North Dakota
Arkansas professor makes case for school choice in North Dakota
FARGO — A professor of education policy says North Dakota is “ready to pop” when it comes to adopting a private “school choice” program.
Patrick Wolf, with the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, spoke about “School Choice in North Dakota” at North Dakota State University on Friday, Nov. 1.
He was a guest of the Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth as part of a fall speakers series.
Wolf said 34 states have implemented some form of private school choice, including Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota.
“There’s one state there, North Dakota, that is a bit of a donut hole,” Wolf told the audience, as he referred to a map on a projected screen.
But he predicts the state won’t be an “outlier” for long.
Anna Paige / The Forum
The North Dakota House put forward a bill in 2023 to offset costs of private school tuition,
but Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed it and an attempt to overturn the veto failed.
House Bill 1532 would have set aside $10 million from the state’s general fund for an educational reimbursement program.
Wolf said Burgum’s inability to get a school choice program passed during his eight years as governor of a red state hurt the governor’s efforts to become presidential nominee Donald Trump’s choice as vice president.
“That was a strike against him,” Wolf said of the governor.
In Burgum’s veto message at the time, he said while his administration supports school choice, the bill was not the comprehensive solution needed and it fell short especially for rural areas far from any existing nonpublic schools.
In opposing the bill at the time,
Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United,
said it was about using taxpayer dollars to allow private schools to choose the students they want to educate.
He also said rural schools would end up “subsidizing private education for urban families.”
Kirsten Baesler, who is running for a fourth term as superintendent of public instruction, has said North Dakota should not fund school choice programs at the expense of public schools.
“This cannot be an either-or conversation,”
Baesler said in an interview last month with the North Dakota Monitor.
School choice programs come in four forms, Wolf said: school vouchers, tax credit scholarships, individual tax credits and education savings accounts, or ESAs.
South Dakota and Montana both have tax credit scholarships, with the latter also offering ESAs, while Minnesota has an individual tax credit to benefit parents who self-fund their child’s private schooling, according to Wolf.
Tax credit scholarships were developed, he said, because some states have constitutional prohibitions against the government directly supporting religious organizations.
An ESA system, similar to a health savings account, would fit best in North Dakota, he said, because of its flexibility.
“They can accommodate rural areas that wouldn’t have a critical mass of students to go to a traditional private school, but also accommodate the existing private schools,” he added.
Wolf made a case for school choice by saying while the government has a responsibility to support every child’s education, it doesn’t have to control the delivery of education as a result.
He compared North Dakota to West Virginia, also a rural state with a handful of medium size cities, where an ESA program was adopted three years ago.
Based on the states’ similarities, he said it’s estimated North Dakota would have approximately 1,100 participants in an ESA program the first year, about 2,700 the second year and a little less than 5,000 the third year.
There would be net costs to the state the first two years, but by year three, Wolf said the state would get back $1.11 in savings for every dollar spent.
He also maintains his research and that of colleagues shows private school choice programs can boost high school graduation rates, thus leading to lifetime income and health benefits for those individuals and communities as a whole.
He also said studies indicate test scores of public school students go up when those public schools are pressured by the launch of a school choice program.
Two private school leaders attended Wolf’s presentation.
“He’s got a lot of evidence to put to bed some of the fears and misconceptions, stereotypes, of why we can’t possibly do school choice,” said Mike Hagstrom, president of JPII Catholic Schools.
Bob Otterson, president of Oak Grove Lutheran School, echoed that statement.
“What I think we heard today from Dr. Wolf is there’s actual research. It’s not just a feeling about what people have,” he said.
Greg Power, fisheries division chief with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, shares information about the new 2026-2028 Fishing Guide and a few new regulations starting April 1, 2026.
