North Dakota
ND bill would punish high-volume drug dealers, including those tied to overdose deaths
BISMARCK — Nobody spoke Monday, Jan. 30, towards a invoice supporters say would give regulation enforcement the power to punish high-volume drug sellers, together with these tied to overdose deaths.
Ladd Erickson, state’s lawyer in McLean and Sheridan counties, stated Senate Invoice 2248 is aimed toward letting regulation enforcement “observe the proof so far as it would take you.” The invoice, heard Monday earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee, was introduced in response to a rising variety of overdose deaths attributable to fentanyl.
Erickson defined that the availability of medicine reaching North Dakota — almost all of that are tainted with fentanyl — begin out in kilogram portions. Because the medication are distributed, kilos turn into kilos, kilos turn into ounces, and ounces grams. The state’s regulation enforcement sources are spent primarily on the gram customers, which does little to disrupt the availability chain or maintain quantity sellers accountable for overdose deaths, he stated.
The wording of the invoice permits regulation enforcement to prosecute sellers who provide medication that, instantly or not directly, trigger the loss of life of a consumer. If regulation enforcement makes a drug arrest in Sheridan County, for instance, however determines the availability got here from Burleigh County, fees may very well be filed in each counties, Erickson stated.
“The thought is to have murder investigators converging again from the our bodies to the hub,” he stated. “You wish to put paranoia and accountability as far up the availability chain as you may.”
Senate Invoice 2248 in its unique type would have barred using deferred sentence impositions and plea agreements for defendants going through fees associated to fentanyl distribution. It could have additionally offered one-year necessary minimal sentences upon conviction or a responsible plea. Amendments to the invoice eliminated or changed these objects.
Travis Finck, director of the North Dakota Committee on Authorized Counsel for Indigents, stated he had initially deliberate to ask the committee to advocate that the invoice not be handed.
Obligatory minimal sentences don’t work, he stated in written testimony, and barring plea agreements may result in the dismissal of instances or drive a prosecutor to attempt a dropping case as a result of extra proof turns up as a case performs out. Low-level defendants usually present data in on higher-level crimes, and taking away deferred impositions — which maintain felonies off an individual’s report in the event that they keep out of hassle — takes away the motivation to offer such data.
With out these objects, the invoice was “palatable,” Finck stated.
The invoice additionally outlines necessities for regulation enforcement reporting of deaths associated to fentanyl use. Sen. David Hogue, R-Minot, a sponsor of the invoice, stated the necessary minimal wording was changed to push for 20-year sentences for a vendor tied instantly or not directly to an overdose loss of life.
The Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimated a funding influence of greater than $400,000 within the subsequent two years and almost $500,000 within the 2025-27 biennium, in keeping with a fiscal notice hooked up to the unique invoice. These numbers possible would lower with the deletion of the necessary minimums, Hogue stated.
The committee took no speedy motion on the invoice.
North Dakota
Jelly Roll to headline 2025 North Dakota State Fair
MINOT, N.D. (KFYR) – A big North Dakota State Fair announcement. We now know who will headline the fair this year.
Jelly Roll is set to take the main stage in Minot on Sunday, July 20.
The Grammy-nominated artist also played at the state fair in 2023.
He just finished his sold-out arena tour, “Beautifully Broken” making 2024 his most successful year.
Single tickets for Jelly Roll will be 80 dollars, it’s the same price for reserved seating or standing-room spots.
Tickets go on sale on March 3.
You can get them online, in person, or at one of seven kiosks throughoUt the state.
The North Dakota State Fair will soon release the other artists joining the line-up with Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
South Dakota State soars past North Dakota
BROOKINGS — The Jackrabbits had their shootin’ boots on Thursday night against North Dakota, blowing past the Fighting Hawks 109-73 before a First Bank & Trust Arena crowd of 3,261 in one of the most impressive offensive performances in recent memory by South Dakota State.
The win marked the second most points they’ve ever scored against a Division I opponent (fans may remember the 139 they dropped on Savannah State in 2018), and their .656 field goal percentage is the fourth-best of the D1 era.
Joe Sayler had 25 points for the Jacks — all of them coming in the first half — while Isaac Lindsey had 13, Oscar Cluff and Kalen Garry 12 and Jaden Jackson 11, as all 11 active players on the roster scored.
But hot shooting and scoring exploits aside, the Jacks needed this win. An 0-2 road trip last week dropped them to 1-2 in league play, and while it’s far too early to really be worrying about the standings, SDSU wanted to end the losing streak before it became an actual streak.
“It was an important win, especially back on our home court,” said Lindsey, who was 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. “We knew this week in practice that this was a big game after a tough road trip and the coaches were on us but they stayed super positive with us. That helped us come to work with a good attitude, so we were gonna get back on track at home.”
Both teams started out hot, with SDSU leading 32-28 at the midpoint of a fast-paced first half. But the Hawks started to gradually cool off (or the Jacks played better defense), while SDSU just kept on ripping the nets.
The Jacks connected on 71 percent of their shots from the field before the break, and actually kept pushing that shooting percentage higher in the early stages of the second half before finally cooling off.
“We started off a little slow on the defensive end but we picked it up late in the half and when we play good defense our offense comes along,” said Sayler, who was 10-of-13 from the floor and hit 4-of-7 3-pointers. “We just trust each other to make the right play, shots went in tonight and that’s what we needed on our home floor.”
Matthew Mors had nine points, four rebounds and four assists, Owen Larson had six points, six rebounds and four assists and Damon Wilkinson had eight points and four rebounds.
Amar Kuljuhovic had 14 points to lead the Fighting Hawks (7-13, 1-4), while SDSU held UND’s leading scorer, Treysen Eaglestaff, to 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Mier Panoam had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Hawks shot 47 percent in the first half but a dreadful 21 percent (7-of-32) in the second.
It’s almost become a running gag how Jacks coach Eric Henderson always focuses on and talks about his team’s defense no matter how well they play on offense, but this game figured to put that to the test. One of the most efficient and entertaining offensive performances the Jacks have put together in Henderson’s tenure — would he still credit the defense first in his postgame remarks? Of course he did, and when teased about it, the coach offered no apologies.
“You know me,” Henderson said with a laugh. “Joe’s performance was pretty special. The pace that we played with and how we shared the basketball is as good as we’ve done all year.”
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
North Dakota
North Dakota Forest Service leads group to fight California wildfires
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Since the Palisades wildfire began in California on Jan. 7, firefighting crews have been working to contain them.
Many western states have sent equipment and firefighters to help. Now, Hunter Noor of the North Dakota Forest Service is leading a task force of South Dakota firefighters to manage the Eden fires outside of Pasadena.
“It’s just a chunk of ground that starts going up into those high mountains they have there right outside of Pasadena. And we’re just patrolling fire lines, putting out hot spots and just making sure that the lines that are there hold,” said Noor.
Noor and his group plan to be in California for at least another week and a half.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
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