North Dakota
North Dakota lawmakers pass Commerce budget without aid for presidential library
BISMARCK — The North Dakota Legislature sent the Department of Commerce’s budget to Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday without the $50 million in funding for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library that was previously added to the bill.
Senate Bill 2018
saw over three hours of debate on the House floor last week
before passing
and ending up in a conference committee.
The version of the bill that
came out of conference committee
had about $70 million less in Strategic Investment and Improvement Funding (SIIF) than the version passed by the House. SIIF is a state reserve fund filled by oil and gas production and extraction tax revenue that is frequently used by lawmakers to backfill the state budget.
The presidential library accounted for $25 million of that amount, but Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, said other areas were cut as well. Funding for the
“Find the Good Life” state tourism marketing campaign
was eliminated, while support for tourism development grants, a drone replacement program, the North Dakota Development Fund, the beyond-line-of-sight Vantis drone program, and science centers in Fargo and Grand Forks was reduced.
Lawmakers said they decided to push discussion of further funding for the presidential library to next session, when they would have more time to discuss it in a policy committee and the library will have been open for five months. The fact that the additional funding for the library was added in the House Appropriations Committee rather than a policy committee was one of the largest points of criticism when the bill came up on the House floor last week.
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
officials said they have raised $260 million to date and aim to raise $450 million in private donations.
Library spokesperson Matt Briney said the library is on track to close the funding gap before its grand opening in July 2026. The library
hit the halfway point of construction
in August 2024.
The previously proposed funding for the presidential library totaled $50 million — $25 million from SIIF and $25 million from earnings from the Bank of North Dakota. The funding would not have gone toward construction but instead into an operational endowment to cover staffing and annual expenses in perpetuity.
Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, carried the bill on the Senate floor and said the $9 million in funding for a drone replacement program, which would replace all drones used by state agencies that come from China with drones made by the U.S. or an ally country, was the concession the Senate made to reduce spending elsewhere in the budget. It previously went into conference committee at $16 million.
Some lawmakers in the House condemned the addition of funding for a drone replacement program because they said it was reintroduced from
a bill that was voted down earlier this session.
Nathe said it is common to put sections of failed legislation into other bills.
The total budget for the department was set at roughly $158 million, with approximately $42 million of that from the General Fund and $70 million allocated as one-time funding.
North Dakota
Person detained during search for missing West Fargo woman is released – KVRR Local News
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — A person who was detained during a SWAT raid involving a missing West Fargo woman has since been released.
On Friday evening, Red River Valley SWAT team assisted Fargo Police in serving a search warrant in the 4400 block of Calico Drive South.
Officers were looking for evidence related to 24-year-old Isadora Wengel of West Fargo.
She was last seen early Monday.
Her family says she has a medical condition and needs medication.
Investigators are processing the apartment for evidence and have expanded the investigation to the Fargo landfill.
Police are searching the area where trash from Calico Drive South would be dumped.
They say no one has been arrested, but there is no threat to the public.
North Dakota
Iowa State wrestling rolls North Dakota State in Sunday road dual
Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser discusses dual win over Iowa
VIDEO: Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser discusses dual win over Iowa, the first since 2004
Iowa State wrestling left little to chance on the road against North Dakota State, rolling to a 36-3 win over the Bison on Jan. 11.
The Cyclones won nine of 10 bouts against NDSU, including two by major decision, two by technical fall and a win by fall for MJ Gaitan. Iowa State left the dual with four ranked wins as well.
The highlight bout of the dual was the opener at 125 pounds between Iowa State’s Stevo Poulin and No. 17 Ezekiel Witt. Poulin got a nice 7-1 win by decision over Witt, with a takedown into a two-point turn in the second period helping decide it. At 5-5 entering the dual, it was a good sign for No. 14 Poulin as he looks to get back on track.
Evan Frost earned the second ranked win of the day at 133 vs. No. 30 Tristan Daugherty. He walked away with a 9-0 major decision with two takedowns and a two-minute ride in the second period. Anthony Echemendia followed it up with a 21-6 technical fall vs. Michael Olson at 141.
To close the first half of the dual, Jacob Frost hung on for an 11-5 win by decision over No. 25 Max Petersen. Frost got out to an early lead with two takedowns in the first period, but had to fend off a late surge in the third period with a takedown to put the match away at 11-5.
Vinny Zerban had a nice bounce-back effort at 157, defeating former NCAA All-American Gavin Drexler at 157. After taking a loss earlier in the week vs. Arizona State, Zerban went wire-to-wire vs Drexler in a 12-5 decision and nearly had a major decision had he not conceded a takedown late in the third period.