‘.concat(s||””,’‘).concat(a,”
“)+”
“),f=e.get(“width”),d=e.get(“height”),p=(0,r.n)(l);return(0,u.iF)(p,{width:f.toString().indexOf(“%”)>0?f:””.concat(f,”px”),height:d.toString().indexOf(“%”)>0?d:””.concat(d,”px”)}),p}},6622(e,t,n){“use strict”;n.d(t,{A:()=>f});var r=n(494),u=n(9407),i=n(6147),o=n(5291),a=n(7316),s=[],c=-1,l=function(){(0,i.u)(c),c=(0,i.x)(function(){s.forEach(function(e){e.view.updateBounds();var t=e.view.model.get(“containerWidth”);e.resized=e.width!==t,e.width=t}),s.forEach(function(e){e.contractElement.scrollLeft=2*e.width}),s.forEach(function(e){(0,a.iF)(e.expandChild,{width:e.width+1}),e.resized&&e.view.model.get(“visibility”)&&e.view.updateStyles()}),s.forEach(function(e){e.expandElement.scrollLeft=e.width+1}),s.forEach(function(e){e.resized&&e.view.checkResized()})})},f=function(){function e(t,n,u){(0,r._)(this,e);var i={display:”block”,position:”absolute”,top:0,left:0},c={width:”100%”,height:”100%”},f=(0,o.n)(”),d=f.firstChild,p=d.firstChild,h=d.nextSibling;(0,a.iF)([d,h],Object.assign({overflow:”auto”},i,c)),(0,a.iF)(f,Object.assign({},i,c)),this.expandElement=d,this.expandChild=p,this.contractElement=h,this.hiddenElement=f,this.element=t,this.view=n,this.model=u,this.width=0,this.resized=!1,t.firstChild?t.insertBefore(f,t.firstChild):t.appendChild(f),t.addEventListener(“scroll”,l,!0),s.push(this),l()}return(0,u._)(e,[{key:”destroy”,value:function(){if(this.view){var e=s.indexOf(this);-1!==e&&s.splice(e,1),this.element.removeEventListener(“scroll”,l,!0),this.element.removeChild(this.hiddenElement),this.view=this.model=null}}}]),e}()},8089(e,t,n){“use strict”;n.d(t,{A:()=>m});var r,u=n(2329),i=[],o=[],a=[],s={},c=!1,l=!1,f=function(e,t){for(var n=t.length;n–;){var r=t[n];if(e.target===r.getContainer()){r.setIntersection(e);break}}},d=function(){var e=window.IntersectionObserver;r||(r=new e(function(e){if(null==e?void 0:e.length)for(var t=e.length;t–;){var n=e[t];f(n,i),f(n,o)}},{threshold:[0,.1,.2,.3,.4,.5,.6,.7,.8,.9,1]}))},p=function(){i.forEach(function(e){e.model.set(“activeTab”,(0,u.A)())})},h=function(e,t){var n=t.indexOf(e);-1!==n&&t.splice(n,1)},v=function(e){a.forEach(function(t){t(e)})},D=function(){l||(l=!0,document.addEventListener(“visibilitychange”,p),document.addEventListener(“webkitvisibilitychange”,p))},g=function(){l&&!(i.length>0)&&(l=!1,document.removeEventListener(“visibilitychange”,p),document.removeEventListener(“webkitvisibilitychange”,p))};let m={add:function(e){i.push(e),D()},remove:function(e){h(e,i),g(),window.removeEventListener(“scroll”,v)},addScrollHandler:function(e){c||(c=!0,window.addEventListener(“scroll”,v)),a.push(e)},removeScrollHandler:function(e){h(e,a)},addWidget:function(e){o.push(e)},removeWidget:function(e){h(e,o)},size:function(){return i.length},observe:function(e){d(),s[e.id]||(s[e.id]=!0,r.observe(e))},unobserve:function(e){r&&s[e.id]&&(delete s[e.id],r.unobserve(e))}}},7230(e,t,n){“use strict”;n.d(t,{fY:()=>c,uT:()=>s});var r=”__JWP____ePBPK____”,u={};window[r]?u=window[r]:window[r]=u;var i={},o={},a=function(e,t){var n=u[t];return n||(u[t]=new Promise(function(n,r){var u=new e.key(t);if(“unlimited”===u.edition())return r();var i=[“//”,”entitlements.jwplayer.com”,”https://www.grandforksherald.com/”,u.token(),”.json”];”file:”===window.location.protocol&&i.unshift(“https:”),e.ajax(i.join(“”),function(e){var t=null==e?void 0:e.response;t?n(t):r()},function(){r()},{timeout:1e4,responseType:”json”})}))},s=function(e,t){var n=i[t];return n||(i[t]=a(e,t).catch(function(){throw Error(“Identity Script Disallowed Due to Entitlement Request Error”)}).then(function(e){if(!0!