Around the State: January 2, 2023

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.

Washburn teacher charged with four felonies

A Washburn High School educator, formerly named North Dakota’s teacher of the year in 2016, has been arrested for reportedly having a sexual relationship with one of his students.

Joshua Eddy, 32, was arrested December 7, after Washburn school administrators received multiple reports of a suspected relationship between Eddy and a 15-year-old student.

Superintendent Penny Veit-Hetletved said that the school contacted the McLean County Sheriff’s Department on December 7 after being shown screen-shots of text conversations between Eddy and a student. According to an affidavit, the conversation included reference to sexual acts that took place between Eddy and the student both at the school and at Eddy’s residence in Washburn.

“There was enough coming to our attention to place the teacher on administrative paid leave,” Veit-Hetletved said.

Eddy was charged with two Class C felony charges of corruption or solicitation of a minor, a Class B charge of corruption or solicitation of a minor and a Class C felony for luring a minor between the age of 15 and 17. He has since posted his $2,500 bond and was released from custody.

(Story by Alyssa Meier, of the McLean County Independent)

School starts weekend pantry program

There are many factors that could lead to Divide County area families struggling to fill their cupboards this year including rising interest rates and supply chain issues.

The good news is Divide County Elementary students and their families who might need a little help with groceries on the weekend, are now able to bring home a backpack of donated food once per week.

Elementary counselor Lindy Nygaard, along with a few students, has started the DCE Weekend Pantry Program to meet this need.

Nygaard and her students were meeting regularly to discuss options for a service project when they became aware of a student with a family in need of nutritional help.

“One of our teachers was concerned about a student needing a little more food over the weekend, so we talked about it,” said Nygaard. “I have a group of sixth-graders that come and meet with me weekly, so I was looking for some sort of service project. It seemed like there was a need for something like that.”

Nygaard was able to talk to the family and discovered they were experiencing financial hardship, especially toward the end of the month.

She designed the program for families who might use the food pantry already, but since they can only go once a month, they might have a period of time between paychecks where they are having a hard time filling the pantry or fridge.

Nygaard’s students do all the planning, sorting and organizing while she communicates with the families for the sake of confidentiality.

“It seemed like a good fit to let the program be run by the students,” said Nygaard.

The backpacks are sent home by request only.

(Story by Eric Standing, the Journal, Crosby)

Williams County murder suspect apprehended

Murder suspect Jacob Long was apprehended recently and taken into custody after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Williams County Sheriff’s office for the murder of 30-year-old Megan Lindquist. Days prior, Long remained at-large.

The following day, police released information on Lindquist, the murder victim, who was a resident of Washington and had been living in Williston with Long. She is believed to have been married to him.

(Story by Ashleigh Plemper, the McKenzie County Farmer)

State joins fray to ban TikTok

North Dakota is now on the bus that’s motoring toward a complete ban of the popular social media app TikTok.

Gov. Doug Burgum officially prohibited the use of the platform on devices owned by the state government’s executive branch.

The move was in line with actions by several other Republican governors, who have cited the platform’s Chinese ownership and growing national security worries.

In addition to prohibiting downloads of TikTok on government-issued equipment or while connected to the state’s network, it bars visiting the TikTok website.

Of all the sophisticated weapons being stockpiled in the world, this social media app is becoming enemy No. 1 at this moment in time.

Federal lawmakers are introducing legislation that would ban TikTok from operating in America. A bipartisan bill is under construction with backers from both parties.

While people are addicted to their apps, belief in whatever their devices promote becomes a danger. Misinformation is rampant and it’s used to the advantage of those who want to do harm, whether it’s aimed at individuals or an entire nation.

(Story taken from the Turtle Mountain Star)

MPCG cheerleaders head to Citrus Bowl

A trio of local cheerleaders is gearing up for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Florida.

MayPort-CG juniors Kitara Schark, Laura Sanders and Rikka Edwardson fly out of North Dakota December 30 as part of the All-American team for the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA).

Three days later, they’ll perform as part of the pregame celebration for the Vrbo Citrus Bowl on January 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

“I’m excited to see a bigger city because I haven’t seen very many,” Sanders said. “It’ll be nice to get away from snowy North Dakota.”

(Story by Cory Erickson, the Hillsboro Banner)

Pore space battle not over

An attorney for the Northwest Landowners Association says he does not believe the battle over pore space property rights in North Dakota is over, though the state Supreme Court ruled in the group’s favor earlier this year.

Derrick Braaten spoke at the association’s annual meeting December 8 in Stanley about the court decision, which struck down part of a state law that prevented landowners from compensation and filing lawsuits regarding the oil and gas industry’s use of their pore space.

Despite the court’s ruling, Braaten said the principles will be an ongoing fight, and the issue and others like it will continue to arise.

(Story taken from the Tioga Tribune)