North Dakota

North Dakota man accused of impersonating an ICE officer when jail staff released an inmate to him

Published

1 year ago

February 14, 2025

North Dakota man accused of impersonating an ICE officer when jail staff released an inmate to him

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man was arrested after authorities say he impersonated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and walked an inmate out of a county jail.

The local sheriff said the episode on Tuesday resulted from complacency and human error and won’t happen again.

Shane Al Randall, of Williston, is charged with impersonating officials, a misdemeanor. Court papers say jail staff of the Williams County Correctional Center in Williston had told the inmate that ICE was coming to pick him up. The inmate then called Randall “to have him come pick him up,” authorities said.

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Randall arrived and told jail staff he was from ICE when he is not employed by the agency, and the staff released the inmate to him, court documents say.

Jail staff learned within 15 to 20 minutes that Randall was not an ICE agent when the real officer arrived, Williams County Sheriff Verlan Kvande said. Officers subsequently found and arrested Randall and the inmate without incident, his office said in a statement.

The sheriff is not taking disciplinary action against the jail staff, saying he’s met with them and “I truly don’t think there’s anything else I can do on the disciplinary front that is going to make them feel any worse about this than they do on their own fruition. They’re pretty dejected by this failure, and I certainly don’t see something like this happening again.”

The inmate was found at his home, the sheriff said. He was arrested last month for driving under suspension and held on a detainer for ICE, and has been taken to the Ward County Detention Center in Minot, the sheriff’s office said.

Court records indicate Randall is representing himself. He has bonded out of jail, the sheriff said. Randall has an initial appearance scheduled for March. He did not immediately respond to a message sent to a Facebook account believed to be his. A phone number for him could not immediately be found.

The misdemeanor offense is punishable by up to 360 days in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.

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North Dakota

Current state of gas prices even though North Dakota has oil presence

Published

7 hours ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Current state of gas prices even though North Dakota has oil presence

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) — The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to impact gas prices here at home.

We wanted to learn more about the current state of prices and why they aren’t lower due to the presence of the oil industry in our state.

On Monday, we told you gas prices are up roughly 15 cents across the peace garden state since last Monday and almost half a dollar in the past month.

The statewide average of $3.60 a gallon remains well below most of the rest of the country.

Eugene Graner of Heartland Investors said prices should eventually come back down as we approach an end to the conflict overseas.

Graner added that it’s typical for prices to increase as warmer weather approaches, as summer blends require a more expensive refining process.

“Prices currently may have peaked out and conversely see the prices decline towards summer, when we normally expect a price rise,” said Graner.

While North Dakota has drilling, pipelines and refineries, Graner added that doesn’t mean motorists in our state will necessarily see lower prices at the pump, as it still needs to be transported to refineries and then to market.

He added that Fargo can sometimes have ‘lower’ prices since they have three pipelines in the area.

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North Dakota

Watford City Wrestlers Compete at 2026 USAW ND State Folkstyle Individual Tourney, Regional & National Duels

Published

19 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Watford City Wrestlers Compete at 2026 USAW ND State Folkstyle Individual Tourney, Regional & National Duels

On March 27-28, North Dakota State USA wrestling championships hosted 1700+ wrestlers at the Civic Center in Bismarck ND. Wrestlers from age 5-14 from Watford City Wolves Wrestling Club competed. “Out of 61 teams Watford City came out in 6th place and was actually sitting in first for a long time.” according to coach Adam Greenhaw. “Us coaches are…

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North Dakota

North Dakota’s Grand Farm to lead national farm tech research

Published

1 day ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota’s Grand Farm to lead national farm tech research

Jeff Beach
| North Dakota Monitor

North Dakota will lead a new U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to advance farm technology.
Grand Farm, a research campus near Fargo, will manage the national program and serve as its first proving ground.
The project will launch with $11 million in funding and initially focus on weed control in North Dakota and Georgia.

CASSELTON, N.D. — North Dakota will lead the nation in a U.S. Department of Agriculture push to improve farm technology and research, federal officials announced Tuesday.

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Grand Farm, a research campus west of Fargo, will be the national program manager for USDA’s National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech. Grand Farm will also be the first proving ground in the network, focusing on weed control.

North Dakota launched Grand Farm seven years ago, integrating research capabilities from North Dakota State University at Fargo with industry partners such as tech giant Microsoft.

Hoeven said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who visited Grand Farm last year, recognized that North Dakota provided a model for ag tech research and could be the manager for the rollout.

“It’s a huge deal,” Hoeven said. “It’s Grand Farm going national.”

Hoeven announced that $11 million will launch the proving grounds, a collaboration of Grand Farm, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and NDSU.

Scott Hutchins, USDA under secretary for research, education and economics, said the first year of research will be concentrated in North Dakota and Georgia. The University of Georgia announced a partnership with Grand Farm in 2024.

He said after reviewing results from the first year, the department plans to accept proposals for research hubs in other states, eventually creating the national network.

Hutchins said profitability is a top priority. He said there has been a boom in ag technology, but farmers need help sifting through it all.

“Which one can provide the greatest return on investment?” he asked.

Hoeven said focusing on profitability is a must during rough economic times. “Right now, if you’re growing a crop, in most cases, you’re not making money,” Hoeven said.

The North Dakota Legislature invested $10 million in 2021 to help propel Grand Farm, which covers 590 acres near Casselton. Operating from tents and with portable bathrooms in its first years, the research site opened its first building in 2024. The Legislature invested an additional $7 million in 2025.

“The National Proving Grounds is the next chapter,” said Brian Carroll, chief operating officer for Grand Farm.

George Vellidis, of the University of Georgia’s Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture, said Georgia is one year into operating its 250-acre research area similar to Grand Farm.

He said the goal is to translate the research in the Upper Midwest to crops grown in the southeast. A robot that can be taught to recognize weeds in North Dakota will have to be taught a different set of weeds that grow in Georgia, for example.

Grand Farm board member Kyle Courtney, who farms near Oakes, North Dakota, said the initiative will help field test practices “under a unified umbrella to help farmers make better decisions.”

North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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