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After months of inaction, North Dakota tech agency hires private firm to help recover deleted AG emails

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After months of inaction, North Dakota tech agency hires private firm to help recover deleted AG emails


BISMARCK — Six months after the January deletion of former Lawyer Common Wayne Stenehjem’s electronic mail account, North Dakota data know-how officers assured state leaders there was no approach the erased messages may very well be recovered.

However an

investigation launched this week

by State Auditor Josh Gallion and follow-up reporting by Discussion board Information Service reveal the North Dakota Info Expertise Division (ITD) didn’t herald any outdoors agency to assist recoup Stenehjem’s emails regardless of

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stress from outdoors the company.

That modified Thursday, Sept. 29, when ITD Chief Expertise Officer Duane Schell mentioned the division has begun the method of hiring non-public consulting agency Planet Applied sciences to assist with electronic mail salvage efforts.

Schell mentioned miscommunication with the legal professional common’s workplace brought on ITD to delay in contracting with an outdoor firm, however critics suspect the state’s sluggish seek for the misplaced emails suggests a deliberate try to hide data.

ITD officers stay agency of their perception that the deleted information can’t be reclaimed, Schell mentioned.

Three days after Stenehjem’s dying in January, ITD officers

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deleted his state electronic mail account

on the route of Liz Brocker, a longtime assistant to the Republican legal professional common. Brocker additionally instructed ITD to remove former Deputy Lawyer Common Troy Seibel’s electronic mail account after he resigned in Might.

Brocker

stepped down from her submit in July

after new Lawyer Common Drew Wrigley found whereas fulfilling a data request that she had orchestrated the deletion of the accounts.

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Wrigley, who was appointed in February, denounced Brocker’s actions and mentioned he wished to exhaust all choices for retrieving the emails, which might shine mild on

a $1.7 million price overrun

racked up by the workplace underneath Stenehjem.

ITD officers repeatedly informed Wrigley over the summer time that the emails are “actually gone,” the legal professional common mentioned.

Wrigley informed Discussion board Information Service he requested ITD Deputy Chief Info Officer Greg Hoffman throughout a July telephone dialog to rent an outdoor know-how firm to assist with electronic mail restoration.

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Hoffman thought Wrigley wished him solely to look into the potential of hiring a personal agency and didn’t interpret Wrigley’s feedback as a request to signal a contract, Schell mentioned.

Wrigley mentioned he’s “at a loss on how I might’ve been clearer” concerning the request within the name with Hoffman.

North Dakota Lawyer Common Drew Wrigley speaks at a press convention in Fargo in September 2022.

David Samson/The Discussion board

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Schell mentioned he solicited a bid in early August from Planet Applied sciences to help in electronic mail restoration efforts. The consulting agency replied with a quote for $9,240, however Schell mentioned he didn’t undergo with the provide as a result of ITD didn’t assume it had obtained a request from Wrigley or the legislature to contract with an outdoor firm.

ITD might have employed Planet Applied sciences with out prodding from one other arm of state authorities, Schell confirmed.

Wrigley mentioned he didn’t hear again from ITD after the dialog with Hoffman and he assumed the company had employed Planet Applied sciences. The Republican legal professional common informed a panel of lawmakers this week it irked him to be taught that ITD had not gone by with the plan.

“I’ve been made conscious that… perhaps ITD took a distinct course from what was being represented to me,” Wrigley mentioned. “That troubles me, too. Don’t inform me that you simply’re going to go look into one thing… after which not.”

Schell mentioned after talking with the legal professional common’s workplace on Thursday it was a case of miscommunication between the 2 businesses.

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The report Gallion offered

to legislators on Tuesday primarily targeted on the price overrun incurred by Stenehjem’s workplace in 2020, however a number of of the Republican auditor’s findings point out that ITD didn’t take each alternative to recuperate the deleted emails.

