North Dakota

Campaign finance group with untraceable funding goes after conservative North Dakota candidates

Published

2 years ago

May 31, 2022

Campaign finance group with untraceable funding goes after conservative North Dakota candidates

BISMARCK — A marketing campaign finance group concentrating on conservative North Dakota candidates with controversial assault advertisements asserts it’s working to tell voters, however critics have labeled the Brighter Future Alliance a “darkish cash” group attributable to its lack of clear funding sources.

The Bismarck-based group had

spent about $60,000 on political promoting

this 12 months as of Wednesday, Might 25, in keeping with marketing campaign finance filings.

Most of the advertisements paid for by Brighter Future Alliance oppose Republican legislative candidates, together with Reps. Jeff Hoverson, Jeff Magrum and Sebastian Ertelt, in addition to first-time contenders Brandon Prichard and Ryan Eckroth.

The group has additionally spent almost $29,000 on unfavourable advertisements about

Fargo Metropolis Commissioner Dave Piepkorn,

together with one mailer calling the native politician “a humiliation” to town.

Brighter Future Alliance paid to ship a mailer to Fargo residents that refers to Fargo Metropolis Commissioner Dave Piepkorn as “a humiliation” to town.

Photograph submitted

Pat Finken, the group’s chairman and the

former CEO

of Bismarck-based promoting agency Odney, stated Brighter Future Alliance will spend greater than $100,000 previous to the first and native elections on June 14.

The nonprofit group has been energetic in North Dakota public life for the final decade, and in 2020, it spent greater than $250,000 on political promoting — the overwhelming majority of which was paid to Odney.

Finken stated the group’s purpose is “to present voters the knowledge they should make good selections,” including Brighter Future Alliance can be concerned in making regulatory proposals and mobilizing voters.

“We put on our mission on our sleeve, and we play by the principles,” Finken stated in an electronic mail.

The group is organized as an “unbiased expenditure filer” beneath North Dakota’s marketing campaign finance legal guidelines, which means it’s not required to publicly checklist its sources of funding.

Finken declined to voluntarily disclose the group’s backers, however he particularly said that Brighter Future Alliance had not acquired donations from Gov. Doug Burgum, who has shelled out

six-figure sums for political advertisements

via the Dakota Management PAC, or state Sen. Jim Roers, who

not too long ago tangled with Piepkorn

over a proposed Fargo improvement.

Magrum refers back to the group as “the darker future alliance” due to its untrackable funding sources and “deceitful” promoting campaigns.

One of many group’s mailers that includes Magrum, now a candidate for state Senate, says the Hazelton Republican “voted to defund regulation enforcement.” One other advert says he did not assist the North Dakota Nationwide Guard.

Whereas Magrum voted towards proposed budgets for regulation enforcement businesses and the Nationwide Guard in 2021, he stated his opposition was to particular points of the payments, not the businesses or the companies they supply.

For example, he stated, he voted towards the Nationwide Guard’s finances as a result of it didn’t comprise sufficient funding for first responders’ tools. Magrum added he’s an enormous advocate for the police and the army.

The group has despatched out comparable assault advertisements about Ertelt, who can be operating for the higher chamber. The Gwinner Republican stated the group’s deep pockets and willingness to place out inaccurate info makes the taking part in subject uneven for candidates with restricted funds.

“I’m very snug defending my report,” Ertelt stated. “It’s more durable to defend towards deceptive statements.”

Ertelt, who

North Dakota

Death Investigation: North Dakota Person Died After Consuming Recalled Microdosing Candies – KVRR Local News

Published

6 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Death Investigation: North Dakota Person Died After Consuming Recalled Microdosing Candies – KVRR Local News

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/NorthDakotaMonitor) — A person in North Dakota died after consuming recalled microdosing candies.

The death is under investigation by state agencies, the poison control center and FDA.

The FDA published a recall on June 28 of some Prophet Premium Blends Diamond Shruumz products.

They are marketed as containing a proprietary blend of mushrooms.

As of July 1, 48 illnesses, including 27 hospitalizations, have been reported in 24 states.

North Dakota is the only state where a death is being investigated.

