North Dakota
In third virtual town hall, Fedorchak lauds 'big beautiful bill'
BISMARCK — North Dakota’s sole member of Congress, Republican Rep. Julie Fedorchak, hosted her third virtual town hall on Tuesday, June 10, where she fielded questions and concerns from residents about the “big beautiful bill” that recently passed in the House.
“There’s a lot of misinformation that’s been spread about this legislation, and what is and isn’t included in it, and what the overall goal is,” Fedorchak said while opening the town hall just after 7 p.m. “I want to set the record straight on a couple of those things.”
The federal legislation, which is on its way to the Senate after passing in the House by a single vote May 22, outlined more than $1 trillion in spending cuts that have sparked uproar across the country.
Of the cuts to federal agencies and their programs, North Dakotans shared concerns Tuesday related to regional Veterans Affairs hospitals, JobCorps and state Medicaid programs.
A Minot resident named Thomas asked if the philosophy of government is to “shut something down” instead of “fix it” with regard to
the closing of the JobsCorps campus in Minot.
The program provides free career training and education for late teens and young adults.
Fedorchak said she supports the program’s mission and shares concerns about its status in Minot.
After meeting with Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to discuss the changes, however, Fedorchak said she wasn’t able to obtain further details due to the pending legal cases related to the program — lawsuits filed against the Department of Labor after the cuts were announced.
As for the VA cuts, Michelle of Fargo said she was “disheartened” by
the decision to eliminate federal funding to related care facilities.
Veterans will still receive health care, the changes merely cut out the bureaucracy created by the Biden administration, Fedorchak assured her.
Dan in Bismarck said he’s worried about
cutting back on Medicaid
and that there’s “not enough savings” in doing so “to justify the amount of cuts they’re (Congress) proposing.”
The changes include a laundry list of exceptions and are meant to save the program for people who “need it the most,” Fedorchak responded, not able-bodied people and those without permanent legal status who are currently receiving the benefits, she said.
She also emphasized her support for new work, volunteer and education requirements within the program.
When it comes to increased spending, one resident was curious about how North Dakota’s international border would be impacted by more funding for the military and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Sky from Fargo expressed concern about the state’s dependency on workers who lack permanent legal status, namely for agriculture industries.
“A lot of our farmers, we’re an ag state, depend on a lot of these illegal immigrants. What’s going to be done so they can continue staffing so our economy doesn’t take a hit?” she asked.
Fedorchak said she hopes farmers are hiring legal workers, and that she is a proponent of making the visa process more efficient.
Alternative energy sources and how they relate to regional grid stability also came up intermittently.
Gordon, a wind turbine technician based in McKenzie, pointed to Trump’s distaste for wind energy and asked if Fedorchak felt the same. It was not clear if Gordon was from McKenzie County, or the unincorporated community in Burleigh County. Another caller from Fargo, Paul, was curious about moving to geothermal energy to strengthen the grid, pointing to the state’s “treasure trove” of it as a resource.
While Fedorchak said she supports eliminating existing tax credits for wind and solar energy, she also supports making the permitting process of all energy resources, including that of wind and geothermal resources, faster.
“Each resource has pros and cons and having a mix of them and a blend of them is best,” she said.
There were fewer viewers on Facebook during Tuesday’s town hall compared to the previous live streams, with the listener count not exceeding 50. The comment section was turned off by Fedorchak’s Facebook page.
Fedorchak is the only member of the state’s federal delegation who has hosted town halls since President Donald Trump was elected. Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven have not announced any plans to host public forums in the near future.
North Dakota
No additional time for Grand Forks man’s federal methamphetamine charge
GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man will serve no additional time for a federal methamphetamine charge.
Jeremie Richard Castoreno, 43, was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 29, to 12 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance.
He was involved in a drug conspiracy where he possessed more than 1,000 grams of a mixture that contained methamphetamine, according to the information filed in the case.
Castoreno’s sentence will run concurrently with the
12 years he is already serving
for a Grand Forks County case in which he pleaded guilty to Class A felony delivery of a controlled substance inside a correctional facility.
The federal sentence then adds no additional time to his prison term.
Conditions of his federal sentence include that Castoreno be placed at the lowest-level security facility as close to Grand Forks as possible, so he can be near family, and that he serve his time at a facility that allows participation in substance abuse treatment, including the 500-hour Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program.
He should also be allowed to participate in educational and vocational opportunities, as well as any mental health treatment that’s deemed appropriate by the Bureau of Prisons.
After serving his time, Castoreno will be on supervised release for five years. Special conditions of his release include abstaining from the use of alcohol or illegal drugs, submitting to drug/alcohol screening and searches and participating in any relevant treatment.
