North Dakota
During Chamber forum, Grand Forks legislative candidates disagree on North Dakota abortion ban
GRAND FORKS – During legislative forums Tuesday evening, Grand Forks candidates in Districts 42 and 18 disagreed on North Dakota’s abortion ban but did agree the Legislature needs to address property taxes.
The forum was sponsored by the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce and was moderated by Garth Rydland and Chamber CEO and President Barry Wilfahrt. The evening included one forum for District 42 House and Senate candidates and another for District 18 House and Senate candidates. Each forum included a similar set of questions about topics like the state’s abortion ban, ballot Measure 4 (regarding a proposal to end the state’s current property tax system) and legislation they would like to support.
Candidates in District 42
had the first forum and included Senate candidates Claire Cory, Republican; and Rodney Gigstad, Democrat; and House candidates Sarah Grossbauer, Democrat; Carol Hagen, Democrat; Emily O’Brien, Republican; and Doug Osowski, Republican.
Candidates in District 18
had the second forum and included Senate candidates Scott Meyer, Republican; and Kyle Thorson, Democrat; and House candidates Mary Adams, Democrat; Nels Christianson, Republican; Scott Nelson, Democrat; and Steve Vetter, Republican.
On abortion, all of the Democratic-NPL candidates were against the ban.
“I believe that the Legislature of North Dakota has no business in my doctor’s office or anyone else’s,” Grossbauer said. “How are we supposed to expect a 12-year-old who was raped to know that she was pregnant if she’s not menstruating? I think it was a slap in the face to every woman across this state.”
A judge recently
found the ban violates the state’s Constitution.
“I don’t believe in passing legislation that’s unconstitutional,” said Thorson. “We’re spending millions defending this bill in court along with many other constitutional bills that we passed before. My opinion is government should not be in these decisions.”
Most of the Republican candidates said that they are pro-life and for the ban, with the exception of O’Brien, who did not outright say she is against the ban.
“I’m not sure which specific bill that is being discussed. … In my own opinion I believe that it is between the individual and the doctor to have those conversations and make those decisions best for them,” O’Brien said.
Christianson said “I am unapologetically pro-life. The consensus pro-life statute passed by the Legislature protects the dignity of the life of the mother and the child.”
On Measure 4, which seeks to
eliminate the vast majority of property taxes in the state, many agreed the state needs to do something about rising taxes. Many are against the measure.
“Having just had some of our property north of Bismarck burned and having the fire department and the National Guard, it’s kind of a big thing for the first responders,” Hagen said. “We need to be able to have first responders and other resources, and Measure 4 would deflate or defeat a lot of those products.”
Other candidates said voters will make the right decision this November.
“I trust that voters will make the right decision for what they think is best for the state,” said Cory. “I support all forms of tax relief for District 42 residents, but I also encourage people to be informed on the measure before they go and vote.”
Osowski said the measure would provide a fix for the clear appetite for property tax reform.
“This would be the quickest way to release some financial burden on citizens that own homes and are subject to property taxes or unfair tax burdens,” said Osowski.
Meyer said that if reelected, property tax reform would be at the top of his agenda.
“I will be sitting at the table on property tax reform,” Meyer said. “I don’t want to start with the investment properties or centrally assessed things. No matter what, your Legislature will be working on this in 2025.”
If approved, the responsibility of paying property tax would no longer be on the property owner. Instead, the state would cover the current rate going forward, with local entities being responsible for any increases beyond the current rate. Adams and many of the other candidates at Tuesday’s forums noted that the plan has no set solution on where the funds — billions of dollars — will come from to pay for essential services.
“Whoever came forward with the (measure) said ‘Oh the Legislature will fix it’ but they can’t just fix it because property tax encompasses so many things,” Adams said. “Take away the tax, and then you’re going to get ‘fees’ because one way or the other, we have to pay for our infrastructure, our police department, our fire department; all those things that you don’t always use, but you’re glad that they’re there.”
On proposed legislation, many of the representatives that aren’t currently serving in office said they would focus on co-sponsoring legislation instead of crafting their own bills from scratch. But they did provide ideas of topics that the Legislature should tackle, like education funding or leave policy.
“We need to pass a school lunch bill so that kids can go to school and be able to concentrate on their studies (instead of being hungry), because that’s going to help everybody,” said Gigstad. “I think we need to explore a paid family leave bill (or) at least study the family leave situation.”
Tackling school meal funding and ensuring North Dakota students have access to nutritious food was a key issue for the Dem-NPL candidates.
“Any little thing we can do to help improve school performance will improve the society as a whole,” said Nelson. “We need to make sure we fortify our public schools, and by doing that, we start with the nutrition and the well-being of the students.”
More experienced candidates said that they don’t need the time to hit the ground running, unlike many of the less politically experienced candidates.
“Will you need on-the-job training with me? I’m ready to go, day one,” said Vetter. “I have a history of passing bills, getting things done, and solving problems.”
O’Brien also defended herself against an allegation
that she does not ilive in District 42.
“There have been several conversations. Four years ago it was the same conversation because my boyfriend and I have two children together,” O’Brien said. “I work very hard to still have my own house where all my mail goes; my children have a safe and comfortable place to go that mom has and dad has.”
The forums will be rebroadcast on the local cable channel prior to election day and available on the city of Grand Forks’ Facebook page. More information on the upcoming North Dakota general election on Nov. 5 can be found at
www.vote.nd.gov
.
