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North Dakota lawmakers throw out resolution against same-sex marriage: What to know

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North Dakota lawmakers throw out resolution against same-sex marriage: What to know


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More than nine years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal across the country with its ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.

But a resolution considered – and ultimately rejected – by North Dakota lawmakers would have urged the court to overturn that decision. 

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The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Bill Tveit, a Republican from Hazen, was passed in February by the North Dakota House on a 52-40 vote, with one member absent or excused. 

On Wednesday, a state Senate committee voted 6-1 to send the resolution to the full Senate, the North Dakota Monitor reported. More than 300 people submitted testimony ahead of a public hearing, with the vast majority in opposition.

Sen. Ryan Braunberger, a Democrat from Fargo, was the lone vote against the motion to advance the resolution to a Senate vote.

“I want my constituents to know that I disagree with this wholeheartedly,” he said. “This bill is coming from a place of hate.”

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The state Senate spent less than 10 minutes debating the resolution Thursday before striking it down with a 16-31 vote, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.

Tveit told The Associated Press that the Obergefell ruling “went totally against the Tenth Amendment, went totally against the North Dakota Constitution and North Dakota Century Code (state laws).”

“Why did I introduce it? Every one of us in this building took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the state,” he said.

Here’s what to know about the resolution and the Supreme Court’s nearly decade-old same-sex marriage ruling.

What did the North Dakota same-sex marriage resolution say?

The text of the resolution began by urging the Supreme Court to “restore the definition of marriage to a union between one man and one woman.”

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The court’s ruling, it said, requires states to recognize same-sex marriage and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in “complete contravention of a state’s own constitution and the will of the state’s voters, thus undermining the civil liberties of those states’ residents and voters.”

It also said the Obergefell decision “arbitrarily and unjustly rejected the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman,” calling it an “illegitimate overreach.”

It concluded by urging the Supreme Court to overturn its ruling and restore “the issue of marriage and enforcement of all laws pertaining to marriage back to the states and the people.”

Which North Dakota officials supported of the resolution?

Tveit, the resolution’s sponsor, said Wednesday, “It’s past time for North Dakota citizens to speak their displeasure with this Supreme Court decision and call for restoration of the definition of marriage as only of the legal union between a man and a woman.”

Arthur Schaper, a field director for MassResistance, which was labeled an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the GLAAD Accountability Project, also spoke in support of the resolution on Wednesday. He said, “It is a crime against nature to teach anyone that they are born homosexual or transgender. These patterns of behavior are inherently harmful to individuals and they should not be granted a privileged status in marriage.”

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Which North Dakota officials opposed the resolution?

Braunberger, the Democratic state senator from Fargo, said after Thursday’s vote, “Hopefully in the future, we don’t have to do these frivolous things and can work on real issues, like making sure everybody can put food on their table.”

On Wednesday, state Rep. Matt Ruby, a Republican from Minot who supported the resolution when it passed the state House, told the Senate committee he regretted his vote.

“I knew before we were done with that floor session that I had made a mistake,” he said. “I’ve regretted a lot of votes over my four sessions. This is the first time I’ve been disappointed with myself over a vote.”

Bradley King, a Bismarck resident, also testified against the resolution on Wednesday. He held up a picture of his daughter, a middle school teacher, and her wife, and said how proud he was to walk her down the aisle, the North Dakota Monitor reported.

“Right now, you are looking at one angry father,” King said. “I personally feel that this is an attack on my daughter.”

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What is the Obergefell decision?

The Supreme Court’s decision is named for Jim Obergefell, who started a lawsuit with 30 other plaintiffs after his husband, John, died from ALS and the state of Ohio refused to allow Obergefell’s name to be on his death certificate, USA TODAY reported at the time.

“No American should have to suffer that indignity, that’s why John and I and the 30 plaintiffs who are a part of this lawsuit decided to fight,” Obergefell said.

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision ruled the Constitution does not limit the marriage rights of same-sex couples and effectively legalized same-sex marriages across the country. The decision followed decades of legal battles over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.



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Today in History: December 29, 1959 – Sioux ice champs North Dakota team of the year

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Today in History: December 29, 1959 – Sioux ice champs North Dakota team of the year


Today in History revisits the Tuesday, December 29. 1959 edition of the Grand Forks Herald and highlights a story on the UND Hockey team being names North Dakota team of the year.

The University of North Dakota hockey team was named “Team of the Year” after winning the NCAA Championship in a 4-3 overtime victory over Michigan State. Forward Reg Morelli was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Runner-up honors went to the Bismarck High basketball team for winning its third straight Class A title.

Sioux Ice Champs N. D. Team Of Year

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (as published by the Grand Forks Herald on Dec. 29, 1959)

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North Dakota hockey stock reached a peak early in 1959 when the University sextet captured the NCAA championship with a 4-3 overtime victory over Michigan State.

The feat earned the Sioux icemen the accolade of “team of the year” in the annual Associated Press poll of sports editors and sports directors.

Runner-up honors in the balloting went to the Bismarck high school basketball team, which won its third straight Class A high school title.

The St. Mary’s high school football team, which came from no- where to win the Class A grid crown, won third place.

The University hockey team had taken western championship for the first time the year before, and finished second to Denver in the 1957-58 NCAA tournament.

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As the 1958-59 campaign rolled around there were many problems to be solved if the Sioux were to maintain their position atop the college hockey world.

One by one the questions were resolved, and on March 14, at Troy, N. Y., North Dakota went into overtime to cop the coveted NCAA title.

Tremendous spirit marked the Sioux climb to the top. The North Dakota team won four games during the season in overtime, including two in the NCAA meet.

