North Dakota
Defending champs Fargo North back in boys state title game after win over Minot in Division AA semifinals
BISMARCK — The defending state champion Fargo North Spartans now have a shot to go back-to-back as they punched their ticket to the North Dakota Division AA boys state basketball championship with a win over Minot Friday.
The East No. 2 North utilized offensive attacks from both the inside with Carter Zeller and outside with Jeremiah and Matthew Sem to bolster their lead over West No. 1 Minot on their way to the 81-58 semifinal win.
David Samson/The Forum
All three finished with more than 20 points with Zeller scoring 26, Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 20.
To North coach Travis Hoeg, the win might be the Spartans’ best game they’ve played in the 2023-24 season to date.
“For our 2023-24 season that is about as perfect as we’ve played a game in both halves,” Hoeg said. “My dudes were so efficient statistically tonight, it’s just unbelievable. Our number one thing was to limit Minot’s offensive rebounds. That’s how they kill teams.
“And we only allowed nine offensive rebounds tonight. That’s a huge part of why we were so successful.”
David Samson/The Forum
North went 35 of 60 from the field and eight for 20 on triples while Minot was 22 of 52 on field goals and five of 20 on threes.
In addition to his team-leading 26 points, North’s Zeller was also snagging rebounds finishing with nine, one away from a double-double.
“That’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Zeller of his rebounding. “Points are good and all but I like getting rebounds and setting the screens. I like being the big presence down there.”
As far as a chance to play for another state championship, Zeller is already looking forward to Saturday night’s tip.
“It’s great,” he said. “I’m real excited and we’re ready to go get it tomorrow.”
David Samson/The Forum
Like North, Minot also put three players in double figures scoring.
The Magicians’ Logan Conklin had 16, Payton Schell 14 and Aric Winczewski 12.
Minot coach Dean Winczewski felt North finishing early shots, hitting second half baskets and performing on defense were the biggest factors in the loss.
David Samson/The Forum
“They finished baskets around the rim early then made shots in the second half and we didn’t,” coach Winczewski said. “You have to give them credit for playing extremely well and shooting as well as they did and defending us. We didn’t take advantage of the chances we had. Unfortunately, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
As far as one last chance to play together, the Magicians are going to give it their all in the third place game, added Winczewski.
“We get one more chance to be together as a family,” he said. “We just have to take advantage of it.”
David Samson/The Forum
North plays the winner of East No. 3 West Fargo Sheyenne and East No. 1 Fargo Davies, who they fell short against last week in the East Region championship game. Minot faces the loser.
“They’re two teams we’re very familiar with,” said Hoeg. “We split with Sheyenne and haven’t found an answer yet for Davies. We’re going to watch their game and get together as a coaching staff.
“It’s going to be a late night coming up with some different schemes. But, we’ll be ready. We’ll have our guys ready.”
And if the Spartans perform like they did Friday night?
“If my guys play like tonight,” said Hoeg. “I don’t know if there’s a team that can beat them if they play like tonight.”
Halftime: Fargo North 36, Minot 26
Fargo North — Zeller 26, J. Sem 22, M. Sem 20, Hannestad 3, Shilling 2, Busanga 2, Opheim 2, DeBoer 2, Haugo 2.
Minot — Conklin 16, Schell 14, Winczewski 12, Nelson 8, Jensen 3, Bedell 2, Schaeffer 2, Deaver 1.
David Samson/The Forum
North Dakota
The Democratic Spirit: Reflections on North Dakota History and the Declaration of Independence at 250 – America250
A state and national public forum comprising a lecture, and then a question-answer session. Kwame Anthony Appiah’s lecture commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and explore its enduring significance in American life. Appiah’s scholarship on ethics, identity, and cosmopolitanism offers a unique lens for examining democratic ideals in a diverse society. By connecting these themes to North Dakota’s historical narrative, the forum fosters civic engagement, intellectual discourse, and cultural understanding within our community.
FARGO — Drivers can expect to see a slight uptick in gas prices as a result of the Iran conflict.
As of Monday, March 2, the average for North Dakota is $2.65 a gallon. While that is a $0.13 increase from a month ago, it is significantly lower than prices a year ago.
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GRAND FORKS – The Study ND, formerly Humanities North Dakota, has received $15,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for a statewide theater and humanities initiative in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
This commemorative investment is meant to bring historical events and figures – such as the framers of the U.S. Constitution – to life through virtual and live performances that celebrate the nation’s history.
