North Dakota
Grand Forks places fourth at North Dakota state dual tournament to earn program’s best finish
FARGO, N.D. — Grand Forks girls wrestling head coach Matt Berglund had a message for his team ahead of Saturday’s North Dakota state dual tournament at the Fargodome.
“When you get to that last day of the state tournament, everybody’s going to be sore,” Berglund said. “Everybody’s going to be tired. So this is just a test of both our mental and physical will right now to get through these last three duels.”
The KnightRiders, missing a four-time state placer in Shayla DeBlaere, aced that test.
Third-seeded Grand Forks upset second-seeded Minot United with a 42-33 win in the quarterfinals en route to its fourth-place finish at the tournament.
It was the best finish in program history.
“It’s just another stepping stone with our program,” Berglund said. “We’ve qualified for the state tournament three of the four years it’s been in existence, but we’ve never finished higher than sixth. So we made that a goal this year, to keep moving up the podium. And the girls came ready to wrestle in that first match.”
The KnightRiders suffered a 50-23 loss to Lisbon in the semifinals and a 46-29 defeat to Bismarck Legacy in the third-place match.
Junior Kaylee Kurz marked personal milestones in her last match of the tournament. She bested Morgan Schneider of Bismarck Legacy by fall in 2 minutes, 39 seconds to pick up her 100th career pin and 150th career win.
“We really wanted to get that today,” Berglund said. “Otherwise, you’re waiting nine months.”
To pull off the upset against Minot United, Grand Forks needed to win some key tossups.
Maddie Look got the KnightRiders started in the 130-pound weight class. She bested Minot’s Aaliyah Laboy by fall in 4 minutes, 46 seconds.
“Maddie Look just had a great weekend, both on the dual squad and the individual,” Berglund said. “She was really a fire starter for us. Then we had a good run of middleweights pick up some wins too in those toss-up matches.”
Kurz, Sara Novak, Aulani Long and Lexi Ray each provided wins by fall to push Grand Forks past Minot United.
“We are excited about our future as girls wrestling continues to grow,” Berglund said. “It’s getting more and more difficult each year to place, so we’ve just got to make sure we’re providing opportunities in the offseason for the girls to get better. Whether that’s our weight lifting program, our club season. But more than anything else, we want them to be in multiple sports. I love multi-sport athletes, so as long as they’re doing something year round to get better, that’s what we try to push the most.”
Grand Forks Central placed sixth in the boys’ Class A dual tournament. The second-seeded Knights suffered a 58-3 loss to third-seeded Williston in the quarterfinals but rebounded with a 47-25 victory over Devils Lake in the consolation semifinals.
Bismarck Century defeated Central 39-22 in the fifth-place match.
Pembina County North placed eighth in the Class B quarterfinals. First-seeded Velva beat the Grizzlies 58-12 in the quarterfinals.
Pembina County North suffered a 44-29 loss to Hettinger/Scranton/Bison in the consolation semifinals. In the seventh-place contest, the Grizzlies lost to Williams County by a score of 52-21
Staff reports and local scoreboards from the Grand Forks Herald Sports desk.
North Dakota
Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston
WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.
Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.
Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.
Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.
“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.
Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.
The cause remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.
The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.
Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.
Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
North Dakota
Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
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