North Dakota
ISU WR Jaylin Noel on his “crazy” game-opening catch — and facing Iowa on the road next week
Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) makes a catch between North Dakota Fighting Hawks defensive back Antonio Bluiett (22) and Tyler Erkman (9) during the first quarter in the season-opening game at Jack Trice Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
AMES — Jaylin Noel’s family members took out their phones and shared the image.
The photo shows Iowa State’s star receiver engulfed by two North Dakota defenders as his quarterback, Rocco Becht, hoisted the football his way.
Somehow, Noel fought for the ball and won on the 54-yard strike that opened the Cyclones’ 21-3 season-opening win over the Fighting Hawks — and the photographic evidence detailing the degree of difficulty momentarily stunned him.
Then he smiled.
“It’s actually pretty crazy,” said Noel, who led all receivers with eight receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. “It’s pretty cool.”
ISU’s season opener proved to be pretty tense for three quarters against a North Dakota team that’s advanced to the FCS playoffs in four of the past five seasons. And Big plays like Noel’s must come in bunches next Saturday when the Cyclones face No. 25 Iowa in Kinnick Stadium. ISU’s beaten the Hawkeyes just once in the past eight meetings and struggled defensively against the Fighting Hawks, allowing 295 total yards.
“We didn’t get off the field,” Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell said. “And until you watch the video, you can’t say, man, what went will and what didn’t go well. I thought what did go well was in the heat of the moment — the critical moment(s) — we were able to win those battles when it mattered most.”
For examlple, ISU secured the only takeaway of Saturday’s game when backup linebacker John Klosterman, a former standout at Iowa City High, hit North Dakota quarterback Simon Romfo on a pass attempt on the first drive of the second half. Klosterman’s hurry sent the ball sailing directly to teammate Beau Freyler, who intercepted it at his own 15-yard line.
“I was kind of surprised it was just coming right to me, honestly,” the all-Big 12 senior safety said. “After I saw it — we saw it on the (tablet on the sidelines) — I told him he gets half the interception.”
Fair enough — and that’s not the only positive that came out of a sometimes shaky defensive performance. The Cyclones cycled through its three-deeps at most positions in Saturday’s win, so several players gained valuable experience. That came out of both necessity and design, as ISU lost standout linebacker Caleb Bacon to an apparent lower leg injury in the first quarter. His status this week is uncertain, which is also the case for offensive linemen Jalen Travis and Dylan Hasert, as well as linebackers Cael Brezina and Will McLaughlin, none of whom played on Saturday because of assorted “bumps and bruises,” Campbell said.
“I think (Brezina will) definitely be a guy that’s going to be available next week, so it will be good to get some bodies back in that linebackers room for sure, too.”
The Cyclones’ offense shined most on Saturday, averaging 7.4 points per play while possessing the ball almost 16 fewer minutes than the Fighting Hawks did. Becht completed 20 of his 26 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Three of his passes spanned 20 or more yards and despite sailing a few throws, he played turnover-free football for the fourth time in the past five games dating back to last season.
“Obviously, we wanted to do a little more,” Becht said. “It was kind of a weird game time of possession-wise. In those types of games we’ve got to be consistent on each one of (our) drives because we didn’t have a lot (of them).”
ISU will have to do a lot more on both sides of the ball to have a chance to beat Iowa on the road. And big plays like Noel’s grab will be essential if the Cyclones are to emerge from Kinnick Stadium with a victory for the second straight time.
“We know we’re going to go into a beehive, you could say, and those guys are gonna be ready,” Noel said. “We’ve just got to get our bodies right, get in the film room and prepare, because those guys are good. We know what they’re capable of so we’ll be ready to go.”
GRAND FORKS — A North Dakota composer’s dream is turning into a statewide invitation.
Williston-based musician Emily Black-Driscoll was chosen as the North Dakota Music Teachers Association’s commissioned composer for 2026. She’s preparing an original composition that will premiere in August.
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North Dakota
Challengers declare victory after ND Supreme Court rules against Legislature’s attempt to alter term limits
BISMARCK — A constitutional ballot measure to amend the state’s term limits law as proposed by the Legislature will not appear on November’s ballot, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, siding with petitioners who argued the Legislature exceeded its authority and violated the state constitution in proposing the changes.
“The people’s voice was heard,” Grand Forks County Commissioner Terry Bjerke said in reaction to the news.
