North Dakota
Armstrong spotlights jobs, education and youth health in visit
DICKINSON — Governor Kelly Armstrong returned to his hometown this week, spotlighting key initiatives in workforce development, industrial innovation and community engagement. His visit included stops at the Southwest Area Career and Technical Education (CTE) Academy, Robertson Metal Recycling, the Kind Hearts Project and Dickinson Ready Mix Co.
At the Southwest Area CTE Academy, Governor Armstrong toured the facility and engaged with students enrolled in programs aimed at preparing them for careers in trades, technology and applied sciences.
Courtesy: Gov. Kelly Armstrong/Facebook
According to information shared by the academy, it serves over 1,100 students from seven area high schools and offers 73 different classes across 14 specialized programs including automotive technology, culinary arts, welding and cybersecurity.
The CTE initiative is designed to bridge the gap between secondary education and the workforce, addressing North Dakota’s growing demand for skilled labor. Students also benefit from concurrent enrollment opportunities with Dickinson State University through its Dual Mission Program which enhances access to post-secondary credentials.
Armstrong’s visit to Robertson Metal Recycling marked the commissioning of North Dakota’s first car shredder, a step forward in strengthening the state’s recycling infrastructure. The facility processes materials including scrap steel, tin, car bodies and batteries and has been recognized with the 2024 Stark Development Project of the Year award for its contributions to innovation, workforce growth and environmental responsibility.
In a community-focused gesture, Armstrong participated in the Kind Hearts Project’s annual bike giveaway, helping prepare some of the more than 100 bicycles scheduled to go to area children. The event, held at Dickinson’s Legacy Square, is intended to promote physical activity and mental wellness among local youth.
Courtesy: Gov. Kelly Armstrong/Facebook
Courtesy: Gov. Kelly Armstrong/Facebook
Driven by the motto “Be Kind,” the organization initially focused on spreading positivity. Today, their mission has grown to confront one of society’s most pressing crises: mental health.
Drawing from personal experience as an emergency room nurse, Kind Hearts Project leader Marriah Marsh has witnessed firsthand the alarming rise of mental health struggles among young people.
“We see kids getting younger and younger who can’t cope — turning to self-harm, sometimes worse,” Marsh said. “We have to be proactive, not just reactive. Teaching coping skills early is key.”
The Kind Hearts Project, a Dickinson-based nonprofit, has gained attention for its grassroots efforts to support well-being and community unity through charitable initiatives.
The day concluded with Armstrong attending the 75th anniversary celebration of Dickinson Ready Mix Co., a longstanding contributor to the region’s construction industry. The company supplies ready-mix concrete across southwestern North Dakota and has supported infrastructure projects including the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
According to the company, it has implemented low-carbon concrete mixes designed to reduce global warming potential by nearly 50 percent compared to conventional materials, aligning with broader goals around sustainability and emissions reduction.
Photo by Josiah C. Cuellar / Buffalo Eye Photography
Governor Armstrong’s visit to Dickinson emphasized his administration’s approach to governance at the intersection of economic development, environmental stewardship and community health. By highlighting initiatives in education, industry and civic life, the trip underscored a broader commitment to building a resilient and inclusive future for North Dakota.
James B. Miller, Jr. is the Editor of The Dickinson Press in Dickinson, North Dakota. He strives to bring community-driven, professional and hyper-local focused news coverage of southwest North Dakota.
GRAND FORKS — A North Dakota composer’s dream is turning into a statewide invitation.
Williston-based musician Emily Black-Driscoll was chosen as the North Dakota Music Teachers Association’s commissioned composer for 2026. She’s preparing an original composition that will premiere in August.
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North Dakota
Challengers declare victory after ND Supreme Court rules against Legislature’s attempt to alter term limits
BISMARCK — A constitutional ballot measure to amend the state’s term limits law as proposed by the Legislature will not appear on November’s ballot, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, siding with petitioners who argued the Legislature exceeded its authority and violated the state constitution in proposing the changes.
“The people’s voice was heard,” Grand Forks County Commissioner Terry Bjerke said in reaction to the news.
Bjerke was a member of the sponsoring committee behind the successful 2022 effort to pass a term limits initiative, which amended the state constitution by capping legislative term limits to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. The amendment, which became article XV of the state constitution, also included a clause barring the Legislature from making constitutional changes to term limits.
