North Dakota
North Dakota family in Austria for Taylor Swift concert dismayed by cancellation over terror threat
VIENNA, Austria — A rural Cass County teenager who’s waited more than a year to see Taylor Swift in a concert overseas has had her hopes dashed, along with hundreds of thousands of others after shows there were canceled over a terror threat.
Nora Severance, 17, a senior this fall at Northern Cass High School, secured tickets for her family to the Eras Tour stop in Vienna, Austria, back in June 2023.
She, her mother and 19-year-old brother arrived there Tuesday night in advance of the show set for Thursday, Aug. 8, while her father stayed back to work on the farm.
The family learned late Wednesday night that the Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows at Ernst Happel Stadium would not go on because of an alleged plot to carry out a suicide attack outside of the concert venue.
Elisabeth Mandl / Reuters
Nora Severance woke up the next morning to a flurry of texts from her friends, wondering what was going on.
“I think it was the right call,” she said of the cancellation in a Thursday night phone call from Vienna.
Contributed / Nicole Severance
Nicole Severance was asked how she conversed with her children about the terror threat.
“Sadly, it’s something that they’ve grown up with their whole life, and so it’s just kind of a daily thing,” she said.
There was also a feeling of resignation about the concert cancellation.
“We can’t control everything,” she said.
A 19-year old man from Austria was arrested over the alleged plot to strike the Swift concert and made a full confession in custody,
Reuters reported.
The man swore allegiance to the Islamic State on the internet and had chemicals, technical devices and machetes at his home, said Franz Ruf, Austria’s general director for public security.
Two other Austrian youths aged 17 and 15 were also detained over the reported plot.
The 17-year-old had recently been hired at a company providing services at the stadium, according to security officials.
The three shows in Vienna were expected to draw 65,000 concertgoers each day, with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans gathering outside of the area, police said.
Coincidentally, the family toured Schönbrunn Palace on Wednesday, a former royal residence visited by thousands of people daily.
Nora Severance said it was weird that there were no metal detectors and their bags were not searched.
“We had that conversation yesterday, right prior to this being canceled,” her mother said.
Nora Severance said she was looking forward to arriving at the stadium early Thursday night in order to trade the friendship bracelets she had made and to meet new people.
Contributed / Nicole Severance
The first and last time she saw Taylor Swift in concert,
she was just eight years old.
Her mother had entered a sweepstakes and won free tickets and meet-and-greet access to the superstar on her
“1989” world tour stop at the Fargodome in October 2015.
Calling it a “really good experience,” the teenager said, “that’s kind of what made me start to listen to her music more and want to see her again.”
Her mom said she doesn’t consider herself a “Swiftie” but appreciates the positive messages that Swift brings to young girls through her music.
The family originally sought Swift concert tickets in the U.S., for Minneapolis or Kansas City, but they sold out quickly and resale ticket prices were far too expensive.
“It just financially made more sense to fly to Europe and make a trip out of it,” Nora Severance said.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
They went for the Austria tour stop because it was one of the first European dates to go on sale.
The family secured standing tickets on the floor at the Vienna stadium for the original asking price of $100 apiece.
By comparison, the cheapest resale ticket prices for upcoming U.S. dates are going for around $2,500 a piece for “nosebleed” seats, Nora Severance said.
Swift’s next stop is Thursday, Aug. 15, at Wembley Stadium in London, where she has five shows scheduled.
People with tickets to the Vienna shows will be refunded within 10 business days, according to Swift’s website.
Nora Severance said her family will be in Europe for another 10 days, traveling to Hungary and Switzerland.
“We had things planned, thankfully, so we’ll make the best of it,” she said.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
North Dakota
Powerful former North Dakota lawmaker pleads guilty to traveling to Europe to pay for sex with minor
![Powerful former North Dakota lawmaker pleads guilty to traveling to Europe to pay for sex with minor Powerful former North Dakota lawmaker pleads guilty to traveling to Europe to pay for sex with minor](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-08/240808-Ray-Holmberg-ch-1654-7a1b3e.jpg)
FARGO, N.D. — A high-profile former North Dakota lawmaker who was one of the most powerful members of the Legislature pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a charge that he traveled to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor.
Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, was indicted in October 2023 for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity and receipt and attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material. The Republican served more than 45 years in the North Dakota Senate before resigning in 2022. He initially pleaded not guilty and a trial was scheduled for September.
Under a plea agreement he signed in June, Holmberg agreed to plead guilty to the former charge, and prosecutors would move to dismiss the latter and recommend a sentence at the low end of the guideline range.
The travel charge carries maximum penalties of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release.
In the plea agreement, Holmberg acknowledged that from around June 2011 to November 2016, he “repeatedly traveled from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Prague, Czech Republic with a motivating purpose of engaging in commercial sex with adolescent-age individuals under the age of 18 years.”
Holmberg has been under numerous conditions of release, including travel restrictions, location monitoring and the surrender of his passport.
On Friday, the pretrial services officer filed a report saying Holmberg hadn’t met those conditions.
