excluded from service on the allegation of an appearance of conflict when they have no ability whatsoever to vote on this commission,” said City Attorney Liz Pendlay.

Lindahl, paid through the Tioga Fund as the EDC’s consultant, is accused of physically getting into Larson’s face during the closed-door EDC meeting, shouting at Larson and accusing the latter of trying to steal credit from Lindahl.

“Very belligerent. Very loud,” Larson told commissioners. “It just was very, very unprofessional behavior.”

Reached for comment, Lindahl disputed the idea he acted in an “unprofessional” manner and said he was “assertive.”

(Story by Jacob Orledge, the Tioga Tribune)

New Town police criticized

A New Town city council member confronted the police chief at a meeting May 18 about new procedures being used on traffic stops.

Nathaniel Mayer told Chief Jackie Halonen he has received complaints about drivers being asked to sit in the police officer’s vehicle and answer questions about drug use.

According to Halonen, the procedure is one that has recently started being taught in North Dakota’s peace officer training programs.

She said an officer who has begun using the technique has been able to make a number of additional drug-related arrests as a result.

The reason for having drivers exit their own vehicles, Halonen later added, is that it creates a space for the officer to safely control the situation and conduct their business without anyone standing along the side of the road.

(Story taken from the Tioga Tribune)

Pet donkey to reside as support animal

The donkey can stay, despite complaints. At the June 6 Fessenden City Council meeting several homeowners said they weren’t happy with a miniature donkey living in their neighborhood on the southwest side of town.

“I live two houses away, I work from home and the donkey is causing a great disturbance while I’m working with my patients,” said Tiffani Tesch, an registered nurse who cares for patients via telemedicine. “I am losing my job because of this donkey!”

The donkey is an equine support animal, according to its owners, Nicole Sparano, John Mauk and their children, who recently moved into their home.

Alderman Brian Schimelfenig asked John if there had been any evidence given to the city that the animal was registered as a support animal.

“We took papers to the sheriff’s office 30 days before we got here and they never responded back to us, so we thought we had the green light to get him,” Mauk said.

The board agreed to let Mauk’s lawyer and the city’s lawyer figure it all out.

(Story by Carrie Opdahl, the Herald Press - Harvey)

Judge, neighbor bring smelly problem to council

A local judge and a neighbor south of his home faced a foul-smelling emergency in their home.

Barbara Austin and neighbor Michael Hurly, a judge for the Northeast Judicial District who lives to the north of her residence, spoke before the Rugby City Council at a special meeting on June 1.

Austin and Hurly told the council they found the source of the recurrent backups on their properties with help from the excavating company, Rugby’s Johnson’s Plumbing, and a city sewer system map.

Hurly said he discovered a long-forgotten sewer main that was owned by the city and had been on his property for decades.

“It’s on this map, right here,” Hurly told the council. “There’s a little sewer line that goes north and south and it ends in the middle of the street - what we thought was the middle of the street. Actually, we discovered yesterday, it’s two feet from my house.

“When I purchased the home in 2016, it was not disclosed to me the way the lines were set up. This is the fourth time this has happened,” Austin said.

“I thought it was somewhat corrected,” he added. “But I came home from work yesterday and came into the house and all I could smell was sewer. It was backed up in the laundry room, by the bathtub and the shower. My house reeks of sewer.”

The council passed a motion to relocate the main from Hurly’s property to under the sidewalk.

Council also approved a motion to pay for any costs incurred by the property owners.

(Story by Sue Sitter, the Pierce County Tribune)