North Dakota
North Dakota lawmakers join bipartisan push for Epstein document release
WASHINGTON (Valley News Live) – The House and Senate passed legislation Tuesday requiring the Department of Justice to publicly release government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in federal custody in 2019.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed the House by a vote of 427-1 and the Senate agreed by unanimous consent that once the bill comes over from the House that it will be considered passed.
Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., said she voted for the files to be released to advance transparency efforts already underway.
“Jeffrey Epstein’s victims deserve justice, and the American people deserve answers,” Fedorchak said. “Back in September, I supported and the House passed a resolution that immediately directed the Oversight Committee to investigate, obtain, and publicly release key documents tied to Epstein’s crimes. Because of that action, the Committee has released more than 65,000 pages of records and issued multiple subpoenas of key individuals. I voted for H.R. 4405 to build on this work and the pursuit of long-awaited transparency, accountability, and justice for these victims. After multiple administrations and Congresses have kept this case in darkness, today is another big step forward into the light.”
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said through his office that he supports releasing the files.
“The Senator has said the files should be released, and that he would vote to do so. We should address the questions regarding the Epstein case in a responsible way that both protects victims and provides information to the American public in a straightforward and transparent way.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he supports transparency while protecting victims.
“I’ve always said transparency is always preferable, as long as we can protect victims from additional exploitation. Two things can be true: perpetrators and sex abusers should be brought to justice, and Democrats didn’t lift a finger until they were no longer in power. This is not about justice, it’s about politics. Whether it’s through Congress’ ongoing release of files to the public or through passing this resolution, the Department of Justice must find the balance between transparency and protecting the privacy of victims and witnesses.”
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn released the following statement.
“Julie Fedorchak has not magically found a backbone. For months, House Democrats and a handful of Republicans needed one more member of Congress to force this vote. How can she look herself in the mirror knowing that she alone could have moved this forward and she refused? She is a coward.”
Copyright 2025 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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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