BISMARCK — Nearly 100 students are preparing to face off in the 2026 North Dakota State Spelling Bee.

The competition takes place Monday, March 23, at the Bismarck Event Center.

The event is hosted by the North Dakota Association of County Superintendents (NDACS), official regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and is sponsored primarily by the North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation, an NDACS news release said.

Two students will represent Cass County in the state contest: Chaitanya Gopi, a sixth grader at Dakota Montessori School in Fargo, and Sunny Zhang, a seventh grader at Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo.

Students representing 51 of the state’s 53 counties will compete in the one-day event.

Competition begins with a written test of 50 spelling words and 20 vocabulary questions.

The top 25 spellers from that round, along with any additional students tied for 25th place, advance to the afternoon’s oral spelldown. The oral competition will continue until a state champion is crowned.

The state champion will receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in “Bee Week” and compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee from May 26-28.

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Ronald Dean Soderquist, Sr. was born in Galesburg, Illinois on November 27, 1943. He passed away peacefully at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND on March 13, 2026, at the age of 82.

He graduated from High School in Galesburg, Illinois in 1961 and joined the Air Force a year later. He completed his contract with the Air Force with an honorable discharge in Grand Forks, ND in 1966. This is where he met and married his wife Cyndie

He joined the Grand Forks Police Department in 1970, and retired January 1999 as a Lieutenant. While he was a police officer, he did everything from street patrol, to bomb tech, to investigations and SWAT.

Not too long after he joined Grand Forks PD, he enlisted in the Army National Guard as an Engineer and retired as a First Sergeant in November 2003.

After his retirements, he worked a variety of security and transportation jobs for the University of North Dakota, the city of Grand Forks and Altru Health.

During his long life in Grand Forks, he had a love for tinkering with cars and boats in his garage, days out on the lake fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren. He was a voracious reader and an avid storyteller, and loved music and movies. He was a man with a strong sense of duty and work ethic, and he was always willing to offer up creative nuggets of wisdom.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Everett Soderquist and Helen Soderquist (Huddleson), as well as his daughter Diana Carlson (Soderquist.)

He is survived by his wife Cyndie Lee Soderquist (Trimborn), whom he married November 5th, 1966, his brother Russell, his sons Ronald, Jr., Zackary, and daughter Sally, his grandchildren Amanda, Michelle, Tyler, Bryan, Micheal, Kaitlyn, Molly, and Andrew, and his great grandchildren: Odin, Maddie, Daylen, River, and Ryder.

His memorial service will be held at Norman Funeral Home in Grand Forks on Saturday March 21st, 2026, at 2 pm.

He was loved dearly by those he has departed from and is loved by those he now joins. He is dearly missed and will be for as long as he is remembered.

We love you, Dad.

Conference tournament season is in full swing, and the college hockey landscape is beginning to take shape ahead of the upcoming NCAA tournament. The final weeks of the regular season mixed up the deck, and last weekend’s conference results shuffled it again. Some teams took care of business, others stumbled, and a few saw their seeding hopes took a serious hit.

At the top, Michigan and North Dakota look poised to claim No. 1 seeds regardless of what happens this weekend. Denver and Minnesota Duluth are set for a heavyweight clash in the NCHC championship with seeding implications on the line. 

Meanwhile, Quinnipiac is reeling after a shocking ECAC quarterfinal loss at the hands of Clarkson, and Providence’s overtime loss to Merrimack raised some eyebrows. Here is a look at where things stand heading into championship weekend.

1. North Dakota

North Dakota fell last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, losing 5-1 to Minnesota Duluth. The Fighting Hawks have lost five straight semifinals and are 2-9-0 since the league was formed in 2013. UND will likely be a top seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.

2. Michigan 

Michigan advanced to the Big Ten championship after skating to a 5-2 victory over Penn State. The Wolverines will face off against Ohio State for the Big Ten crown on Saturday. Regardless of the outcome, the Wolverines should be a lock for a No. 1 seed in the tournament. 

3. Michigan State

Michigan State was stunned in a 3-2 overtime loss to Ohio State, missing out on a Big Ten championship appearance. The Spartans have been among the nation’s best all year; the only question that remains is whether or not they will drop to a No. 2 seed. Probably not.

4. Denver 

Denver continues its recent tear with a 2-1 overtime victory over Western Michigan to advance to the NCHC championship. The Pioneers will play Minnesota Duluth for the Frozen Faceoff crown, and with a win, they could earn an additional No. 1 seed for the NCHC. 

5. Western Michigan 

The defending NCHC champions lost 2-1 in overtime to Denver in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals. The Broncos currently sit at No. 4 in the NPI poll and could use some outside help to keep its hopes of being a top seed alive. 

6. Providence

Providence was upset in overtime, losing 3-2 to Merrimack in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The Friars certainly wanted to make a deep run in the conference tournament, but this loss doesn’t derail the whole season. 

7. Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth jumped on North Dakota, scoring two goals in the first period en route to a 5-1 victory and a berth in the NCHC championship. The Bulldogs will be looking for another signature victory in the Frozen Faceoff championship against Denver.

8. Cornell

Cornell was stunned in game one of the ECAC quarterfinals before it ripped off two wins to advance past Harvard. The Big Red will skate against Princeton on Friday, with a ticket to the ECAC championship on the line. The more wins and momentum that they build before the NCAA tournament, the better. 

9. Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac was shocked by Clarkson, losing game one 3-0 and game two 4-3. The Bobcats are in no danger of missing the NCAA tournament, but the last few weeks have not been their best. They have dropped out of the top 10 in the NPI poll behind both Cornell and Dartmouth. 

10. Dartmouth

Dartmouth advanced to the ECAC quarterfinals, beating Colgate 4-1 in back-to-back nights. The Big Green have a favorable matchup against Clarkson in the semifinals. If it can advance to the conference championship, and win, there’s no telling how deep this team could go. 

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