BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – North Dakota Game and Fish Department game wardens will once again participate in a national campaign called Operation Dry Water.

“Operation Dry Water is a national campaign focusing on the awareness and enforcement of boating under the influence, both alcohol and drug use,” said Jackie Lundstrom, NDGF game warden supervisor.

This year’s campaign is focused on the Fourth of July week, July 4-6.

“That time frame has historically been picked because it is a national holiday, and it’s a time frame when just about everybody gets together for some sort of family gathering or friends and family outing and watching fireworks,” said Lundstrom.

There are many partners who participate in Operation Dry Water on a local and national level.

“Across the country, all agencies involved with any type of water enforcement. That could be a state agency, it could be sheriff’s departments, local police departments. We have states and territories all over the country that are involved with this project. And it’s also in correlation with the U.S. Coast Guard as well,” said Lundstrom.

What can boaters expect when stopped by game wardens or other participating agencies during Operation Dry Water?

“If you are stopped, whether it was for an initial violation or a safety check, our officers will go through those items that are required, and then they’ll also discuss whether or not there’s a sober operator on board for the day,” said Lundstrom.

The Fourth of July is a holiday when family and friends typically gather and have a great time on our state’s lakes and rivers, but at the end of the day, everyone has the same end goal.

“Our ultimate goal when we’re outdoors and out on the water, especially this holiday weekend, we want to make sure that everyone comes home safe and has a good time on the water,” said Lundstrom.

Most of the fatal boating accidents in North Dakota are alcohol-related.

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North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum is little-known on the national stage but is now a top choice to be former President Donald Trump’ s vice presidential running mate.

The wealthy software entrepreneur has led North Dakota like a CEO. He’s championed business-oriented items such as income tax cuts and tech upgrades for state government, from cybersecurity to state websites. He has not been outspoken on social issues, even as the state’s Republican-led Legislature sent him a flurry of anti-LGBTQ+ bills last year. But after vetoing some of the bills in 2021 and 2023, he later signed most of them — around the same time he was preparing a 2024 presidential bid that fizzled within months.

Here are some takeaways on Burgum and his actions:

From small-town roots, Burgum became a wealthy executive

Burgum, 67, grew up in a tiny North Dakota town. After college, he led Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion. Burgum stayed on as a vice president with Microsoft until 2007. He went on to lead other companies in real estate development and venture capital.

Burgum was largely known as a software executive and businessman before his upset campaign for governor in 2016 when he beat the state’s longtime attorney general in the GOP primary. He ran on “reinventing” government as the state grappled with a $1 billion revenue shortfall.

As governor, his focus was on economic, not social issues

Burgum campaigned in 2016 as a business leader and has governed with the same approach. He’s talked about “treating taxpayers like customers.” He brought some Microsoft veterans and other private-sector people into state government.

He’s pushed income tax cuts, cybersecurity enhancements, state website upgrades, cuts to state regulations and changes to higher education governance and animal agriculture laws. The planned Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is one of his biggest efforts.

Burgum can talk at length about carbon capture, energy policy and other topics of interest to him. He frequently boasts of North Dakota’s underground “geologic jackpot” for carbon dioxide storage, and touts an approach of “innovation over regulation.”

People who have worked with him in the governor’s office say he’s extremely inquisitive and works long hours.

Burgum’s positions on LGBTQ+ issues changed

Democratic and Republican lawmakers who have worked with Burgum say it was disappointing to see him sign a sheaf of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2023, and that he might have been eyeing the national stage as he did so. Burgum launched a bid for president in June 2023, about a month after the legislative session ended.

In 2021, Burgum vetoed a bill banning transgender girls from public schools’ girls sports. In early 2023, he vetoed a bill he said would make teachers into “pronoun police.”

But later in the 2023 session, as he prepared to run for president, he signed the slew of bills restricting transgender people, including a ban on gender-affirming medical treatments for kids and two sports bans similar to the bill he vetoed in 2021.

He also signed a book ban bill but vetoed a further-reaching one. Opponents said the bills went after LGBTQ+ literature.

Burgum also signed a bill that revised North Dakota’s abortion laws after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The state’s abortion ban is one of the strictest in the U.S. Burgum has not been outspoken on LGBTQ+ issues or abortion.

