Around the State: December 2, 2024

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.

Arts Across the Prairie easement at standstill

With the deadline coming on Thursday for a land easement for an Arts Across the Prairie installation in Divide County, Job Development

Authority members are unsure of the project's future.

Divide County JDA Director Kaycee Lindsey told members at their latest meeting on Nov. 13 she was still working to finalize the location about 10 miles south of Crosby.

"We sent a letter to the landowner, and just waiting to hear from him with a deadline of next week," she said.

The proposed art installation, an earthwork project by artist and Crosby native Thane Lund, has been largely up in the air since May 2023 after the State Historical Society of North Dakota no longer wished to host the installation at Writing Rock State Historic Site.

Local stakeholders began working to secure the new location this past summer, but have since run into setbacks mostly related to landowner approval, as the land is owned by multiple parties.

JDA members voted in June to extend the $75,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts that would help fund the project. That funding is now set to expire at the end of 2025.

(Story by Jordan Rusche, the Crosby Journal)

County Commissioner facing corruption charge

Sitting Rolette County Commissioner Craig Poitra was recently arrested and charged with corruption of a minor age 15 to 17 by an adult age 22 or over, a Class C felony which carries a sentence of at least one year in prison.

Poitra was jailed in Bottineau County after being arrested. He is assumed innocent until proven guilty.

Corruption of a minor is defined as engaging in, soliciting, or causing another to engage in a sexual act with a minor. The age of consent in North Dakota is 18.

Soon after the arrest, Poitra's name and accompanying criminal charge were taken down from the state's on-line information page. According to Rolette County Clerk of Court Tracy Davis, the commissioner's case was classified as "restricted," meaning that access to information about the case is limited to certain individuals, usually only the parties involved and their attorneys, and is not available to the general public.

The restriction means parts of the case are kept confidential and cannot be viewed by anyone not directly involved due to the court order, often to protect sensitive information like personal details.

(Story by Jason Nordmark, the Turtle Mountain Star)

BSD rocks the votes

With the general election happening this year, Bottineau School District wanted to educate its students on the election process. They did so in a unique way by not voting for someone, but for something important. The students voted on a variety of rocks with the hope that the rock that won will go on to be named the state of North Dakota's official state rock.

According to Josh Kitzman, principal of Bottineau's elementary school, the school district made the decision not to vote on party lines because of the antagonism between the two parties this election year.

Kitzman stated the school didn't want to introduce that to the students, and that the goal was to educate the students on the election process in a positive manner, minus the opinions that were taking place across the nation through party lines.

With that in mind, David Cauley, fifth grade teacher in the Bottineau School District, came up with an election idea with his wife, Michelle Cauley, natural resource instructor at Dakota College at Bottineau, and Carrie Reimche, fifth grade teacher. Their idea was to have an election to choose a rock that could possibly be named the state rock.

"Elementary students voted by ballot with homeroom teachers bringing them down to the office to cast their individual votes into the ballot box," David Cauley said. "The middle school, high school and adult staff voted electronically through a QR code," he continued.

"Altogether 449 votes were made."

With the ballots cast, Knife River Flint emerged as the winner of the rock election with 170 votes. Chalcedony was the runner up with 128, Moss Agate 68, Aventurine 55 and Fairburn Agate 38.

With the election over, the Bottineau Rockhounds, which is the largest geology group for juniors in North Dakota, will now focus on getting Knife River Flint named the official rock of North Dakota.

(Story by Scott Wagar, the Bottineau Courant)

State Fire Marshal reports wildfires in McKenzie County linked to nearby flare stacks

Two devastating wildfires errupted on Oct. 5, 2024, leaving a trail of destruction in Keene and New Town.

The Midnight Run Fire and Dinwoodie Fires, fueled by strong winds and dry vegetation, rapidly consumed thousands of acres of land. According to recent reports from the North Dakota State Fire Marshal, both blazes were likely traced back to flare stacks at nearby oil and gas production sites.

The Midnight Run Fire that scorched over 7,000 acres near Keene, N.D. on Oct. 5, has been ruled accidental.

The Dinwoodie Fire that erupted on Oct. 5, and quickly spread across over 2,000 acres of land near New Town, is believed to have been ignited by a flare stack at the Dinwoodie oil and gas production site.

(Story by M.K. French, the McKenzie County Farmer)

TMC president resigns, cites 'bullying'

This is the final week for the president of Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC).

Donna Brown submitted a letter of resignation and will leave the tribe's higher education facility on Nov. 22.

Brown cited tormenting tactics by certain members of the TMCC Board of Directors as the primary reason for leaving the school.

"I have been bullied for the past two years," said Brown, who will end a four-year tenure at the facility. "Issues were brought before me that clearly were in support of relatives of board members. I definitely feel that certain board members and certain employees were actively trying to force me out of my position."

Brown pointed out that she spent the past 30 years at the University of North Dakota and Minnesota State University in Moorhead without incident.

"During my tenures at these colleges, I was continually promoted, appointed to various committees and received positive evaluations overall," Brown said.

"It is disappointing that I couldn't last four years in my own community."

(Story by Jason Nordmark, the Turtle Mountain Star)