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F5 Project founder Adam Martin on the cusp of full criminal pardon in North Dakota

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F5 Project founder Adam Martin on the cusp of full criminal pardon in North Dakota


FARGO — F5 Project

CEO and founder Adam Martin

has had a criminal history since he was 13 years old.

The man who created the

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Fargo nonprofit,

dedicated to helping those who served time reintegrate into life outside of jails and prison, is on the cusp of clearing his name and leaving his crimes behind him for good.

In a unanimous vote, the North Dakota Pardon Advisory Board recommended on Thursday, Nov. 14, that Martin, 43, be pardoned of guilt from the crimes he has committed in the state. If approved by the governor, all misdemeanors and felonies on his record would be absolved.

“It’s almost unbelievable,” Martin told The Forum. “It feels like I’ve been in a toxic relationship from 13 to 43 and it’s finally coming to an end.”

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A medallion gifted to Adam Martin from Indigenous members at the James River Correctional Center, is displayed at his Fargo office on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.

Anna Paige / The Forum

Gov. Doug Burgum could make a decision on Martin’s pardon by the end of the month, said Kayli Richards, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Burgum’s office declined to comment on whether he would approve the pardon.

Martin said he applied for a North Dakota pardon roughly 90 days ago. Once he secures his pardon in North Dakota, Martin said he will begin the same process in Minnesota.

Martin’s adult criminal history dates back to 2001, when he pleaded guilty to felony unauthorized use of a vehicle and misdemeanor fleeing police in Cass County. Over the years, he was convicted of five felonies and several misdemeanors, some of which landed him jail sentences.

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In 2010, a terrorizing charge sent him to a long-term treatment center, which he has cited as

helping him overcome his struggles with crime and addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Having a felony on one’s record is worse than the punishment a person can get from the justice system, Martin said. Martin still had to mark a box on job and housing applications that said he was a felon. The jobs he received were “low-hanging jobs.”

“I would say probably 98% of the places that I applied to turned me down, and the places that were OK with it, from a housing standpoint, were not very good places to live, and they were really expensive,” he said.

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F5 Project CEO and founder Adam Martin talks Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 at his office about potentially receiving a pardon for his criminal history.

Anna Paige / The Forum

The jobs improved after he successfully finished his probation, but the housing didn’t, he said. Employers and rental companies could find his mugshot and criminal history online.

That can make having a felony record feel like “a life system,” he said.

Martin said he got lucky in 2013, when High Point Networks hired him as an accounting manager. That was a turning point in his life, he said.

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Three years later, Martin’s criminal record inspired him to start the

F5 Project

as a way to help people who struggle with incarceration, mental illness and addiction. F5 represents Martin’s felonies but also the button on a keyboard that allows users to refresh a webpage, according to the organization’s website.

It’s a way for people with a criminal history to get a fresh start, the website says.

Since 2016, the nonprofit has helped about 40,000 people across North Dakota, Martin said.

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Parole Board Chairman H. Patrick Weir said he was impressed with Martin. He called him a straightforward man who has helped many people reintegrate back into society after incarceration, Weir said

“He seems to be one of those individuals who has benefited from the Department of the Corrections program and parole activities,” Weir said, adding that Martin has completely turned his life around.

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A wall shown Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, at the F5 Project offices in Fargo pictured features various sayings and slogans.

Anna Paige / The Forum

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The purpose of the Pardon Board is to remove convictions for those who have rehabilitated themselves to make sure they are not a threat to public and victim safety, Weir said. By helping others, Martin has gone above and beyond in not just rehabilitating himself but also contributing to his community’s safety.

“He’s one of those individuals who both the Parole Board and the Pardon Board can be very proud of,” Weir said.

Being able to help people who have struggled like he has been meaningful to Martin, the F5 Project founder said. Changing your life as a felon can feel like a full-time job, he said, adding that people who try to turn their lives around have to meet with probation officers, counselors, attorneys and others.

Being able to talk to someone who has been through that creates a level of comfort, Martin said.

“I think F5 is very meaningful in that aspect where people feel safe, like they feel like they can just be themselves,” he said.

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Martin said he hopes that his pardon inspires others to seize their second chance.

“It’s not just talk now,” he said. “It’s real.”





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North Dakota

ND State Fair completes 2026 grandstand lineup with EDM artist Zedd, ‘Turn Up ND!’

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ND State Fair completes 2026 grandstand lineup with EDM artist Zedd, ‘Turn Up ND!’


MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – We now know the entertainers who will round out this year’s North Dakota State Fair grandstand lineup.

In what is a first for the state fair, Zedd will put on an EDM show at the grandstand on Friday, July 24. He’s an award-winning artist and DJ, known for hits like ‘Clarity’ and ‘The Middle.’

The show will feature immersive production, sound and visuals. Tickets will be just over $58, including fees.