During the 2025 session, however, lawmakers narrowly approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008, in which the legislature proposed Constitutional Measure 1, a ballot measure to amend the term limits language to allow legislators to decide in which chamber they want to serve their 16 years, and to repeal the clause limiting the legislative assembly’s authority to propose an amendment to alter or repeal term limits.
Bjerke and former Minot legislator Oley Larsen brought the lawsuit challenging the validity of the Legislature’s action in January, and the state Supreme Court
heard oral arguments in the case
this spring.
“Those term limits may only be altered by a measure proposed by the people rather than the Legislative Assembly. And yet a few years later, the Legislative Assembly is doing what they are prohibited from doing,” attorney Zachary Wallen argued on Bjerke and Larsen’s behalf.
Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune
The Legislature’s attorneys argued the clause prohibiting legislative proposals to alter the constitutional term limits language “infringes on our republican form of government” by “limiting the people’s ability to vote on amendments proposed by their elected officials.”
Justice Jon Jensen seemed skeptical of that argument during the April 2 hearing, questioning whether a second vote was appropriate.
“The public did speak on this. The public spoke on it when it passed the original constitutional amendment and they said, ‘Legislature, you don’t even get to propose a change.’ They have already spoken on it,” Jensen said. “You want a second shot, or a second bite at the apple, not a first one, a second.”
In Thursday’s ruling, all five justices sided with Bjerke and Larsen.
“We … conclude the Legislative Assembly’s adoption of S.C.R. 4008 violated N.D. Const. art. XV … and declare S.C.R. 4008 and Constitutional Measure 1 void … We enjoin the Secretary of State from placing Constitutional Measure 1 on the November 2026 general election ballot,” the ruling said.
Bjerke thanked the legal team that worked on behalf of their lawsuit, and said he was grateful the court reached the conclusion it did.
“I’m thrilled that what the people voted on and approved has been validated,” Bjerke said.
He added that the Legislature had “multiple opportunities” to address term limits prior to 2022’s initiated measure and chose not to, and gave a nod to the country’s coming milestone and the process by which voters expressed their support for term limits.
“We’ve lasted 250 years,” Bjerke said. “I have two words for those elected leaders who think they aren’t: everyone’s replaceable.”
North Dakota
Fargo woman convicted in North Dakota fraud case now faces charges in Minnesota: A deeper dive
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A North Dakota woman who was sentenced to 180 days in jail in Cass County for defrauding healthcare providers and Medicaid programs is now facing additional fraud charges in Minnesota.
Christine Marie Pryor, 55, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to theft by deception involving more than $50,000. She was sentenced to first serve 180 days with a 3-year sentence suspended. She received credit for 44 days already served.
Pryor was ordered to pay $82,584.78 in restitution to Southeast Human Services in Fargo, where she worked between 2018 and 2019.
How the scheme unfolded
According to court documents, Pryor worked at multiple healthcare facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota between 2018 and 2023, using the identities and credentials of three licensed professionals without their knowledge. She submitted fraudulent Capella University diplomas and transcripts to gain employment.
Investigators say Pryor admitted she searched state licensing websites for therapists who shared her first name, then used those therapists’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
At Southeast Human Services, where she worked as a Licensed Addiction Counselor, Pryor earned $55,584.82 while providing therapy services to approximately 150 patients. She also opened her own counseling center, NIAM Brain Injury Center, in Fargo between 2020 and 2021, and worked at The Lotus Center in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 2021 to 2023.
Court documents say the three licensed professionals whose identities were used told investigators they had no knowledge of Pryor’s actions and did not give her permission to use their information.
Two additional charges against Pryor in North Dakota, unauthorized use of personal identifying information, were dismissed on motion of the state.
Additional charges in Minnesota
Pryor is also facing charges in Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Tuesday charges against Pryor in Clay County District Court for six theft offenses and six identity theft offenses related to defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program of more than $150,000.
According to the Minnesota complaint, Pryor claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials to do so. Prosecutors allege she used the credentials and identities of three licensed professionals while claiming to provide Medicaid-funded services to 169 clients.
The Minnesota charges were filed as part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, a joint effort involving the Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
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