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Bills would bring new regulations, aid to North Dakota libraries • North Dakota Monitor

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Bills would bring new regulations, aid to North Dakota libraries • North Dakota Monitor


North Dakota lawmakers are revisiting potential regulations about the placement of allegedly questionable library materials, as well as a measure to clarify who may distribute state grants to libraries and how the State Library can provide surplus materials to local libraries.

Senate Bill 2307, which will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would require a public or school library to remove “explicit sexual material” or place it in an area of the library that is off limits to anyone younger than 18.

The bill would require North Dakota’s attorney general to investigate any complaint about whether a library had allowed minors access to explicit sexual material, and order the state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction to halt any distribution of state funds to the offending library until the situation is rectified.

Two years ago, the Legislature approved a law requiring libraries to develop policies for removing or relocating “explicit sexual material” and for responding to public complaints about its possible presence. The law, House Bill 1205, required libraries to periodically review their collections to ensure that explicit sexual material is not present in the library’s section for children.

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In March 2024, the state librarian, Mary Soucie, told the Legislature’s interim Juvenile Justice Committee the law prompted five libraries to move some books. Two created a separate young adult collection.

House Bill 1420, which the House approved 92-2 on Jan. 22, clarifies that the State Library Coordinating Council is responsible for disbursing grants. Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, said there have been past issues in the past with council members believing they had authority over distribution of federal grants. 

The 11-member State Library Coordinating Council includes representatives of public and school libraries and members who represent the general public. It meets every three months to distribute state grants. The State Library also receives federal grants that it distributes. Public libraries are funded through local property taxes as well as state and federal grants. State and federal grants are important for helping libraries pay for services, programs and materials.

Senate Bill 2219, which was approved 46-0 in the Senate, makes it easier for the State Library to share materials with libraries throughout the state. Its sponsor, Sen. Sean Cleary, R-Bismarck, said it would help improve the State Library’s working relationship with local libraries. 

When the State Library regularly goes through its collection – the process is called “weeding” – workers assess if any unwanted materials would be valuable to a local library, State Librarian Mary Soucie said. The State Library lets local librarians know which materials are available and distributes them if the libraries are interested, she said. Senate Bill 2219 would allow the State Library to distribute the materials directly to other libraries without informing the state surplus property division, which normally handles disposal of items that state agencies no longer want. 

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The bill also would allow the withholding of state aid to libraries that do not complete and submit their required annual reports. The aid would be withheld the following year.

The North Dakota Newspaper Association hires an intern and mentor each legislative session to supplement coverage for North Dakota newspapers, through a grant from the NDNA Education Foundation.



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North Dakota

Tyson Ulmer's 2 power play goals push Red River to win over Mandan in ND boys hockey state quarterfinals

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Tyson Ulmer's 2 power play goals push Red River to win over Mandan in ND boys hockey state quarterfinals


GRAND FORKS — Holding a one-goal lead late in the game, Grand Forks Red River was in need of insurance.

Senior captain Tyson Ulmer provided just that.

With 2:56 remaining, Ulmer struck on the power play for his second goal of the night. From there, Griffen Haagenson’s empty-netter iced it in the waning seconds as the Roughriders picked up a 4-1 win over Mandan during the North Dakota boys hockey state tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Ulmer’s power play shot came from the bottom of the left circle, beating Mandan goaltender Cooper Anderson short-side to give his team some breathing room.

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“That was really big,” Ulmer said. “We kind of struggled (tonight) just getting things on net. I think the shots kind of show how the game was. We just struggled burying our chances, but it was really big to get us that one there at the end.”

The Roughriders outshot the Braves in the contest 38-10.

Grand Forks Red River’s Tyson Ulmer fires a shot for a first period goal past Mandan’s Cooper Anderson during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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With the win, East No. 2 seed Red River (14-7-4) advanced to Friday’s state semifinals. The Roughriders will take on West No. 1 Minot (24-1-0) in the day’s second semifinal, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 5:30 p.m. opener.

Ulmer opened the scoring at the 10:45 mark of the first period, a goal that also came on the power play, to give the Roughriders a 1-0 lead.

Caden Ulmer proceeded to make it 2-0 just 54 seconds into the second period with his seventh of the season.

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Grand Forks Red River’s Caden Ulmer (17) chops in a shot for a goal against Mandan during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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The score remained 2-0 through two periods, but Mandan opened the third with 1:26 remaining on an extended power play after Red River’s Rylan Bydal was sent off for a boarding major late in the second.

The Braves’ Carson Joersz capitalized on the infraction, putting one by Red River goaltender Rilan Korynta to cut Mandan’s deficit in half and make it a 2-1 game with 15:56 remaining.

Red River fended off the rally from there until Tyson Ulmer’s second power play tally and Haagenson’s empty-netter with four seconds remaining.

