GRAND FORKS COUNTY — The North Dakota Highway Patrol and Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 7, at a predetermined but undisclosed location somewhere in Grand Forks County.

In conjunction with the checkpoint, saturation patrols will be done Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, according to an NDHP press release.

Operations such as these are carried out with the goal of increasing public safety by targeting impaired drivers and reducing the number of alcohol-related crashes.

From the beginning of the year up until Aug. 22, there were 57 fatalities across 53 crashes on North Dakota roadways. Nearly 16% of the crashes involved alcohol, the release said.

“Impaired driving is a serious problem that puts all roadway users at risk,” NDHP Northeast Regional Sgt. Matthew Johnson said. “Our goal is to ensure that everyone can safely come together and enjoy community events such as weekend college football games. We will plan these enforcement events to encourage responsible choices and deter impaired driving.”

The NDHP reminds everyone to share the road; ensure all vehicle occupants are wearing a seat belt; drive without distractions; and always drive sober.

Results from the planned enforcement events will be released the week after the events occur.

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Submitted Photo
The consulting firm EAB reported in 2023 community colleges are still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, including a shrinking workforce. (Adobe Stock photo)

Some North Dakota community colleges and technical schools have had success when it comes to student enrollment but they have not been able to avoid challenges seen nationwide in hiring enough faculty.

The National Education Association said across the U.S., the number of faculty at two-year institutions declined 5% in the past decade, with two in three community colleges seeing declines averaging 17%.

Lisa Karch, executive vice president of academic affairs at the North Dakota State College of Science, said they have had ups and downs with staff retention, noting there were a few unfilled openings to start this academic year. She argued it is vital to have enough instructors to keep specialized class sizes smaller.

“For our labs, it really comes down to a safety issue,” Karch pointed out. “Whether it’s a welding lab or a diesel lab or HVAC or plumbing.”

She stressed they have accelerated efforts to have succession planning with more faculty retirements expected in the near future. The school also launched a new program in which existing staff get additional training support on innovation related to their course material, making their professional development demands less of a burden.

Bismarck State College, which offers a mix of two-year and four-year degree options, reports difficulty in competing with the private market.

Dan Leingang, vice president of academic affairs at the school, said certain faculty are being wooed by job opportunities too hard to pass up.

“What we’re seeing is a salary differential,” Leingang observed. “Especially in highly technical fields, where the industry is paying very strong wages because of the demand.”

Public schools have a harder time matching such offers. But Leingang added they are taking advantage of higher enrollment numbers and reinvesting the revenue into faculty salaries and bonuses. Like the State College of Science, they are also leaning on industry leaders within the region to serve as part-time faculty to help fill gaps and ensure students get a comprehensive learning experience.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The National Park Service says artifacts can tell people how culture has changed over time. One archeologist is helping preserve history through his pottery.

Wade Haakenson has been an archeologist for a long time and has always had a passion for connecting people with the past and how things were made.

That’s what inspired him to learn how to make indigenous replica artwork of North Dakota’s Native American tribes.

Now, he uses his pottery to help educate others and preserve the process.

“It took a lot of trial and error, but I got it done, I figured it out,” said Wade Haakenson, archeologist.

He said it took around six months to get it down, and years of practice.

“For the tribes and the people themselves. There are not that many people who know how to do this, and I will never proclaim to be an expert in it. I just happen to be somebody that figured out how to do it,” said Haakenson.

Haakenson learned how to manufacture pottery by reading writings from 1910. He said those taught him how Mandan and Hidatsa tribes made pottery on the reservation.

He said a fragment of an artifact is not as impactful as a whole piece.

“And when you know how some of this stuff is made, you can piece that back together and figure out, okay, this tool is more than likely used from pottery based on the use-wear patterns that we see in modern reproductions, we can step that back to the artifacts that we find,” said Haakenson.

He says this helps people envision how the pots were used.

“When you see a small fragment, you don’t understand how beautiful these pots are. You don’t understand because you can’t see the big picture,” said Haakenson.

Haakenson said when people see the pottery he hopes it helps them connect to the past.

He said he hopes to work more with the Native American community and share the pottery practices.

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