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Jimmies' Busek, Hagel, Martinson representing North Dakota

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Jimmies' Busek, Hagel, Martinson representing North Dakota


JAMESTOWN — When some high school seniors are making their decisions on where to go to college, they decide to go far from home while others decide to stay close to home. This year’s University of Jamestown women’s basketball team has three players who decided to take the latter option four years ago.

This year’s Jimmies squad has four seniors with three of them being from North Dakota. Jailyn Martinson is from Devils Lake, Kate Busek is from Fargo, and Hannah Hagel is from Carrington.

“It’s awesome. I know that our fans enjoy having players that they’ve seen in high school and followed through North Dakota high school basketball and seeing them during their high school playoffs and knowing who they are and then coming to our team and joining us and being integral parts for four years,” Jimmies head coach Thad Sankey said. “… It helps the connection to our local communities. It helps our connection as we recruit North Dakota high school players that those high school girls can see the generation of North Dakota high school players in front of them be successful as college players for us. So that’s an exciting thing … a lot of satisfaction involved from their side and also their families get to stay connected.”

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Kate Busek is one of three North Dakotan seniors on this year’s team.

John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun

The Jimmies have two other players from North Dakota on the team — freshman Jayden Wiest from Mandan and sophomore Halle Crockett from Reile’s Acres.

“I think it’s super cool,” Busek said. “… It’s cool to see all the people that I’ve known my whole life or from different communities like Hagel’s and Jailyn’s just being able to pull together and see us all play together. So I think it’s really cool that the three of us are here and we can represent our cities all together.”

As of Nov. 18, the Jimmies were 3-1. In the first four games of the season, the Jimmies outscored their opponents 295-253.

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“I think coming in with a new group and losing two key players last year was hard but I think we really have big key players now that make an impact,” Martinson said.

As one of four seniors, Hagel said she does not feel as much pressure to lead as she would if it was just her.

“I don’t feel pressure at all. Having a team like this where everyone contributes and works hard every day and puts in the effort and everyone can rely on each other is very helpful,” Martinson said.

As of Nov. 18, Hagel led the group of three North Dakotans with 6.0 points per game followed by Busek’s 5.3 and Martinson’s 2.0. Busek led the team with 6.0 rebounds per game just ahead of Hagel’s 5.5. Busek also led the team with 3.0 assists per game.

“They’ve made quite an impact and obviously we think of on-the-court impact and contributing and helping us win games,” Sankey said. “But I think the impact culturally that our seniors have made is pretty incredible and how our team competes and how we build relationships and the value that we have on each other is a great thing. Those women definitely play a big part in that.”

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Sankey said the trio’s roles will need to be figured out before they can increase their scoring averages.

“Some of it is just getting a little bit more comfortable in their offensive roles and understanding where they can fill needs,” Sankey said. “Our offense is a little bit different this year and we made some adjustments and added a little bit more movement, cutting, screening and off-the-ball movement. So every time that happens it takes players just a little bit of time to adjust and understand where are their options to attack and be aggressive and also every team’s scoring balance is unique. So what’s the opportunity that our team needs them to fill.”

Despite leading in multiple statistical categories, Busek said her biggest contributions to the team don’t show up in a box score.

“I think I provide a lot of leadership to the team just being out there and being vocal and helping new players as they step into new roles,” Busek said. “I think that’s something that we always need and I’m happy to do it.”

All three players said they want to get back to the NAIA Tournament after making it to the Sweet 16 last year.

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 Max O'Neill

Hello,
My name is Max O’Neill. I am a Sports Reporter at The Jamestown Sun. I am a native New Yorker, who graduated from Ithaca College in 2020 with a degree in Television-Radio.





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North Dakota

Township funding changes bill passes ND House

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Township funding changes bill passes ND House


BISMARCK, N.D. (KUMV) – The North Dakota House approved a bill to change Operation Prairie Dog funding for townships.

The bill impacts those in non-oil-producing counties.

Currently, every township receives an equal portion, but this bill would base it on road mileage.

With a 90 to 3 vote, it will move on to the Senate at a later time.

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Previous Coverage and More Information: House bill seeks to change township funding for Operation Prairie Dog



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Concerns over local control pop up in hearing on North Dakota bill to restrict student cellphone use

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Concerns over local control pop up in hearing on North Dakota bill to restrict student cellphone use


BISMARCK — North Dakota lawmakers heard testimony for and against a bill to ban cellphone use by public school students during instructional time Wednesday, Jan. 15.

