HORACE, N.D. — A 64-year-old woman was found dead after a residential fire south of Horace on Tuesday evening, Dec. 9, according to a release from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the homeowner returned shortly before 7 p.m. and found the house filled with smoke. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Southern Valley Fire & Rescue, the West Fargo Fire Department, the North Dakota Highway Patrol and Sanford Ambulance responded.

Fire crews contained the blaze, and most of the damage appeared to be inside the structure, the release said. The woman’s name has not been released.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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FARGO — A newcomer to North Dakota elections has launched a legislative campaign alongside two Fargo-area lawmakers.

Shawn Kessel, business development director for Fargo construction company Roers, will seek his first term representing District 27 in the North Dakota House, according to a news release. He joins the Republican ticket with Sen. Kristin Roers and Rep. Greg Stemen, both of Fargo.

“District 27 deserves a representative who can get to work on day one,” Kessel said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career solving complex problems for North Dakota communities, and I’ll bring that same commonsense leadership to the Legislature.”

The Dickinson native will run for a seat held by

Rep. TJ Brown.

District 27 Republicans selected Brown in March to replace

Rep. Josh Christy,

a 43-year-old lawmaker who died unexpectedly on Feb. 18 in Bismarck during the 2025 legislative session.

It’s unclear why Brown decided not to seek election to the post. The Forum has reached out to him for comment.

Kessel started working for

Roers in February.

He was a deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the North Dakota Commerce Department from 2018 until January of this year. Kessel wrote on his LinkedIn page that his time with the Commerce Department came to a “surprising” end as Gov. Kelly Armstrong took office.

Kessel also served as a city administrator for Wahpeton from 2000 to 2009, then filled a similar position for Dickinson until his transition to the state Commerce Department. He was a finalist for

West Fargo city administrator in 2023.

Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune

Sen. Roers, who is also the majority caucus leader in the Senate, has represented District 27 since 2019. She is a nursing and clinical systems consultant for Sanford Health.

Stemen has held his seat since 2021.

District 27 covers parts of southwest Fargo and east Cass County south of Fargo down to County Road 46, extending from the Red River to west of Horace.