North Dakota
Health, Human Services changes likely, Armstrong says after first Cabinet meeting • North Dakota Monitor
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong signaled a possible shakeup at the Department of Health and Human Services after his first Cabinet meeting Monday.
Armstrong appointed Dirk Wilke as interim director of the department last Wednesday and has yet to name a new state health officer. In November, Health and Human Services Commissioner Wayne Salter and State Health Officer Dr. Nizar Wehbi indicated they would not be continuing in their roles after Gov. Doug Burgum left office.
Armstrong appoints interim Health and Human Services director
Armstrong said the state health officer role could change.
“I have some ideas on restructuring that,” said Armstrong, who took office Sunday. “When we combined Health and Human Services, we really kind of created a position that, I think, we have an opportunity to do some unique things with that.”
He said he wants to work with the Legislature to look at Health and Human Services in a post-pandemic world.
“I think there’s some opportunities that may need some legislative fixes, so I need to build some consensus on what we have for ideas for that first,” he said.
Armstrong said he plans to name a permanent director after a robust recruitment and selection process.
He also said he plans to meet with legislators in coming weeks to discuss the more than 50 property tax measures that are expected to be introduced during the legislative session. He said he wants to make sure they can get as many lawmakers as they can on the “same page” during the early weeks of the session.
“It’s a priority for the citizens of North Dakota,” Armstrong said. “It’s a priority for the administration and it will probably be the biggest change from Gov. Burgum’s budget.”
Armstrong said he wasn’t opposed to the Legislature consolidating dozens of bills surrounding property tax reform into one or two larger bills aimed at tackling the issue.
“What we can’t have is paralysis by analysis,” he said. “Eventually we’ll have to get on the same page … it needs to be the most significant relief and reform we can deliver that’s durable.”
His definition of durable, Armstrong said, means the reforms must still work even if the prices of oil and agricultural commodities drop.
He said his budget will be available on Jan. 13 and submitted to the legislative appropriations committees two days later. Armstrong will address a joint session of the Legislature on Jan. 7.
He said Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden will be a main point of contact on K-12 education and school choice. He added he plans to sit down with Strinden to go over possible additional responsibilities in coming weeks, which could include chairing the State Investment Board.
“Michelle is going to be a huge part of this entire administration, but a lot of it is going to depend on where she feels her time is best spent,” he said.
When asked if free school lunches could become a reality for North Dakota students this year, Armstrong said he wants to tackle the property tax reforms first so he knows what that overall cost is before addressing anything else.
Members of Armstrong’s Cabinet are:
- Joe Morrissette, director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Chris Schilken, commissioner of the Department of Commerce
- Corey Mock, chief information officer of North Dakota Information Technology
- Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard
- Col. Daniel Haugen, superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol
- Ron Henke, director of the Department of Transportation
- Pat Bertagnolli, executive director at Job Service North Dakota
- Dave Glatt, director of the Department of Environmental Quality
- Art Thompson, director of Workforce Safety & Insurance
- Colby Braun, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- Jeb Williams, director of the Game and Fish Department
- Cody Schulz, director of the Parks and Recreation Department
- Lise Kruse, commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions
- Brad Hawk, executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission
- Andrea Travnicek, director of the Department of Water Resources
- Tim Karsky, commissioner of the Securities Department
- Dirk Wilke, interim commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services
- Reice Haase, interim commissioner of the Department of Labor and Human Rights
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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.”
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.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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