==e.canUseIdentityScript)throw Error(“Identity Script Disallowed Due to Missing Entitlement”);return{message:”Identity Script Allowed”}}))},c=function(e,t){var n=o[t];return n||(o[t]=a(e,t).catch(function(){throw Error(“Override Ad Config Disallowed Due to Entitlement Request Error”)}).then(function(e){if(!0!==e.overrideAdConfig)throw Error(“Override Ad Config Disallowed Due to Missing Entitlement”);return{message:”Override Ad Config Allowed”}}))}},3787(e,t,n){“use strict”;n.d(t,{default:()=>eA}),n(9322);var r,u,i,o,a,s,c,l,f,d,p=n(1893),h=n(5456),v=n(478),D=n(1642);r=function(e){var t=e;try{for(;t.document!==t.parent.document;)t=t.parent}catch(e){}return t},u=function(e){return atob(e)},i=function(e){var t=e.message,n=e.payload,i=new XMLHttpRequest;i.open(“POST”,u(“aHR0cHM6Ly9wbC5jb25uYXRpeC5jb20=”),!0),i.setRequestHeader(“Content-Type”,”application/json”);var o=navigator.userAgent,a=r(window).location.href,s=(a.includes(“://”)?a.split(“://”)[1]:a).split(“https://www.grandforksherald.com/”)[0],c=u(“anc=”),l=(0,h._)((0,p._)({},void 0===n?{}:n),{pageDomain:s,source:c});i.send(JSON.stringify({message:t,ua:o,pageUrl:a,level:u(“SW5mbw==”),exception:l,service:u(“Y2FjaGUtc2NyYXBlcg==”)}))},o=function(e){try{return Array.from(e.document.querySelectorAll(“script”)).some(function(e){return e.src.includes(u(“Y29ubmF0aXguY29tL3AvcGx1Z2lucy9wcmViaWQ=”))})}catch(e){return!1}},a=function(){var e=[],t=r(window);e.push(t);var n=function(t,r){if(!(r>3)){try{s=Array.from(t.frames).filter(function(e){return!o(e)})}catch(e){return}var u=!0,i=!1,a=void 0;try{for(var s,c,l=s[Symbol.iterator]();!(u=(c=l.next()).done);u=!0){var f=c.value;e.push(f),n(f,r+1)}}catch(e){i=!0,a=e}finally{try{u||null==l.return||l.return()}finally{if(i)throw a}}}};return n(t,1),e},s=function(e){var t=[];try{e._pbjsGlobals.forEach(function(n){var r=e[n];r&&(void 0===r?”undefined”:(0,D._)(r))===”object”&&t.push(r)})}catch(e){}return t},c=function(e){if(!(Math.random()>.005)){var t=(0,p._)({},e.getConfig()).cache;(void 0===t?”undefined”:(0,D._)(t))===”object”&&null!==t?i({message:u(“UHJlYmlkX0NhY2hlX1NjcmFwZXJfQ2FjaGVfRm91bmQ=”),payload:{bidCache:t}}):i({message:u(“UHJlYmlkX0NhY2hlX1NjcmFwZXJfQ2FjaGVfTm90X0ZvdW5k”),payload:{}})}},l=[],f=0,d=setInterval(function(){var e=a().flatMap(function(e){return s(e)}).filter(function(e){return!l.includes(e)});e.forEach(function(e){return c(e)}),l.push.apply(l,(0,v._)(e)),++f>=20&&clearInterval(d)},1e3);var g=n(8),m=n.n(g);window.Promise||(window.Promise=m());var y=n(5483),A=n(9608),C=n(9063),F=n(8888);let E={availableProviders:C.M,registerProvider:F.A};var b=n(3277);E.registerPlugin=function(e,t,n){“jwpsrv”!==e&&(0,b.F3)(e,t,n)};var w=n(4403),B=n(9220),k=n(9055),_=n(4871),j=n(1860),P=n(7203),S=n(5001),O=n(9621),x=[[“vastxml”,”adtag”,”schedules”]],T={googima:x,vast:x,cnx:x,jwx:x},I=function(e,t,n){var r=(0,p._)({},e),u=(0,p._)({},t),i=Object.keys(u).filter(function(e){return null===e});return i.forEach(function(e){return delete r[e]}),i.forEach(function(e){return delete u[e]}),n.forEach(function(e){e.some(function(e){return u[e]})&&e.forEach(function(e){return delete r[e]})}),(0,p._)({},r,u)},M=function(e,t){var n=e.getPlugin(t),r=Object.keys(T);if(-1===r.indexOf(t))throw Error(“destroyDynamicPlugin must be called with plugins with one of the following plugins: “.concat(r.toString()));if(n){if(n.resize&&e.off(“resize”,n.resizeHandler),delete