She wrote that he was verbally reprimanded and reminded of his pretrial release conditions after he left his residence once and also visited an adult novelty store, each without approval. He also “continuously” accessed the internet for unapproved reasons and did not allow updates and maintenance to the monitoring software on his cellular device, she said.
In May, Holmberg admitted to using alcohol after testing positive. Later that month, he was told to remove an unapproved iPad from his home, and the judge added a condition restricting Holmberg’s access to electronic devices.
Since then, he continued to access the internet for unapproved reasons, the officer wrote.
“Due to the statutory mandate of detention, respectfully, the defendant is not viewed as a suitable candidate for self-surrender,” U.S. Pretrial Services Officer Christine Argall wrote.
Holmberg’s attorney, Mark Friese, declined an interview request. Holmberg was not arrested.
Former U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said the report is a routine filing but the alleged violations are serious, given the nature of Holmberg’s case.
“I am particularly troubled by the idea that he’s accessing the internet on unapproved devices that are not being monitored. That is really concerning when you’ve got somebody facing the charges of the type he was facing,” Purdon said. It is not unusual that Holmberg wasn’t arrested, he added.
Holmberg served in the state Senate from 1976 until mid-2022. He initially announced he wouldn’t seek reelection, but he resigned following reporting from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead that he exchanged dozens of text messages with a man in jail for child sexual abuse material.
For many years, Holmberg chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes budgets. He also chaired the Legislative Management panel, which handles various business between biennial sessions. That job let him approve his own travel.
Records obtained by The Associated Press showed Holmberg took dozens of trips throughout the U.S. and to other countries since 1999. Destinations included cities in more than 30 states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and Norway.
Earlier this year, the North Dakota School Boards Association returned about $142,000 to the state and ended its role in the Global Bridges teacher exchange program months after releasing travel records following Holmberg’s indictment that showed he utilized state funds when he traveled to Prague and other European cities in 2011, 2018 and 2019.
It’s unclear whether the misconduct alleged by authorities occurred during any of those trips.
The factors in Holmberg’s case make it arguably the most significant political scandal in North Dakota history, Purdon said.
“You have a very high-profile politician. You have literally the worst allegation you possibly could come up with, the sexual abuse and rape of a child,” he said. “And then you have the idea that tax dollars paid for the plane ticket.”
North Dakota
Debates set for North Dakota Governor, Congressional Races
![Debates set for North Dakota Governor, Congressional Races Debates set for North Dakota Governor, Congressional Races](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2404/files/2022/11/vote-sign-1200x630.jpg)
(North Dakota Monitor) -Debates have been scheduled for North Dakota candidates running for governor and federal office, Prairie Public announced this week.
According to the North Dakota Monitor the three debates will be held in September and October on Prairie Public and sponsored by AARP North Dakota.
Republican U.S. House candidate Julie Fedorchak will debate Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer at 7 p.m. Sept. 26.
North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer will debate Dem-NPL candidate Katrina Christiansen at 7 p.m. Oct. 2.
Republican U.S. House Rep. Kelly Armstrong will debate Dem-NPL candidate state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn at 7 p.m Oct. 10 in the state’s gubernatorial race. The debate was scheduled before independent candidate Michael Coachman qualified to join the race and he has yet to confirm if he will attend the debate, according to Prairie Public.
The debates will be moderated by Dave Thompson, news director for Prairie Public, or Matt Olien, a producer at Prairie Public.
Debates will be broadcast on Prairie Public television and radio networks and livestreamed.
North Dakota
High-profile former North Dakota lawmaker to plead guilty in court to traveling for sex with a minor – KTVZ
![High-profile former North Dakota lawmaker to plead guilty in court to traveling for sex with a minor – KTVZ High-profile former North Dakota lawmaker to plead guilty in court to traveling for sex with a minor – KTVZ](https://ktvz.b-cdn.net/2023/03/osKcX94i-News-BG-NC21-logo-1200x675-1.jpg)
Associated Press
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A former powerful North Dakota lawmaker is scheduled to plead guilty Thursday in federal court to traveling to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Ray Holmberg, a Republican who served in the state Senate from 1976 to 2022, was indicted in October 2023. He signed a plea agreement in June in which he will plead guilty to the travel charge. Under that deal, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the guideline range and move to dismiss a charge of receipt and attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material.
KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.
Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here
If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.
-
Mississippi1 week ago
MSU, Mississippi Academy of Sciences host summer symposium, USDA’s Tucker honored with Presidential Award
-
World1 week ago
Why are fewer women winning EU leadership roles?
-
Politics1 week ago
Vance brands Harris a 'coward'; Trump dinged for 'attacks and insults' as campaigns war after fiery event
-
Politics1 week ago
Harris now backing away from several far-left stances she once promoted
-
News1 week ago
We the People: Gun Rights : Throughline
-
News1 week ago
Video: Biden and Harris Greet Americans Released From Russia
-
Politics1 week ago
House conservative who's twice moved to impeach Vice President Harris faces competitive GOP primary
-
World1 week ago
The Take: Is Silicon Valley going MAGA?