Members of the championship team included George Gratton and Bob Peabody, goalies; Ralph Lyndon, Julian Butherta, Pete Gaze- ly and Bob Began on defense; and Jerry Walford, Stan Paschke, Guy LaFrance, Art Miller, Ed Thomlinson, Joe Poole, Les Merrifield, Ron King, Bart Larson, Bernie Haley, Garth Perry and Reg Morelli, forwards.

Morelli Voted Most Valuable

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Morelli was voted most valuable player in the NCAA tourney. Morelli and Thomlinson were on the first team and Lyndon and Poole on the tournament’s second team.

The Bismarck basketball feat of three straight state championships tied a record set by Fargo in 1922- 23-24. The Demons had an overall 21-3 record, averaged 61.6 points per game and held opponents to 49.3 per tilt on the season.

Starters were Ron Carlson and Bob Smith at forward, Rod Tjaden at center and Art Winter and Rich Olthoff at guards.

Carlson and Winter were all-west choices.

Here are “team of the year” choices, points in parenthesis:

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  1. UND hockey (37)
  2. Bismarck high basketball (24)
  3. St. Mary’s high football (16)
  4. Bottineau high basketball (11)
  5. Valley City Teachers basket- ball (10)
  6. Williston high wrestling (5)
  7. Grand Forks Legion baseball (2)
  8. Shanley high football (1)
  9. NDAC football (1).

Rite Spot Liquor Store advertisment as published on Dec. 29, 1959. Grand Forks Herald archive image.

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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40 million from Midwest to New England brace for severe winter storm

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40 million from Midwest to New England brace for severe winter storm


A storm bearing down on the Great Lakes and New England is expected to bring rain, snow, and high winds over the next few days.

A narrow band from Fargo, North Dakota south to approximately Mason City, Iowa is under a blizzard warning ahead of the storm. That includes parts of of both states as well as parts of Minnesota. Winds in the affected areas are forecast to reach 45 miles per hour and, paired with an expected 3 to 8 inches of snow, are expected to create whiteout conditions through the start of the week.

Michigan’s upper peninsula is under a blizzard warning as well. There, snowfall is expected to be between 9 inches and 2 feet, and winds are expected to reach as high as 60 miles per hour, ABC News reports.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories for parts of the northeast, from the Scranton, Pennsylvania up through Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Maine. Freezing rain is expected in that area on Sunday and Monday.

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Buffalo and Jamestown, New York, are also both under flood watches from Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon.

A closed-for-the-season seafood restaurant at Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. A winter storm bringing blizzard conditions, high winds, and ice accumulation began moving east across the midwest on Sunday morning, and will disrupt the Great Lakes and northeast until early Monday

A closed-for-the-season seafood restaurant at Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. A winter storm bringing blizzard conditions, high winds, and ice accumulation began moving east across the midwest on Sunday morning, and will disrupt the Great Lakes and northeast until early Monday (Reuters)

Back in the Great Lakes region, both Cleveland and Detroit are bracing for high winds. Forecasters expect the cities will see gusts of up to 60 miles per hour on Sunday night through early Tuesday morning.

In the upper midwest, both Minneapolis and Green Bay are forecast to see between 5 to 9 inches of snow. A level 1 of 5 severe storm threat exists in a stretch from northern Indiana south into Missouri. That band includes Indianapolis, St Louis, Louisville, and Nashville. The affected region will be subject to high speed, damaging wind gusts, according to Fox Weather.

The storm began dropping snow on Sioux Falls and Fargo early on Sunday morning, and will continue to sweep east across the northern sections of the U.S. The midwest will begin to see storm conditions on Sunday afternoon, and the northeast will be affected shortly thereafter.

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People play in the snow in Central Park in Manhattan, New York

People play in the snow in Central Park in Manhattan, New York (REUTERS)
Army Black Knights fans throw snow after a touchdown during the second half of their win over the UConn Huskies in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts

Army Black Knights fans throw snow after a touchdown during the second half of their win over the UConn Huskies in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts (Getty Images)
A man shovels snow in Brooklyn, New York City

A man shovels snow in Brooklyn, New York City (Getty Images)

Road travelers in the affected regions should be wary. Parts of the I-95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston may be made treacherous by freezing rain around 5 pm on Sunday night.

Forecasters believe that the storm system will clear by Monday night, though lake-effect snow is likely to follow in its wake for Great Lakes communities. That snow will likely continue into Tuesday and potentially Wednesday.

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In northern New England, wintry precipitation may produce up to a quarter of an inch of ice in the area. While the interior northeast is expected to receive some lake-effect snow as well, forecasters believe snowfall in the region will be lighter.

The storm comes on the heels of another winter weather system that swept across the northeast earlier this week, dropping snow on New York and New Jersey and forcing thousands of flights to be either cancelled or delayed.



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Dakota Cat Cafe cats are up for adoption

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Dakota Cat Cafe cats are up for adoption


LINCOLN, N.D. (KFYR) – Lincoln got its very own cat cafe last week.

Ashley Kneavel learned about cat cafes while visiting another state.

“I fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring something like that to North Dakota,” said Kneavel.

And so with the help of Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue director Julie Schirado, she got to work.

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“About a year ago, I think it was, we started building this together,” said Kneavel.

Furry Friends’ role in the operation? Providing the cats. All of them are pre-vetted, meaning they are spayed and neutered and fully vaccinated.

Meaning they’re also ready for adoption.

“Instead of them sitting at a shop, they get to sit in an atmosphere that’s closely resembled to a home,” said Kneavel.

The cafe has already had three of its four-legged residents adopted.

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“It’s a great thing to see when somebody comes in and connects with them on a deep level and takes them home,” said Kneavel. “It’s just… I don’t even know how to describe it, it’s just very rewarding.”

One of her goals in the future is to install a drive-thru window.

To learn how to adopt a furry pal from the cafe, or how to book a visit, click here.



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