Bjerke was a member of the sponsoring committee behind the successful 2022 effort to pass a term limits initiative, which amended the state constitution by capping legislative term limits to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. The amendment, which became article XV of the state constitution, also included a clause barring the Legislature from making constitutional changes to term limits.
During the 2025 session, however, lawmakers narrowly approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008, in which the legislature proposed Constitutional Measure 1, a ballot measure to amend the term limits language to allow legislators to decide in which chamber they want to serve their 16 years, and to repeal the clause limiting the legislative assembly’s authority to propose an amendment to alter or repeal term limits.
Bjerke and former Minot legislator Oley Larsen brought the lawsuit challenging the validity of the Legislature’s action in January, and the state Supreme Court
heard oral arguments in the case
this spring.
“Those term limits may only be altered by a measure proposed by the people rather than the Legislative Assembly. And yet a few years later, the Legislative Assembly is doing what they are prohibited from doing,” attorney Zachary Wallen argued on Bjerke and Larsen’s behalf.
Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune
The Legislature’s attorneys argued the clause prohibiting legislative proposals to alter the constitutional term limits language “infringes on our republican form of government” by “limiting the people’s ability to vote on amendments proposed by their elected officials.”
Justice Jon Jensen seemed skeptical of that argument during the April 2 hearing, questioning whether a second vote was appropriate.
“The public did speak on this. The public spoke on it when it passed the original constitutional amendment and they said, ‘Legislature, you don’t even get to propose a change.’ They have already spoken on it,” Jensen said. “You want a second shot, or a second bite at the apple, not a first one, a second.”
In Thursday’s ruling, all five justices sided with Bjerke and Larsen.
“We … conclude the Legislative Assembly’s adoption of S.C.R. 4008 violated N.D. Const. art. XV … and declare S.C.R. 4008 and Constitutional Measure 1 void … We enjoin the Secretary of State from placing Constitutional Measure 1 on the November 2026 general election ballot,” the ruling said.
Bjerke thanked the legal team that worked on behalf of their lawsuit, and said he was grateful the court reached the conclusion it did.
“I’m thrilled that what the people voted on and approved has been validated,” Bjerke said.
He added that the Legislature had “multiple opportunities” to address term limits prior to 2022’s initiated measure and chose not to, and gave a nod to the country’s coming milestone and the process by which voters expressed their support for term limits.
“We’ve lasted 250 years,” Bjerke said. “I have two words for those elected leaders who think they aren’t: everyone’s replaceable.”
North Dakota
Fargo woman convicted in North Dakota fraud case now faces charges in Minnesota: A deeper dive
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A North Dakota woman who was sentenced to 180 days in jail in Cass County for defrauding healthcare providers and Medicaid programs is now facing additional fraud charges in Minnesota.
Christine Marie Pryor, 55, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to theft by deception involving more than $50,000. She was sentenced to first serve 180 days with a 3-year sentence suspended. She received credit for 44 days already served.
Pryor was ordered to pay $82,584.78 in restitution to Southeast Human Services in Fargo, where she worked between 2018 and 2019.
How the scheme unfolded
According to court documents, Pryor worked at multiple healthcare facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota between 2018 and 2023, using the identities and credentials of three licensed professionals without their knowledge. She submitted fraudulent Capella University diplomas and transcripts to gain employment.
Investigators say Pryor admitted she searched state licensing websites for therapists who shared her first name, then used those therapists’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
At Southeast Human Services, where she worked as a Licensed Addiction Counselor, Pryor earned $55,584.82 while providing therapy services to approximately 150 patients. She also opened her own counseling center, NIAM Brain Injury Center, in Fargo between 2020 and 2021, and worked at The Lotus Center in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 2021 to 2023.
Court documents say the three licensed professionals whose identities were used told investigators they had no knowledge of Pryor’s actions and did not give her permission to use their information.
Two additional charges against Pryor in North Dakota, unauthorized use of personal identifying information, were dismissed on motion of the state.
Additional charges in Minnesota
Pryor is also facing charges in Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Tuesday charges against Pryor in Clay County District Court for six theft offenses and six identity theft offenses related to defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program of more than $150,000.
According to the Minnesota complaint, Pryor claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials to do so. Prosecutors allege she used the credentials and identities of three licensed professionals while claiming to provide Medicaid-funded services to 169 clients.
The Minnesota charges were filed as part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, a joint effort involving the Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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