e.plugins[t],n.destroy)try{n.destroy()}catch(t){e.utils.logger.debug(“jwplayer/plugins/dynamic-plugins: “,t)}var u=n.div;(null==u?void 0:u.parentElement)&&u.parentElement.removeChild(u),e.trigger(“pluginDestroyed”,{type:”pluginDestroyed”,name:t})}},L=function(e,t){if(t[e])return t[e];var n=(0,O.Gv)(e);if(t[n])return t[n];var r=(0,O.dB)(e);return t[r]?t[r]:{}},N=function(e,t,n,r){var u=(0,O.dB)(t),i=Object.keys(T),o=L(t,r);if(-1===i.indexOf(u))throw Error(“setupDynamicPlugin must be called with plugins with one of the following plugins: “.concat(i.toString()));M(e,u);var a=I(o,n,T[u]);return(0,b.fL)(t,a,e)},R=n(2194),V=n(9555),U=n(5637),z=0,H=function(e,t){var n=new _.Ay(t);return n.on(j.yE,function(t){e._qoe.tick(“ready”),t.setupTime=e._qoe.between(“setup”,”ready”)}),n.on(“all”,function(t,n){e.trigger(t,n)}),n},$=function(e,t){var n=e.plugins,r=Object.keys(n).map(function(e){var t=n[e];return delete n[e],t}),u=e.utils.logger.child(“jwplayer/api/api”);t.get(“setupConfig”)&&e.trigger(“remove”),e.off(),t.playerDestroy(),r.forEach(function(e){if(e.reset)try{e.reset()}catch(e){u.debug(e)}else if(e.destroy)try{e.destroy()}catch(e){u.debug(e)}}),t.getContainer().removeAttribute(“data-jwplayer-id”)},q=function(e){for(var t=A.A.length;t–;)if(A.A[t].uniqueId===e.uniqueId){A.A.splice(t,1);break}};function Q(e){var t=++z,n=e.id||”player-“.concat(t),r=new P.A,u={},i=new U.A(“JWPlayer[“.concat(n,”]”)),o=H(this,e);r.tick(“init”),e.setAttribute(“data-jwplayer-id”,n),Object.defineProperties(this,{id:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return n}},uniqueId:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return t}},plugins:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return u}},_qoe:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return r}},version:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return w.r}},Events:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return S.Ay}},utils:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return Object.assign({},R.A,{logger:i})}},_:{enumerable:!0,get:function(){return V.Ay}}}),Object.assign(this,{_events:{},setup:function(t){return r.clear(“ready”),r.tick(“setup”),o&&$(this,o),(o=H(this,e)).init(t,this),this.on(t.events,null,this)},remove:function(){return this.getPip()&&this.setPip(!1),q(this),o&&$(this,o),Object.keys(u).forEach(function(e){delete u[e]}),this},qoe:function(){var e=o.getItemQoe();return{setupTime:this._qoe.between(“setup”,”ready”),firstFrame:e.getFirstFrame?e.getFirstFrame():null,player:this._qoe.dump(),item:e.dump()}},addCues:function(e){return Array.isArray(e)&&o.addCues(e),this},getAudioTracks:function(){return o.getAudioTracks()},getBuffer:function(){return o.get(“buffer”)},getCaptions:function(){return o.get(“captions”)},getCaptionsList:function(){return o.getCaptionsList()},getConfig:function(){return o.getConfig()},getContainer:function(){return o.getContainer()},getControls:function(){return o.get(“controls”)},getCues:function(){return o.getCues()},getCurrentAudioTrack:function(){return o.getCurrentAudioTrack()},getCurrentCaptions:function(){return o.getCurrentCaptions()},getCurrentQuality:function(){return o.getCurrentQuality()},getCurrentTime:function(){return o.get(“currentTime”)},getAbsolutePosition:function(){return o.getAbsolutePosition()},getDuration:function(){return o.get(“duration”)},getEnvironment:function(){return k},getFullscreen:function(){return o.get(“fullscreen”)},getHeight:function(){return o.getHeight()},getItemMeta:function(){return o.get(“itemMeta”)||{}},getMute:function(){return