President Trump traveled to North Dakota on Wednesday to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library before its official opening on Saturday.

“He had a freakin’ wild life,” Trump told an audience at a Western-themed amphitheater, the Associated Press reported. “He didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to be great.”

The library is expected to be a major source of tourism in rural western North Dakota.

-The Hagstrom Report

(North Dakota Monitor) –BISMARCK, N.D.– A West Fargo attorney will be the next member of the North Dakota Ethics Commission.

The Ethic Commission selection committee on Tuesday named Lisa Edison-Smith to fill an open position on the five-person commission.

Edison-Smith will replace Ron Goodman, who is retiring. Her term will expire in August 2027.

Edison-Smith is an employment and labor attorney with the Vogel Law Firm but plans to retire by the end of the year, according to a questionnaire she filled out for the selection committee. She also has served as a mediator.

She is a graduate of North Dakota State University and the Hamline School of Law.

Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, one of three members of the selection committee, said the committee was impressed with her resume and her interview.

“She made it clear that she’s an independent thinker and she’s not afraid to lead, which includes the ability to dissent,” Hogue said. “So to me, that was important.”

In her questionnaire answers, Edison-Smith said the commission should not usurp the Legislature’s lawmaking authority but adopt rules and conduct investigations in accordance with state law.

She also said it is important for Ethics Commission staff to review “facially deficient or frivolous complaints” and for the commission to dismiss those cases in 60 to 90 days.

The other finalist was North Dakota Insurance and Securities Department attorney Garrett Bryan.

The selection committee, composed of Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Hogue, R-Minot, and Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, also recently named Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben to a spot on the commission.

The Ethics Commission’s duties include adopting ethics rules, investigating alleged violations and issuing advisory opinions to help public officials navigate ethical issues. They are paid a stipend for every day they meet, plus reimbursement for travel.

North Dakota voters in 2018 passed a measure to establish the Ethics Commission.

BISMARCK, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday requested a presidential major disaster declaration following a pair of severe storms that caused more than $4.6 million in damage across seven North Dakota counties.

Armstrong submitted the request through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seeking federal public assistance funding to help cover the cost of repairing and replacing damaged public infrastructure.

The storms struck June 7-9.

The first round, on June 7, produced a derecho-like wind event with straight-line winds estimated between 80 and 100 mph. Two days later, supercell thunderstorms brought tornadoes, baseball-sized hail, and additional damaging winds.

“Just as communities were starting to clean up from the first round of storms on June 7, another round hit two days later, compounding the damage and complicating response and recovery for our citizens,” Armstrong said. “We appreciate the administration considering this request to help cover the cost of significant damage to public infrastructure from this one-two punch.”

The storms knocked out power to more than 25,000 people, toppled trees, and caused widespread damage to homes, businesses, and public utilities. Preliminary damage estimates to public facilities, including debris removal, exceed $4.6 million.

Armstrong declared a state disaster on June 30 in response to the storms.

The federal request covers seven counties: Bottineau, Burke, Divide, McLean, Mercer, Oliver, and Williams. A presidential major disaster declaration would make FEMA public assistance available to eligible applicants in those counties.