The fair wraps up on Saturday, July 25, with this year’s ‘Turn Up ND’ show. It features TI, Da-Baby and Waka Flocka Flame.

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All three have made a name for themselves in the trap and hip-hop music genres.

Tickets for this show are just over $78, including fees.

So here’s a look at the full lineup, which is packed with some major stars, featuring Alex Warren, Jon Pardi, Jessie Murph, Niko Moon and Zach Top.

The fair will hold two days of the popular MHA Indian Horse Relays on July 20 and 21.

For information on tickets, dates and more, go to ndstatefair.com.

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North Dakota

Darlene Struble

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Darlene Struble


Darlene Kay Struble was born April 11, 1946 in Valley City, ND to Frank and Ruby (Satreaas) Klima. She grew up in LaMoure, ND and graduated from LaMoure High School 1964. After graduation, Darlene continued her education at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton before completing her LPN training in Grand Forks. 

Darlene married the love of her life, Charles Struble, on October 25, 1969 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Together, they made their home in Jamestown where she began her career in the OB department at Jamestown Hospital. Her dedication to caring for others continued throughout her professional life, later leading her to Dakota Clinic in Jamestown. Her work was an extension of her compassionate spirit, and she touched many lives until her retirement in 2009. 

She filled her days with many loves; her family above all, but also the quiet joys of gardening, flowers, sewing, crafts, and scrap booking. She had a special gift of preserving memories, and spent countless hours gathering family history. Darlene started her day at the Depot Cafe nearly every morning. It was a simple tradition, but one she shared with her children, friends, and eventually grandchildren. Not only were Depot mornings filled with love and laughter, but an abundance of Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. 

Darlene passed away peacefully on March 23rd 2026 at Eventide in Jamestown, surrounded by the love of her family. She leaves behind her husband Chuck, her sons; Cory (Deb) Struble and Dave (Leslie) Struble, two sisters; Linda (Gary) Kraft and Roberta (Karl) Wilhelm, six grandchildren; Jayden (Darsh), Allie, Jonah, Grace, Evyn, and Owen, and seven nieces and nephews. She has been reunited with her parents, her daughter, Tiffiney Dick, and her sister, Mary Lee Guffy.

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In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Jamestown Regional Medical Center Foundations, specifically to the OB ward.

Memorial Service- 3:30 PM Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Haut Funeral Home in Jamestown, ND, with Pastor Kristi Weber, officiating.

Interment- Highland Home Cemetery, Jamestown, ND (at a later date).





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North Dakota

Hope’s Corner: Hope Springs Eternal

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Hope’s Corner: Hope Springs Eternal


I spent the first day of spring, last Friday, weeding my back yard flower beds. Let that sink in, because this is North Dakota. We have April showers in May, and May flowers in June. We sometimes have snow in June, too. Weeding my tulips in March is a first.

The tulips have been up for a couple of weeks in my south-facing gardens. The six inches of snow last weekend did not deter their enthusiasm. According to the South Dakota State University Extension Service, tulips close to our shared border usually begin to appear in late March and early April. Mine are early risers this year. I blame the switch to Daylight Saving Time.

My yarrow and hollyhocks have been green and growing for four weeks. The yarrow was a little miffed at the one subzero night a week or so ago, but the hollyhocks merely flattened out and took it in stride. Our friends at the South Dakota Extension Service assure me both of those plant varieties normally sprout in mid-May. Maybe the frequent solar storms and northern lights displays have affected them.

Shortly after that subzero stretch in February, which Katie the Wonder Puppy and I called The Degrees of Despair, the pussywillow began to bud. I cut my first bouquet this past Friday the 13th. And did you know the blossoms are called catkins?

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That shrub is only a couple weeks early in blooming. Obviously, like all cats, my pussywillow is indifferent to solar storms, the northern lights, and Daylight Saving Time. When its feet get warm enough, it stretches out and basks in the sun. Wild catnip has, however, sprouted near the pussywillow’s trunk. I suspect some deep-rooted drug dependency at work there.

But, weeds? There is wild horseradish marching across my tastefully scattered scoria chips. There is quackgrass strangling daylilies and yarrow. There are weeds of unknown name towering over my tulips. Actually, I have a name for those weeds, but that name is best kept to myself.

I pulled out one quackgrass clump, and I am pretty sure its far end stretched all the way to Gladstone. It was like pulling one of those string strips from the top of a fifty-pound sack of sunflower seeds. Not that I regularly buy fifty-pound bags of sunflower seeds for the neighborhood birds, or anything.

I was feeling pretty smug last Saturday after I finished all my weeding. I figured I would need to start mowing in a few more days. I began looking at seed catalogs and dreaming of Big Boy tomato plants.

Late Saturday evening Katie and I went outside to take in the fresh air. It was snowing. Gotta love North Dakota.

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Jackie Hope is the longest running Dickinson Press contributor and columnist. Hope’s Corner is a weekly humorous column with a message of hope.





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