North Dakota

North Dakota bill looks to dissolve gambling oversight commission

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

North Dakota bill looks to dissolve gambling oversight commission

BISMARCK — North Dakota may eliminate its Gaming Commission and place all authority to regulate gambling with the state Attorney General’s Office if a proposed bill moves forward.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday gave a do-pass recommendation on

Senate Bill 2224

by a vote of 4-3. The bill seeks to streamline the gambling regulation process by eliminating the state Gaming Commission. Several legislators questioned what benefit the Commission provides, but the gambling industry warned the bill would remove key checks on the attorney general’s power.

The Gaming Commission is an independent entity whose members are appointed by the governor. The Commission acts as an added buffer between the Attorney General’s Office and the Administrative Rules Committee comprised of legislators.

“Gov. Armstrong mentioned all the boards and commissions and things that we have in our state, and how we need to look at which ones are pivotal for the functioning of our government and which ones are not,” Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, the primary sponsor of the bill, said in committee.

Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, asks a question during a hearing on Senate Bill 2224, which focuses on the abolition of the state Gaming Commission, at the North Dakota State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.

Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune

“This came to me from some concerned entities that felt like this particular commission in its duties — which they faithfully execute, obviously — is really a step that we can eliminate in the gaming industry.”

Charitable gambling generated roughly $220 million in revenue in North Dakota as of 2022, and $35 million in tax revenue for the state.

The current flow of gambling regulation in North Dakota starts with the state Attorney General’s Office, which crafts administrative rules regulating the gambling industry. Any proposed rule changes must be looked at by the Gaming Commission, which approves or denies and sends the rules back to the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office then sends the proposed rules to the Administrative Rules Committee where they are finalized and adopted.

North Dakota Director of Charitable Gaming Deb McDaniel said the removal of the Commission would not impact the amount of work the state Attorney General’s Office is responsible for.

“I’ve always worked with the Gaming Commission, and their role is to promulgate the administrative rules … by law,” McDaniel said. “I would just be able to promulgate them without them (the Commission.)”

McDaniel said that while the Commission itself does not hinder the work of her office, it can create situations that do. The Commission must have all five commissioners to meet and approve rules from the Attorney General’s Office. The last time they were able to do so was Jan. 1, 2023.

Since then, there has been at least one vacancy on the Commission — there are currently two — that Gov. Doug Burgum did not fill before leaving office and Gov. Kelly Armstrong has yet to fill.

Until the vacancies are filled, McDaniel is stuck in limbo, unable to make administrative rule changes to regulate the gambling industry.

The gambling industry expressed concern about the elimination of the Commission, saying it provides a beneficial check on the attorney general’s power to govern the industry.

“Our founders knew that it would be a bad idea to give too much power to one single body,” Scott Meske, a lobbyist for the North Dakota Gaming Alliance, said. “That’s kind of what Senate Bill 2224 does; giving 100% of the oversight and regulation to one office. We think the attorney general has done a fine job in overall regulating this industry as it’s grown and changed and morphed over the past few years. But taking away this level of checks and balances is — just sets a very precarious precedent.”

McDaniel said even without the Commission the rules would still need to be finalized by the Administrative Rules Committee, and statute guarantees opportunities for the public — and industry — to provide comment on proposed rule changes.

The bill is expected on the Senate floor Wednesday.

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North Dakota

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

Published

8 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

20 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.”