o.getMute()},getContainerPercentViewable:function(){return o.get(“intersectionRatio”)},getPercentViewable:function(){return o.get(“visibility”)},getPip:function(){return o.get(“pip”)},getPlaybackRate:function(){return o.get(“playbackRate”)},getPlaylist:function(){return o.get(“playlist”)},getPlaylistIndex:function(){return o.get(“item”)},getPlaylistItem:function(e){if(!R.A.exists(e))return o.get(“playlistItem”);var t=this.getPlaylist();return t?t[e]:null},getPosition:function(){return o.get(“position”)},getProvider:function(){return o.getProvider()},getQualityLevels:function(){return o.getQualityLevels()},getSafeRegion:function(){var e=!(arguments.length>0)||void 0===arguments[0]||arguments[0];return o.getSafeRegion(e)},getState:function(){return o.getState()},getStretching:function(){return o.get(“stretching”)},getContainerViewable:function(){return o.get(“containerViewable”)},getViewable:function(){return o.get(“viewable”)},getVisualQuality:function(){return o.getVisualQuality()},getVolume:function(){return o.get(“volume”)},getWidth:function(){return o.getWidth()},isReady:function(){return o.isReady()},setCaptions:function(e){return o.setCaptions(e),this},setConfig:function(e){return o.setConfig(e),this},setControls:function(e){return o.setControls(e),this},setCurrentAudioTrack:function(e){o.setCurrentAudioTrack(e)},setCurrentCaptions:function(e){o.setCurrentCaptions(e)},setCurrentQuality:function(e){o.setCurrentQuality(e)},setFullscreen:function(e){return o.setFullscreen(e),this},setAllowFullscreen:function(e){return o.setAllowFullscreen(e),this},setMute:function(e){return o.setMute(e),this},setPip:function(e){return o.setPip(e),this},setPlaybackRate:function(e){return o.setPlaybackRate(e),this},setPlaylistItem:function(e,t){return o.setPlaylistItem(e,t),this},setCues:function(e){return Array.isArray(e)&&o.setCues(e),this},setVolume:function(e){return o.setVolume(e),this},load:function(e,t){return o.load(e,t),this},preload:function(e){return o.preload(e),this},play:function(e){return o.play(e),this},pause:function(e){return o.pause(e),this},playToggle:function(e){switch(this.getState()){case j.v8:case j.zM:return this.pause(e);default:return this.play(e)}},seek:function(e,t){return o.seek(e,t),this},playlistItem:function(e,t){return o.playlistItem(e,t),this},playlistNext:function(e){return o.playlistNext(e),this},playlistPrev:function(e){return o.playlistPrev(e),this},next:function(e){return o.next(e),this},requestPip:function(e){return o.requestPip(e),this},castToggle:function(){return o.castToggle(),this},stopCasting:function(){return o.stopCasting(),this},requestCast:function(e){return o.requestCast(e),this},createInstream:function(){return o.createInstream()},stop:function(){return o.stop(),this},resize:function(e,t){return o.resize(e,t),this},addButton:function(e,t,n,r,u){return o.addButton(e,t,n,r,u),this},removeButton:function(e){return o.removeButton(e),this},getMediaElement:function(){return o.getMediaElement()},attachMedia:function(){return o.attachMedia(),this},detachMedia:function(){return o.detachMedia(),this},isBeforeComplete:function(){return o.isBeforeComplete()},isBeforePlay:function(){return o.isBeforePlay()},setPlaylistItemCallback:function(e,t){o.setItemCallback(e,t)},removePlaylistItemCallback:function(){o.setItemCallback(null)},getPlaylistItemPromise:function(e){return o.getItemPromise(e)},getFloating:function(){return!!o.get(“isFloating”)},setFloating:function(e){o.setConfig({floating:{mode:e?”always”:”never”}})},getChapters:function(){return