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North Dakota family in Austria for Taylor Swift concert dismayed by cancellation over terror threat

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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.

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People and security walk outside Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, Austria, after Taylor Swift’s three concerts scheduled for this week were canceled following confirmation of a planned attack there on Thursday.

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.

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Young woman with long, dark blond hair and a yellow-flowered print dress sits next to a stone pillar in front of a stately looking building and water

Nora Severance, 17, of rural Arthur, North Dakota, is pictured outside Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. She and her family traveled to Vienna to see the Taylor Swift concert there on Thursday; however, the concert and two others in Vienna were canceled amid threats of a terror attack.

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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

A young blond-haired girl and her mother, with shoulder length brown hair, stand next to pop superstar Taylor Swift wearing a black, sparkly outfit. They're in front of a gray, brick backdrop

Nicole Severance and her daughter Nora, then 8, from rural Arthur, North Dakota, are shown backstage at the Fargodome on Oct. 12, 2015, with pop star Taylor Swift during a stop on the artist’s “1989” world tour.

Contributed / Nicole Severance

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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.”

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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.

Arm in black long sleeve outstretched with 20 Taylor Swift bracelets

Taylor Swift fan Nora Severance shows off an arm full of Swift themed friendship bracelets ahead of seeing a showing of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film on Oct. 13, 2023, at West Acres Cinema in Fargo.

Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum

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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.

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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.





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North Dakota

North Dakota lawmakers from West Fargo announce bid for reelection

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North Dakota lawmakers from West Fargo announce bid for reelection


WEST FARGO — Three incumbents from West Fargo will run for reelection to their state legislative seats.

North Dakota Sen. Judy Lee and Reps. Jim Jonas and Austen Schauer, all Republicans, announced Sunday, Dec. 14, that they would campaign to represent District 13 in the state Legislature. The district covers much of north West Fargo.

Austin Schauer.

Special to The Forum

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Lee was first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1994. Jonas and Schauer have served in the state House since 2023 and 2019, respectively.

The three ran unopposed in the 2022 election. The next election for their seats is in 2026.

Jim Jonas, candidate for West Fargo School Board. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
Jim Jonas.

Forum file photo

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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Bids awarded for construction of Highway 85

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Bids awarded for construction of Highway 85


WATFORD CITY, N.D. (KUMV) – The North Dakota Department of Transportation awarded more than 150 million dollars in bids to continue expanding highway 85 south of Watford City.

More than $83.8 million will go to Park Construction out of Minneapolis for one segment. It covers about five and a half miles south of the Long X Bridge, going through another section of the badlands. It’s expected to be a three-year project due to the rough terrain.

The next segment covers 12 and a half miles south from the badlands to the highway 200 intersection. The winning bid went to Strata out of Grand Forks for $61.7 million. It will be a two-year project.

Funding for these projects were provided by both the state and federal government.

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Griffin’s 18 lead Western Illinois past North Dakota 69-66 in OT – WTOP News

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Griffin’s 18 lead Western Illinois past North Dakota 69-66 in OT – WTOP News


GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Isaiah Griffin had 18 points in Western Illinois’ 69-66 overtime win against North Dakota on…

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Isaiah Griffin had 18 points in Western Illinois’ 69-66 overtime win against North Dakota on Saturday.

Griffin had three steals for the Leathernecks (4-7). Karyiek Dixon scored 17 points while shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line and added 18 rebounds. Lucas Lorenzen shot 3 for 13 (1 for 9 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points.

Eli King led the way for the Fightin’ Hawks (4-9) with 13 points, two steals and four blocks. Greyson Uelmen added 13 points for North Dakota. Garrett Anderson had 11 points and six rebounds.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.



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