BISMARCK — A reception will be held for the University of North Dakota Constitution Day Project at the North Dakota State Capitol.

It will recognize a project that Holly Triska-Dally said promotes a broader understanding of a U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and gives refugees the opportunity to share what they’ve accomplished as they build their lives in North Dakota.

Triska-Dally, state refugee coordinator in the Office of Refugee Services, said the project creates an understanding about the power and benefit of immigration.

“When you think about the refugee experience, it does begin with some struggle,” she said. “But when refugees arrive in North Dakota through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, that begins to transition to an opportunity for them to contribute their skills and talents as new Americans. And that story of the American dream is something that really resonates with a lot of North Dakotans.”

The reception will be held 3-4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, on the 18th floor of the Capitol. Anticipated guests include First Lady of North Dakota Kjersti Armstrong, UND President Andrew Armacost, project director Joonghwa Lee, UND School of Graduate Studies Dean Soojung Kim and student contributors to the project, Lauren Huso, Kiera Musil and Emily Haiby. All are welcome to attend.

The project was started through UND CONNECT, a program providing UND faculty and students opportunities to engage in community-based research, development and outreach projects. The 2025 UND Constitution Day Project was done in partnership with the city of Grand Forks and involved three student interns — Huso, Musil and Dylan Niemi. The 2026 project is in the works.

The 2025 project includes photos and video interviews with 15 new Americans from 14 countries, which were

shown on campus

on Sept. 17, Constitution Day, in the Memorial Union as other new Americans attended a naturalization ceremony. The photos and QR links for the video interviews have been

displayed in the Capitol

for a few months.

Lee, chair of the Department of Communication, said the project being displayed in the Capitol was done with support from Armstrong and the NDCA.

“She (Armstrong) actually supported finding some good location to bring this exhibition and showcase in Bismarck,” he said. “And then she found a good location in the Capitol building. And then the North Dakota Council on the Arts really helped us to bring those photos to the Capitol building and display them.”

The Office of Refugee Services is a sponsor of the 2026 project’s student stipends. Triska-Dally said the office partners with community-based organizations across the state to foster welcoming and promote the long-term economic vibrancy of newcomers and the communities that welcome them.

This project, she said, is important because it allows community members across Grand Forks and the state to see the connection between naturalization stories past and present.

“If we were to go back to 1920, 80% of North Dakotans were immigrants or the children of immigrants,” she said. “It’s just a big part of North Dakota’s collective history and success.”

Otto is the University of North Dakota reporter for the Grand Forks Herald.

A North Dakota mother allegedly hacked two of her own children to death in an “horrific” stabbing rampage that left her home so bloody even hardened cops were traumatized by the sight of it, police said.

Kailey Erhart, 22, flew into a manic episode Thursday and stabbed her 5-month-old and 3-year-old kids to death after waving a gun at her estranged husband and threatening to kill herself, cops said. Miraculously, her 1-year-old baby survived the attack, but with serious injuries.

“A scene like that is something that nobody should ever have to see, and the way [the officers] came through in one of the most horrific times that they’ll probably experience in their life, I’m proud,” Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler said in a press conference.

“I want to acknowledge this is an extreme, tragic and heartbreaking incident for the children involved, their families, our community and first responders who arrived on scene,” Ziegler said.

The father, who was planning to divorce Erhart, was at home with the kids when police were notified that she was threatening suicide, according to WSMV.

Earlier that evening, Erhart threatened her husband with a gun, but he managed to disarm her during a physical struggle — during which Erhart bit and scratched him.

The children’s grandmother was at the home at the time of the killings and told police that Erhart chased her and the father out of the house before the alleged bloodbath. 

Erhart faces nine criminal counts, including two counts of Class AA felony murder, one count of attempted murder, and multiple counts of aggravated assault and terrorizing, according to court documents obtained by The Post.

At an initial appearance on Friday, District Judge Marina Spahr set Erhart’s bond at $3 million cash, citing “the extreme violence in these alleged charges and the threat to the community, victims, and children,” according to WSMV. 

The court also issued formal no-contact orders prohibiting Erhart from contacting the surviving victims or family members.

Erhart has not yet entered a plea. 