When Gallion requested emails from Stenehjem and Seibel’s accounts, NDIT Chief Info Officer Shawn Riley mentioned, “I can attest that we now have exhausted all our efforts to retrieve the e-mail in these two mailboxes and have decided it’s not retrievable.”

Nonetheless, Gallion discovered that ITD had not opened a help case with electronic mail service supplier Microsoft to assist retrieve information from Stenehjem’s account.

Schell mentioned ITD is aware of the ins and outs of the state’s electronic mail system, and so they believed the emails wouldn’t be recoverable greater than 30 days after the account was deleted.

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E mail data revealed within the report reveal Schell requested a Microsoft help worker in late July for a proper doc explaining that the deleted accounts are not obtainable.

In a response to Schell, Microsoft worker Michael Anderson mentioned, “I need to be certain that we’re crystal clear on one level… Simply because an account is deleted doesn’t imply that the information is gone.”

Anderson defined that retention insurance policies or authorized holds utilized to the accounts might protect the e-mail information after they’re deleted. Even as soon as any current holds are lifted from an account, Microsoft’s system retains the related information for six months except the mailbox is “hard-deleted,” Anderson mentioned within the electronic mail.

Attorneys for horse-betting businesswoman

Susan Bala positioned a authorized maintain

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final 12 months on Stenehjem’s data, together with emails, whereas Bala was locked in a longstanding courtroom battle with the state. It’s unclear whether or not the authorized maintain affected the retention of Stenehjem’s deleted emails.

Democratic-NPL Chairman Patrick Hart mentioned he thinks there are state staff who don’t need the erased emails to be recovered, noting that the funds overrun mixed with the deletion of the accounts “smells of cover-up.”

“I don’t even need to say ‘when there’s smoke, there’s fireplace’ as a result of I feel we’re previous smoke,” Hart mentioned. “I feel the bonfire is beginning to flicker within the night time.”

Stenehjem’s state electronic mail account might comprise as a lot as 20 years of crucial data, and the suspicious deletion of the paper path speaks to a tradition of missing accountability on the Capitol, Hart mentioned.

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North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chairman Patrick Hart speaks on the occasion’s state conference in Minot on Saturday, March 26, 2022.

Kyle Martin / The Discussion board

Schell rejected any notion that ITD is a part of a scheme to cover data tied to the deleted electronic mail accounts.

“I can say with 100% confidence that there’s no cover-up taking place inside the North Dakota Info Expertise Division,” Schell mentioned. “We take an excessive quantity of care and satisfaction in caring for and being the custodian of the information on behalf of state authorities, and we completely would by no means do something to anyone’s information with out their expressed approved consent.”

After Gallion offered his report, lawmakers

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referred the findings for additional investigation

to Wrigley, who mentioned he’ll rent an outdoor legislation enforcement company to look into any doable wrongdoing. It’s not but clear whether or not investigators will dig into the deletion of the e-mail accounts.

Schell mentioned ITD plans to finalize an settlement to rent Planet Applied sciences both Thursday or Friday. He expects the corporate’s work gained’t take a lot time as soon as it begins.





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North Dakota

Irene M. Kramer

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Irene M. Kramer


Irene M. Kramer, 89, West Fargo, North Dakota passed away Saturday, March 16, 2024 at Sanford Fargo Hospice House, Fargo, North Dakota.

Irene Marie Kramer was born on April 17th, 1934, at Kensal the daughter of Ruby and Otto Fredrickson.

She was born and raised and graduated in Kensal. Irene married Kenneth Kramer on April 14th, 1953. And they made their home on a farm near Glenfield, North Dakota for 2 years. They moved South West of Kensal to take over the Fredrickson family farm where they raised eleven children, milked dairy cattle, and grew small grains.

Irene was a dedicated wife and mother. They moved to West Fargo in 2006.