House Bill 1160,

sponsored by Rep. Jim Jonas, R-West Fargo,

would prohibit students from using cellphones during classes or any educational activity but allow such use during lunch, recess, between classes and open class periods.

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Jonas said approximately 11 states have either total bans or restrictions on student cellphone use and another 10 are considering them.

“Let’s see if we can get better behavior, academic scores up, math, reading and better mental health,” Jonas told the House Education

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ommittee on Wednesday.

A modified version of the bill makes exceptions for students who must use their cellphone to manage a medical condition or are on an individualized education program, plan or 504 plan who use their phone as an assistive device.

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In addition, a school district or school may temporarily suspend the cellphone ban in the case of an emergency.

West Fargo High School Principal Rachel Bachmeier, who spoke in favor of the bill, said her school, along with others in the district, implemented a policy in the fall of 2022 to restrict cellphone use.

In effect, the cellphone policy is “out of sight, out of use from bell to bell,” she said, but students may use them during non-instructional time.

Consequences for violating the policy range from a classroom warning to surrender of the cellphone to the main office for a day or more to family meetings and behavior plans.

“We very, very rarely move beyond the first main office consequence. It is an incredibly effective policy in that way,” Bachmeier said.

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Teachers have also noticed less “drama” in the classroom when students aren’t distracted by their phones, she added, and students themselves have reflected on how the policy improved their own behaviors.

Several school administrators and other stakeholders expressed concerns with aspects of the bill.

Steve Madler, principal of Bismarck Century High School, said they follow an “out of sight, out of mind during instruction” policy after attempting an all-out cellphone ban a few years back, which led to too many arguments from students and families.

However, he said, some students and teachers use cellphones in the classroom for research, surveys and language translation, adding that the Bismarck district distributes Google Chromebooks to students, which aren’t as efficient as Apple iPads for those tasks.

“It’s important for us to have policies, but I think it’s also important that we have pieces in the bill that allow us to use it for an educational purpose,” Madler said.

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KrisAnn Norby-Jahner, in-house legal counsel for the North Dakota School Boards Association, expressed concern about a blanket ban on cellphone use. She said local control should be maintained, and a large majority of school districts already handle this issue.

Norby-Jahner suggested a change in the bill’s language simply requiring all school districts to come up with their own cellphone policies.

In 2024, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring school districts and charter schools to adopt student cellphone policies by March 15, 2025.

Bachmeier said there is an argument for local control, but action is needed if lawmakers believe excessive cellphone use and social media access during classes is a public health crisis.

“If we do, what is our responsibility as a state to step in and take the first action in helping protect our kids?” she asked.

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School phone policies needed, but not a state ban, bill opponents say

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School phone policies needed, but not a state ban, bill opponents say


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BISMARCK (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota public education groups said Wednesday they recognize the need for a policy on student use of cellphones but mostly resisted a call for a state-mandated ban.

Rep. Jim Jonas, R-West Fargo, introduced House Bill 1160 that would ban students from using cellphones during class time.

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A proposed amendment to the bill would add some exemptions, like using a smartphone to monitor health conditions, such as diabetes, and in some cases where students are on a learning plan crafted for the student.

The House Education Committee did not act on the bill or the amendment but indicated that there would be more discussion next week.

KrisAnn Norby-Jahner, legal counsel for the North Dakota School Boards Association, testified that the cellphone use issue should be handled at the local level, but added she would not be opposed to a bill requiring that school districts have a cellphone policy.

Mike Heilman, executive director of the North Dakota Small Organized Schools, testified that the group’s board members did not support the bill.

He said some teachers have students use their phone during class and designate a spot on the desk where the phone should be when not being used.

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He also said some schools may want to make exceptions for juniors and seniors to have more access to their phones

But he also said schools might like the state’s support on the need for a cellphone policy.

Cellphone use among students was described during testimony as a mental health issue in addition to being a distraction.

Rachel Bachmeier, principal at West Fargo High School, said there has been “less drama” since the school restricted phone use to breaks between classes.

She said parents generally support that policy, with little support for an overall ban during the school day.

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Steve Madler, principal at Bismarck Century High School, said his experience with a ban during the school day turned out to be unworkable for many students and parents.

The U.S. Department of Education in December called on every state and school district to adopt a policy on phone use in schools.

Jonas, a former West Fargo teacher, said the goal of the bill is improved test scores and mental health. He said he received some calls from principals for an all-out ban during the school day.

When asked what the penalty would be for a school that did not enforce the state policy, he did not give specifics.

“The hope is that they would abide by the law,” he said.

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