North Dakota
Port: Out-of-state groups flood North Dakota House race with pro-Becker money
MINOT — Weeks ago, U.S. House candidate
Rick Becker
was touting a more than $820,000 haul for his campaign in the Republican primary, though when financial disclosures were filed, it turned out that more than 66% of those funds were in the form of $550,000 in loans from the candidate himself.
Becker raised just $278,495.75 from contributors not named Rick Becker.
How much of his own money Becker would be willing to spend to win on June 11 has always been an open question. Judging by new ad buy numbers in the House race, the answer is “not much.”
Two affiliated Washington, D.C.-based groups — the Club for Growth and Win It Back PAC — have made enormous ad buys in the House race in support of Becker. Win It Back PAC has an ad out casting Becker
as a tough-guy border enforcer.
The Club for Growth is running an ad
attacking Becker’s opponent,
Julie Fedorchak,
for getting raises during her tenure on the Public Service Commission and for raising utility rates (for what it’s worth, state lawmakers set Fedorchak’s pay, not that nuance counts for much at this point in an election cycle).
According to public disclosures from broadcasters, those groups have made large ad buys, dwarfing what Becker’s campaign has spent. To date, Becker’s campaign has spent just $141,998 on ads, compared to $663,138 for Club for Growth and $249,717 for the Win It Back PAC. Both groups are based in Washington.
The Protect Freedom PAC, which is affiliated with Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, has also spent $364,143 promoting Becker.
Keep in mind that these numbers don’t include non-broadcast television mediums, such as satellite or streaming.
Fedorchak’s campaign hasn’t been sitting on its hands. They’ve spent $451,179 so far. Meanwhile, the Brighter Future Alliance, a North Dakota-based committee run by longtime political consultant Pat Finken, has spent another $234,717 on ads attacking Becker.
That adds up to $685,896 in pro-Fedorchak/anti-Becker spending to date. Still, the pro-Becker/anti-Fedorchak spending is more than double, at over $1.4 million.
But campaign spending isn’t everything. Remember that in the 2018 election, then-incumbent U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp outspent her challenger, current Sen. Kevin Cramer, four times over.
Her campaign quadrupled
what Cramer’s spent, and Heitkamp had about a $2 million advantage in spending by outside groups, too.
She went on to lose by 10 points.
Becker’s obstacle in this race has always been that he’s a deeply polarizing figure among North Dakota voters. Were this not a five-way race (former Miss America
Cara Mund
as well as newcomers
Alex Balazs
and Sharlet Mohr will also appear on the June ballot), I suspect that Becker wouldn’t be all that competitive.
Can all this spending overcome that disadvantage for Becker? Maybe!
Though it’s also a question of how long this spending advantage for Becker will last. I’m hearing rumblings that outside groups may be coming in to support Fedorchak and attack Becker as well.
The only thing that’s certain is that you and I are going to be seeing a lot of political ads in the coming weeks.
North Dakota
Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston
WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.
Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.
Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.
Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.
“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.
Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.
The cause remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.
The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.
Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.
Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
North Dakota
Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
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