GRAND FORKS — A North Dakota composer’s dream is turning into a statewide invitation.
Williston-based musician Emily Black-Driscoll was chosen as the North Dakota Music Teachers Association’s commissioned composer for 2026. She’s preparing an original composition that will premiere in August.
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North Dakota
Challengers declare victory after ND Supreme Court rules against Legislature’s attempt to alter term limits
BISMARCK — A constitutional ballot measure to amend the state’s term limits law as proposed by the Legislature will not appear on November’s ballot, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday, siding with petitioners who argued the Legislature exceeded its authority and violated the state constitution in proposing the changes.
“The people’s voice was heard,” Grand Forks County Commissioner Terry Bjerke said in reaction to the news.
Bjerke was a member of the sponsoring committee behind the successful 2022 effort to pass a term limits initiative, which amended the state constitution by capping legislative term limits to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. The amendment, which became article XV of the state constitution, also included a clause barring the Legislature from making constitutional changes to term limits.
During the 2025 session, however, lawmakers narrowly approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 4008, in which the legislature proposed Constitutional Measure 1, a ballot measure to amend the term limits language to allow legislators to decide in which chamber they want to serve their 16 years, and to repeal the clause limiting the legislative assembly’s authority to propose an amendment to alter or repeal term limits.
Bjerke and former Minot legislator Oley Larsen brought the lawsuit challenging the validity of the Legislature’s action in January, and the state Supreme Court
heard oral arguments in the case
this spring.
“Those term limits may only be altered by a measure proposed by the people rather than the Legislative Assembly. And yet a few years later, the Legislative Assembly is doing what they are prohibited from doing,” attorney Zachary Wallen argued on Bjerke and Larsen’s behalf.
Tanner Ecker / The Bismarck Tribune
The Legislature’s attorneys argued the clause prohibiting legislative proposals to alter the constitutional term limits language “infringes on our republican form of government” by “limiting the people’s ability to vote on amendments proposed by their elected officials.”
Justice Jon Jensen seemed skeptical of that argument during the April 2 hearing, questioning whether a second vote was appropriate.
“The public did speak on this. The public spoke on it when it passed the original constitutional amendment and they said, ‘Legislature, you don’t even get to propose a change.’ They have already spoken on it,” Jensen said. “You want a second shot, or a second bite at the apple, not a first one, a second.”
In Thursday’s ruling, all five justices sided with Bjerke and Larsen.
“We … conclude the Legislative Assembly’s adoption of S.C.R. 4008 violated N.D. Const. art. XV … and declare S.C.R. 4008 and Constitutional Measure 1 void … We enjoin the Secretary of State from placing Constitutional Measure 1 on the November 2026 general election ballot,” the ruling said.
Bjerke thanked the legal team that worked on behalf of their lawsuit, and said he was grateful the court reached the conclusion it did.
“I’m thrilled that what the people voted on and approved has been validated,” Bjerke said.
He added that the Legislature had “multiple opportunities” to address term limits prior to 2022’s initiated measure and chose not to, and gave a nod to the country’s coming milestone and the process by which voters expressed their support for term limits.
“We’ve lasted 250 years,” Bjerke said. “I have two words for those elected leaders who think they aren’t: everyone’s replaceable.”
North Dakota
Fargo woman convicted in North Dakota fraud case now faces charges in Minnesota: A deeper dive
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A North Dakota woman who was sentenced to 180 days in jail in Cass County for defrauding healthcare providers and Medicaid programs is now facing additional fraud charges in Minnesota.
Christine Marie Pryor, 55, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to theft by deception involving more than $50,000. She was sentenced to first serve 180 days with a 3-year sentence suspended. She received credit for 44 days already served.
Pryor was ordered to pay $82,584.78 in restitution to Southeast Human Services in Fargo, where she worked between 2018 and 2019.
How the scheme unfolded
According to court documents, Pryor worked at multiple healthcare facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota between 2018 and 2023, using the identities and credentials of three licensed professionals without their knowledge. She submitted fraudulent Capella University diplomas and transcripts to gain employment.
Investigators say Pryor admitted she searched state licensing websites for therapists who shared her first name, then used those therapists’ last names and license numbers when applying for jobs.
At Southeast Human Services, where she worked as a Licensed Addiction Counselor, Pryor earned $55,584.82 while providing therapy services to approximately 150 patients. She also opened her own counseling center, NIAM Brain Injury Center, in Fargo between 2020 and 2021, and worked at The Lotus Center in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 2021 to 2023.
Court documents say the three licensed professionals whose identities were used told investigators they had no knowledge of Pryor’s actions and did not give her permission to use their information.
Two additional charges against Pryor in North Dakota, unauthorized use of personal identifying information, were dismissed on motion of the state.
Additional charges in Minnesota
Pryor is also facing charges in Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Tuesday charges against Pryor in Clay County District Court for six theft offenses and six identity theft offenses related to defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program of more than $150,000.
According to the Minnesota complaint, Pryor claimed to provide psychotherapy and alcohol and drug counseling services to Medicaid recipients despite having no license or credentials to do so. Prosecutors allege she used the credentials and identities of three licensed professionals while claiming to provide Medicaid-funded services to 169 clients.
The Minnesota charges were filed as part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Day, a joint effort involving the Department of Justice and more than 40 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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