North Dakota
Port: Commerce Department didn't turn over email relevant to film grant controversy
![Port: Commerce Department didn't turn over email relevant to film grant controversy Port: Commerce Department didn't turn over email relevant to film grant controversy](https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/1929e68/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1200x878+0+0/resize/1457x1066!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F1c%2F7b%2F14f9128f47e9b38afd5981af352f%2F656643d040bb9.image.jpg)
MINOT — After the debacle over former Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem’s
deleted emails, North Dakotans might be excused if they are feeling something less than confident in the willingness of our state’s leaders to be transparent and forthcoming with public information.
Unfortunately, the state Department of Commerce just gave us another justification for our cynicism.
At issue is a controversy over film grants. The Commerce Department contends that it held a competitive process for a $600,000 film grant that
went to a Bismarck-based company called Canticle Productions.
Dozens of North Dakota filmmakers, some of whom bid for that grant, argue it was not a fair process, that the grant was always intended for Canticle and that the Commerce Department’s competitive process was a sham.
Based on the facts in evidence, the filmmakers have the better case.
The legislative record
makes it clear that at least some lawmakers wanted to steer the grant to Canticle. Additionally, the competitive process around the grant
was
abbreviated,
beginning late on a Friday and encompassing just six business days.
A report
recently issued by Auditor Josh Gallion found that this timeline was far shorter than what the Commerce Department was allowed for other similar grants from the recent past.
Now the filmmakers have more evidence coming in the form of an email that should have been included in the response to a previous open records request.
Bismarck-based businessman Matt Fern, who has been
organizing the response to this situation
on behalf of the filmmakers, had a sit-down with personnel from Gov. Doug Burgum’s administration recently. During that conversation, the officials made reference to an email sent from Daniel Bielinski, the president of Canticle Productions, to Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen. Fern noticed that he had never received this email in response to his records request.
After the meeting, in an Aug. 22, email, Sara Otte Coleman, director of tourism and marketing for the Commerce Department, acknowledged that this email should have been turned over. She provided Fern with the copied and pasted text from the email exchange, and the contents are remarkable.
In it, Bielinski references the legislation from the 2023 session appropriating the funds for the grant, and offers the presumption that the funds are intended for his company.
“My name is Daniel Bielinski. I am the president of Canticle Productions, to whom a $600K grant was award in a bill from this past legislative session,” he wrote to Teigen in the May 26, 2023, email. “I was wondering if we might connect for a couple minutes regarding some logistics for the payout (which I know doesn’t happen until the new fiscal year). Would you have time for a quick call next week?”
“I don’t believe the legislation stated a recipient, which would require us to follow state procurement laws and post for a competitive RFP process,” Teigen responded, directing Bielinski to work with Coleman, whom he copied on his reply.
In passing Bielinski’s email along to Fern, Coleman wrote that it “didn’t come up on previous searches, as it originated from a different email address and slightly different name. We apologize and have improved our internal process to include boarder and separate search terms for public information requests going forward.”
This is a bombshell.
Let’s consider the timeline.
On May 18, 2023, Gov. Doug Burgum signed House Bill 1018, which was the Commerce Department budget and included the appropriation for the $600,000 grant Bielinski was emailing about.
On May 26, 2023, Bielinski emails Teigen, asking, essentially, how he goes about getting his company’s money. Teigen responds the same day, saying that there will have to be a competitive process for the grant, and that Bielinski should work with Coleman.
On July 21, 2023, a Friday, the Commerce Department makes a late afternoon announcement that it is accepting bids on the grant.
On July 31, 2023, just 10 calendar days, and only six business days, after announcing the availability of the grant, the Commerce Departments
stops accepting bids.
On Aug. 3, 2023, Commerce Department officials scored the bids and awarded the entire grant to Bielinski’s company.
Again, the filmmakers contend that certain lawmakers and Burgum administration officials steered the grant toward Canticle Productions, and that the competitive bidding process was just an exercise in going through the motions. The Commerce Department maintains that the bidding process was fair and open.
At the very least, there is a serious appearance of impropriety here. The legislative record indicates that the grant was to be steered toward Canticle. That company’s president certainly felt that the grant money belonged to him. The Commerce Department held what can fairly be called a perfunctory bidding process for the grant, ultimately awarding it to Canticle.
Can the filmmakers, particularly those who took the time to prepare proposals for the grant, be blamed for feeling like they got the short end of the stick? And now, further undermining our trust in this process, Commerce officials just happen to find an email that bolsters the argument that this process was unfair, but only after it was incidentally referenced in a meeting with the filmmakers?
That stinks, and it’s well past time for Gov. Doug Burgum and legislative leaders to admit it.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
North Dakota
After 16 years, a former NBA coach and his player reunite in North Dakota
![After 16 years, a former NBA coach and his player reunite in North Dakota After 16 years, a former NBA coach and his player reunite in North Dakota](https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/67d5d73/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1895x1066!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb9%2F98%2F0d8859d24a399b1c7b82444042e3%2Freunion-photo.jpg)
FARGO — Nearly 16 years after sharing the sidelines with the LA Clippers, former coach Rory White is reuniting with one of his star players, Dan Dickau, here in Fargo.
