Midwest
North Dakota lawmaker pleads guilty to DUI charge, sentenced to unsupervised probation
- North Dakota lawmaker Republican state Rep. Nico Rios has been sentenced to nearly a year of unsupervised probation for drunken driving.
- Rios pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 and received a 10-day suspended jail sentence, mandatory evaluation and a victim impact panel.
- He faced growing calls from his party to resign, including from the House majority leader and state and local Republican Party officials.
A North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police with vulgar, homophobic and anti-migrant comments during an arrest last month for drunken driving was sentenced to serve nearly a year of unsupervised probation and to pay $1,000.
Republican state Rep. Nico Rios, of Williston, received the sentence on Jan. 8, when he pleaded guilty to drunken driving, court records show. His sentence includes a 10-day suspended jail sentence, a mandatory evaluation and a victim impact panel. A misdemeanor charge of refusing a chemical test was dismissed. He must also pay $50 for an open container violation.
Text and email messages were sent to Rios seeking comment Thursday. A phone message was also left with his attorney.
NORTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER SLURS TO POLICE AT DUI STOP
Rios’ sentence is consistent with others for similar offenses, said criminal defense attorney Mark Friese, a long-time practitioner in DUI cases. He noted that Rios’ driving privileges will be suspended automatically for 91 days.
Body camera video captured North Dakota Republican lawmaker Nico Rios using profanity and homophobic slurs toward Williston police officers and threatening to call the state’s attorney general during a DUI stop on Dec. 5, 2023, in Williston, N.D. Rios said he was leaving a Christmas party before the traffic stop. (Williston Police Dept. via AP)
“It does not appear that he was treated more harshly than other people in similar situations,” Friese said. “My guess is that the judge recognizes … there are multiple entities here that are going to hold Mr. Rios to account.”
Police body-camera footage from the Dec. 15 traffic stop, requested by and provided to the AP, shows Rios cursing an officer, repeatedly questioning his English accent, and using homophobic slurs and anti-migrant language. He also said he would call the North Dakota attorney general about the situation. He told the officers they would “regret picking on me because you don’t know who … I am.”
NORTH DAKOTA LAWMAKER HIT WITH MISDEMEANOR CHARGE IN SPECULATION CASE
He has faced growing calls from his party to resign, including the House majority leader and state and local Republican Party officials.
Last week, Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor removed him from the Legislature’s interim Judiciary Committee, saying it wouldn’t be fair for law enforcement officers to testify in front of a committee of which Rios is a member. The House-Senate panel meets between legislative sessions for studies of topics related to law enforcement and the legal system for future or potential legislation.
Rios has said he is “seriously mulling all aspects” of his future, and plans to seek help for alcoholism, but he has made no plans to resign. He also previously said he takes responsibility for his “disgusting actions,” and apologized “to those I have hurt and disappointed,” including law enforcement officers.
Rios has said he was leaving a Christmas party before police pulled him over.
Rios, who works in an oil field position involved in the hydraulic fracturing of wells, was elected unopposed in 2022 to a four-year term in the state House of Representatives. Republicans control the House, 82-12.
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Nebraska baseball (43-17), following a weather delay, concluded its showdown against No. 18 Ole Miss (38-21) and then faced No. 22 Arizona State (39-20) on Sunday. The Huskers fell in both, ending their season.
Nebraska’s battle with the Rebels started on Saturday night, but rain delayed the ninth inning to Sunday afternoon. Ole Miss built a 6-1 lead over the Huskers across the final four innings after Nebraska scored a run in the fourth. The Huskers picked up two runs in the eighth before the delay but came up short on Sunday.
Nebraska then had to quickly turn around and battle the Sun Devils less than two hours afterwards in the elimination game. Arizona State built a massive 11-1 lead over the Huskers heading into the seventh. Despite Nebraska closing the deficit to 11-8, it came up short in the end.
Nebraska totaled eight hits and one error against the Rebels, then picked up 11 hits and two errors against the Sun Devils. Ole Miss tallied nine hits, and Arizona State snatched 13.
The Huskers also earned three home runs across the two games. Max Buettenback and Jett Buck accounted for all three runs scored by Nebraska against Ole Miss. Buettenback struck a two-run home run while Buck launched a solo shot. Joshua Overbeek then delivered a solo home run against Arizona State, finishing the two games batting 4-for-7. Jeter Worthley also finished with four hits, going 4-for-10. Dylan Carey hit 3-of-7.
