Judge orders new North Dakota legislative district for 2 Native American tribes
A federal judge has ordered a new legislative district for two Native American tribes who successfully challenged North Dakotaโs 2021 redistricting map as violating the Voting Rights Act in diluting Native American votersโ strength.
Court ruling backs tribesโ effort to force lawmakers to redraw North Dakota legislative boundaries
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request from North Dakota's secretary of state to delay a federal judge's ruling that found the state's 2021 redistricting map violated the Voting Rights Act in diluting the voting strength of two Native American tribes.
Fox News reaches 12.8 million viewers for GOP primary debate, despite Donald Trump's absence
Fox News reached an estimated 12.8 million viewers on two television channels and its streaming network for the first GOP presidential primary debate of the 2024 season, even though former President Donald Trump skipped it.
Man who ambushed Fargo officers likely had bigger and bloodier attack in mind, attorney general says
Authorities say the heavily armed man who ambushed Fargo police officers investigating a fender bender likely had a bloodier attack in mind, with at least two fairs taking place at the time in and around the city.
13 states including Texas sue to undo Biden pause on US oil & gas lease sales
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2015, file photo, oil pump jacks are seen in McKenzie County, in western North Dakota. The lawsuit notes that coastal states receive significant revenue from onshore and offshore oil and gas activity. But a long-term halt to oil and gas sales would curb future production and could hurt states like Louisiana that are heavily dependent on the industry. He said the Biden administration has started to issue permits for those stockpiled leases. The Biden administration had not responded to the complaint as of Wednesday.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden administration demanding reinstatement of Keystone XL Pipeline permit
A depot used to store pipes for Transcanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen in Gascoyne, North Dakota, on Nov. 14, 2014 Credit: REUTERS/Andrew CullenTwenty-one states, led by Texas and Montana, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Biden Administration for revoking a permit for the long-disputed Keystone XL pipeline. The complaint, filed in a Texas federal district court by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, argues the president exceeded his authority in doing so, and that the decision rests with Congress. Biden canceled the pipelineโs permit on his first day in office, in an executive order that raised concerns about climate change. AdHe said the permit was inconsistent with his administrationโs economic and climate imperatives.โPresident Donald Trump granted a permit in 2019. In February, Paxton and 13 other attorneys general sent a letter asking Biden to reinstate the permit, citing the possible loss of thousands of jobs.
US officials: report on oil and gas sale ban due by summer
โ The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will deliver an interim report on its suspension of oil and gas sales from federal lands and waters by summer, but officials declined to state how long the moratorium could remain in place. Oil and gas from federal reserves in western states and the Gulf of Mexico make up about a quarter of U.S. production. โThe federal oil and gas program is not serving the American public well,โ Interior Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said in a statement. โThe oil and gas leasing program is broken, plain and simple,โ said Jenny Rowland with the Center for American Progress, a liberal, Washington-based policy group that has been supportive of Biden's agenda. A report outlining initial findings and the next steps in the review will be completed by early summer, officials said.
B-52s again fly over Mideast in US military warning to Iran
A pair of B-52 bombers flew over the Mideast on Sunday, March 7, 2021, the latest such mission in the region aimed at warning Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Josh W. Strickland via AP)DUBAI โ A pair of B-52 bombers flew over the Mideast on Sunday, the latest such mission in the region aimed at warning Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. military's Central Command said the two B-52s flew over the region accompanied by military aircraft from nations including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The U.S. Navyโs Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast and often has tense encounters with Iran, declined to comment on the footage. However, the Gulf of Oman saw a series of similar attacks in 2019 that the U.S. Navy then blamed on Iran.
Biden weighs pick for agriculture chief from diverse slate
Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are in the running for the Cabinet position. (House Television via AP)WASHINGTON โ One leading candidate for agriculture secretary hails from Cleveland, has the backing of progressives and has worked for years to boost food stamp programs. Tom Vilsack, who served as Obamaโs agriculture secretary for eight years, is also being considered. Biden has said he wants a diverse Cabinet, and some Black leaders have said he needs to do more to achieve that. โYou won't find a better person thant Heidi Heitkamp,โ Manchin said in a statement, adding that she would make a โtremendousโ agriculture secretary.
