BISMARCK — Gov. Doug Burgum has announced NASA astronaut James Buchli as the 49th recipient of the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award.

Buchli was the first North Dakotan to fly in space and is a veteran of four space flights, orbiting the Earth 319 times, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“As the first person born in North Dakota to visit space, he’s an example of just how far a North Dakotan can go,” Burgum said in the release.

Born in New Rockford and a graduate of Fargo Central High School, Buchli has represented North Dakota in the fields of space exploration and aviation.

He was a distinguished Marine Corps aviator before becoming a NASA astronaut, and he frequently returns to the state to engage with the University of North Dakota’s space studies program.

Considered the state’s highest commendation for its citizens, the Rough Rider Award recognizes current and former North Dakotans who have been influenced by the state in achieving national recognition in their fields of endeavor.

The award will be presented later this year with Buchli in person at a date and location to be announced, the release said.

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.

See the latest progress of our HPC Data Center in Ellendale, North Dakota. From concept to construction, we’re on a mission to redefine digital infrastructure. Why Ellendale? This strategic location sets the stage for groundbreaking advancements in AI, offering:

• An ideal climate for optimal data center operation
• Competitive power pricing
• Access to abundant wind and renewable power, advancing scalability and sustainability Ultra-fast, high-speed fiber with redundant pathways.
• Supports liquid cooling design, tailored to achieve tailored to achieve industry-leading rack densities at scale

Stay tuned for more construction updates and discover how we’re powering the next wave of AI revolution in Ellendale and beyond.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Local brand Many Visions focuses on encouraging creativity within the community.

Its event Mini Visions, focused on starting this process at a young age.

At the Capital Ice Complex in Bismarck, Many Visions set up a variety of family-friendly activities, all involving art and ways for kids to express themselves.

Live music echoed through the rink along with the voices of children joining in karaoke.

For event organizer Bobby Cochran, the event was a way to give children in the community an opportunity that was not available to him as a child.

“I was a troubled youth as a kid, so I never had these tools and had these lessons as a kid, so I’m trying to provide these for them and we do it absolutely free,” said Cochran.

Children were free to explore music and art activities, such as coloring and creating via virtual reality programming at different stations.

These exposed them to a variety of different interests and possible coping and therapeutic skills.

“I have two grown boys and just, you know, the more things you can subject them to, the healthier life they’re gonna live, I think,” said Nicole Morrison, an attendant of the event.

Cochran says the goal is to build a future for the youth filled with art and music, a sentiment supported by his slogan.

“Never doubt your visions, which means that you could do anything in your life that you want to do, you just have to believe in yourself and have to know that you can do anything you want, you just have to take those small steps to get those big steps,” said Cochran

Inflatables were also available for the kids to use.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.