“When it’s a one-goal game and it’s late like that in the state tournament, those are the scary moments,” Red River head coach Tim Skarperud said. “But the guys kept battling hard and we got better as the game went on. Obviously, a huge goal there with a couple of minutes left to get a little cushion.”

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Mandan’s Jaxson Hewitt checks Grand Forks Red River’s Tyson Ulmer into the boards during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

West No. 3 seed Mandan (11-8-3) will play against East No. 4 Fargo Davies (12-13-0) in the second consolation semifinal Friday, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 1 p.m. consolation game.

Korynta finished with nine saves in the win for the Roughriders while Anderson recorded 34 saves in the losing effort.

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The defending state champions now try to advance to Saturday’s state championship game for the sixth year in a row.

“Just get going right away,” Tyson Ulmer said. “(Today), we had a really poor start. So we really have to be ready right from puck drop, pump a few in early and get going right away.”

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Grand Forks Red River’s Cam Irion collides with Mandan’s Brayden Krous during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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FIRST PERIOD: 1, RR, T. Ulmer (Bydal), 10:45.

SECOND PERIOD: 2, RR, C. Ulmer (Bydal, Wasvick), 0:54.

THIRD PERIOD: 3, MAN, Joersz (unassisted), 1:04. 4, RR, T. Ulmer (Rost, Bydal), 14:04. 5, RR, Haagenson (Jackson, Hultberg), 16:56.

SAVES: MAN, C. Anderson 8-9-17—34. RR, Korynta 6-1-2—9.

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022825.S.FF.GFRRMandan

Grand Forks Red River’s Rylan Bydal collides with Mandan goalie Cooper Anderson during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

022825.S.FF.GFRRMandan

Mandan’s Carson Joersz just misses on a scoring attempt against Grand Forks Red River during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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Grand Forks Red River team members huddle up before play against Mandan during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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Grand Forks Red River students celebrate a second period goal against Mandan during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

David Samson / The Forum

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Ryan Spitza

Ryan Spitza joined The Forum in December 2021 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Marquette, Mich., a city of 20,000 on the southern shore of Lake Superior. He majored in multimedia journalism and minored in public relations at Northern Michigan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in May 2019. While attending college, Spitza gained real-world experience covering high school and college athletics for both The Mining Journal and The North Wind.

Spitza can be reached at 701-451-5613 or rspitza@forumcomm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryspitza.





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North Dakota FFA Foundation to make plans for record donations

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North Dakota FFA Foundation to make plans for record donations


BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota FFA Foundation has had a big start to 2025, beginning on Jan. 18, when the Governor’s Heritage Foundation announced during Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s inaugural ball a $200,000 donation to the FFA Foundation. That’s the largest single monetary donation the foundation has ever received.

“As you can imagine, it was incredibly overwhelming,” said

Laiken DeMorrett, executive director of the North Dakota FFA Foundation

. The Governor’s Heritage Foundation also gave $200,000 to Great Plains Food Bank.

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The donation to the North Dakota FFA Foundation was followed by more than $73,000 in donations during Giving Hearts Day, a one-day online fundraising drive for charities in North Dakota in February. That was about $5,000 less than the foundation’s goal but still more than raised in previous years at the event, which launched in 2008. Giving Hearts Day has become a major fundraiser for the foundation and even has inspired a similar effort for National FFA — Give FFA Day.

Laiken DeMorrett, executive director of the North Dakota FFA Foundation.

Contributed

DeMorrett said the board is meeting soon to begin making plans for the $200,000 donation from the Governor’s Heritage Foundation, but it’s uncharted territory.

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“We’ve never gotten to deal with so much at once,” DeMorrett said.

The Governor’s Heritage Foundation did not put any restrictions on how the money needed to be used.

“It’s completely unrestricted funding, which is huge for a nonprofit organization when there are no strings attached. So we can use it exactly how we need it, and we can have some fun with it, too,” DeMorrett said.

She anticipates a portion will be used on existing programs supporting FFA and agriculture education in the state.

“But it’s going to give us an opportunity to dream a little bit and maybe kick off something that is unique to North Dakota FFA that we can maybe borrow from some other states who are doing some really cool things,” she said.

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What is the North Dakota FFA Foundation?

The North Dakota FFA Foundation was established in 1980 to support agriculture education in the state. DeMorrett said that encompasses more than just supporting FFA and extends to things like the North Dakota Association of Agricultural Educators, North Dakota Farm Management Education Program, state FFA alumni and some collegiate agriculture education programs.

When it comes to supporting FFA, DeMorrett said one of the foundation’s “hallmark programs” is “Blue Jackets, Bright Futures,” which provides new students with a blue FFA jacket. The jackets cost $85, and National FFA kicks in $5, leaving $80 to be covered by members. Blue Jackets, Bright Futures picks up the remaining $80 for students who qualify, which gives them a jacket and a tie or scarf.

“The jacket’s kind of the equalizer, so regardless of financial position at home, or anything else in that student’s life, when they put that jacket on, they’re an FFA member, and they can focus on being an FFA member,” DeMorrett said.

The program has provided almost 4,000 jackets to students so far.

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The foundation also provides college scholarships, funds for supervised agriculture experiences, stipends for travel to the Washington Leadership Conference or the National FFA Convention, funds for awards and sponsorships to reduce costs of events and other things that can reduce barriers to participation.

“Something that might not be known is FFA members in North Dakota actually only pay to attend two of the events that are available to them every year, and that’d be the State FFA Convention, and then the Leadership Convention,” DeMorrett said.

Removing financial barriers to participation means more students can learn skills that may lead to future employment or get to use their unique skills outside of the classroom. And DeMorrett said it also can help them find their place to belong.

“Everybody wants to fit in. Everybody wants to find a place, find a home where they belong,” she said.

She remembers a memorable FFA bus trip of her own, where the wheels fell off the bus, leading to her chapter spending eight hours together waiting for a replacement bus. She got to know fellow members who weren’t in the same social circles or the same FFA contests with her on a different level. That’s how she got to know her best friend, who later would officiate her wedding.

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“It puts you in a different environment, where you can really allow yourself to be kind of more authentic and explore what those friendships could look like with somebody outside of your of your circle,” she said of her FFA experience.

DeMorrett emphasizes that the foundation team works closely with the North Dakota FFA Association to provide opportunities to students. She recently took a statewide trip with Nikki Fideldy-Doll, North Dakota state agriculture education supervisor and FFA advisor, and a National FFA officer. Seeing the passion Fideldy-Doll and others in the association, including Darin Spelhaug, agriculture education supervisor and executive secretary, and Breanna Mueller, agriculture education assistant supervisor, have for agriculture education and FFA was inspiring, she said.

“I’m lucky to be in this position and be able to support them in this way,” she said.

The North Dakota FFA Foundation has other long-standing sources of funding, notably including

the Bakk Farm, a large North Dakota farm that was willed to North Dakota FFA by farmer Fridtjov “Fred” Bakk. 

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Anyone who wants to donate toward the foundation’s goals should reach out to foundation staff. But DeMorrett said needs exist beyond finances, including volunteers to help judge contests or mentor students.





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North Dakota senator recovering after falling, hitting head on the ice

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North Dakota senator recovering after falling, hitting head on the ice


REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATOR KEVIN CRAMER OF NORTH DAKOTA IS RESTING AT HOME AFTER SUFFERING SERIOUS INJURIES WHEN HE FELL ON THE ICE  IN HIS BACKYARD IN BISMARCK OVER THE WEEKEND, .
KRAMER POSTED ON FACEBOOK THAT QUOTE “ WHILE WALKING ON THE HILL DOWN TO THE DOCK, I STEPPED ON ICE AND EVIDENTLY FELL HARD, HITTING THE BACK OF MY HEAD. I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING FROM THE FALL UNTIL ARRIVING AT SANFORD HEALTH EMERGENCY ROOM WITH KRIS,”  END QUOTE.    KRIS IS THE SENATOR’S WIFE.
THE LAWMAKER IS NOW TAKING TIME OFF FROM HIS DUTIES IN WASHINGTON TO REST.  DOCTORS HAVE TOLD HIM, HE HAS A SEVERE CONCUSSION, SUFFERED A SEIZURE AND A SLIGHT BRAIN BLEED.  HE HAS STAPLES IN HIS HEAD WHERE THERE IS A CUT.  CRAMER ALSO REVEALED HE IS TAKING THE ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATION KEPRA.
THE INJURY DREW THE ATTENTION OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHO POSTED ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL ACCOUNT : OUR GREAT SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA, SENATOR KEVIN CRAMER, JUST RECENTLY SLIPPED ON ICE AND HIT HIS HEAD, CAUSING QUITE AN INJURY. HE IS NOW RESTING COMFORTABLY, BUT WENT THROUGH A LOT. HIS WONDERFUL WIFE, KRIS, IS WITH HIM, AND I’M SURE HE WILL BE FINE, BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL! GET WELL SOON KEVIN, AND THANK YOU TO KRIS FOR HER QUICK AND VERY ALERT RESPONSE TO KEVIN’S DIFFICULT MOMENT.!”
THE 64-YEAR-OLD CRAMER DID NOT OFFER A SPECIFIC TIMELINE FOR HIS RETURN TO THE NATION’S CAPITAL BUT POSTED THAT HE IS READY TO RETURN QUICKLY IF EVENTS REQUIRE IT.   HE IS CURRENTLY SERVING HIS SECOND TERM. FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP.



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