Burgum ended his presidential campaign in December 2023, having failed to gain traction. The next month, he said he wouldn’t seek a third term as governor.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Chief of Police Scott Edinger received the 2024 Sworn Member of the Year Award from the Police Chiefs Association of North Dakota on June 25 in Minot.

The award was presented at the organization’s conference in Minot.

The Sworn Member of the Year Award is given based on continual, exceptional performance of duty, clearly above that normally expected which has contributed to the success of their department, according to the Police Chiefs Association of North Dakota website,

https://policechiefsnd.org/

The award criteria: the recipient’s conduct is significantly superior, exhibits conduct which would tend to establish a positive role model for others, is cooperative and productive to significantly further police missions and demonstrates positive personal initiative and expertise, according to the website.

“His life is full of service and helping others,” said David Peterson, chief of police in Williston, North Dakota, and a member of the selection committee that chose Edinger for the award.

“I’m proud of the selection and happy for Chief Edinger,” Peterson said.

The Police Chiefs Association of North Dakota is made up of members who are hired by municipalities across the state of North Dakota. Membership includes command staff-level members from over 60 cities and towns in North Dakota. Non-command staff can be associate members of the organization.

“I certainly didn’t expect this,” Edinger said of receiving the award. “Anytime something like this happens, it’s hard to take credit for anything like that because in my position it’s so dependent upon everybody that I work with  — everybody that works at the police department from command staff to patrol to the clerical staff, elected officials and support of the community. … nothing that I do is possible without that.”

Maj. Justin Blinsky, assistant chief of police for the Jamestown Police Department, nominated Edinger for the award.

“Chief Edinger’s nomination was based not only on his current work product but also a culmination of his career,” he said.

Edinger is a native of North Dakota who grew up in Lusk, Wyoming. He worked for the Niobrara County Sheriff’s Office in Lusk for about three years before returning to North Dakota and joining the Jamestown Police Department in 1994, where he has served for 30 years.

Edinger began his work at JPD as a patrol officer and after several years was chosen for the Stutsman County Drug Task Force, where he served for many years. He was promoted to corporal during that time and after completing his task force assignment was assigned to the detective division. Edinger was recognized for his work on the task force and detective division in several large-scale investigations and successful prosecutions, Blinsky said. While serving in the detective division, he was promoted to sergeant.

He was selected for Jamestown chief of police in 2012.

In his nomination of Edinger for the award, Blinsky wrote that he is a “leader, mentor, and works hard for the betterment of each police department employee. He clearly enjoys coming to work each day.”

Blinsky noted Edinger’s cumulative work, saying it exhibits “exceptional performance of duty that has a direct impact on the continued success of the Jamestown Police Department.”

During Edinger’s tenure as chief, numerous changes have been implemented to ensure the police department is “as efficient, modernized, employee-centric, and structured as possible, while balancing the interests of the City of Jamestown,” Blinsky wrote.

Blinsky said Edinger is willing to listen to new ideas or reasoning for changes while keeping a “big picture” perspective on how changes can have unintended consequences.

Edinger also relates well with citizens and shows compassion and humility, Blinsky said. He has been recognized by department employees, citizens, social groups, attorneys, judges, advocates and even some individuals convicted of crimes that he investigated for his work product and personal attributes, Blinsky wrote.

Edinger has received the following awards/commendations in his career from the Jamestown Police Department: Medal of Honor award, five Honorable Service awards, seven Exceptional Duty awards, four unit citations and Officer of the Year 2005. He was also recognized for his participation and response multiple times to assist Morton County during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016-2017.

Edinger oversees 29 full-time sworn, three part-time sworn and four civilian staff at JPD.

Edinger served two terms as president of the Police Chiefs Association of North Dakota and is currently past president. He has provided testimony and insight to state legislators to help guide them through changes in state laws and procedures and also served on several advisory committees and community boards, Blinsky said.

Edinger said the award he received is a Jamestown Police Department award, noting the quality of the people who work there.

“Because of that, it makes everything that I do so much easier,” he said. “I guess I look at it as part of my job is to fight for those employees and look out for their well-being and I think that’s probably why that it (the award nomination) got submitted.”

Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.