Iowa State came out of intermission still rolling. Connor Euton earned a 11-2 major decision over Boeden Greenley at 165, followed by a win by fall for Gaitan at 174 over three-time Iowa state champion Max Magayna and a gritty 4-1 sudden victory for Isaac Dean over No. 26 Aidan Brenot at 184.
CJ Carter was unable to help secure a shutout win for ISU with a 10-4 loss by decision to Devin Wasley at 197, but Yonger Bastida ended the dual on a high note with a 19-4 technical fall over Shilo Jones. at heavyweight.
Iowa State moved to 6-1 in duals. Kevin Dresser’s team has the Cyclone Open up next on Jan. 18, but no dual until Jan. 23 vs. Northern Colorado.
Iowa State wrestling vs. North Dakota State results
- 125: Stevo Poulin (ISU) over Ezekiel Witt (NDSU) (Dec 7-1)
- 133: Evan Frost (ISU) over Tristan Daugherty (NDSU) (MD 9-0)
- 141: Anthony Echemendia (ISU) over Michael Olson (NDSU) (TF 21-6 4:11)
- 149: Jacob Frost (ISU) over Max Petersen (NDSU) (Dec 11-5)
- 157: Vinny Zerban (ISU) over Gavin Drexler (NDSU) (Dec 12-5)
- 165: Connor Euton (ISU) over Boeden Greenley (NDSU) (MD 11-2)
- 174: MJ Gaitan (ISU) over Max Magayna (NDSU) (Fall 1:39)
- 184: Isaac Dean (ISU) over Aidan Brenot (NDSU) (SV-1 4-1)
- 197: Devin Wasley (NDSU) over CJ Carter (ISU) (Dec 10-4)
- 285: Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Shilo Jones (NDSU) (TF 19-4 4:53)
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
North Dakota
North Dakota HS Boys | Girls Basketball Scoreboard from Jan 10, 2026
High School Basketball logo. Courtesy Midwest Communications.
North Dakota High School Boys | Girls Basketball Scoreboard from Jan 10, 2026
BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=
Alexander-Trinity Christian 81, Divide County 58
Beulah 55, Des Lacs-Burlington 26
Harvey-Wells County 61, Nedrose 51
Killdeer 54, Dunseith 52
Linton 75, Sargent County 32
Milbank, S.D. 64, Hillsboro-Central Valley 61
New Salem-Almont 71, Mandaree 32
Our Redeemer’s 89, Kenmare 32
Parshall 71, Trenton 70
Richey-Lambert, Mont. 57, Beach 55
Rothsay, Minn. 71, Richland 38
Shiloh 70, Oak Grove 59
Watford City 77, South Prairie/Max 64
Westby-Grenora 49, Savage, Mont. 40
White Shield 72, Strasburg 55
Dickinson Trinity Shootout=
Central McLean 70, Bowman County 54
Dickinson Trinity 63, Stanley 22
Wilton-Wing 70, South Heart 51
Ramsey County Tournament=
Championship=
North Star 65, Lakota/Adams-Edmore/Dakota Prairie 57
7th Place=
Warwick 72, Benson County 61
5th Place=
Carrington 53, Griggs-Midkota 45
3rd Place=
Devils Lake 73, Larimore 63
Stutsman County Shootout=
Drake-Anamoose 54, South Border 49
Glen Ullin 47, EKM 44
MPB 63, Washburn 59
Midway-Minto 61, Ellendale 53
Napoleon/G-S 53, Kindred 44
Oakes 69, Kidder County 39
GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=
Ashby, Minn. 65, Tri-State 49
Benson County 47, Hatton-Northwood 38
Dunseith 46, Killdeer 39
Ellendale 54, South Border 36
Flasher 42, New England 16
Garrison 54, Grant County/Mott-Regent 51
Kenmare 55, Our Redeemer’s 43
Kindred 70, Bottineau 21
Lambert, Mont. 52, Beach 50
Maple River 53, LaMoure 52
Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 57, TGU 54
New Salem-Almont 67, Mandaree 44
North Prairie 67, Westhope 49
Park River 42, Griggs-Midkota 37
Richey-Lambert, Mont. 52, Beach 50
Rothsay, Minn. 65, Richland 32
Sargent County 55, Linton 48
Savage, Mont. 40, Westby-Grenora 33
Shiloh 56, Oak Grove 47
Sisseton, S.D. 66, Oakes 17
Strasburg 39, White Shield 30
Surrey 67, Larimore 38
Trenton 58, Parshall 40
Dickinson Trinity Shootout=
Central McLean 55, Bowman County 41
South Heart 45, Stanley 41
Sanford Pentagon Classic=
West Fargo Horace 70, Tea, S.D. 41
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