Farm Rescue shifts to help farmers sickened by coronavirus
In this photo provided by Farm Rescue, volunteers plant crops on Paul Ivesdal's farm June 3, 2020 in Edmore, N.D. Thanks to Farm Rescue, Ivesdal got his crop in even as he was rushed to a hospital and spend eight days on a ventilator. But in 2005, he launched Farm Rescue, inspired by the 1980s farm crisis that forced his parents to sell land and most of their cattle. โThey're prideful, hard-working people and typically don't want to ask for help,โ Gross said. Viewers can watch the event for free, but all donations will go to Farm Rescue.
Surging virus cases get a shrug in many Midwestern towns
It's not that people in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and elsewhere don't realize their states are leading the nation in new cases per capita. โThey donโt think itโs real," she said. Like most people, Jay Stibbe, 52, of Fargo, North Dakota, said he and his family are respectful of COVID-19 protocols and wear masks where required. However, Stibbe said he doesnโt see enough โconcrete informationโ about the virus to stop him from going about his normal life, even though North Dakota leads the nation in the number of virus cases per capita. ___Associated Press writers David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa, and Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, contributed to this story.
West Coast governors urge COVID quarantine after travel
Travelers wear face masks at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. โCalifornia just surpassed a sobering threshold โ one million COVID-19 cases โ with no signs of the virus slowing down,โ California Gov. She said if cases remain at the current level, the travel advisory will likely become a requirement. โNobody wants to become North Dakota.โThe travel advisory is not as strict as rules implemented in June by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. ___Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, John Antczak in Los Angeles and Sara Cline in Salem, Oregon, contributed to this report.
Doctors fear more death as Dakotas experience virus 'sorrow'
North Dakota and South Dakota have the nation's worst rate of deaths per capita over the last 30 days. The rush of virus patients has dialed up the emotional and physical stress on hospital staff, even as they try to stay free from infections. โThe devastation that Iโm seeing from people is just so disheartening,โ said Mike Henriksen, a South Dakota sports broadcaster who knew five people who died. North Dakota Gov. In South Dakota, Noem has cast doubt on whether wearing masks in public is effective, saying that she'll leave it up to the people to decide.
Candidate who died from COVID-19 in October wins North Dakota House race
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) โ A Republican state House candidate who died in October due to complications from COVID-19 has won the seat in the North Dakota legislature. David Andahl, 55, who died on Oct. 5 after he had been sick with COVID-19 for several days, won in North Dakotaโs 8th District, according to the North Dakotaโs Secretary of Stateโs Office and media reports. North Dakotaโs Attorney General Wayne Stenehjemโs said last month that if Andahl won one of two seats up for election, the GOP would choose his replacement unless enough district voters call for a special election. Andahl and fellow District 8 House candidate Dave Nehring won the Republicans endorsements and voters' nominations in the June primary. Andahl and Nething knocked off one of North Dakotaโs most powerful lawmakers, Republican Rep. Jeff Delzer, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Leaders in US, Europe divided on response to surging virus
Virus cases are surging across Europe and many U.S. states, but responses by leaders are miles apart, with officials in Ireland, France and elsewhere imposing curfews and restricting gatherings even as some U.S. governors resist mask mandates or more aggressive measures. Oklahoma health officials reported a record high of 821 people hospitalized Tuesday with the virus or under investigation for the infection. Mahoney, himself, cast the deciding vote against a city mask mandate early this month. Late Monday, he also reversed course on a local measure, mandating that city residents wear masks when they're in close proximity to people other than family members. Associated Press writers Adam Causey in Oklahoma City, Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, and Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this story.
GOP governors in spiking states strain for silver linings
But that's not the message coming from a number of Republican governors in the region, who are working to find silver linings in the ominous health data as outbreaks surge in their states. North Dakota's governor has called his state's test positivity rate an achievement, even though its rate of new cases tops the nation. Kim Reynolds, however, has defended the state's decision to reopen bars and send students back into classrooms without masks required. Some governors are even pushing back against Trump's own advisers for giving blunter assessments of their states' situations. Hutchinson has continued resisting calls to roll back some of the state's reopening, saying he's relying more on personal responsibility.
As virus rises in the Dakotas, freedom argument trumps masks
The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings, South Dakota, as the city council considered requiring face coverings in businesses. I worry about that.โOver 1,000 students at the states' four largest universities (the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and University of South Dakota) left campus to quarantine after being exposed to the virus, according to data released by the schools. North Dakota Gov. North Dakota's average rate of test positivity has been nearly 22% over the last seven days, according to the the COVID Tracking Project; South Dakota's has been 17%. "They are worried about being overwhelmed.โ___Kolpack reported from Fargo, North Dakota.