FARGO — As dry conditions continue across North Dakota, the Game and Fish department is asking hunters to help prevent fires.

This weekend is the pheasant opener in North Dakota, and there are a number of things hunters can do to stay safe.

The first is to avoid driving on or parking any vehicles on dry grass.

“The catalytic converters can be hot, and you can walk away from a situation that seems to be of no concern, and come back and a fire has started and even your truck could be victim of that fire,” Doug Leier, an outreach biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said.

Another thing to avoid is having safety chains on boats, campers or trailers dragging on the ground, as that can cause a spark.

There are also things hunters can bring with that can help if a fire breaks out.

“Bring along a fire extinguisher if you can have equipment; water, if you can bring along a flapper, if you can bring along shovels and have that with you in the back of your pickup truck, because in the event that you unintentionally start a fire, then you’ve got some of the equipment and the means right there (to put it out),” Leier said.

Hunters should also keep an eye on county burn restrictions and the fire danger index, but Leier says it’s important to use your best judgment based on what you’re seeing.

“That can change from the early morning to the late afternoon, and the wind picks up, and what you may have thought was safe and legal early in the morning, later on in the afternoon, while it may still be legal, it might not be the right thing to do,” he said.

Leier also says if hunters spot a fire, they should call 911 immediately. If that fire is already out of control, he says don’t risk fighting it, wait for the professionals to arrive.

You can find information on burn restrictions and the fire danger index

online

.

FARGO — North Dakota has joined a group of 20 states suing to stop a Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services rule that would require 24-hour staffing at nursing homes.

According to a Wednesday, Oct. 9, release from the office of North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, nursing homes are required by Congress to provide eight hours of continuous staffing per day.

The new rule raises that to 24-hour staffing and requires a higher ratio of nursing staff to residents “that 97% of nursing homes would be out of compliance with,” the release said.

“This final rule poses an existential threat to the nursing home industry as many nursing homes that are already struggling will have no choice but to go out of business. And the main victims will be patients who have nowhere else to go,” the complaint reads.

Wrigley said the new rule would particularly affect care facilities in rural areas.

“Twenty states have banded together to push back and hopefully defeat the Biden-Harris Administration’s poorly planned overreach that will weaken care and ultimately restrict patient access when nursing care facilities are forced to close, especially in rural areas,” he said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum gave his support to Wrigley in joining the lawsuit.

“North Dakota continues to work on providing quality care to individuals in nursing homes across our state. Federal rules like this that fail to acknowledge the unique needs of North Dakota and other rural states will only worsen the workforce gaps in a nursing profession that is already experiencing a massive shortage following the pandemic,” Burgum said in the release.

The lawsuit is led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. They are joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

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Cattle escaped a North Dakota pasture Monday and wandered onto the interstate, causing a three-vehicle crash and leading to the death of 25 animals.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. Monday, the North Dakota State Highway Patrol said in a news release, when a large amount of cattle left a pasture next to Interstate 94, exit 190, near Driscoll. 

A group of cattle gathered under an overpass when they were struck by a semi-truck carrying refrigerated produce, the agency said. The semi entered the median and overturned, causing a small fire to start. The fire was immediately put out and the driver, 57-year-old Ewert Nel, was not hurt. He was wearing his seatbelt, the agency said.

The roadway was closed for at least four hours in wake of the crash.

Kaycee Anderson, a driver in a 2024 Ford Escape who was also traveling east on I-94, hit the cattle. The 26-year-old was wearing her seatbelt and suffered minor cuts and bruises. She was taken to the hospital.

Lastly, Dina Diamanti, 41, was westbound in a 2014 Ford Fusion when she hit the cattle. In the car with her were a 20-year-old and two teenagers. Everyone in the vehicle wore a seatbelt, but each person was taken to the hospital for possibly minor injuries, the agency said.

The escaped cattle and vehicles blocked both I-94 lanes under exit 190, the agency said.

The roadway was closed at 1 a.m., the agency said. The westbound lane reopened just over four hours later, while the eastbound lane took about five hours to reopen.

The North Dakota State Highway Patrol said none of the drivers will be charged. 

The agency said in its news release that 60-year-old Gerald Schmidt owns the cattle and altogether, 25 were killed Monday. Schmidt, the cattle owner, will not face charges, Sgt. Jeremiah Bohn from the North Dakota State Highway Patrol confirmed to USA TODAY Wednesday morning.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.