North Dakota officials are warning the public because the recalled products could still be available for sale online, in stores that sell hemp-derived products, or in smoke and vape shops, said Michelle Dethloff, director of the infectious diseases and epidemiology unit.

The products are not illegal but they are not licensed or regulated by the state.

State officials would not provide specifics about when or where in North Dakota the death occurred or the person’s age, citing privacy reasons. The person who died is an adult, Dethloff said. The exact cause of death remains under investigation.

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North Dakota

North Dakota Residents Speak Out: 15 Things To Outlaw Forever

Published

14 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

North Dakota Residents Speak Out: 15 Things To Outlaw Forever

There’s really not much I don’t like about North Dakota.

Yeah, the weather can be annoying at times. Mostly the wind, but other than that I personally love the 4 changes of seasons even though sometimes we miss out on one or two of them Some years we don’t get much of a spring or in other years fall is very short and we go right into winter.

Besides the weather what’s not to like right? Well, there are some things according to our listeners that should be “outlawed” in the state of North Dakota.

Wouldn’t be nice if you could make one law in the state of North Dakota?

I recently asked my listeners on our Facebook page, app, and on-air if they could outlaw one thing in North Dakota what would it be? Some of the answers were of course comic genius. Like, “STDs”, “Mothers in Laws”, “White Claw Drinkers”, “South Dakotans” and my favorite “Mondays”. Yes, we should definitely go to a 4-day work week in this country.

Some more serious answers like “Texting and Driving”, “Vaping”, “Smoking”, and “The Enforcement of Littering Fines” were also given.

I had over 1,000 answers to my question to add up.

Those are just some of the honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the top 15 answers to my very scientific poll that encompassed over 1,000 answers. I’m actually starting to get pretty good at math thanks to this job.

So, without further ado, here are “The Top 15 Things We Would Like to Outlaw in North Dakota.” Hopefully, some of these will become illegal in the future.

These Are The 15 Things North Dakotans Would Like To Outlaw

Beautiful North Dakota home found full of dead animals.

Gallery Credit: John Seil

LOOK: Baby names that are illegal around the world

Stacker scoured hundreds of baby name databases and news releases to curate a list of baby names that are illegal somewhere in the world, along with explanations for why they’re banned.

Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz

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North Dakota

Minnesota, North Dakota prep for busy roads this holiday weekend

Published

21 hours ago

July 4, 2024

Press Room

Minnesota, North Dakota prep for busy roads this holiday weekend

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – According to AAA, nearly 71 million people are expected to travel this week. Chances are, many of you will be if you haven’t already.

It’s all hands on deck for law enforcement in Minnesota. They’re keeping an extra eye out for impaired and distracted drivers.

“We hope when we go out, we don’t find anybody. You know, making those poor choices because we want everybody to hear the conversations here than along the roadside. Really the 4th of July holiday should be about making memories and we don’t want to involve bad crashes or anything like that,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow with the Minnesota State Patrol.

State Patrol says over the last five years, there have been 25 traffic-related deaths on the 4th. That’s more compared to other holidays including the winter ones like Christmas and New Year’s.

”Clear, sunny days, dry roads, it’s one of those things that again, just because the road conditions are in good conditions doesn’t mean you can get laxed on your behaviors when it comes to traffic safety.”

While different states, safety is also the main goal in North Dakota.

“We have a speeding grant that’s going on right now. So we’ll definitely be enforcing speeding but as always, we definitely do whatever we can to deter DUIs and we will be enforcing DUIs whenever we can,” Sgt. Matt Ysteboe with Fargo Police tells Valley News Live.

In North Dakota, a first-offense DUI is considered a Class B misdemeanor. It can lead to a $500 fine if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is below .16. The higher the BAC, the higher the penalty. Drinking and driving can be more than a penalty to your wallet.

“Making sure that you have a designated driver. We don’t want to see anybody out there getting hurt or getting involved in with some terrible accident from drinking and driving,” added Ysteboe.

For Minnesota, punishment for one’s first DWI can vary. The Department of Public Safety says a typical penalty for a first-time offender is potential jail time and the loss of a license for a minimum of up to 30 days to a year. When factoring costs and legal fees, you could be looking at a price tag as high as $20,000.

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