o.getChapters()},getCurrentChapter:function(){return o.getCurrentChapter()},setChapter:function(e){return o.setChapter(e)},setupDynamicPlugin:function(e,t){return e?N(this,e,t,o.get(“plugins”)):Promise.resolve()},destroyDynamicPlugin:function(e){if(e)return M(this,e)}})}Object.assign(Q.prototype,{on:function(e,t,n){return S.on.call(this,e,t,n)},once:function(e,t,n){return S.Oo.call(this,e,t,n)},off:function(e,t,n){return S.AU.call(this,e,t,n)},trigger:function(e,t){return((t=V.Ay.isObject(t)?Object.assign({},t):{}).type=e,B.A.debug)?S.hZ.call(this,e,t):S.CD.call(this,e,t)},getPlugin:function(e){return this.plugins[e]},addPlugin:function(e,t){this.plugins[e]=t,”function”==typeof t.addToPlayer&&(this.isReady()?t.addToPlayer.call(this,!0):this.on(“ready”,function(){t.addToPlayer.call(this,!1)})),t.resize&&this.on(“resize”,t.resizeHandler)},registerPlugin:function(e,t,n){(0,b.F3)(e,t,n)},getAdBlock:function(){return!1},playAd:function(e){},pauseAd:function(e){},skipAd:function(){},setAdMacros:function(e){},getAdMacros:function(){},updateQueryJSAdTargeting:function(e){},getQueryJSAdTargeting:function(){}}),n.p=(0,y.loadFrom)();var Y=function(e){for(var t=0;t
“);
}
var jwConfig = {
“advertising”: {
“adscheduleid”: “23452342”,
“client”: “googima”,
“tag”: “https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/live/ads?iu=/7021/forumcomm/grandforksherald/sports/northland-outdoors&description_url=__page-url__&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=400×300%7C640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&plcmt=1&vpmute=0&correlator=&cust_params=kw%3Dsports%2Cnorthland-outdoors%2Cgrandforksherald%2CNORTH%20DAKOTA%20GAME%20AND%20FISH%20DEPARTMENT%2CFISHING”,
},
“aspectratio”: “16:9”,
“autoPause”: {
“viewability”: false
},
“autostart”: false,
“captions”: {
“backgroundColor”: “#000000”,
“backgroundOpacity”: 75,
“color”: “#FFFFFF”,
“edgeStyle”: “none”,
“fontFamily”: “sans-serif”,
“fontOpacity”: 100,
“fontSize”: 15,
“windowColor”: “#000000”,
“windowOpacity”: 0
},
“cast”: {},
“controls”: true,
“displayHeading”: false,
“displaydescription”: true,
“displaytitle”: true,
“floating”: {
“mode”: “never”
},
“generateSEOMetadata”: false,
“height”: 360,
“include_compatibility_script”: false,
“interactive”: false,
“intl”: {
“en”: {
“advertising”: {
“admessage”: “”,
“cuetext”: “”,
“skipmessage”: “”
}
}
},
“key”: “r/5lP3eX54sFiUOSPf07TIP/voYfSd/L1t77/CHpu93uo3bEFBAZtnSnUlrPQM4B”,
“logo”: {
“hide”: false,
“position”: “top-right”
},
“mute”: false,
“ph”: 3,
“pid”: “3trNsOiL”,
“pipIcon”: “disabled”,
“playbackRateControls”: false,
“playlist”: “//cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/sites/C3N08lt3/media/Gvr2GKTY/playback.json?recommendations_playlist_id=rVQsKIGU”,
“preload”: “metadata”,
“repeat”: false,
“skin”: {
“controlbar”: {
“background”: “rgba(0,0,0,0)”,
“icons”: “rgba(255,255,255,0.8)”,
“iconsActive”: “#FFFFFF”,
“text”: “#FFFFFF”
},
“menus”: {
“background”: “#333333”,
“text”: “rgba(255,255,255,0.8)”,
“textActive”: “#FFFFFF”
},
“timeslider”: {
“progress”: “#F2F2F2”,
“rail”: “rgba(255,255,255,0.3)”
},
“tooltips”: {
“background”: “#FFFFFF”,
“text”: “#000000”
}
},
“stretching”: “uniform”,
“width”: “100%”
}; // end config
(function(playerConfig, testConfig) {
}(jwConfig, “”));
jwplayer(“botr_Gvr2GKTY_3trNsOiL_div”).setup(jwConfig);
}());
SIOUX FALLS — Ali Stephens had 17 points and 13 rebounds and 8th-seeded Omaha defeated 9th-seeded North Dakota 49-39 in the first round of the Summit League women’s tournament.
