North Dakota
Griggs County Sheriff and Chief Deputy are first female duo in North Dakota
COOPERSTOWN, N.D. — They are one of the smallest sheriff’s departments in North Dakota, but the Griggs County Sheriff’s Office has made state history.
Sheriff Amberly Michaelis and Chief Deputy Danielle Bjorlie are the first female sheriff and chief deputy duo in North Dakota.
Griggs County might look like any other small-town department, but Michaelis and Bjorlie are breaking new ground in law enforcement.
“I never would have guessed it,” Michaelis said.
“Honorable to think we did that here in Griggs County,” she added.
This marks the second time Michaelis has served as sheriff in Griggs County. Her law enforcement career began 15 years ago in Florida.
“At the end of the day, the way we can help people and try to better our community is really what it’s all about,” Michaelis said.
Bjorlie, who has been in law enforcement since 2007, echoed the sentiment. She comes from a family of first responders.
“When I was little, I talked about this the other day, I climbed in the back of my dad’s car when he was responding to a grass fire because I wanted to see what was going on … one of the other firemen ratted me out because he saw me peeking my head over,” Bjorlie said.
Neither woman focuses much on being a female officer.
“You just go out and do your job every day. I don’t really get much flak from other people as being a female,” Michaelis said.
“No one really treats us differently, there’s maybe been a handful of times when it has happened,” Bjorlie said.
In addition to keeping the community safe, the two women are focused on building strong connections with local children, hoping to inspire future leaders.
“Try to be that role model for them like I had for me, just trying to do the best I can so that other kids might be interested,” said Bjorlie.
“I hope that females can look at us as role models and it can open their eyes that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” Michaelis said.
The Hettinger County Sheriff’s Office recently became the second in state history to have both a female sheriff and chief deputy. Sheriff Sarah Warner is the longest-serving female sheriff in North Dakota with 15 years of service.
Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.
WEST FARGO — Three incumbents from West Fargo will run for reelection to their state legislative seats.
North Dakota Sen. Judy Lee and Reps. Jim Jonas and Austen Schauer, all Republicans, announced Sunday, Dec. 14, that they would campaign to represent District 13 in the state Legislature. The district covers much of north West Fargo.
Special to The Forum
Lee was first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1994. Jonas and Schauer have served in the state House since 2023 and 2019, respectively.
The three ran unopposed in the 2022 election. The next election for their seats is in 2026.
Forum file photo
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WATFORD CITY, N.D. (KUMV) – The North Dakota Department of Transportation awarded more than 150 million dollars in bids to continue expanding highway 85 south of Watford City.
More than $83.8 million will go to Park Construction out of Minneapolis for one segment. It covers about five and a half miles south of the Long X Bridge, going through another section of the badlands. It’s expected to be a three-year project due to the rough terrain.
The next segment covers 12 and a half miles south from the badlands to the highway 200 intersection. The winning bid went to Strata out of Grand Forks for $61.7 million. It will be a two-year project.
Funding for these projects were provided by both the state and federal government.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Isaiah Griffin had 18 points in Western Illinois’ 69-66 overtime win against North Dakota on…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Isaiah Griffin had 18 points in Western Illinois’ 69-66 overtime win against North Dakota on Saturday.
Griffin had three steals for the Leathernecks (4-7). Karyiek Dixon scored 17 points while shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line and added 18 rebounds. Lucas Lorenzen shot 3 for 13 (1 for 9 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points.
Eli King led the way for the Fightin’ Hawks (4-9) with 13 points, two steals and four blocks. Greyson Uelmen added 13 points for North Dakota. Garrett Anderson had 11 points and six rebounds.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
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