North Dakota
Measure 2 opponents want ND’s initiative process protected
A constitutional measure designed to make it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution will hurt North Dakotans more than it will hamper the outside interests being targeted, according to a former governor leading the campaign to defeat Measure 2 on Nov. 5.
The goal to make it more difficult for out of state groups to meddle with the state’s constitution is a good one, said Ed Schafer, governor from 1992-2000 and spokesman for North Dakota Citizens Protecting the Constitution.
“This particular piece of proposed legislation attempts to deal with that, and in some cases does – in most cases, doesn’t – deal with the problem,” he said. “It puts barriers in front of people to be able to engage in the direction of their government.”
Constitutional Measure 2 was placed on the ballot by the 2023 North Dakota Legislature. The measure states future initiated measures, either constitutional or statutory, must be limited to one subject. The new language would require that all measure sponsors be qualified electors and that only qualified electors may circulate petitions.
However, more controversial language increases the number of signatures required to place a constitutional initiated measure on the ballot from 4% to 5% of North Dakota’s population and requires voters to approve constitutional measures twice. The measure states voters must vote on a constitutional measure in a primary election and, if approved by a majority, vote again at the following general election to determine passage.
David Hogue
“There’s a consensus that the bar is not high enough for amending our state constitution. It should be harder to amend our constitution than to pass a bill,” said Sen. David Hogue, a co-sponsor of the Senate resolution behind the measure. “The process now is you identify an out of state, sympathetic, not for profit group, and you get them to fund it.”
It is too easy to be manipulated by out of state groups, he said. It’s too easy for outside groups to impose their policies on North Dakota because the state’s standards for amending its constitution are so low, he said.
Hogue compared voting on the measure twice to having Senate and House votes on bills.
“That is a way to raise the bar,” he said.
For opponents, raising the bar raises a barrier.
“I don’t see why we need to place a stronger barrier for people to get involved in guiding or directing our government,” Schafer said. “I am a real champion of people being able to interact and direct the people’s government.”
In a two election process, outside interests opposed to a measure could wait to see if a measure makes it past the primary to the general election, and if so, swoop in at that time with millions of dollars to defeat it, Schafer said. Two election cycles makes it more difficult for local campaigns or local opposition groups to compete with wealthy special interests, he said.
He cited the case of Marsy’s Law, approved by North Dakota voters in 2016 after a wealthy California resident originated and pushed the concept.
“What does this particular piece of initiated measure do to stop that? Nothing,” Schafer said of Measure 2. “If Measure 2 gets defeated, we still have the problem. But if it passes, we still have the problem of the outside money. We need to have transparency. People need to know where the money is coming from.”
Financial closure statements with the North Dakota Secretary of State show North Dakota Citizens Protecting the Constitution has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from out of state groups.
Schafer said the donations from groups that back the initiative and referendum process were unsolicited. There had been limited dollars spent on the campaign initially, but the N.D. Citizens Protecting the Constitution was looking earlier this month at increasing its efforts in light of a poll showing support and opposition to Measure 2 were running close to even.
Schafer also objected to the increased signature requirement for constitutional measures in Measure 2. As population increases, so does the signature requirement, intensifying the impact of even a 1% increase, he said. The measure proposes to raise the number of signatures currently required to get a constitutional measure on the ballot from 31,164 to 38,955.
Schafer said the one subject rule in the measure is the one positive feature, and if the measure is defeated, he would help with efforts to make that change in a future measure.
Hogue said the single subject rule for an initiated measure is common among states with an initiated measure process. Sixteen states with some type of statewide citizen-initiated measure process have a single-subject rule, while 10 states that provide for an initiative process do not, according to Ballotpedia.
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- David Hogue
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- Ed Schafer
Buffalo Chip revs up opening day of 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
The Sturgis Buffalo Chip opens with big crowds and high-energy musical performances and vendors.
An agricultural tourism site has been awarded $1.5 million for a planned expansion, part of $4 million in tourism grants announced by the North Dakota Department of Commerce.
The $1.5 million is for the Black Leg Market and Eatery at Sterling, east of Bismarck, which will be part of Black Leg Ranch. The ranch raises cattle and bison and sells meat. It also has a wedding venue, lodging, hunting and a brewery.
The project involves building the Market and Eatery, adding guest cabins and developing full-service RV sites.
The money for the $4 million in the latest round of grants became available after Country Fest, a Morton County music festival, declined the grant money after it decided not to make major changes to the event.
The Department of Commerce opened a new round of Destination Development Grant applications after Country Fest declined.
Other North Dakota grant recipients include:
- Johnny’s Landing – Casselton, $870,000: To develop a lodging and wellness destination with 14 full hookup RV sites, 12 wellness-focused heritage cabins converted from granaries and grain bins, renovated farmhouse lodging, preserved barn space for agritourism and a conversion of a historic wooden water tower into a sauna.
- Great Northern Event Center – Williston, $550,000:To refurbish a historic Main Street property, turning the underground portion of the building into a lounge and other upgrades.
- The Prairie Experience at The Bins – Lakota, $500,000:For construction of the Bins Coffee and Spirits café, developing three grain bin lodging units and other amenities.
- Icelandic Rootshús – Mountain,$300,000: The Icelandic Rootshús is a permanent interpretive center, a welcoming place where this work can be experienced in person through learning, studying, and gathering.
A full list of grant recipients is available on the Department of Commerce website.
North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.
Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.
Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.
Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.
“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.
Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.
The cause remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.
The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.
Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.
Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Submitted Photo
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.”
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