Independent candidate Michael Coachman differed on several issues Thursday in a gubernatorial debate with Republican Kelly Armstrong and Democratic-NPL candidate Merrill Piepkorn.
Here’s how candidates responded to four major issues highlighted during the debate moderated by Prairie Public News Director Dave Thompson:
Measure 4
Armstrong and Piepkorn said they both oppose Measure 4, which would eliminate assessed value property taxes in the state, while Coachman said North Dakotans shouldn’t be paying property tax now because of Article 10 of the state constitution.
“You will start losing absolute local control in the smaller communities,” said Armstrong, North Dakota’s at-large member of Congress. He added state programs would need to be cut to raise funds to fill the budgetary hole left by eliminating property taxes.
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Armstrong, Piepkorn differ on gun laws during second gubernatorial debate
Piepkorn, a state senator, said he worries townships would be put into a difficult position if the measure passes because they don’t have taxing authority.
“They’ve got hundreds of miles of roads they are responsible for and it costs a lot to gravel, and maintain and pave those roads,” Piepkorn said. He added a statewide sales tax, more special fees and a decrease in services could be the result if voters pass the measure this fall.
Coachman said “people aren’t free” if they don’t actually own their property because it can be seized by a local subdivision for failure to pay property tax
“What no one wants to address is what happens when people can’t pay a property tax,” Coachman said. “They come and confiscate all those lands.”
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He said he would cut services that “don’t have a purpose” and audit state agencies to find and free up funds to eliminate property taxes.
Abortion
Armstrong said he believes the judge who overturned the state’s abortion law erred in his decision.
“I don’t think that’s the last say and I think the North Dakota Supreme Court will have an opportunity to weigh in,” Armstrong said. He added he’s proud of his anti-abortion record and wants the state’s abortion law to make sense for doctors to be able to use in an emergency room and not be worried about a courtroom.
Coachman said life begins at the moment of conception and he does not support exceptions for rape and incest.
“You can call it women’s health care, it’s murder,” Coachman said. “I’m going to do everything I can to protect life.”
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Piepkorn told Coachman he doesn’t believe abortion is murder and said the Legislature has no business in conversations between a woman and her doctor
“We shouldn’t be involved in any of that talk,” Piepkorn said. He added people shouldn’t want this type of government overreach.
Child care
Coachman said the state should not be involved in helping to provide child care for North Dakotans.
“You don’t want the state involved in everything,” Coachman said. “We have to stop the spending … because what you are saying is that we should almost be like a socialist country, or communist country, to take care of everyone. No. It’s a free enterprise.”
Armstrong, Piepkorn talk workforce, culture war issues during first debate
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He said child care is best handled at the local level with residents helping each other.
Armstrong said the child care workforce needs to be a focus because new facilities won’t be able to succeed without people to adequately staff them.
“You can’t just build your way out of it,” he said. Armstrong said streamlining grant writing processes for providers would make it easier for them to receive assistance.
Piepkorn said the state should incentivize businesses to start child care programs to help their workers, and even suggested they should start a child care program for workers at the Capitol.
“How about at schools for teachers?” Piepkorn said. “So they can have their children right there in that day care at school.”
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School choice
Piepkorn said the state should increase its funding commitments for public education before any extra funding is allocated for a school choice program.
“Taking money away, right now, from public education for vouchers, any money you take and send in that direction, is going to mean less money for the public education we have now,” Piepkorn said.
Coachman said he would support a school voucher program because parents should be given choices with their child’s education.
“Parents should have the opportunity to send the child to whatever program they want, public school, private school, home school; the power needs to be in the parent’s hand,” Coachman said.
Armstrong said he believes in school choice, but doesn’t think vouchers would be a good approach because private schools could raise their tuition to take advantage of the new state money.
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“It doesn’t need to be either-or,” Armstrong said. “We can fund our public school system and we can have the best public school system in the country, and we can still allow for significantly more parental autonomy in school choice.”
The final debate of North Dakota’s gubernatorial race will be held at 7 p.m. Monday hosted by BEK TV.
BISMARCK — Christmas Day marks the ninth anniversary of 31-year-old Michelle Duppong’s death. While her family and friends will feel her absence on this day, they also feel the love, kindness and faith she demonstrated during her short life, along with abundant hope that she not only shared while alive but continues to share in death, which is one of the reasons she is slated to become the first person from North Dakota to become a Catholic saint.
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In June 2022, Bismarck Bishop David D. Kagan announced the opening of a diocesan investigation into Duppong’s “holiness of life and love for God,” officially starting the long and arduous process of canonization to a saint. On Nov. 1, 2022, Kagan deemed Duppong a servant of god.
Duppong is on track to be the first North Dakotan and one of few around the world to be canonized, said Father Tom Grafsgaard, of Hazen, North Dakota. According to Catholic publications, only 11 people from the U.S. have become canonized saints.
“It’s never happened in the history of North Dakota in either (the Bismarck or Fargo) Diocese,” Grafsgaard said. “It’s quite exceedingly rare for this to be happening.”
In the process of canonization, the Catholic Church declares people “saints.” There are three paths to sainthood: to have died as a martyr for Catholicism; if one lived an expression of love and died a rather quick and unexpected death; or if they gave a heroic example of living all the Christian virtues.
