North Dakota
Senators say money at heart of whistleblower dispute was intended for Fargo center
FARGO — Members of Congress who were instrumental in establishing the federal Rural Export Center in Fargo say a $1 million boost in federal funding for rural export efforts was meant for the Fargo center.
Comments from U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer, John Hoeven and Amy Klobuchar echo assertions made by Rural Export Center Director Heather Ranck,
who is facing an effort to remove her from her job
after she raised concerns about how the additional dollars are being spent.
File photo.
Asked if it was their understanding that the additional $1 million was intended to go to the Fargo operation, Cramer and Hoeven, both Republicans from North Dakota, were direct in their answers.
“Yes, That was the expectation,” Cramer said.
Hoeven said that at the time the additional money was approved, “We anticipated that the funding would go to the REC in Fargo, but the final language for the program did not limit the funding.”
David Samson/The Forum
A spokesperson for Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Klobuchar has been a longtime champion of rural exports and has worked productively with Ranck for a number of years.
After introducing the original bill creating the Rural Export Center, Klobuchar’s office pushed for higher funding levels for the center, Klobuchar’s spokesperson said, adding that at the time the additional funding was approved, only the Rural Export Center in Fargo existed.
The funding in question was approved in December 2022, when Congress voted to boost the annual funding for rural export support from $500,000 to $1.5 million.
File photo.
Ranck provided her immediate supervisor with a proposal for how the additional money could be spent, emphasizing a dozen actions based on the impact they would have on rural exporters.
Ranck maintains, however, that senior officials in the Commerce Department, which oversees the export center, redirected the $1 million to establish seven new rural centers.
The new centers have Commerce Department employees, but according to Ranck, the centers do not have the ability to provide the type of research support that the Rural Export Center in Fargo provides U.S. companies looking to find markets for their products in other countries.
Concerned about how the additional allocated dollars were being directed, in February of 2023, Ranck notified a senior manager at the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, saying she was concerned the agency could be in trouble if it did not follow Congressional intent regarding the $1 million.
According to Ranck, shortly after she voiced those concerns, she was summoned to a virtual meeting with senior officials with the International Trade Administration, during which Ranck said Joseph Hanley, acting deputy assistant secretary for U.S. field operations and national field director for the International Trade Administration, shouted angrily at her and told her to never bypass the normal chain of command again.
In April 2023 and after the virtual meeting with Hanley, Ranck filed a whistleblower complaint with the Office of Inspector General, alleging patterns of abusive treatment, harassment, retaliation, gross mismanagement and abuse of authority.
Ranck named herself as the person who brought the complaint and she named Hanley as the source of the problems.
Ranck maintains that in June 2023, Hanley made a trip to the Rural Export Center in Fargo, claiming in advance that it was a courtesy visit to catch up on what had been happening at the office.
Instead, Ranck said, Hanley arrived at the center accompanied by an attorney and an armed security guard.
Ranck said she was told she was being placed on a 30-day paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Ranck, who has been on administrative leave ever since, said she was not told the reasons for her leave until early October 2023, when she received a “notice of proposed removal,” along with accompanying materials.
She (Ranck) is a collaborator, a facilitator, and a leader. If anything, she’s guilty of being good at her job.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
That same month, Ranck’s attorney, Joe Pekich, of the Pekich Law Firm PLLC, sent federal officials a written response refuting allegations made against Ranck by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, which oversees the U.S. Commercial Service, the federal agency for which Ranck directly works.
Ranck said she is accused of three things: being too closely engaged with members of Congress; refusing to follow directives to promote newly created federal jobs in locations elsewhere in the country; and violating rules relating to how personally identifiable information involving people she supervised should be handled.
Ranck maintains there is no truth in the allegations and counters that the action to remove her is retaliation for the whistleblower complaint she filed in April 2023, a complaint that was subsequently dismissed without any negative consequences for Hanley, the official Ranck named in her complaint.
After filing a Freedom of Information Act request, Ranck said she was informed in September 2023 that the reason her complaint was dismissed was because the enabling legislation behind the $1 million in additional funding for rural export support said the money was to go toward rural export centers — plural — and not a specific export center.
After her attorney responded in writing to the notice of proposed removal she received in October, Ranck had a hearing before James Golsen, deputy director general of the International Trade Administration, the U.S. government’s primary commercial diplomacy, export and investment promotion agency.
At the time this story was published, Ranck was waiting to see how Golsen would rule on the allegations she faces.
Abuse thrives on fear and isolation. I’ve discovered how liberating truth-telling can be.
Heather Ranck, director of Fargo’s Rural Export Center
Ranck maintains that because the funding bill language for rural export support wound up using the word “centers” instead of “center,” the Office of Inspector General did not investigate any of the other claims contained in her complaint filed in April 2023, which alleged patterns of abusive management and continued attempts at sabotaging the Rural Export Center in Fargo.