“When I first saw him, the first thing I thought about is we both have gray hair now. Back then you know he was a young pup and I was a little bit younger back then,” White said.
Dickau was a point guard on the LA Clippers in 2007 while White served as an assistant coach.
“Coach Rory was awesome. It was my last full season in the NBA and he was an assistant with the Clippers. He brought a mellowness to the practices but a huge knowledge base,” Dickau said.
Now, the former California stars are teaming up in North Dakota.
“For me, I’m just ecstatic because out of all places Fargo, where you’re talking about us in 2007 and 2008, and now I get to see him here in Fargo” Dickau said.
So, former player and coach were side-by-side Thursday, Aug. 22, coaching the next generation of athletes together for Dickau’s skills camp at Shoot 360 in Fargo and Grand Forks.
“I’m following his lead. I’m a little bit older and he’s more active than I am so,” White joked.
“There’s a certain process, a certain set of drills I like to stick to, but I always love hearing from other coaches, learning from other coaches because I think the best coaches in the world have an open mind,” Dickau said.
After all these years, the two still share a love for the game that brought them back together.
“Basketball is universal. You can’t get away from it no matter what,” White said.
After Dickau’s six-year career in the NBA, he now spends his time court side as an analyst for ESPN. White, too, remains on the court — as a basketball coach for Shoot 360 in Fargo.
North Dakota
Ethics Commission investigates film grants complaint
![Ethics Commission investigates film grants complaint Ethics Commission investigates film grants complaint](https://gray-kfyr-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/L7SWWEBN5ZHE7JTN5MJLZAUPUI.jpg?auth=ccb196d3b3f916ab2e20757da2f3ba5bde18f46cc3ef0010ada6362053d14e82&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – A group of North Dakota filmmakers are still awaiting answers on the motion picture recruitment grants administered through the Department of Commerce and how one private business was able to receive all of the grant funding given out over two legislative sessions.
North Dakota filmmaker Matt Fern said he submitted an ethics complaint in February after complaining and then not hearing from Governor Burgum and Attorney General Wrigley. He said the ethics complaint he submitted is against the owner of Canticle Productions, Daniel Bielinski. Fern said he asked the commission to investigate the possibility that Bielinksi acted as an unregistered lobbyist and also had attempted to influence the legislative assembly.
“Since submitting the ethics complaint earlier this month in August, I received an update from the Ethics Commission that the complaint had moved into the investigation stage,” said Fern.
Fern said the North Dakota Auditor released a report on the Department of Commerce identifying concerns with inconsistent timelines for the 2023 grant application process. He said he and his group are now waiting to receive a report from the Ethics Commission on its findings.
Previous Coverage: Grant concerns film makers
Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
Emerald ash borer confirmed in LaMoure County
![Emerald ash borer confirmed in LaMoure County Emerald ash borer confirmed in LaMoure County](https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/a0eb7cd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1425+0+0/resize/1496x1066!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F14%2F5b%2F7174ed9c42f687aed1957bd479af%2Ffall-colors-ash-tree-bark-n-leaves-100422.jpg)
BISMARCK — Emerald ash borer has been confirmed for the first time in North Dakota in LaMoure County, according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
NDDA said in a news release issued Thursday that adult emerald ash borers (EAB) were collected this week from a trap placed in LaMoure County, 9 miles north of Edgeley, North Dakota. Upon follow-up from NDDA staff, additional larvae were collected and officially confirmed as EAB. North Dakota is the 37th state to detect EAB, the NDDA said.
“The North Dakota Department of Agriculture and our partners have been preparing for emerald ash borer’s eventual arrival for many years,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “We have been placing and monitoring traps each summer and promoting awareness through outreach events, training and communication with the public. Now that it is unfortunately here, we urge North Dakota residents and travelers to be proactive to keep EAB from spreading.”
EAB is a wood boring insect originally from Asia, first found in the U.S. in 2002. It has since spread to 37 states and killed hundreds of millions of ash trees.
“North Dakota has more than 90 million ash trees that are at risk in native, rural and urban forests,” State Forester Tom Claeys said. “Ash trees make up between 20% to 80% of the trees along city streets and parks. Unless treated, infested ash trees can be killed in a few years.”
NDDA maintains a quarantine restricting movement of regulated commodities from infested areas. The quarantine will be extended to LaMoure County. Travelers should leave firewood at home and purchase or gather from local sources. Moving regulated materials from a quarantined to a non-quarantined area can result in civil penalties of up to $5,000.
NDDA will collaborate with the North Dakota Forest Service and North Dakota State University Extension to determine the extent of the infestation, continue monitoring ash trees and conduct outreach in the coming months. The ice storm that the area endured in December of 2023 will complicate efforts to find infested trees due to tree damage sustained in the storm.
Residents should check their ash trees for signs of an infestation, which include dieback S-shaped tunnels, also known as serpentine galleries, under the bark, small D-shaped exit holes and woodpecker activity in the upper canopy of the trees.
One option to protect high-value trees are insecticide treatments. Treatments are not recommended until EAB is detected within 15 miles. Residents who choose to treat their ash trees are urged to select a reputable tree service company with a certified applicator able to do these treatments. Most treatment options are restricted use and can only be done by a tree care professional.
For more information, or to report a tree you think may be infested, visit
www.ndda.nd.gov/eab
.
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