North Dakota
Escaped cattle walk on to highway, sparking 3 car crashes and 25 animal deaths in North Dakota
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.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor – North Dakota Attorney General
04 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor
in Opinions
March 4, 2026
Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK, ND – It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and the employees of the auditor’s office, to review the records without detriment to P &A.
Also, whether Rule 1.6 of the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys prohibits P&A from disclosing to the State Auditor the contents of a client file for the purpose of conducting a non-financial performance audit under N.D.C.C. ch. 54-10 when the requested file includes information about individuals and businesses in the private sector who chose to contact P &A.
This issue was already addressed in a 1995 opinion of this office regarding P&A. The 1995 opinion highlighted that P&A has authority to contract with private attorneys to represent private individuals. 17 During that performance audit, auditors asked to see billings from the contracted attorneys. 18 P&A redacted the names of the individuals represented by the contract attorneys under the rules for attorney-client privilege or attorney-client confidentiality. 19 The names of individuals seeking services of P&A are protected under N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3. The opinion stated:
Thus, P&A’s records which indicate to whom its services were provided are available to the State Auditor for performance audit purposes. The State Auditor has
been given access by P&A to its records other than the attorney’s billings. Therefore, the State Auditor already has access to the names of the persons to whom P&A
provides services. State law requires that the State Auditor and his employees must keep such information confidential.
Here, P&A has not identified a specific record. Given that, I rely on the past opinions declaring that records made confidential by N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3-10 are available under N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22 to the State Auditor and the Auditor’s employees for audit purposes.
Link to opinion 2026-L-01
###
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Wisconsin angler may have reeled in a new North Dakota state record yellow perch on Devils Lake.
Alan Hintz of Stevens Point, Wis., caught the fish while fishing with Perch Patrol Guide Service’s Tyler Elshaug. North Dakota Game Warden Jon Peterson weighed the perch at 2.99 pounds and measured it at 16.5 inches at Woodland Resort.
The current state record perch of 2 pounds, 15 ounces was caught by Kyle Smith of Carrington, N.D., also on Devils Lake, on March 28, 1982.
The catch is still considered unofficial. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department requires a four-week waiting period to verify all details before officially recognizing a new state record.
Steve Dahl with Perch Patrol Guide Service confirmed the details to Valley News Live. Dahl said overall perch numbers on Devils Lake are down this year, but anglers are seeing more fish weighing over 2 pounds.
Devils Lake is one of North Dakota’s most popular ice fishing destinations, known for producing trophy-sized perch.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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.
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