North Dakota

North Dakota lawmakers to propose Legacy Fund Transparency Act

Published

1 year ago

October 21, 2024

North Dakota lawmakers to propose Legacy Fund Transparency Act

BISMARCK — Three Republican lawmakers from District 12 plan to bring legislation during the 2025 legislation session to require the state to publish all investments of Legacy Fund money online.

The Legacy Fund was established by a constitutional amendment approved by North Dakota voters in 2010. It’s supported by the state’s oil taxes and is intended to be a source of perpetual revenue for the state. As of June, the fund’s value was nearly $11 billion.

The State Investment Board currently does not disclose specifics about all of the Legacy Fund’s investments.

Sen. Cole Conley, Rep. Bernie Satrom and Rep. Mitch Ostlie, all of Jamestown, said they’re concerned the money could be supporting governments or businesses that oppose North Dakota’s interests, and that this legislation is needed in order to bring such information to light. In 2022, the State Investment Board voted to divest public money including Legacy Fund dollars from Russia.

“When we invest our principal, we need to have principles,” Satrom told the North Dakota Monitor.

In response to a records request asking for all of the Legacy Fund’s foreign and domestic investments by Bismarck attorney Tory Jackson earlier this year, the state disclosed it had roughly $160 million of the fund invested in what it called the “Emerging Markets Region,” more than $520 million in the “Global Region” and nearly $46 million in the “International Region,” among other holdings.

Jackson requested an attorney general’s opinion regarding the response to his request.

“The public and the media should not have to file a formal open records request to see where their money is being invested all around the world,” Conley said in a statement.

The state Retirement and Investment Office administers the Legacy Fund, following the direction of the State Investment Board.

Retirement and Investment Office Executive Director Jan Murtha on Monday said she hadn’t seen any proposed legislation, so she could not comment on it.

“It is the role of the Legislature to create the state laws applicable to the Legacy Fund, and the Retirement and Investment Office adheres to the law and will adhere to any changes to the law,” she said.

Murtha told the North Dakota Monitor previously that the state already publishes a lot of Legacy Fund-related data, but some information must be kept under wraps in order to protect the state’s ability to invest. For example, it cannot identify the investments of specific fund managers because that could expose those managers’ investment strategies, which is considered confidential commercial information.

She also noted that the Legacy Fund’s holdings are always changing, so if the state were to publicize all of its investments, it would have to update the list constantly.

Lt. Gov Tammy Miller, who chairs the State Investment Board, has also disputed the claim that the Legacy Fund is not transparent.

In a gubernatorial debate with U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong in April, Miller noted that North Dakotans can already find a lot of information about the Legacy Fund online. The office publishes monthly financial statements and performance reports.

“We have great transparency with the Legacy Fund,” she said at the time.

Armstrong has said during debates that the public should not need to make an open records request to access information about the Legacy Fund.

The North Dakota Legislature passed a bill in 2021 requiring the state to invest a certain amount of the Legacy Fund into the state.

North Dakota’s current target is to invest up to $1.3 billion of the fund in-state.

Satrom and Conley both said that while they consider the in-state investment program a step in the right direction, they both want to see even more of the Legacy Fund put back into the state’s economy.

“We should be investing in our future,” Satrom said.

The lawmakers are still working on a bill draft, Conley said in an email.

District 12 encompasses most of Jamestown as well as land east and northeast of the city.

The three lawmakers are all running for reelection for their respective seats this election season. The House members are running unopposed. Democrat Olivia Schloegel is running against Conley for Senate.

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com

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North Dakota

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

On this day in 1943, two North Dakota army officers, Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz and First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson, were killed in separate medium bomber training crashes in Florida and Georgia.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

Army Plane Crashes Kill Two N. D. Men

Two North Dakota officers in the army air forces were killed Sunday in bomber crashes during training flights, Associated Press dispatches revealed Monday.

Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz of Harvey (Wells county) was killed with 10 others from the Avon Park, Fla., army bomber base when two medium bombers collided during a routine formation flight. Both planes crashed and there were no survivors.

First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson of Warwick (Benson county) was one of six killed when a medium bomber from MacDill field, Tampa, Fla., crashed near Savannah, Ga. Lieutenant Anderson was co-pilot of the plane.

None of the other victims of either accident was from the Dakotas or Minnesota.

Lieutenant Kuntz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Kuntz of Harvey, was graduated from the army air force navigation school at Hondo, Texas, as a second lieutenant last October, and received his wings as a navigator.

See more history at Newspapers.com

An ad featured in The Forum on March 2, 1943. Newspapers.com

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.

