North Dakota
North Dakota Senate passes bill to protect deer baiting on private property
BISMARCK — The North Dakota Senate voted 31-15 Wednesday to pass a bill preventing the North Dakota Game and Fish Department from restricting the use of supplemental feed on private property to hunt big game – commonly referred to as baiting.
Senate Bill 2137 still needs to pass through the House and receive the governor’s signature before it becomes law.
Supporters of the bill say that baiting bans infringe on private property rights and are based on needless fears over the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD is a brain disease that affects deer, elk, moose and other cervids. The disease always leads to death, and there is no treatment or vaccine for it.
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, said 49,596 deer have been tested over 22 years resulting in 105 detections of CWD. He said that detections do not equate to disease — that a deer must be necropsied for confirmation of the disease. He said one deer in North Dakota has been confirmed to have died from CWD.
Boehm said that while deer numbers are declining in the state, it is not a result of CWD.
The Game and Fish Department could not immediately be reached to comment on Boehm’s contentions. The agency has published information since 2009 — the year the first case was detected in North Dakota — on 105 positive cases of CWD identified through its hunter-assisted surveillance program. The department also has previously commented on one documented case of a natural deer death due to the disease — a whitetail found dead and emaciated by a landowner near Williston in February 2019.
Contributed / Matt Neibauer
Boehm said baiting bans do not make sense when landowners are allowed to feed deer year-round and it only becomes illegal when a deer is killed over the feed piles.
Sen. Paul Thomas, R-Velva, said that the baiting is crucial for elderly and disabled hunters, and bow hunters, who need to bring deer in close to have a chance at harvesting one.
“Bait has been used for a long, long time as that tool that allows that person to at least have a chance,” Thomas said. “Many landowners have that opportunity … because we have certain areas that naturally attract deer. Unfortunately many sportsmen across this state do not have that opportunity. We cannot take that opportunity away from them. I urge you to vote green (yes).”
Opponents of the bill say it strips the Game and Fish Department of an important tool in its mission to mitigate the spread of diseases passed between game animals by close contact.
“I don’t think we should decide this issue on the basis of property rights,” Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, said during the floor session. “This is an issue of CWD, as the carrier said. The Game and Fish Department is trying to balance the concern over the disease with the attempt to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible. I think we should let the Game and Fish Department do their job and vote red (no) on this bill.”
Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, questioned the bill carrier on what the repercussions would be if a new highly contagious disease is discovered in the next season and Game and Fish is no longer able to institute baiting bans.
Sen. Randy Lemm, R-Hillsboro, said he does not think the bill would have an effect in the event a new disease is discovered.
The bill has a sunset clause that was added in committee which means that should it become law it would be rendered ineffective after July 31, 2029. Lemm said this was done so the topic can be revisited after further research on CWD has been conducted by Game and Fish.
The bill received a 5-1 do-pass recommendation out of committee. Its committee hearing was a marathon event with a plethora of testimony on both sides of the issue, forcing the committee to change chambers to accommodate all who wished to testify.
Vernon Dale Krause, 93, of Fargo, ND, formerly of Wahpeton, ND, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Heather’s House in Fargo, ND, under the care of HIA Hospice.
A Celebration of life will be held on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 10:00 a.m., with burial immediately following at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton.
Vern was born on February 16, 1933, in rural Wyndmere, ND, one of eleven children born to Theodore and Ella (Rohl) Krause. He grew up in Wyndmere and attended Wyndmere Public School, where he left his studies behind to volunteer for the United States Army. Vern proudly served from 1953 to 1956 before transferring to the Army Reserves. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and, throughout his life, carried great pride in his years of military service.
He married Jean (Carey) Krause, and together they built a life and raised their family in Wahpeton, where he would spend most of his years. They were blessed with two children. In his later years, after developing severe dementia, Vernon moved to Fargo so he could receive the care he needed and be closer to family.
For 41 years, he worked for the City of Wahpeton Water & Sewer Department, where he was highly regarded and known for knowing every inch of the city like the back of his hand. Even after retirement, he continued to volunteer his time and expertise whenever the City needed him. Among the accomplishments he was most proud of were his early years helping develop the Chahinkapa Zoo.