North Dakota
Bankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota published Jan. 31, 2026
Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
North Dakota
AnnMarie Klorgba Blamoh, also known as Annmarie Blamoh Bereuter, Fargo, Chapter 7
Justin Bradley Olivieri and Amy Lynn Olivieri, formerly known as Amy Lynn Holmberg, West Fargo, Chapter 13
Jamie L. Taylor, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Jennifer Ernst, Horace, Chapter 13
Joseph Edwin Earl Denault and Kjersten Autumn Timm, Fargo,, Chapter 7
Shawn R. Parsley, Fargo, Chapter 13
Stephen Curtis Kelly, Fargo, Chapter 7
Kevin Jon Noyes and Nicole Ann Noyes, formerly known as Nicole Lawson, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Lacey Jae Christianson, Cavalier, Chapter 7
Arlene Carrie Arrayan, Minot, Chapter 7
Arlene Carrie Arrayan, Minot, Chapter 7
Troy Aaron Gerlach, Jamestown, Chaper 7
Vincent Michael Castleman, Horace, Chapter 7
William Benjamin Moon, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
James Robert Wilson and Sara Jean Wilson, formerly known as Sara Blaufuss, Wahpeton, Chapter 7
Michael Samuelson, Fargo, Chapter 7
Benjamin J. and Samantha W. Buck, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Minnesota
Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.
Katelyn Patricia Kohls, Osakis, Chapter 7
Luke Daniel Walvatne, Fergus Falls, Chapter 7
Tyler David Benjamin, East Grand Forks, Minn., Chapter 7
Brittni Nicole Hatlestad, Sabin, Chapter 7
Krista Agnes Ross, Henning, Chapter 7
Damien Saul Abdo, Waubun, Chapter 7
Stormi Le’ Amber LaCombe, Park Rapids, Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.
Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.
Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.
Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
Former ‘Rosie’ from Dawson, ND, continues advocating for recognition of World War II women
JAMESTOWN — A woman born and raised in Dawson, North Dakota, continues to advocate for the recognition of the women — often known as “Rosie the Riveter” — who worked in the defense industries during World War II.
Mae Krier, who will be 100 years old on March 21, was born as Anna Mae Burkett when she grew up in Dawson. She now makes her home in Pennsylvania and has lived an active life of work and advocacy for women and veterans.
“I’ve worked for over 50 years for recognition of the women and what they did,” she said. “The women were the ones who made the airplanes and the landing craft.”
She earned her title as a “Rosie” at the Boeing factory in Washington during World War II.
“I was just a teenager when Pearl Harbor got bombed,” she said. “My sister and I had been in Steele (North Dakota) for the matinee and came home to find our parents listening to the radio coverage of the Japanese attack.”
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. The U.S. declared war on Japan the next day and entered World War II.
When school ended in the spring of 1943, Krier, her sister and a friend went to Seattle for the summer and stayed for the duration of the war.
“We were happy with the work,” Krier said. “They trained us well. Trained us in drilling, placing the rivets and bucking the rivet.”
Bucking a rivet requires two people. The gunner operates an air hammer on one end of the rivet while the bucker holds a small anvil against the other end. The result is a rivet with a head on both ends that holds metal pieces firmly together.
Krier worked bucking rivets on the B-17 and later the B-29 as part of the war effort. On May 12, 1944, Krier and the rest of the crew signed their names to the 5,000 B-17 Flying Fortress built at the Boeing factory after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Krier took pride in the work that she and the other Rosies did, producing the tools of war. She also feels the women were ultimately shortchanged when it came to recognition by society.
“The men came home to parades,” she said. “We got a pink slip.”
It is this injustice that she has worked for decades to correct.
Through the efforts of Krier and other advocates, March 21 has been observed annually as Rosie the Riveter Remembrance Day since 2019.
In 2020, the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act passed Congress and was signed into law. The medal, which Krier helped design, was presented to her on April 10, 2024.
The medal honors the millions of women who worked in defense factories during World War II. The original medal is housed at the National Museum of American History.
Bronze replicas of the medal are available through the United States Mint.
Families of Rosies can register with the American Rosie the Riveter Association for inclusion in the records maintained by the organization. Krier hopes more North Dakota women will be recognized.
“I want North Dakota women to realize they were important,” she said, referring to the efforts on the home front of WWII. “Everything was important … When the men left, the women stepped in.”
Recently, a children’s book about Krier’s life was published. The book — “We Can Do It!” by Dave Winters and friends — targets readers between ages 8-18.
Proceeds from the book benefit The Black Dagger Military Hunt Club in assisting recovering veterans and the WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation in its effort to build a permanent memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C.
The WWII Women’s Memorial Foundation hopes to raise $17 million in private funds for the construction of the memorial. The memorial would honor the estimated 18 million women working in all fields during WWII.
Krier said she is living an interesting life and wants to promote the lives of women of all ages.
“I hope to promote women and young girls,” she said. “They don’t know their own strengths.”
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