North Dakota
North Dakota lawmakers hear extensive testimony on controversial library bill
BISMARCK — North Dakota lawmakers listened to lengthy testimony Tuesday, March 18, on a bill that would require schools and public libraries to hide materials with “obscene” content from minors.
Senate Bill 2307
would direct such facilities to move “offensively sexual” content out of the main area of a library to a restricted section — whether that be in a cabinet, a roped-off aisle or on a higher shelf.
Another section of the bill requires school districts, state agencies and public libraries to filter out material found to be obscene in online library resources.
If passed, entities would be tasked with reviewing, removing and/or relocating those materials by January 2026 and providing the state with a compliance report before May 2026.
Those found to be in violation of the law could lose all state funding.
The cost associated with implementing the bill is over $2 million.
Confusion around what content would be considered obscene, ways a person could file a complaint about such content, and how someone could be found guilty of violating the rules was discussed at length during a three-hour House Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill Tuesday.
Bill sponsor Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, said the bill is purely about protecting children.
“This bill is not an attack on library staff or schools,” he said. “It is a necessary safeguard against a small number of activists who exploit legal loopholes to push an agenda that does not align with the values of our families and communities.”
Boehm brought
a similar bill
during the 2023 legislative, which was passed by lawmakers but vetoed by former Gov. Doug Burgum,
who said enacting the law would have an “enormous burden” on libraries.
Peyton Haug / Forum News Service
SB 2307 adds to House Bill 1205, enacted in 2023, which bans “sexually explicit” materials from the children’s section of a library and allows people to ask libraries to remove such content if they find it to be “inappropriate.”
Sara Planteen, a mother from Cogswell, said her concerns about materials she found to be offensive weren’t taken seriously at the local level.
“When schools fail to follow their own policies, when they dismiss parental concerns, then it is the duty of the elected officials to step in,” she said.
Peyton Haug / Forum News Service
Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, Rep. Vicky Steiner, R-Dickinson, and a family therapist also voiced their support of the bill.
Opponents then lined up to share their testimony in person, except for Kelsi LeBaron, a sixth grader from Williston, who testified remotely.
Peyton Haug / Forum News Service
“I understand that some books deal with difficult topics, but I believe that removing them from schools and libraries will do more harm than good,” LeBaron said. “For some students, reading a certain book might be the first time they feel understood.”
LeBaron also said parents, teachers and librarians should be guiding what children read, not the government.
A librarian, a bookstore owner and the North Dakota Library Association echoed LeBaron’s plea.
They collectively characterized the bill as a costly one-size-fits-all solution that would unjustly stigmatize certain books, disproportionately impact small and rural libraries, and jeopardize First Amendment rights.
“Parents are responsible for approving content for the children, not the state. It is also not one family’s right to decide what is appropriate for other families to access,” said Gail Reiten, chair of Right to Read North Dakota.
Those who provided neutral testimony Tuesday maintained that regulating access to explicit material while fulfilling educational needs is a delicate balance.
Peyton Haug / Forum News Service
Over 370 entries of online testimony had been submitted before the hearing. Nearly 85% opposed the bill, including dozens of North Dakota libraries and individual librarians, as well as social work associations, education lobbying groups, university leaders, parents and teachers.
Those in favor were Christian lobbying groups, South Dakota-based therapists and around a dozen North Dakotans.
The committee did not take any immediate action on the bill Tuesday.
(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) – Two North Dakotans are semifinalists for the Bismarck State College president’s job as North Dakota State University narrows its presidential candidate list.
Valley City State University also is searching for a new president, with an application period closing this month..
Kevin Black, chair of the State Board of Higher Education and co-chair of the North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee, said the committee reviewed over 60 applications. The committee is planning off-site interviews with candidates March 9-10 and campus visits with semifinal candidates March 23-27.
“We’re really excited about taking the next step and there’s some very quality people in there,” Black said.
FARGO — One season ago, a Cinderella run for the West Fargo United girls hockey team came up just short in the state championship game.
United, the No. 7 seed, fell to Legacy/Bismarck in the 2025 final.
This time around, the team had momentum swaying in its favor, riding nine consecutive wins into Saturday’s title game against Grand Forks at Scheels Arena.
Led by goals from a pair of senior captains, United capped its redemption season with a 10th straight victory, fending off the KnightRiders 2-1 to claim the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament championship.
“It just means everything,” said United’s Payton Stocker, whose goal at the 12:31 mark of the second period gave her team a 1-0 lead. “We’ve worked so hard and throughout the season, it’s just been such a battle. Winning and coming out on top is just such a great feeling.”
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Stocker was followed up in scoring by United captain Rachel Spanier. The defenseman fired a slap shot from the left point that beat Grand Forks goaltender Kylie Schmaltz to make it 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame.
Reagan Wilson locked things down in net for United, finishing with 23 saves and picking up an all-tournament team nod.
“This is my first year of high school hockey,” the sophomore goaltender said. “I can’t believe coming in here and winning a state title with all of these girls. I just love them so much.”
While it was the senior duo of Stocker and Spanier finding the net for United on Saturday, contributions were seen across the board.