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Irene is survived by 9 children, Rhonda Wolsky, Carrington ND, Shelly (Bernie) Wanzek, Courtney ND, James Kramer, Valley City ND, Renee (Larry) Shain, Marathon Florida, Linda Metz, Sydney MT, Denise Kramer, West Fargo ND, Janine (Allen) Smith, Jamestown ND, Jolleen (Curt) Brown, Sanborn ND, Lisa (Chris) Shain, West Fargo ND; Daughter-in-law, Bonnie Kramer, Valley City ND; 19 grandchildren; 37 great grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Hoggarth, Highland CA.

She is proceeded in death by her husband Kenneth Kramer; parents, Ruby and Otto Fredrickson; sons, Kenneth Jr. and Kurt Kramer; and grandson, Nathan Wanzek; sons-in-law, Jay Wolsky and Harry Metz.

Visitation will be 6:00 PM, Friday, March 22, 2024 with a rosary being said at 6:30 PM followed by a vigil service at 7:00 PM at St. John’s Catholic Church, Kensal, North Dakota. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 AM, Saturday, March 23, 2024 at St. John’s Catholic Church, Kensal, North Dakota with Fr. Sean Mulligan presiding. Interment will be in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Kensal, North Dakota.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. John’s Cemetery, Kensal, ND or Sanford Hospice House, Fargo, ND.

Eddy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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NDSU Track & Field Opens up Outdoor Season in Texas – the Spectrum

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NDSU Track & Field Opens up Outdoor Season in Texas – the Spectrum


This past weekend the Bison teams opened up their outdoor season in San Antonio, Texas at the UTSA Invitational for a two-day meet hosted by the University of Texas San Antonio.

On Friday, the women took multiple titles. In the javelin, the women finished first, second, and third. Freshman, Camille Deringer placed third (129’6”), Taylor Leingang in second (135’6”), and winning the event was Alex Seagris with a mark of 148’9”. Meredith Spiers opened up the outdoor season by placing fifth in the hammer throw and shot put. Both events she threw personal best, 182’9” in the hammer throw and 46’11 ¾”. For the men, Cam Landis continues his success this season by winning the shot put with a throw of 58’. Freshman Jack Packer also took third with a mark of 52’ 8 ¾”. Winning Javelin, Matt Kraft, who is a Returning NCAA Championships qualifier, opened his season by throwing a 219’2”. 

On Saturday, Kendra Kelley ran the 200m the fastest a Bison woman ever has, breaking as record from 2014. She ran a time of 23.19 which also won the event. Kelley went on to win the 100m dash with a time of 11.42 which is also a new personal record. The women also continue their success in the jumps. Arienne Birch won the high jump clearing 5’9” which now puts her in the NDSU Outdoor Top Ten All-Time list. Joy Nnantah also jumped 39’3 ¾” to win the triple jump title. Persisting, Julia Gherardi cleared 12’ 5 ½” to take first in the Pole Vault. In the long jump, Makenna Vollmer placed second with a jump of 18’5 ¼”. On the men’s side, Sophomore Jarod White tied the NDSU outdoor pole vault record. He cleared 17’2 ¾” to win the event and open up his outdoor season after previously breaking the NDSU indoor record this past indoor season. On the track, the men swept the first three places in the 400m. Isaac Huntington won with a time of 48.59, in second place was Cullen Curl (48.77), and finishing in third was Gabe Miles (48.82).

Next week, the teams will travel to Texas again to compete in the Texas Relays Meet hosted by the University of Texas down in Austin. The meet will start Wednesday, March 27th, and will go through Saturday, March 30th.

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Summit modifies North Dakota pipeline route to avoid potential landslides

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Summit modifies North Dakota pipeline route to avoid potential landslides


BISMARCK — Changes made by Summit Carbon Solutions to its pipeline route in North Dakota include avoiding areas where landslides are likely to occur.

It also has moved farther east of Bismarck and some Bismarck intervenors have withdrawn from the case.

North Dakota is one of the few states to have possible landslide areas mapped, according to State Geologist Ed Murphy.

