FARGO — The world of feature stories is always full of interesting and often quirky tales about some of the most unique people. Here’s a look at the stories our readers couldn’t get enough of this past year.

Wahpeton, North Dakota, native Sam Anderson has starred in nearly 200 movies and television shows throughout his 50-year career and

his latest is alongside Oscar-winner Kathy Bates in the new “Matlock.”

Reporter Tracy Briggs caught up with Anderson earlier this fall while the show was airing on CBS, and he called the experience “a gift”.

The reboot of Andy Griffith’s legal drama (which ran from 1986-1995) reimagines Matlock with Bates in the titular role of Madeline “Matty” Matlock who is investigating the death of her daughter, whom she shares with her husband Edwin, played by Anderson.

“I love what it says about women, particularly older women, and it’s funny and heart-wrenching. It really makes you think and gets you in the heart, and that’s my favorite kind of work,” Anderson said.

In August, the unofficial greeter of Dempsey’s Public House died and the community outpouring for

Jeffrey Fonder, who’d worked at a downtown staple since 2006, remembered him

as someone who “made everyone feel like family”, according to longtime regular Dan Haglund. Fonder, who eventually became general manager after started as a bartender, won Best Bartender in the High Plains Reader’s Best Of poll multiple times. When he wasn’t greeting customers, Fonder helped book bands and often enjoyed the music himself from either behind the bar or in front of the stage, reporter John Lamb wrote.

In May,

two North Dakota women were crowned

during the annual competition in Watertown, South Dakota. Codi Miller, 31, of Mandan was selected as Miss North Dakota, and Jaycee Parker, 17, of Minot AFB was selected as Miss North Dakota Teen. Both advanced to the national pageants that were held in August.

Fargo’s food scene earned several nods at the beginning of

2024 as semifinalists for James Beard Awards,

one of the highest honors in the American food industry. Business partners

Nikki Ness Berglund and Ryan Nitschke,

who run

several area eateries,

made the list as Outstanding Restauranteur while

Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Café

was nominated for Outstanding Bakery in the country, reporter John Lamb wrote. Additionally,

Andrea Baumgardner

, owner of the

now-closed BernBaum’s,

was nominated for Best Chef Midwest, a region that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin. While none of the local nominees went on to win their respective categories, their nominations illustrate just how notable the local culinary culture is becoming.

Moorhead artist and former educator Lana Suomala

has experienced a lot of life changes recently, one of which was the completion of a renovation that turned her 100-year-old bungalow into a bright and charming gem on a sleepy half-street in Moorhead. When she purchased it, the home lacked necessary updates and reeked of cat urine, reporter Tammy Swift wrote, but she enlisted contractors and put plenty of sweat equity into the home to showcase its beautiful features like sweeping arches and natural maple floors.

The result is a lovely little home

where Suomala can continue reinventing herself and inspiring others along the way.

Don Kinzler has been sharing incredible gardening knowledge in his Growing Together and Fielding Questions columns since March 2013, and readers love it.

This July column about about clematis, “the queen of flowering vines”, according to Kinzler,

was a hit with readers. In his conversational style, Kinzler shared important tips for growing this show-stopping perennial vine.

In July, reporter Robin Huebner shared a story about a

1940 “Woodie Wagon” that once belonged to actress Bette Davis now owned by Glyndon couple Gary and Kari Myhre.

The vehicle — named for its wood body — was shown in Davis’ movie “Now, Voyager” and was last owned by an investment company employee whose possessions were repossessed after he was caught up in a Ponzi scheme and went to prison, Huebner wrote. When Davis drove the car, wooden blocks were added under the bench seat so the actress could see over the wheel. The car is one of only about 500 made, and Gary Myhre said a registry compiled more than 25 years ago indicated only about a dozen still remaining, including his in Glyndon.

In March, the

former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos MacKenzie Scott made headlines in the Midwest

when she handed out $640 million to various nonprofits throughout the country, including several in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Local recipients included Youthworks, which received $1 million to continue its work of providing youth with shelter and development opportunities; SAGE Development Authority on the Standing Rock Reservation, which received $2 million to fund renewable and sustainable energy practices; and Gender Justice, which received $2 million for its work in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota to advance gender equity through the law.

Danielle Teigen has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and management communication as well as a master’s degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University. She has worked for Forum Communications since May 2015 and is the author of two non-fiction history books.

Submitted Photo
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department manages more than 200 wildlife management areas consisting of more than 200,000 acres spread out across the state. NDGF photo.

“Government land” is a pretty standard designation for most public hunting property.

While 93% of land in North Dakota is held in private ownership, mixed in among the remaining 7% – from national grasslands, national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas – is an array of owners and managers.

Having lived and worked in North Dakota my entire life, just the mention of these public lands evokes memories of working, hunting and appreciating what is available. Those lands previously mentioned are all considered federal lands, each with a different role and purpose.

Depending on the location and state, those same-colored signs can be found across the country.

Within North Dakota, the state Game and Fish Department manages more than 200 wildlife management areas (WMA) consisting of more than 200,000 acres spread out across the state.

As you can imagine, there are different soil, habitat and wildlife usage between Magnolia WMA just off Interstate 94 in Cass County to the remote WMAs such as Killdeer Mountain WMA in Dunn County.

What makes the 200,000-plus WMA acres found across the state similar is a concentrated effort to improve wildlife habitat and provide opportunities for hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Robert W. Henderson WMA, located just 6 miles east of Bismarck, is a good example.

Five years ago, 100 acres of the roughly 550-acre WMA was a mat of Kentucky bluegrass.

“The bluegrass got to be about 6- to 10-inches tall then it just matted itself out,” said Levi Jacobson, department wildlife resource management supervisor in Bismarck, of the land that was previously farmed. “We were grazing it aggressively to try and bust through some of that and bring some of the native plants back and we just weren’t gaining ground.

So, we had the neighboring landowner come in and farm it for three years with soybeans, corn and soybeans again.”

May 2022, the revival began by planting a diverse, native mix of 13 forbs and 10 grasses to mimic the native prairie that once dominated the landscape.

“The first year it was planted it was really dry and we didn’t know how successful the planting would be as it often takes a couple years to express vegetation above ground as most of the growth is put into establishing roots,” Jacobson said. “And then this year, with all the moisture it really blew up and looks really good.”

Earlier in summer, some of the native species were shoulder-high and taller, with an impressive undergrowth. The wildlife in the area, from deer to pheasants, to many other bird species, should benefit.

“We try to go heavy on the forbs and the wildflowers because those are going to produce food and the grass is going to provide a lot of cover,” Jacobson said.

The truth of it is once native prairie sod is broken, it’s impossible to completely restore it to a truly native, untouched state.

While more than 75% of the state’s native grasslands have been lost over time, the department continues its effort to enhance wildlife habitat on WMAs around the state.

FARGO — Less than a month before leaving office, President Joe Biden signed off on FEMA’s declaration of the October wildfires in western North Dakota as a major disaster, allowing federal assistance to flow into the state to supplement recovery efforts.

About 40 wildfires coupled with straight-line winds Oct. 5-6 claimed two lives and destroyed nearly 120,000 acres of land, several homes and multiple outbuildings, causing damage of more than $8 million, officials said. About $3.7 million in damage was caused to rural electrical cooperatives in McKenzie and Williams counties.

The FEMA funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the wildfires and high winds in McKenzie and Williams counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Robert Little III has been named as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further assessments, according to a statement by FEMA.

For more information, visit

ndresponse.gov/wildfire-recovery

.

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.