Around the State: June 19, 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.

Williston home not haunted

The Victorian-style house at the corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street West in Williston is notable enough, but it’s the sign in the yard that’s drawing most of the attention.

Sitting atop the metal “for sale” sign are the words “Not Haunted” in big red letters.

“I’ve seen and heard quite a few comments,” said Basin Brokers listing agent Alex Gilbertson, who fielded a lot of calls about the house even before the signage went up. “I haven’t had any properties this unique before.”

The 3,230-square foot home was built in 1906 by a local judge, and the owners through the decades kept the original feel as it was renovated. There were some additions along the way, too, like a wrap-around porch, iron fencing and original street lamps, Gilbertson said.

(Story taken from the Journal, Crosby)

KHS graduate awarded Bill Gates scholarship

Recent Kenmare High School graduate, Diontrea Anderson, has received a prestigious award for his post-secondary education.

He is a recipient of the Bill Gates Scholarship, giving him a full ride to college. This is a nationwide scholarship that aims to help students of minority groups further their education.

For this scholarship, there were 102,000 applicants. Of this number, a little over 52,000 of them were able to complete the next steps to finish the scholarship application. From this pool, only 750 applicants were chosen, one of them being Anderson. He is one of only two from North Dakota to receive it.

“The scholarship is an honor to Diontrea of all the hard work that he has put in to receive it,” said Alice Pausig, Diontrea’s grandmother.

The Gates Scholarship has committed to completely fund Anderson’s first four years of post-secondary education. In these four years, he is able to attend any university of his choice that is in the United States and also has the option to transfer. Although it must be a school in the country, there is still the option to study abroad, which is also covered in the scholarship.

Anderson plans to attend North Dakota State University in the fall. After some consideration, he is going to pursue a degree in the engineering field.

(Story by Amber Houck, the Kenmare News)

Burgum to deploy ND Nat. Guard to southern border

Gov. Doug Burgum is planning to deploy approximately 100 North Dakota National Guard members to Texas to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border in support of Operation Lone Star.

The announcement comes in response to a request made by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a May 16 letter asking for states to send available resources to combat illegal activity at the border and ensure the safety and security of all Americans in the absence of action by the Biden administration to address the border crisis.

“The threat to national security grows every day that the Biden Administration abdicates the responsibility of the federal government to secure our borders,” Burgum said.

The planned deployment is expected to last approximately 30 days and take place this coming fall.

(Story taken from the Cavalier Chronicle)

State radio seeing major increase in 911 hang-ups

Facing a similar trend experienced by dispatch centers across the country, the N.D. Division of State Radio has taken an influx of 911 hang-up calls or misdials over the past year.

At the end of May, State Radio had more than 1,600 hang-ups or misdials compared to about 440 at the same time last year, about four times more than average.

The issues stem from changes to mobile device emergency settings, some of which have automatic crash detection technology and features that will dial 911 when certain buttons are pressed.

Some phones have settings where 911 is dialed when the power and volume buttons are held down simultaneously.

A 911 call might be initiated when pressing the power button five times in rapid succession. Mobile users can check the settings on their devices to avoid a misdial or talk to their service providers.

“Each time we are dispatched for a hang-up 911 call, our troopers could be out in the field, patrolling and providing help to those who truly need it,” said Sgt. Wade Kadrmas, N.D. Highway Patrol.

(Story taken from the Benson County Farmers Press)

Drug war drags on

Rolette County experienced a drastic increase in drug-regulated crimes last year, according to statistics produced by the Rolette County Sheriff’s Department.

Drug and narcotic violations rose more than 45 percent over 2021 figures while arrests for those crimes jumped by more than 18 percent.

While those figures can be daunting, Rolette County Sheriff Nathan Gustafson said there are currently individuals behind bars facing “big charges” for drug-related crimes.

“We have deputies who live here and are from here and they all care about what happens here,” Gustafson said.

The jurisdiction of the Rolette County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t include the six-by-twelve mile Turtle Mountain Reservation.

That area is patrolled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Department, which is led by Chief Earl Charbonneau.

Justin King is the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha Division, which includes Turtle Mountain. He said drug cartels are leaving an imprint across the country, including this area.

(Story by Jason Nordmark, the Turtle Mountain Star)

Federal Agency finds proof of drug cartel’s reach

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concluded a year-long operation in which it identified direct connections between the Mexican-based Dinaloa and Jalisco Cartels and communities across the nation.

Over the course of a year, DEA Omaha Division investigators in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota directly linked 26 investigations to the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, with more connections expected as cases move forward. Fentanyl seizures both in pill and powder form continue to increase exponentially, while methamphetamine seizures increased 55 percent between 2018 and 2022. DEA Omaha Division investigators made 87 arrests and seized 60 firearms tying to one of the two cartels.

(Story taken from the Turtle Mountain Star)