Those maps are used when siting several different types of infrastructure, such as wind turbines, roads and pipelines.

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The state Geological Survey had identified 17 areas of soil instability on or near the hazardous liquid pipeline route originally submitted by Summit.

Murphy submitted a letter dated March 7 that says Summit has addressed those concerns, including rerouting the pipeline around some landslide areas.

“They’ve moved the pipeline, specifically to get away from some of those areas, and then they move the pipeline for other reasons,” Murphy said in an interview.

The letter was filed with the North Dakota Public Service Commission, which will decide whether to grant Summit a permit for its 335-mile route through North Dakota.

The pipeline would capture carbon emissions from ethanol plants in five states, including Tharaldson Ethanol near Casselton, to underground carbon storage sites in Mercer and Oliver counties.

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A map of North Dakota’s landslide areas shows that they are mostly in western North Dakota, but there are also unstable areas along rivers, including the Sheyenne River. A branch of the pipeline from Casselton will cross the Sheyenne River connecting to another branch from Green Plains Renewable Energy ethanol plant in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Those branches will connect to the main trunk of the pipeline that runs through south-central North Dakota.

A landslide contributed to an oil pipeline spill in North Dakota in 2016 and shifting soil caused a carbon pipeline rupture in Mississippi in 2020, a case that many carbon pipeline opponents point to as an example of their safety hazards.

The North Dakota pipeline spill in Billings County caused crude oil to contaminate Ash Coulee Creek, according to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The federal investigation was finally closed in February, with a PHMSA letter to the Belle Fourche Pipeline Co. that the agency was satisfied with the corrective measures that were taken. Dustin Hubbard of PHMSA confirmed for the North Dakota Monitor that a landslide caused the leak.

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In Satartia, Mississippi, a PHMSA report blamed heavy rain and a landslide for the rupture of a CO2 pipeline.

The PHMSA standard for injuries as a result of a pipeline leak is for a person to be hospitalized.

While there were no overnight hospitalizations, dozens of people were treated, according to a PHMSA report.

In a North Dakota Public Service Commission hearing on Summit’s permit application in 2023, Gerald Briggs, a first responder from Mississippi, reported finding three people unconscious with foam around their mouths after the carbon dioxide leak.

Pipeline advocates maintain that they are the safest way to transport liquids and gases.

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The Liquid Energy Pipeline Association, citing PHMSA data, says that 99.999% of crude oil and petroleum products delivered by pipeline reach their destination safely. In addition, it says CO2 pipelines have a lower incident rate than pipelines for both crude oil and refined energy products.

Summit calls its Midwest Carbon Express pipeline project the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project. It recently grew to more than 50 ethanol plants in five states. There is one ethanol plant in North Dakota, Tharaldson Ethanol at Casselton.

Contributed / Summit Carbon Solutions

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Summit made changes to its route as it tries again to obtain a pipeline route permit from the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

The PSC denied Summit’s permit application last year but is giving the Iowa-based company another chance to make its case.

A March 4 letter to the PSC from Bismarck attorney Lawrence Bender, who represents Summit, notified the commission of landowners that no longer have the Summit route through their property.”

The list includes the John H. Warford Jr. Revocable Trust in Burleigh County. John Warford, a former Bismarck mayor, had been outspoken about his opposition to the pipeline.

The same day that Bender submitted his letter to the PSC, Bismarck attorney Randy Bakke filed a letter with the PSC stating that the Bismarck intervenors, which included Warford, Chad Wachter and Chad Moldenhauer, were withdrawing from the Summit case.

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Warford did not want to comment on the withdrawal from the proceedings. Bakke could not be reached for comment.

Brian Jorde is an attorney with Domina Law of Nebraska that represents landowners along the pipeline route in multiple states. He said he still has North Dakota clients opposed to the Summit route and expects to hear from others.

“When you’re heating up and there’s a scheduling order for the hearings, we tend to hear from people,” he said.

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com

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This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.





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