Sophomore Emma Hassler also put forth an all-tournament campaign with five goals and an assist for six points over the three-day stretch.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Freshman Kaylee Augdahl finished the tournament with four points — including
a double-overtime winner
over Fargo North/South in Friday’s semifinals — and junior Liana Williamson added three assists.
“It wasn’t just us (seniors),” said Stocker, who joined Hassler and Wilson on the all-tourney team. “It was everyone collectively. Being seniors, it feels a lot better. It was a great feeling.”
United, the No. 5 seed this year, capped its season with a record of 17-9-0.
“These girls are awesome,” first-year United head coach Kennedy Blair said. “They’ve worked super, super hard since last April. Wake up early in the mornings, go into off-ice training, on-ice training and all that.
“This group of girls is really special. They’re a really close-knit group, and they trusted our coaching staff coming in as a first-year group.”
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Blair knows a thing or two about winning championships. She was a North Dakota state champion goaltender with the former Bismarck Blizzard co-op and also won an NCAA Division I national title with the Wisconsin women’s program in 2021.
Yet, she never imagined ending her first year as a high school varsity coach with a state championship.
“No, I didn’t,” said Blair, who also won North Dakota High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. “But I had belief in these girls that we could get to the state championship again.”
It’s the United co-op’s first-ever state title — which consists of West Fargo, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo Horace high schools.
Prior to Saturday, the last time a West Fargo girls program won the state title was in 2014 when it was still a standalone program competing as the Packers.
“It’s amazing considering United hockey has never won a championship game,” Wilson said.
Grand Forks, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, ended its campaign with a 21-5-0 record.
Ella Yahna’s fourth goal of the tournament — which came on a 2-on-1 rush with the assist from teammate Reese Meagher, put the KnightRiders within one shot with 8:17 remaining in the third.
Grand Forks, however, was unable to find the equalizer as its bid for a first state championship came up just short.
“I thought we came out in the first and we had a tough time,” Grand Forks head coach Kelly Kilgore said. “I felt we battled some nerves. I really liked our second period … We carried the play and tilted the ice a little bit back in our favor. The shots kind of started to really turn in our favor.”
Stocker said she wouldn’t have wanted to win a state title as a senior with any other group of teammates.
“(They mean) everything,” Stocker said. “We’re so tight and they’re all my friends. Leaving them is going to be hard. But they mean everything to me. We’re all so close and I love them a lot.”
FIRST PERIOD: No scoring.
SECOND PERIOD: 1, WFU, Stocker (Augdahl, Hassler), 12:31. 2, WFU, Spanier (Augdahl, Stocker), 16:25.
THIRD PERIOD: 3, GF, Yahna (R. Meagher), 8:43.
SAVES: WFU, Wilson 7-13-3—23. GF, Schmaltz 7-3-14—24.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Children’s Museum has revealed the anonymous donor of the $2 million in matching funds that prompted others to step forward and bring the fundraising campaign closer to its goal of $35 million.
“It is with deep gratitude that the Grand Forks Children’s Museum now shares the name behind that bold vision,” said Katie Mayer, executive director of the museum, in naming Pam Laffen of Grand Forks as the anonymous donor.
With this gift and other major contributions, the fundraising campaign “stands at just $1.75 million remaining, bringing the finish line clearly into view,” Mayer said.
The museum “reflects Pam’s passion for learning and her belief in creating meaningful opportunities for children which have guided her life’s work and are deeply reflected in this gift,” she said.
Laffen said, “I am honored to be part of a community that supports a project dedicated to encouraging growth in education and service for future generations.”
Recognizing the impact of Laffen’s gift, Mayer said, “Pam and her late husband, Lonnie, shared a deep appreciation for this community. Being raised in a rural area in North Dakota taught them to be actively engaged in their immediate and surrounding communities across the state.”
Contributed / Grand Forks Children’s Museum
At the start of the “Unlocking Tomorrow, Together Challenge,” the $2 million would be released, or “unlocked,” with the receipt of each of eight $250,000 donations. The challenge actually resulted in “securing nearly 10 leadership-level commitments and accelerating the campaign even further,” Mayer said.
A leadership gift of $250,000 from the Pancratz Family Foundation, based with the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, has helped to “unlock one of the final keys in the challenge,” according to an announcement from the museum. The gift has added “meaningful momentum at a pivotal time in the campaign.”
The foundation’s commitment to the museum “reflects a strong belief in expanding opportunity for children and families, and helped carry the challenge to completion.”
The final keys to the $2 million matching grant were “propelled by an extraordinary wave of generosity from families and businesses across our community,” Mayer said.
A vertical climber, to be named for Pam Laffen, is designed to physically and symbolically connect the land and sky levels of the museum, Mayer said. It will span two stories and include a slide. Designed to face 42nd Street, it will be visible from the road, serving as a signature feature of the building.
The climber will reflect the guiding phrase “In land, we root. Through sky, we rise. Together, we grow.”
“The words echo both the spirit of the community and the belief that learning, curiosity, exploration and opportunity are built step-by-step, grounded in place and lifted by possibility,” Mayer said.
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