Around the State: July 18, 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.

Petition circulated to pause expansion

A new petition making the rounds to put a stop to the $16 million community center expansion project in Tioga, is expected to be discussed by city commissioners in an upcoming meeting.

The petition, has been placed at half a dozen Main Street businesses and it is estimated there were already in excess of 100 signatures.

The petition not only requests city commissioners to stop further action to build the community center expansion, it also demands the city cease work to take out the $10 million loan to fund the project and asks the city to begin a “new process” to gather community input on what the city’s spending priorities should be.

(Story by Jacob Orledge, the Tioga Tribune)

Land acquired for Roosevelt National Library

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation (TRPLF) purchased 90.3 acres of land from the U.S. Forest Service.

The transaction completes an 18-month process that began when TRPLF received Congressional approval to acquire the land for construction of the T. R. Library in western North Dakota.

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Conveyance Act directed the U.S. Forest Service to sell the land. Prsident Donald J. Trump signed the Bill into law in December 2020, and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue initiated the sale process in January 2021.

“North Dakotans have ensured a legacy not just for their state, but also for our nation and the world,” said Theodore Roosevelt V, a great-great-grandson and namesake of the 26th president.

Theodore Roosevelt founded the U.S. Forest Service during his presidential administration.

Construction is set to begin in 2023 and a grand opening is planned for July 4, 2026 - the 250th anniversary of America and the Declaration of Independence.

(Story taken from the Cavalier Chronicle)

Vote to be decided with drawing

The final seat on Crosby’s city council will be chosen by chance during the city council’s regular meeting, July 11

A recount of votes cast for a two-year unexpired term between Don Anderson and Marzell Trussell came back with the same results as those from the election canvassing board a tie.

State law now requires determining the winner by drawing a name in the presence of the rest of the city council.

The recount board met and sorted through ballots, separating those cast in Crosby’s municipal election from the rest.

With that done, ballots were checked to see whether votes were cast in the race between Anderson and Trussell; not every eligible voter bothered to make a choice. Then, votes cast were added up.

The outcome did not change; only the vote totals changed slightly. Results from the recount came in at 188 votes apiece.

Trussell, who was present for the recount, took the results with humor and grace.

“Mud wrestling it is,” he joked.

Plenty more folks have weighed in on social media suggesting everything from arm wrestling to adding a chair to the council table.

Instead, the tie breaker will be on the city’s agenda.

(Story by Brad Nygaard, The Journal, Crosby)

Who murdered Larry Joe Phebus?

The McKenzie County Farmer would like to bring this 60-year-old cold case to light by telling the story as it was reported in 1962.

In October 1962, Chester Phebus and his younger brother, Larry, lived at the Travelers Motel in Tioga. The last time Chester saw his brother was on the night of October 20, 1962, when he and a friend headed to Williston on a double date. It was reported that Chester recalled the last thing Larry said to him that fateful night was “You’ll be sorry you aren’t taking me with you.”

Not knowing that would be the last time he and Larry spoke, Chester proceeded with his plans. However, upon returning to the hotel that evening, Larry was nowhere to be found. Chester and his friend spent two days looking for Larry in the surrounding cities.

Five months after being reported missing, two farmers stumbled upon human remains in a field just two-and-a-half miles southwest of Alexander.

The FBI was called in and it was reported the remains were that of a partially decomposed young boy. His hands were tethered at the wrist with a light nylon or cotton cord around the neck. His blue jeans and underwear were down around his ankles.

Also in the vicinity of the body, law enforcement found the boy’s shoes, four 7-Up bottles, a pair of gloves and a towel.

Coroner Clarence Leiseth confirmed the body’s identification as 14-year-old Larry Phebus while performing an autopsy. He also determined the cause of death to be murder, detailing that the young boy had been sexually assaulted before he was strangled to death.

Sixty years have passed since Larry was reported missing and law enforcement has not been able to locate and prosecute this young boy’s murderer.

With permission to dive into this cold case, a supervisory special agent with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation stated that the case of Larry Phebus is still considered “Active”.

(Story by Patrice Bumstead, the McKenzie County Farmer)

Emmons County resident victim of scam

Emmons County Sheriff Gary Sanders said there have been several incidents of online or telephone scams reported in the county over the past couple of years.

The latest occurred this spring when a 31-year-old man reported a scam on a purchase he made online. The victim said he purchased a John Deere Global Positioning System from an online dealer for $6,800, and wired the money to the dealer on the site.

However, the victim never received the merchandise, and he reported the incident. Upon investigation, it was discovered the online seller was located in Georgia, and as a result, the Coffey County, Georgia Sheriff’s Department arrested 22-year-old Casey Carelock.

(Story by Mark Weber, the Emmons County Record)