The grant, along with funding from private sources, has made it possible for The Study ND to host “America 250” activities after the organization sustained a considerable cut in funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities last year, according to Brenna Gerhardt, The Study ND executive director.
“We absorbed a 50% budget cut, resulting in a loss of $467,645 in funding,” Gerhardt said. “As a result, we had to significantly scale back our American 250 initiatives focused on American history and civics education.”
Funds received from the National Endowment for the Arts will be used to present public readings, theatrical portrayals and guided discussions to encourage audience members to reflect on the nation’s founding in 1776 and on its democratic ideals, while engaging in contemporary conversations about civic life.
All of the programming in the series organized by The Study ND, titled “American Heroes,” will be livestreamed statewide.
In the grant application submitted to the National Endowment for the Arts, “we framed the project around a simple idea: democracy requires more than information, it requires citizens who can think historically, listen well, and argue in good faith,” Gerhardt said.
“This series uses living history performances to bring consequential figures into the room, then turns the room into a civic space through moderated dialogue and related public events. We define ‘heroism’ as civic courage under pressure, the willingness to contend with hard truths, and the capacity to enlarge a community’s moral imagination,” she said.
“The project does not ask audiences to agree on a single interpretation of a figure. It invites them to grapple with complexity together, and to connect the past to the responsibilities of the present.”
When Gerhardt and her colleagues received the application for grant proposals from the National Endowment for the Arts, “we were already planning a line-up of America 250 events and it fit perfectly with what we were already planning, so then we just wrote the grant,” she said.
Private funds, including matching funds from the Bismarck-based Tom and Frances Leach Foundation, have also been provided for this project.
Details about all the events will probably be posted on the website
www.TheStudyND.org
in March, Gerhardt said.
The America 250 events, which are planned to take place at Bismarck State College, are 5-6 p.m. July 8, “Reading of the Declaration of Independence, with John Adams,” and 6-7:30 p.m. July 9, “Alexander Hamilton Speaks,” both performed by William Chrystal.
The Living History programs are planned for 7-8:15 p.m. Sept. 17, “Thomas Paine,” performed by Doug Mishler, and Oct. 6, 7-8:15 p.m, “Frederick Douglass,” performed by Nathan Richardson. Both will be moderated by Susan Frontczak.
The performers Chrystal and Richardson live in Virginia, Frontczak in Colorado,and Mishler in Nevada.
Another program, “Hemingway and Gellhorn,” is set for Sept. 16-18 at Bismarck State College, Gerhardt said. “It is part of our broader Chautauqua/living history programming connected to America 250 … (and) will feature performances and discussion centered on Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, using their lives and writing as a way to explore major questions about American identity, war reporting, public memory, and the stories we tell about freedom, conflict and responsibility.
“What I am excited about with this event is that it gives us a way to approach America 250 beyond founding-era material. In other words, it helps us show the American story is not just about 1776, but also about the generations that followed and how Americans wrestled with democracy, power, truth and moral courage.”
This program “expands the initiative beyond commemoration into reflection, dialogue and interpretation, which is where the humanities are especially valuable,” she said. “It helps us reach audiences who may be drawn in through literature, journalism and performance, not only traditional history events.”
The Hemingway and Gellhorn program fits in with America 250 in that “it broadens the frame and adds depth to the larger effort.”
Gerhardt is hoping that these activities will give participants “a better understanding of all the debates and issues going on when our country was founded, and how those debates are continuing today,” she said, “and just to be more thoughtful and informed citizens.”
College students and members of the general public will also be invited to participate in a workshop aimed at teaching participants how to build a living history performance from primary sources and historical research.
Last year, The Study ND lost a substantial amount of funding – nearly $468,000, about half of its annual budget – from the National Endowment for the Humanities for its fiscal 2025 year.
The loss of that much funding was discouraging, Gerhardt said. “Very much so, because we had a lot of activities planned for America 250 and we had to cancel a lot of them, or – like in this case – seek other funding, which we were lucky to get.”
The Study ND currently has four full-time employees, she said. “We eliminated a part-time marketing position after the cuts.”
A nonprofit organization, The Study ND provides civics, arts and cultural education programming. The organization’s programs – which include online classes, book talks, lectures and more – reached about 24,000 people in 2024, Gerhardt told the North Dakota Monitor in April 2025.
During the summer, the organization hosts a civics education program for high school and middle school social studies teachers, she said.
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