The process of canonization is governed by a strict canonical or juridical procedure established by St. John Paul II in 1983.
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After Kagan began the process, Duppong’s cause entered the diocesan phase of investigation into her life. The Michelle Duppong Guild was created — a group tasked with promoting an awareness of her life. Officials are poring over Duppong’s writings, work, demonstrations of faith and the great number of lives she touched while alive, which are illustrated through interviews with those who knew her, Grafsgaard said.
Her case will be built up and eventually sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints in Rome for the Roman Phase of canonization. A Vatican panel will also investigate and determine if Duppong lived a heroically virtuous life. The Dicastery can then issue a “decree of heroic virtue” in which Duppong would be given the new title of “Venerable Servant of God.”
The third step, beatification, then begins. During this phase, it must be proven that one miracle has been granted by God through Duppong’s intercession. If the Pope declares a true miracle occurred, then Duppong would be declared “Blessed.” Last, a ceremony of canonization would take place where the church declares her a Saint in heaven with God.
“The process is very long,” Grafsgaard said. “I often say, ‘It takes as long as it takes.’ ”
Michelle Christine Duppong was born Jan. 25, 1984, the fourth of six children to parents Ken and Mary Ann Duppong. She grew up on the family farm in Haymarsh, North Dakota, where her parents said she loved to help with chores, including caring for sheep but especially gardening, mowing, pruning, weeding, harvesting and canning, according to her mother.
Duppong was named valedictorian and president of her senior class and later attended North Dakota State University, where she earned a degree in horticulture.
After earning her degree, she became a FOCUS missionary at four college campuses, including the inaugural year at the University of Mary, mentoring college students to draw them deeper into the faith. FOCUS is an apostolate dedicated to evangelizing college and university students.
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In 2012, she became the director of faith formation for the Bismarck Diocese, where she led parish missions, launched a podcast and spearheaded a three-day Eucharistic conference that drew thousands to the Bismarck Civic Center in 2013.
In the fall of 2014, Duppong was experiencing sharp abdominal pains that doctors initially thought were ovarian cysts, a common but painful issue for women that will sometimes dissolve and go away without major medical treatment. But by December, the pain was unrelenting, and an outpatient surgery was scheduled that month to remove the cysts.
According to Mary Ann Duppong, surgeons were “shocked to find” Michelle Duppong’s abdomen was “full of stage four cancer.”
Doctors expected the young woman to die within months, and hospice care was recommended.
“Michelle was not one to blame anyone for anything,” Mary Ann Duppong said. “Her attitude was, ‘If God wants me to go through this, I will go through this.’ “
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Despite the diagnosis, Michelle Duppong continued her life for nearly a full year.
According to the website that outlines the canonization process for Michelle Duppong and its status, she told one of the sisters providing hospice care that she believed she would pass on Christmas Day. Michelle Duppong died at 11:23 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2015.
Shortly after Bishop Kagan initiated the process for Michelle Duppong’s canonization, U.S. bishops affirmed their support for the cause’s advancement.
In this first stage, the primary focus is to raise awareness of Michelle Duppong and the push for her sainthood by spreading as much information about her and her life as possible, which is done through the creation of a guild and much of which can be found at
www.michelleduppongcause.org.
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In January, a FOCUS-produced documentary titled “Thirst for Souls: The Michelle Duppong Story,” was screened at a FOCUS convention in St. Louis. Afterward, Michelle Duppong’s parents were inundated for hours with comments about how much the movie and Michelle had influenced viewers.
While one cannot necessarily predict when or if Michelle Duppong will become a saint, Grafsgaard said a bishop must believe canonization is likely to begin the process.
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“For a bishop to initiate a cause, there should be a well-founded hope for its success,” he said. “There certainly was reputation in her life, and she continues to have it in her death.”
Grace M. Kegler, 94, of Grand Forks, ND passed away Monday, December 23, 2024, at Edgewood Vista in East Grand Forks, MN. Memorial Liturgy 1100 a.m. Saturday, December 28, 2024, with a 1030 a.m. Rosary Service in the Historic Norman Funeral Home Chapel. Family Greeting 1000 a.m. to 1100 a.m.
Coming out of a difficult non-conference span of games, this past week was likely a step down in competition for the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team.
Beginning on Wednesday night, the Crimson Tide did what most programs do not often do, traveling across the country mid-week for a true road game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Alabama would however win that contest in a closer game than most expected, 97-90, and then returned home Sunday for a showdown with the Kent State Golden Flashes in which they were victorious, 81-54.
Because of these results, Alabama now sits at 10-2 overall for the 2024-25 season with the Crimson Tide’s non-conference schedule winding down, and the start of SEC play looming in early-January.
However, just how much did these results affect Alabama’s AP Poll Top 25 ranking, if at all?
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After carrying a ranking of No. 6 last week, Alabama rose one spot up to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll released Monday afternoon. The Crimson Tide were also the third highest-ranked SEC team, trailing only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Auburn.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Crimson Tide will officially be back in action this upcoming Sunday, Dec. 29 at home against South Dakota State, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. ET on either SEC Network+ or ESPN+.