Ty Horn (3-3) took the loss against Ole Miss in his start at the mound following 5.2 innings pitched. He threw nine strikeouts against six hits, three runs and two walks. Gavin Blachowicz (4-4) fell in his start at the mound against Arizona State, throwing two strikeouts and surrendering six hits and five runs.
Nebraska finishes the season having hosted its first NCAA regional since 2008 and making its 20th regional appearance. The Huskers also reached 40 wins in a season for the 19th time in program history.
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FARGO — As North Dakota voters cast their ballots for the June primary election, choosing candidates won’t be the only decision they’ll face.
Voters will also decide whether future ballot measures must be composed of just a single subject.
The Legislature placed the matter on the ballot in 2025, when it passed
Senate Concurrent Resolution 4007.
Some lawmakers argue the measure, if passed, will work in favor of voters by making future amendments more digestible and less jumbled for voter comprehension.
Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, one of the lawmakers in favor of the measure, said it would prevent any “bait and switch” tactics to pass unpopular amendments against the wishes of unassuming voters. Hogue sponsored the legislative resolution that placed the measure on the ballot.
The Seante passed the resolution with outspoken support, only one lawmaker voted no. However, the resolution faced more resistance in the House, passing in a vote of 57-36.
If passed, the resolution would require the Secretary of State’s office to verify that future amendments meet the single-subject requirement.
One outspoken voice in opposition of the resolution is House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, who said he voted against the resolution fearing it would introduce a “layer of bureaucratic review” to the ruling process. Ista also added there is not clear criteria for determining what meets the requirement.
“I think in North Dakota, if we entrust the secretary of state and attorney general of being the sole arbiters of what is and is not a single subject, that’s really going to handcuff voter initiatives in the state,” Ista said.
Contrary to this, Hogue feels the resolution would not require any complex review to determine whether or not future amendments meet the single rule requirement.
“I don’t think it’s a legal judgment. I think if you’re trying to pass two different measures in one, that’s a common-sense judgment.” Hogue said.
Measure 1 is the first of four constitutional amendments on the North Dakota ballot for this upcoming election cycle, three of which won’t be voted on until this November.
Early voting in some counties begins Tuesday, June 2. Election Day is Tuesday, June 9.
How Measure 1 will appear on the ballot
“This constitutional measure would amend and reenact section 9 of article III and section 16 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota, relating to requiring each resolution adopted by the legislative assembly proposing a constitutional amendment and each initiative petition and measure proposing a constitutional amendment be comprised of a single subject. The proposed amendment is summarized as follows: constitutional amendments would be limited to one subject. The Secretary of State shall not approve an initiative petition for circulation if the Secretary determines that the proposed amendment comprises more than one subject. Additionally, the legislative assembly is required to limit proposed amendments to the constitution to one subject.
“The estimated fiscal impact of this measure is none.”
Text via the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office.
Brennan Collins is a reporting intern who started at The Forum in May 2026.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A bird rarely seen in North America was apparently spotted in Northeast Ohio of all places recently.
A lesser frigatebird was seen flying over Sippo Lake near Canton, according to several bird enthusiasts and photographers.
A photographer named Alex Eberts was kind enough to share his photos with ABC 6. You can see them at the top of this page.
Another photographer named Austin Rice posted this photo on Instagram and shared the details of what he saw on the night of May 23 in Stark County.
If you don’t know much about the lesser frigatebird, a site called eBird.com offers this description:
The smallest of the frigatebirds, but note that the female is larger than the male. Adults are easier to identify than younger birds. Adult males are almost entirely black with a red throat and white spurs emanating outwards from the body onto the wing. Adult females have a black belly and throat, a white breast and hind collar, with similar white spurs on their sides. Juvenile and immature plumages are variable and are best separated from other frigatebirds by size when comparison is possible. Mostly silent except while breeding in oceanic islands. Strongly pelagic during non-breeding season but wind-blown or fatigued birds can be found from continental coasts.
Eberts said in his own Facebook post that the May 23 sighting in Stark County was only the seventh reported sighting of the lesser frigatebird in the contiguous United States. The bird is more likely to be seen near the Indian Ocean, the Southeast Asian seas, Northern Australia to Western and Central Pacific Ocean, according to birdsoftheworld.org.
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