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Letter: Judge Welte was right to side with ND tribes

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Letter: Judge Welte was right to side with ND tribes


Thank goodness U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter Welte decided to fix North Dakota’s violation of the Voting Rights Act. The remedy will give voters from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and the Spirit Lake Nation a fairer opportunity to elect representatives of their choice to the North Dakota Legislative Assembly.

It’s been a long road to get here. During the 2021 North Dakota Legislature’s special session for redistricting, the two tribes came to the Legislature to recommend district boundaries for their area. The tribes had their proposal verified as meeting criteria of the Voting Rights Act, but it was rejected by the Legislature’s redistricting committee, who then approved a plan that very likely would violate the law.

During deliberations in 2021, legislators struggled over creating single member House districts as a way to bring those elected closer to local voters. Lawmakers found many reasons to say they were a bad idea. However, when the Legislature ended up approving subdistricts for Fort Berthold and Turtle Mountain reservations, members of the majority party changed their minds and sued, claiming subdistricts gave Native Americans an unfair advantage. The court ruled the subdistricts were fine. South Dakota has had several reservation subdistricts for a couple decades.

While the Legislature’s district boundaries improved election fairness for Three Affiliated Tribes, the boundary changes made it harder for Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake voters. They took it to court and made a well-researched, strong case that the Legislature’s 2021 redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act by “unlawfully diluting the voting strength of Native American voters who live on and around” the two reservations. Welte agreed.

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Since the court decision, North Dakota legislators, the secretary of state, and attorney general have struggled. Rather than dealing straight-on with the issue, current North Dakota leaders wanted to sidestep in an appeal using a legal technicality from a recent outlier decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

I watched a lot of the legislative hearings and floor debates. Even those who spoke in favor of complying with the Voting Rights Act usually added “I don’t like it, but it’s the law…”

Current state leaders have 90% of the legislative seats and 100% of statewide elected offices, yet they fight so hard to not do the right thing. North Dakota’s current leaders are evidence that the Voting Rights Act – along with strong citizen efforts – is still very much needed to ensure that voting rights are adhered to.

Hopefully, it won’t be so difficult next time.

Don Morrison lives in Bismarck.

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North Dakota

Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News

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Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News


FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — For more than 400 miles, 12 runners will trek across North Dakota to carry the stories of love, loss, and resilience from community to community.

“After having run Haven since 2017, the 10.15 Project came, and it just is so exciting because it’s really looking at pregnancy and infant loss and putting it in a new light. And really giving people the opportunity to do something that you can see and it’s meaningful,” said Jen Burgard, Founder and Executive Director of Haven.

The 10.15 Project was co-founded by Haven, an organization that supports grieving families. The relay begins on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. And during the four days, the team hopes to bring awareness to families.

“It gives you pieces of solitude, of quiet, of reflection, and also a purpose. It gives you meaning, and I think endurance is one of the biggest pieces of this. It’s the endurance required to navigate pregnancy and infant loss is extreme. And I think this really mirrors that,” said Burgard.

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While many of the runners come from different fields, many have also experienced a loss themselves.

“When it happened in my family, it was kind of something we were all struck by. You realize how common it is. And you know, I want to bring light to that,” said Ty Casey, Runner and Learning and Development Specialist at TrueNorth Steel.

Casey has multiple runs planned over the next few months, but with this run in particular, he hopes this will bring awareness.

“If this is one thing that can help bring light to it and help people be more open and help people to talk about it, and take some of the grief away that would be totally ideal for us just to help out a little bit,” said Casey.

The relay begins on October 15 in Medora and will end on October 18th in Fargo.

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North Dakota

Behind the Badge – Spring Fever

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Spring Fever

District Game Warden Sam Feldmann

As winter begins to fade and ice fishing begins to slow, everyone gets the itch to be outside on nice days when it’s warming and the sun is shining. People are beginning to think about their garden or outdoor projects around the house they have been pondering all winter.

While others have been thinking about open water fishing, getting the boat ready, hitting the field to look for shed antlers in a favorite spot they’ve been watching deer all winter, or slipping into the field to lure a spring gobbler into shotgun range with a new call they’ve been practicing with all winter.

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With the excitement of warm weather and getting out to enjoy everything a spring day has to offer, I would like to remind everyone of a few things while enjoying what North Dakota has to offer.

This year is a registration year for all motorized watercrafts. This doesn’t just mean you have to renew your registration. It means that when you get the new red stickers sporting “28” on them that they must be affixed to both sides of the bow of the boat.

Another reminder is that if you are going shed hunting, there are a few things to remember. Shed antlers are legal to possess. This time of year, our officers receive lots of calls about shed hunters locating “dead heads,” which are animals that have died and the antlers are still attached to the skull plate.

If you happen to locate a dead head, you cannot possess it without contacting your local game warden and receiving a permit for the animal. Also, if you are going to shed hunt on posted private property or a Private Lands Opens To Sportsmen tract, you need to obtain permission to do so. Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.

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If you are going to be chasing turkeys this spring through the timber, there are a few things that should be remembered. Make sure you have your tag with you when you are in the field. Remember that your tag is only legal for one bearded wild turkey. If you are lucky enough to harvest a turkey you fooled into coming to your calling and decoy, you must tag it before doing anything else.

One last reminder for the spring activities. Remember that all licenses, whether it’s a hunting license or fishing license, expired March 31 and needed to be renewed as of April 1, 2026

With these few reminders out of the way, remember to have fun and enjoy what the great state of North Dakota has to offer.



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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News

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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News


MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.

The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.

Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.

Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.

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Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.





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