North Dakota

2 measles cases reported in Cass County

Published

10 months ago

May 11, 2025

FARGO — The North Dakota Health and Human Services Department said two measles cases have been reported in Cass County, the first to be recorded in eastern North Dakota.

Human services said both cases are unvaccinated individuals who contracted the disease through international travel. One of them is hospitalized.

The health and human services department said members of the public who were at two Essentia Health locations in West Fargo and Fargo may have been exposed. Exposure may have occurred at the Essentia Health Clinic, 3150 Sheyenne St., Ste. 240, West Fargo, between 2:30 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, or between 5:30 and 6 p.m., Friday, May 9, at the Essentia Health Walk-in Care, 52nd Avenue, 4110 51st Ave. S, Fargo.

The two new cases bring the total cases reported in the state to 11. The Cass County cases are not believed to be related to the nine cases recently reported near Williston, in Williams County.

The first case was reported Friday,

May 2, when the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said an unvaccinated child from Williams County contracted the virus, likely during an out-of-state visit. The number jumped to nine by Friday, May 9. Four of the individuals were contagious while inside three different Williston schools.

Individuals who have not received a dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine should quarantine, or stay home, and monitor for symptoms for 21 days.

Those who have been exposed but are vaccinated do not need to quarantine. However, the department of health and human services said they should still monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure.

Measles is a highly contagious, viral illness that can be fatal, particularly for young children and those with compromised immune systems. Measles spreads through the air and can remain in a room and on surfaces for up to two hours, sometimes even traveling between floors through ventilation systems.

Measles symptoms often include a fever, cough, runny nose or eye irritation followed by a body-wide rash. Measles spreads easily through the air and remains contagious for several days before and after symptoms appear.

There is no specific medical treatment for measles, though antibiotics may be used in cases with a developed secondary bacterial infection.

According to the state health department, most North Dakotans are vaccinated against measles, and the risk to the general public is low. People who were vaccinated as children and adults born before 1957 are considered protected due to previous infection.

“The MMR vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two doses,” Molly Howell, state immunization director, said in a statement. “People who are vaccinated and exposed to measles are not likely to develop the disease. MMR vaccination is critical to preventing the spread of measles in the community.”

The MMR vaccine is recommended starting at 12 to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 4 to 6 years of age. Children who have already received two post-12-month doses of MMR are considered fully vaccinated.

For information about measles, vaccination, or local clinic availability, contact the HHS Immunization Unit at 701-328-2378 or 711 (TTY), or visit hhs.nd.gov/measles.

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.

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North Dakota

North Dakota State QB Reveals Why He Stayed Amid FBS Move

Published

7 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota State QB Reveals Why He Stayed Amid FBS Move

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NDSU’s likely starting quarterback is ready for a new era in the FBS.

North Dakota State experienced its largest-ever loss of players to the transfer portal before the recent FBS move, and fortunately, the Bison didn’t lose the program’s next starting quarterback.

Senior quarterback Nathan Hayes told Bison 1660 AM that he wasn’t certain it the FBS move up would happen during his years in Fargo. That said, Hayes admitted “that’s not why I stayed” regarding the once-potential FBS move.

“I stayed because of the coaching staff here. I stayed because of my teammates and the relationships that I’ve built with them,” Hayes told Bison 1660 AM on Feb. 11. “So no matter who we play, we’re just gonna go out there and try to prove something and show all the work that we’ve done, all the time that we’ve put in together.”

A West Chicago, Illinois, native, Hayes has been part of the Bison program since 2023 and won a FCS national championship in 2024. He played in just 18 games over the past three years, but he is poised to take the starting job after Cole Payton‘s departure for the NFL Draft.

Nathan Hayes: ‘Might Be Eye-Opening’

In Hayes’ brief appearances, he completed 59% of his passes for 595 yards and seven touchdowns versus one interception. He also rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

“Yeah, I think the first few weeks might be eye-opening, surreal because thinking back to Colorado [in 2024], I mean, we get to the stadium, it’s a bigger stadium, all the bright lights,” Hayes said. “We’re playing a team that’s supposed to be better than us from a you know, FBS standpoint. So I think the first few weeks might be a little bit of an adjustment period, but I don’t think that should affect our play.”

And then once we settle in, it’s just gonna be, you know, onto the next the same preparation weekend and week out as far as film, practice, weight room. So yeah, I think by … a few weeks in, we’re just gonna be, you know, the Bison,” Hayes added.

Nathan Hayes Reveals Players’ Vibe Amid FBS Announcement

Hayes talked about the Feb. 8 team meeting when the players knew the FBS move was official after years of speculation over NDSU’s FBS plans.

“Oh yeah, especially the seniors, just because in previous years you have all the, you know, … the periods where you’re gonna be an FCS for another year, but you can’t compete for a playoff,” Hayes said. “So going into this offseason, kind of hearing the rumors like is that something we seniors kind of selfishly is that what we really want? Because we’re just gonna have 12 FCS games and not be able to play for a championship, and then we’re gonna move to the Mountain West next year.”

“And then we hear officially that Okay, we’re going this year. We get to play this year, and so I think the seniors were really excited,” Hayes continued. Everybody was really excited to, oh, dang, … it’s on now. So standing ovation in the team room for Matt Larsen and coach [Tim] Polasek was really cool. Just the energy in there even after everybody’s talking. Everybody’s in the group chats excited about, you know, who we’re gonna play.”

Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis

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North Dakota

ND National Guard’s 142nd Engineer Battalion returns from southern border

Published

19 hours ago

February 23, 2026

Press Room

ND National Guard’s 142nd Engineer Battalion returns from southern border

North Dakota National Guard’s 142nd Engineer Battalion welcomed home on Feb. 21, 2026.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (KFGO) – Fifty members of the North Dakota National Guard’s 142nd Engineer Battalion are back home following a year-long deployment to the nation’s southern border in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The unit returns to North Dakota after providing assistance to CBP operations aimed at stemming illegal immigration, drug smuggling and human trafficking.

“I cannot tell you the exact number as far as the number of drugs, the number of sex trafficking operations, or the exact number of illegal crossings that we prevented and stopped. But the number is significant,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Kaufman.

The unit’s deployment followed the deployments of the 957th Engineer Company, the 1-112th Aviation Regiment and the 817th Engineer Company to the southern border.

“The members of the 142nd Engineer Battalion have served with professionalism and dedication, helping combat illegal immigration, drug smuggling and human trafficking at our southern border,” said Sen. John Hoeven. “We are grateful for their service and proud to welcome them safely home to North Dakota. Border security is national security, and it’s vital that we do everything we can to protect our country.”

At a welcome home ceremony on Saturday, North Dakota National Guard Adjutant General, Brigadier General Mitchell R. Johnson, Command Sergeant Major Kendall Struxness, and Lt. Col. Ryan Kaufman, Commander of the 142nd Engineer Battalion in Valley City, addressed the audience and shared experience of their deployment.

Lt. Col. Kaufman says no soldiers had to use their assigned weapon on this deployment and everyone made it home safely. One soldier was attacked by an illegal immigrant.

“Thankfully that soldier was a high school wrestler and came out on the better end of that deal,” Kaufman told the audience. “And that was handled about as good as you could possibly hope for.”

He also says the Chaplain is okay after being hit by a car while on deployment.

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