North Dakota
Attorney recommends providing provisional dock permits for 2024 in Stutsman County
JAMESTOWN — The Stutsman County state’s attorney recommended providing provisional dock permits for 2024 if he is not able to get a definitive answer if the county is allowed to or not.
Fritz Fremgen told the Stutsman County Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 2, that he read the legal opinion from another attorney for reservoir dock permits and land use.
“I’ve only read it once. It’s about 10 pages,” he said. ” … You’re stuck and possibly you got a way out.”
The Stutsman County Park Board has been waiting for an opinion from the state’s attorney on whether or not the board is allowed to issue dock permits for residences east of Jamestown Reservoir. Another attorney researched language in the agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation to help the commission on making a decision on dock permits. Now, Fremgen must review the research and issue an opinion on the matter.
Fremgen said he also read the letter from Joseph Hall, area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Dakotas Area Office, that was signed in March and sent to Stutsman County. The county had sent a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation seeking a written agreement that issuing seasonal private dock permits to adjacent landowners by the park board would not compromise any of the agreements or laws regarding the land transfer with the Reclamation.
“From their point of view you are stuck,” he said.
Hall’s letter said allowing seasonal private dock permits to adjacent landowners is not consistent with managing for public purposes as stated in a 111-page agreement between the Reclamation and the Stutsman County Park Board.
Fremgen said he wants to research what other jurisdictions are doing.
“I just looked at Walla Walla, Washington, and they mentioned dock permits, but … we’ve got some as well that are grandfathered in so it’s very complicated,” he said. “So it’s just something that’s gonna take some time. I’ve got some of the reading started and there’s plenty of reading to do.”
He said he asked the Bureau of Reclamation for any case law regarding the use of land that was transferred to Stutsman County.
Stutsman County is the owner and manager of the land between the shoreline and the homeowners’ property along the east side of Jamestown Reservoir. The Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for the operation of Jamestown Dam and Jamestown Reservoir and holds primary jurisdiction over the lands and water of the reservoir, according to Stutsman County’s 2023 seasonal boat dock permit.
In 2023, the park board agreed to issue dock permits that included stipulations that the docks may need to be removed if there is a negative comment from the attorney about the issue or has an opinion that the county is in violation of the deed restriction.
The current dock permits do not include a clause for the right of renewal.
Commission declares emergency
The Stutsman County Commission unanimously approved declaring an emergency for the county for impacts of the recent ice storm in December.
Andrew Kirking, Stutsman County emergency manager and 911 coordinator, said the county needs to make sure it is open to as much aid as it can get by being covered by an emergency declaration.
The Jamestown City Council also unanimously approved on Tuesday, Jan. 2, an emergency declaration for the city.
On Friday, Dec. 29, Gov. Doug Burgum declared a statewide emergency for widespread utility infrastructure damage caused by a winter ice storm that left 20,000 North Dakotans without electricity.
Commission approves request to fill NDSU Extension position
The county commission unanimously approved a request to allow the North Dakota State University Extension Service to fill the family and community wellness position in Stutsman County.
Christina Masich, the current family and community wellness extension agent in Stutsman County, recently submitted her resignation. Her last day with the Stutsman County Extension is Jan. 19.
Masich said she accepted the position of coordinator of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education and Family Nutrition programs with the NDSU Extension Service in Bismarck.
Dena Kemmet, Central District director for the NDSU Extension Service, said she needed formal action from the county commission to fill Masich’s position in Stutsman County. She said the base policy is that NDSU Extension Service has an agreement with the North Dakota Association of Counties to fund extension agent positions on a 50-50 extension-county split.
“Their fringe benefits are paid by NDSU,” she said. “That makes NDSU their employer of record.”
Masaki Ova joined The Jamestown Sun in August 2021 as a reporter. He grew up on a farm near Pingree, N.D. He majored in communications at the University of Jamestown, N.D.
A new North Dakota Department of Public Instruction survey seeks statewide feedback on potential changes to how students are using technology.
Superintendent Levi Bachmeier, who
took over the state’s top education role
in November, said he hopes the survey results will inform policymakers on potential reforms to school-issued device policies across the state. During his first student Cabinet meeting, he said a Mandan freshman told him the devices needed to be a “tool, not a toy.”
“The world that these young people are inheriting requires them to use technology responsibly, but we know that these devices are just as addictive as substances,” Bachmeier said during a press conference Thursday. “And that can be just as true for the school-issued device in their hands as the cellphone they carry around in their pocket.”
North Dakota
banned the use of cellphones
during the school day during the 2025 legislative session, something Bachmeier said has received a near universal
positive response
during its first year in effect.
The cellphone ban triggered a migration of some students from using their cellphones to access YouTube and other social media sites to using their school-issued laptops or tablets, Bachmeier said.
The
survey
includes questions about restrictions on device usage in elementary school, a potential prohibition on taking devices home, built-in make-up days into school scheduling before using virtual instruction and whether the state should require districts to use monitoring software on the devices.
He added that some school districts already have monitoring software that tracks student technology usage, but it is not a uniform policy.
“It’s inconsistent,” Bachmeier said. “Our challenge is how do we find what’s the best that is going on in North Dakota and make that a reality for every student in our state.”
Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, a lawmaker who sponsored multiple education bills during the 2025 legislative session, said any potential reforms to technology policies should enhance instruction, support learning and allow students to develop interpersonal and critical-thinking skills.
“This effort today is not about eliminating technology from education,” Axtman said. “It’s about ensuring that technology serves learning rather than competes with it.”
Axtman said any potential changes to school device policies could be proposed during the 2027 legislative session and be implemented for the 2027-28 school year.
“By working towards clear statewide expectations for school-issued device use, we will help schools create learning environments that are more focused, more productive and healthier for students,” she said.
The
survey
can be filled out by any North Dakota student, parent, educator or community member through Aug. 1.
This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com.
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VALLEY CITY — A truck hauling bees rolled over Thursday, May 28, on westbound Interstate 94 near mile marker 292 near Valley City, releasing millions of bees and closing the right lane of traffic.
The crash was reported at about 4:45 p.m. Thursday, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol. Officials said the westbound right-side lane was closed following the rollover.
Millions of bees were released in the crash, and beekeepers were called to the scene to help recover and contain the insects.
Officials said the cable barrier area marked where large groups of bees had clustered.
Drivers were asked to slow down, follow directions from emergency responders and give crews and the bees plenty of space while work continued at the scene.
WIBAUX, Mont. (KFYR) – Several fire departments from both North Dakota and Montana are fighting a grass fire about 40 miles south of Wibaux in the Pine Unit area.
The editor of the Wibaux Pioneer Gazette tells us no structures are in danger at this time, and the Wibaux, Beach, Golva and Glendive Fire Departments are working to put out the flames.
The public is asked to avoid the area at this time.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
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