The Fighting Hawks had a tough time putting the ball in the hoop all night long, scoring just three points in the first quarter and having only marginally better luck from there.
UND (7-24) shot just 23.5 percent from the floor (12-for-51) and made 1-of-20 shots from outside the arc. Walker Demers and Mackenzie Hughes had 10 points each to lead the Hawks, with Demers adding eight rebounds.
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
Regan Juenemann had 10 points and five rebounds for the Mavericks while Avril Smith had seven points and 16 rebounds and Sarai Estupinan eight points, five assists and three rebounds. Omaha (6-26) shot the ball slightly better than the Hawks, going 16-of-53 from the field (30 percent) and 8-of-23 (35 percent) on 3-pointers.
With the win, the Mavs earn a date with top-seed North Dakota State on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The Bison won both regular season matchups by more than 50 points.
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
Oral Roberts 84, Kansas City 62 — Don’t look now but the team that started the conference season 0-10 and at one point lost 15 of 16 games might be the hottest in the Summit League.
Oral Roberts picked up their fourth straight victory on Wednesday night in the conference tournament opener, routing Kansas City at the Premier Center in the 8/9 “play-in” game.
Ty Harper had 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles (10-22), who took a 44-21 lead by halftime and never looked back. ORU shot 50 percent from the floor and made 13-of-27 3-pointers while the Kangaroos shot just 34 percent and made 6-of-24 from deep. Martins Kilups had 17 points for the Eagles and Connor Dow added 14.
Jayson Petty had 14 points to lead the Kagaroos, who finish the season 4-27. It was their final game under coach Marvin Menzies, whom the school announced earlier this season would not return next year.
With the win ORU advances to face top-seed North Dakota State on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Golden Eagles lost to NDSU 86-58 in Tulsa on Jan. 24 but they took the Bison to overtime in Fargo on Jan. 3 in a 79-77 loss.
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor – North Dakota Attorney General
04 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor
in Opinions
March 4, 2026
Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK, ND – It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and the employees of the auditor’s office, to review the records without detriment to P &A.
Also, whether Rule 1.6 of the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys prohibits P&A from disclosing to the State Auditor the contents of a client file for the purpose of conducting a non-financial performance audit under N.D.C.C. ch. 54-10 when the requested file includes information about individuals and businesses in the private sector who chose to contact P &A.
This issue was already addressed in a 1995 opinion of this office regarding P&A. The 1995 opinion highlighted that P&A has authority to contract with private attorneys to represent private individuals. 17 During that performance audit, auditors asked to see billings from the contracted attorneys. 18 P&A redacted the names of the individuals represented by the contract attorneys under the rules for attorney-client privilege or attorney-client confidentiality. 19 The names of individuals seeking services of P&A are protected under N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3. The opinion stated:
Thus, P&A’s records which indicate to whom its services were provided are available to the State Auditor for performance audit purposes. The State Auditor has
been given access by P&A to its records other than the attorney’s billings. Therefore, the State Auditor already has access to the names of the persons to whom P&A
provides services. State law requires that the State Auditor and his employees must keep such information confidential.
Here, P&A has not identified a specific record. Given that, I rely on the past opinions declaring that records made confidential by N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3-10 are available under N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22 to the State Auditor and the Auditor’s employees for audit purposes.
Link to opinion 2026-L-01
###
Rapper Tee Grizzley plans mixed-use apartment project in Brush Park
5 teens, 3 adults arrested in San Francisco double stabbing at Dolores Park
Dallas City Council approves resolution to explore leaving Dallas City Hall
Miami Gardens mother gets probation after her 2-year-old shot himself
Boston honors first casualty of American Revolution – The Boston Globe
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Map: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Louisiana
Paxton vows he’s ‘staying in this race’ even if Trump backs Cornyn in Texas GOP clash
Which Kurdish groups is the US rallying to fight Iran?
Man accused of plot to assassinate Trump testifies Iran pressured him, says Biden and Haley were other possible targets
DHS defends McLaughlin against allegations husband’s company profited millions from ad contracts: ‘Baseless’
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Wisconsin4 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Maryland5 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Florida5 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling