North Dakota
Bills would increase North Dakota's interstate speed limit, but 1 would cost farmers
BISMARCK — North Dakota may increase the interstate’s speed limit to 80 mph, but one of the bills suggesting the long-requested change could cost farmers.
The House Transportation Committee heard testimony Thursday, Jan. 23, and Friday on two bills that would bump up the speed on Interstates 94 and 29 by 5 mph.
House Bill 1298
would increase the speed limit from 75 mph to 80 mph without a minimum speed.
That bill faced less opposition than
House Bill 1421,
which would set the minimum speed for I-29 and I-94 at 40 mph and the maximum at 80 mph. It also would require farmers who move large equipment on interstates to buy an annual permit, which would cost $25 for each tractor.
The bill initially called for a $100 permit, but the committee changed it to $25.
That fee drew the ire of several agricultural advocates, including the North Dakota Farmers Union and North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.
“HB 1421 raises taxes on farmers, creates farm operational inefficiency, provides unwarranted and unworkable mandates, is unenforceable and does nothing to improve public safety,” the North Dakota Grain Growers Association said in a letter.
The full House voted 69-22 to pass HB 1298 on Friday. HB 1421 has not made it to the House floor, but the Transportation Committee recommended in a 14-0 vote that the bill be killed.
If one of the bills becomes law, the increase would be the first since 2003, when North Dakota upped the speed limit from 70 to 75 mph. Other states, including South Dakota and Montana, have 80 mph speed limits on their interstates.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Minnesota’s interstate speed limit is 70 mph.
At least five other states, including Indiana and New York, also have proposed legislation to up their interstate speed limits to 80 mph.
North Dakota has tried but failed several times over the last decade to increase the interstates’ speed limit, most recently in 2023. Rep. Ben Koppelman, a Republican from West Fargo who introduced HB 1298, wrote the same bill two years ago.
The Legislature passed the bill, but then-Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, vetoed it over concerns of speeding-related deaths. He also said he could not support the proposed legislation without a “primary seat belt law.”
The House passed a bill requiring all occupants of a vehicle to wear a seat belt the day after the veto, sending it to Burgum’s office for final approval. The Legislature did not have enough votes to override Burgum’s rejection of the speed limit increase.
Koppelman told The Forum that he feels his bill has at least as much support as it has had in the past.
“This year, we won’t have a governor who’s going to veto what we passed last year as a threat to encourage the passage of the seat belt bill,” he said. “Last session, we did not quite have veto-proof majorities, but we had reasonable margins of victory in each chamber.”
North Dakota
Gov. Kelly Armstrong
has not expressed his view on increasing the speed limit.
“The governor generally doesn’t comment on bills (other than those he’s proposed, of course) before they reach his desk,” said Armstrong spokesman Mike Nowatzki.
In testifying in support of the bill, Geoff Simon said motorists need consistency on interstate. Simon is the executive director of the Western Dakota Energy Association but testified as an individual resident of the state.
No one spoke against HB 1298 when the committee held a hearing on Thursday, though there were letters against it saying it would present safety concerns.
Koppelman said the North Dakota Department of Transportation would prefer a minimum speed limit with a maximum. Rep. Eric Murphy, a Grand Forks Republican who also signed on to Koppelman’s bill, has put his name on such a legislation in the form of HB 1421.
“That was the poison pill that killed the bill that year because the farmers don’t want a minimum speed limit,” Koppelman said of the minimum speed. “I think that’s what is going to likely make my bill to the finish line and not Rep. Murphy’s bill.”
Murphy acknowledged the DOT’s recommendation for a minimum speed. He told The Forum his concerns about tractors not being allowed if a minimum speed is set.
Most modern tractors can drive a maximum of 25 mph.
“Clearly, they should seek other alternatives, but there are some farmers out there who literally have to use the interstate,” Murphy said.
He added language into HB 1421 that would give exceptions to farm tractors, but it would come at a cost.
Along with the $25 permit, a vehicle with flashing hazard signals would have to follow the tractor on the interstate. It also could not let debris fall onto the highway.
“That would allow them to move equipment well below the 40 mph speed limit,” Murphy said.
HB 1421 would also give the North Dakota Department of Transportation the ability to reduce the maximum limit in “a high accident zone,” such as extreme curves in the interstate, to 60 mph, Murphy said. The DOT could reduce the speed when weather impacts travel, according to the bill.
Ag producers use the interstate rarely and as a last resort, said Brent Baldwin, president of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. The bill could open the door to additional fees, he added.
For farmers to get across rivers, particularly at the North Dakota-Minnesota border, the only option is the interstate, said Pete Hanebutt, public policy director for the North Dakota Farm Bureau. Weather can flood roads and force farmers to take the interstate, he said.
“I think there are an awful lot of holes in this bill,” Hanebutt said during a House Transportation Committee hearing on Friday.
Koppelman said HB 1421 is an attempt at a compromise that does not leave anyone happy. There is no reason to support that, he said.
“We don’t need to do that at the expense of farmers,” he said.
Vernon Dale Krause, 93, of Fargo, ND, formerly of Wahpeton, ND, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Heather’s House in Fargo, ND, under the care of HIA Hospice.
A Celebration of life will be held on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 10:00 a.m., with burial immediately following at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton.
Vern was born on February 16, 1933, in rural Wyndmere, ND, one of eleven children born to Theodore and Ella (Rohl) Krause. He grew up in Wyndmere and attended Wyndmere Public School, where he left his studies behind to volunteer for the United States Army. Vern proudly served from 1953 to 1956 before transferring to the Army Reserves. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and, throughout his life, carried great pride in his years of military service.
He married Jean (Carey) Krause, and together they built a life and raised their family in Wahpeton, where he would spend most of his years. They were blessed with two children. In his later years, after developing severe dementia, Vernon moved to Fargo so he could receive the care he needed and be closer to family.
For 41 years, he worked for the City of Wahpeton Water & Sewer Department, where he was highly regarded and known for knowing every inch of the city like the back of his hand. Even after retirement, he continued to volunteer his time and expertise whenever the City needed him. Among the accomplishments he was most proud of were his early years helping develop the Chahinkapa Zoo.
Above all, he cherished his family. He loved anything to do with his grandchildren — from crafting chairs out of tree trunks and splitting wood, to watching their sporting events and helping them grow into who they were meant to be. His great-grandchildren were a true blessing to him — even if their energy made him a little nervous, he always looked forward to their visits. His nieces and nephews brought him great joy as well especially in his later years and he loved being an uncle to them. When his brother Leyone “Spud” moved to town, Vern couldn’t wait to deliver him the daily newspaper and share a chat. He loved tinkering in the garage, always engineering new ways to drain water, and he was the biggest Green Bay Packers fan around — proud to call himself a team shareholder. After moving to Fargo, Vernon was grateful for the time he was able to spend with his sister, Carole Jean, who had always been his protector.
Vernon will be remembered for his steady hands, his quiet devotion to family and community, and the example he set of showing up — for his country, for his city, and most of all, for the people he loved. He will be deeply missed.
Vern is survived by his son, Mark Krause, Fargo; two sisters-in-law, Priscilla Krause and Donna Krause; two brothers-in-law, Ron Carey and Don Carey; eight grandchildren, Carey, Danielle, Margo, Jodi, Nikki, Kevin, Brad and Tracee; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Jean Krause; his daughter, Deb Christopher; five brothers, Alfred, Donald, Willard, Kenneth and Leyone Krause; five sisters, Dorothy Peterson, Loretta Dable, LaVelle Odegard, Lucille Kruchek and Carole Jean Johnson-Bohlken; sisters-in-law, Viola Krause, Marleen Krause, Amy Carey and Linda Carey; brothers-in-law, Elroy Odegard, Robert Johnson, Willis Bohlken, Pete Peterson, Johnny Kruchek and Frank Dable; granddaughter, Robyn Krause; and grandson, Jack Bollman.
GRAFTON, N.D. — Two North Dakota men are speaking out about a 38-year-long alleged mistake that altered their entire lives.
The men and their families are suing Unity Medical Center in Grafton, saying the hospital is responsible for
switching them at birth in 1988
. The hospital denies the allegations.
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There are moments that remind us exactly who we are as a community, and the recent fire at Antelope Creek Bar and Grill in Mooreton was one of them. Many already know the awful loss that unfolded. It was a brutally hot day, the kind where the sun feels heavy and the air is so thick, and social media quickly filled with photos, videos, and comments documenting the devastation. Heartbreaking. Gut‑wrenching. A place that held memories for so many suddenly only visions smoke and charred remains.
But even in the middle of all that loss, something else rose up, something that always seems to show itself around here when life gets hard. Kindness. Pure, steady kindness.
The volunteer firefighters were the first reminder. They never cease to amaze me. They drop everything … work, family, whatever they were in the middle of and suit up in layers of gear despite the heat and humidity. They’re regular people with regular jobs, yet they show up like it’s the most natural thing in the world. No spotlight. No applause. Just service. Just heart.
Then came the folks who arrived with water, Gatorade, and anything they could think of to help ease the burden of those battling the blaze. Nobody organized it. Nobody asked. They simply showed up because that’s what people do here. That alone would have been enough to warm my heart.
But it didn’t stop there.
As the day went on, I saw posts from other regional businesses, specifically other bar and grills, reaching out with messages of support. These are places that could easily be seen as competition, yet there they were, offering help, extending care, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the owners who had just watched their livelihood disappear. “We are here. How can we help?” they wrote. No rivalry. No hesitation. Just neighbors being neighbors.
If you ever need a reminder of what makes this valley special, it’s moments like that. People who could have stayed quiet choosing instead to lift someone else up. Businesses that could have focused on themselves choosing instead to stand with another in their darkest moment. It’s the best of us. The part of small town life that doesn’t make headlines but makes all the difference.
We talk a lot about community, but this, this right here is what it looks like. It looks like firefighters sweating through their gear on a 90‑degree day. It looks like strangers handing out cold drinks. It looks like business owners reaching across the aisle to say, “You’re not alone.” It looks like compassion showing up before anyone has time to think twice.
Loss has a way of revealing character. And what I saw in the wake of that fire was a valley full of people who still believe in showing up, still believe in helping, still believe in each other. In a world that can feel divided and loud, this quiet, steady goodness is worth noticing. Worth celebrating. Worth holding onto.
Because when the smoke clears and the debris settles, what remains is the strength of a community that refuses to let anyone face hardship alone. And that, more than anything, is the story worth telling.
That is the true Best of the Valley. The people.
Bobbi Steffens resides in the Southern Valley and discovered her passion for writing through an unexpected path.
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