Her preliminary hearing and arraignment are scheduled for October 6, 2026. 

Police have not released any details regarding the medical status of the 1-year-old other than the child has undergone surgery.

The Mandan Police Department declined to comment further to The Post.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

BINFORD, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Thomas Anderson, a music teacher at Minkota Public Schools and part-time music professor at the University of North Dakota, recently purchased the West Prairie Lutheran Church in Binford to save it from potential vandalism and demolition.

The church, which dates back to 1885, had sat vacant and vulnerable before Anderson stepped in. For Anderson, the decision was both practical and personal.

“As a musician, there’s no better place to play than a church: the high ceilings, the resonance,” Anderson said. “So this was my thought when I learned the church was retiring, that I thought I should check and see what they’re going to do with it, because that would make an amazing music space.”

After inquiring about the property and receiving the blessing of those in the area, Anderson had the more than 140-year-old structure moved just down the road to its new home.

“It’s certainly not a common opportunity,” he said. “There are quite a few of these, but maybe not all in such a condition that they could be saved, restored, though it just seemed serendipitous that this is only a couple of miles away.”

The logistics were no small feat. Anderson had to work through questions of feasibility, cost, foundation work, and the physical move itself.

“It took quite a few inquiries: one, is it ok? Then there’s also, of course, all the logistics, foundation, moving. All of those things are huge. But it’s come together; it’s in my yard now.”

Anderson says the financial investment was worth it for what the building represents.

“I mean, I could with far much less expense put up a corrugated shed in the same spot, but it would not have the same history or meaning and in my eyes potential. This is really a beautiful thing.”

The restoration will be extensive. Anderson plans to first strip the interior down to the studs before tackling longer-term upgrades.

“Making some modern comforts. My first goal is to clean down to the bones, to the studs. And then long-term, looking at HVAC, electricity, lighting, windows, and later on installation and finishing.”

He also has plans to expand the footprint slightly, without touching the original sanctuary.

“My long-term goal involves also in the front here; you’ll see the foundation extends beyond the steeple. The idea being we can add on a half bathroom and some kind of a kitchen but without changing the inside the sanctuary itself. We can preserve the size and feel and look of the original sanctuary itself.”

Anderson acknowledges the project will take time, doing much of the work himself alongside a neighbor.

“This is mostly going to be the work of myself and one of my neighbors to do the rest of this. Given the number of commitments I have music-wise, and otherwise, time during the school year it gets limited. So I’m anxious to work on it, but I want to be realistic about a timeline as well, and more than anything I want to do it well.”

For longtime community members like Donna Ronningen of Binford, the restoration carries deep personal meaning. Ronningen went to West Prairie Lutheran Church with her family and recalls its storied past.

“This church was one time struck by lightning on the steeple and survived. It was twisted in a windstorm and survived,” Ronningen said.

She said she is relieved to see the building in good hands.

“I’m just joyed, overjoyed, that it’s going to be enclosed and safe and cared for, and it’s just down the road from where it’s been all its life.”

Ronningen also shared a piece of the church’s history, noting that in February of 1896, community members voted to move forward with construction, as long as the cost didn’t exceed $1,000.

“I became a member, and we raised our five children by going to this church. So that’s real important, the closeknitness of it, and the togetherness of it we felt with others, neighbors, and families, and of course that we had a place, a good place to worship God.”

Even Anderson’s students are taking notice. Minkota High School senior Hailey Donohue said the project caught her off guard.

“That Church? The big one? It’s just kind of surreal that it’s actually happening,” Donohue said.

Anderson’s ultimate vision is to use the space for live music, and to bring people together the same way the church once did. He says the alternative, losing the building altogether, was never something he was willing to accept.

“I was worried that maybe vandalism or there might just have to be the decision that rather the upkeep is not feasible, that it might just be better to eliminate the building altogether. But this gives it a purpose, a new life, and it can go for another hundred-something years at least is my hope.”

For Anderson, that purpose is rooted in something he has built his entire life around.

“All of this is happening because of music. For me that’s my profession, that’s my hobby, that’s my life. So this is only happening because I have a vision for this, for music to be played here, but music also brings people together in the similar way that a church congregation might.”