Above all, he cherished his family. He loved anything to do with his grandchildren — from crafting chairs out of tree trunks and splitting wood, to watching their sporting events and helping them grow into who they were meant to be. His great-grandchildren were a true blessing to him — even if their energy made him a little nervous, he always looked forward to their visits. His nieces and nephews brought him great joy as well especially in his later years and he loved being an uncle to them. When his brother Leyone “Spud” moved to town, Vern couldn’t wait to deliver him the daily newspaper and share a chat. He loved tinkering in the garage, always engineering new ways to drain water, and he was the biggest Green Bay Packers fan around — proud to call himself a team shareholder. After moving to Fargo, Vernon was grateful for the time he was able to spend with his sister, Carole Jean, who had always been his protector.
Vernon will be remembered for his steady hands, his quiet devotion to family and community, and the example he set of showing up — for his country, for his city, and most of all, for the people he loved. He will be deeply missed.
Vern is survived by his son, Mark Krause, Fargo; two sisters-in-law, Priscilla Krause and Donna Krause; two brothers-in-law, Ron Carey and Don Carey; eight grandchildren, Carey, Danielle, Margo, Jodi, Nikki, Kevin, Brad and Tracee; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Jean Krause; his daughter, Deb Christopher; five brothers, Alfred, Donald, Willard, Kenneth and Leyone Krause; five sisters, Dorothy Peterson, Loretta Dable, LaVelle Odegard, Lucille Kruchek and Carole Jean Johnson-Bohlken; sisters-in-law, Viola Krause, Marleen Krause, Amy Carey and Linda Carey; brothers-in-law, Elroy Odegard, Robert Johnson, Willis Bohlken, Pete Peterson, Johnny Kruchek and Frank Dable; granddaughter, Robyn Krause; and grandson, Jack Bollman.
GRAFTON, N.D. — Two North Dakota men are speaking out about a 38-year-long alleged mistake that altered their entire lives.
The men and their families are suing Unity Medical Center in Grafton, saying the hospital is responsible for
switching them at birth in 1988
. The hospital denies the allegations.
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There are moments that remind us exactly who we are as a community, and the recent fire at Antelope Creek Bar and Grill in Mooreton was one of them. Many already know the awful loss that unfolded. It was a brutally hot day, the kind where the sun feels heavy and the air is so thick, and social media quickly filled with photos, videos, and comments documenting the devastation. Heartbreaking. Gut‑wrenching. A place that held memories for so many suddenly only visions smoke and charred remains.
But even in the middle of all that loss, something else rose up, something that always seems to show itself around here when life gets hard. Kindness. Pure, steady kindness.
The volunteer firefighters were the first reminder. They never cease to amaze me. They drop everything … work, family, whatever they were in the middle of and suit up in layers of gear despite the heat and humidity. They’re regular people with regular jobs, yet they show up like it’s the most natural thing in the world. No spotlight. No applause. Just service. Just heart.
Then came the folks who arrived with water, Gatorade, and anything they could think of to help ease the burden of those battling the blaze. Nobody organized it. Nobody asked. They simply showed up because that’s what people do here. That alone would have been enough to warm my heart.
But it didn’t stop there.
As the day went on, I saw posts from other regional businesses, specifically other bar and grills, reaching out with messages of support. These are places that could easily be seen as competition, yet there they were, offering help, extending care, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the owners who had just watched their livelihood disappear. “We are here. How can we help?” they wrote. No rivalry. No hesitation. Just neighbors being neighbors.
If you ever need a reminder of what makes this valley special, it’s moments like that. People who could have stayed quiet choosing instead to lift someone else up. Businesses that could have focused on themselves choosing instead to stand with another in their darkest moment. It’s the best of us. The part of small town life that doesn’t make headlines but makes all the difference.
We talk a lot about community, but this, this right here is what it looks like. It looks like firefighters sweating through their gear on a 90‑degree day. It looks like strangers handing out cold drinks. It looks like business owners reaching across the aisle to say, “You’re not alone.” It looks like compassion showing up before anyone has time to think twice.
Loss has a way of revealing character. And what I saw in the wake of that fire was a valley full of people who still believe in showing up, still believe in helping, still believe in each other. In a world that can feel divided and loud, this quiet, steady goodness is worth noticing. Worth celebrating. Worth holding onto.
Because when the smoke clears and the debris settles, what remains is the strength of a community that refuses to let anyone face hardship alone. And that, more than anything, is the story worth telling.
That is the true Best of the Valley. The people.
Bobbi Steffens resides in the Southern Valley and discovered her passion for writing through an unexpected path.
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