BISMARCK — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has ordered flags be flown at half-staff Sunday, May 5, in honor of fallen firefighters.

Burgum proclaimed Saturday and Sunday as Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in the state. There are more than 300 volunteer and career fire departments in North Dakota “staffed by dedicated men and women selflessly serving their neighbors in times of need,” he said in a release.

Homeowners and businesses are encouraged to join government agencies in flying their flags at half-staff, the release said.

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.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Every year on the first Saturday in May, comic book fans around the country gather at their local comic book stores for Free Comic Day.

When Comic Realms opened at 11 a.m., fans of all kinds rushed through the doors to get their free comic books.

The event featured four businesses: Comic Realms, Chakra Realms, Cafe Realms and Rhythm Records.

Comic Realms has been open since 2017. For the last four years, Free Comic Day has been used by the business as a fundraiser.

”How we do it here is you get five books for free, just for coming, whatever titles you’d like. And then for every $1 donation or a nonperishable food item that’ll go to the local food bank, you can get an extra five books. And then we cap it at a $5 donation, and then you can get all 48 titles if you’d like,” said Lesley Frohlich, owner of Comic Realms.

Located next to Comic Realms, Cafe Realms sells comic book-inspired drinks.

In honor of the event, the theme was Transformers, but customers can enjoy themed drinks outside of Free Comic Book Day.

”We have a Marvel list and then a DC list. All of your Marvel drinks are going to be more like your energy-based, like Redbull, and the DC, we decided to steer away from that and do like a dirty soda,” said Britney Frohlich, manager at Cafe Realms.

Lesley appreciates the support of the community the business has attracted and wants to return the favor with the funds and donations received.

“We have a really good community of people that support us, so we like to give back whenever we can,” said Lesley.

Attendants also had the chance to win a door prize and a print designed by Dylan Kahl.

Comic Realms, Cafe Realms, Chakra Realms and Rhythm Records collaborate often. Lesley says they like to support small businesses, as they are a small business as well.

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FARGO — People gathered in a swirl of colors Saturday, May 4, for a celebration of Indigenous culture the 33rd annual Woodlands and High Plains Powwow.

Attendees converged on the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at North Dakota State University for the event, which featured two grand entries — one at 1 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. A feast was scheduled for 5 p.m.

The theme of the year’s powwow was “May the Four Directions Guide Me.”