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North Dakota

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Two North Dakotans are semifinalists for the Bismarck State College president’s job as North Dakota State University narrows its presidential candidate list.

Valley City State University also is searching for a new president, with an application period closing this month..

Kevin Black, chair of the State Board of Higher Education and co-chair of the North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee, said the committee reviewed over 60 applications. The committee is planning off-site interviews with candidates March 9-10 and campus visits with semifinal candidates March 23-27.

“We’re really excited about taking the next step and there’s some very quality people in there,” Black said.

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North Dakota

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

FARGO — One season ago, a Cinderella run for the West Fargo United girls hockey team came up just short in the state championship game.

United, the No. 7 seed, fell to Legacy/Bismarck in the 2025 final.

This time around, the team had momentum swaying in its favor, riding nine consecutive wins into Saturday’s title game against Grand Forks at Scheels Arena.

Led by goals from a pair of senior captains, United capped its redemption season with a 10th straight victory, fending off the KnightRiders 2-1 to claim the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament championship.

“It just means everything,” said United’s Payton Stocker, whose goal at the 12:31 mark of the second period gave her team a 1-0 lead. “We’ve worked so hard and throughout the season, it’s just been such a battle. Winning and coming out on top is just such a great feeling.”

West Fargo United captains react as they are presented the team’s 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena in Fargo.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Stocker was followed up in scoring by United captain Rachel Spanier. The defenseman fired a slap shot from the left point that beat Grand Forks goaltender Kylie Schmaltz to make it 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Reagan Wilson locked things down in net for United, finishing with 23 saves and picking up an all-tournament team nod.

“This is my first year of high school hockey,” the sophomore goaltender said. “I can’t believe coming in here and winning a state title with all of these girls. I just love them so much.”

While it was the senior duo of Stocker and Spanier finding the net for United on Saturday, contributions were seen across the board.

Sophomore Emma Hassler also put forth an all-tournament campaign with five goals and an assist for six points over the three-day stretch.

030226 WFGOUnited3.jpg — Grand Forks’ Dustee Balek’s shot is blocked by West Fargo United goalie Reagan Wilson in the North Dakota girls hockey state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Freshman Kaylee Augdahl finished the tournament with four points — including

a double-overtime winner

over Fargo North/South in Friday’s semifinals — and junior Liana Williamson added three assists.

“It wasn’t just us (seniors),” said Stocker, who joined Hassler and Wilson on the all-tourney team. “It was everyone collectively. Being seniors, it feels a lot better. It was a great feeling.”

United, the No. 5 seed this year, capped its season with a record of 17-9-0.

“These girls are awesome,” first-year United head coach Kennedy Blair said. “They’ve worked super, super hard since last April. Wake up early in the mornings, go into off-ice training, on-ice training and all that.

“This group of girls is really special. They’re a really close-knit group, and they trusted our coaching staff coming in as a first-year group.”

030226 WFGOUnited2.jpg — West Fargo United players pose for the camera as they wait for the 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Blair knows a thing or two about winning championships. She was a North Dakota state champion goaltender with the former Bismarck Blizzard co-op and also won an NCAA Division I national title with the Wisconsin women’s program in 2021.

Yet, she never imagined ending her first year as a high school varsity coach with a state championship.

“No, I didn’t,” said Blair, who also won North Dakota High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. “But I had belief in these girls that we could get to the state championship again.”

It’s the United co-op’s first-ever state title — which consists of West Fargo, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo Horace high schools.

Prior to Saturday, the last time a West Fargo girls program won the state title was in 2014 when it was still a standalone program competing as the Packers.

“It’s amazing considering United hockey has never won a championship game,” Wilson said.

Grand Forks, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, ended its campaign with a 21-5-0 record.

Ella Yahna’s fourth goal of the tournament — which came on a 2-on-1 rush with the assist from teammate Reese Meagher, put the KnightRiders within one shot with 8:17 remaining in the third.

Grand Forks, however, was unable to find the equalizer as its bid for a first state championship came up just short.

“I thought we came out in the first and we had a tough time,” Grand Forks head coach Kelly Kilgore said. “I felt we battled some nerves. I really liked our second period … We carried the play and tilted the ice a little bit back in our favor. The shots kind of started to really turn in our favor.”

Stocker said she wouldn’t have wanted to win a state title as a senior with any other group of teammates.

“(They mean) everything,” Stocker said. “We’re so tight and they’re all my friends. Leaving them is going to be hard. But they mean everything to me. We’re all so close and I love them a lot.”