When the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce was asked for comment regarding Ranck’s claims and the disciplinary action against her, a spokesman for the Department of Commerce said the ITA does not comment on personnel matters and added that the allegations in the complaint Ranck filed were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
Hoeven said when the North Dakota District Export Council, an organization of experienced export volunteers, notified his office that Ranck had been placed on administrative leave, he and Cramer contacted the Department of Commerce, as well as Marisa Lago, the undersecretary of commerce for the International Trade Administration, for an explanation regarding the issue.
Hoeven said the Department of Commerce would not provide any details, as it involved a personnel issue, but Hoeven said he and Cramer are continuing to work to bring Commerce Department officials to North Dakota to meet with District Export Council members intent on expressing their concerns about the issue.
“We’ve worked with Heather over many years and believe she has always been very professional and done a great job. We have made clear to Commerce that they need to treat Heather fairly and resolve this issue transparently,” Hoeven said.
Cramer went further, stating: “A good public servant is supposed to work closely with other public servants like the mayors, county commissioners, governors, departments of state, chambers of commerce, and Congressional delegations. She (Ranck) is a collaborator, a facilitator, and a leader. If anything, she’s guilty of being good at her job.”
Cramer added that one of the advantages of living in the Midwest is that people know each other and work in a collaborative manner.
“She (Ranck) would be derelict in her duties if she didn’t work with Congressional offices to help advance the agency’s mission on behalf of our workers and businesses. It’s what I would expect and what she always delivers. She’s a great public servant, and it’s a shame for her to be in this situation,” Cramer said.
In late December, Jay Schuler, current chairman of the North Dakota District Export Council, which also serves a portion of northwest Minnesota, sent a letter supporting Ranck to a number of federal officials, including Lago and Golsen.
More than two dozen individuals with connections to area companies and trade organizations endorsed the letter of support, including Thomas Shorma, former chairman of the North Dakota District Export Council and a long-standing member of the North Dakota Trade Office.
Shorma said many past and current members of the North Dakota District Export Council are on record as stating they will resign their positions and cut their connection with the organization if Ranck is removed from her position.
In early January, Schuler sent a letter to Michael Horowitz, inspector general of the United States, asking him to look into the matter and to put Ranck back to work as director of the Rural Export Center.
Ranck said she has received an overwhelming amount of support, including phone calls and emails, following
The Forum’s publication of a story detailing her administrative leave and the whistleblower complaint she filed
before the disciplinary action was launched.
Ranck said more than 200 people have reached out to her to express disbelief and outrage, including 40 current or past employees of the Commerce Department who told her they went through something akin to what she is experiencing.
“Abuse thrives on fear and isolation. I’ve discovered how liberating truth-telling can be,” Ranck said.
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – We are in severe weather season on May 24.
On this date in 1896, an F4 tornado hit the Des Moines Iowa area injuring at least 60 people and killed at least 21. This tornado drove a steel railroad rail 15 feet into the ground, which would have weighed six to nine hundred pounds.
In 1930, one of the slowest moving tornadoes hit Pratt, Kansas. This tornado appeared stationary at times because it was only moving at five miles per hour.
The first tornado was seen on radar on this date in 1973 for an F4 tornado near Union City, Oklahoma. This led to the term tornadic vortex signature showing the rotation on radar.
1990 saw the largest tornado outbreaks in Wyoming. This brought roughly a dozen tornadoes through open landscape. One report also had tennis ball sized hail.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
DICKINSON — A portion of 30th Avenue West was closed Saturday afternoon just west of Dickinson Middle School while authorities said they were investigating a “serious crash involving a scooter.”
Late that evening, North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) announced that a juvenile had died at the scene of the accident after her scooter had struck a light pole between 18th Street West and 19th Street West, According to NDHP, she had veered right while traveling southbound, and the scooter overturned.
For reference, the area of 18th Street West and 19th Street West described by law enforcement is south of the traffic light near Dickinson Middle School on 21st Street West, while still north of 15th Street West road that accesses Cornerstone Bank off 20th Avenue West.
According to NDHP, the driver of the scooter – a juvenile – was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
The scooter, according to the statement, was a 2021 Honda WW150.
The area of the accident is posted with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. 30th Avenue West is a four lane road.
A scooter or a motorcycle?
NDHP described the vehicle – a 2021 Honda WW150 – in Saturday’s accident as “a scooter”, a description that begs explanation. Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (IAAI) has four separate Honda WW150s listed in stock, and all four are described as follows:
- Vehicle: Motorcycle
- Body Style: Scooter
- Engine: 157 cc
Further complicating the matter, most sources describe Honda WW150s as the same vehicle as the Honda PCX150.
Scooters are not allowed on city streets in Dickinson, according to Section 58-391 of city code. Motorcycles, however, must operate on streets.
The most recent information from the City of Dickinson on the definition of similar vehicles was posted just days ago by the Dickinson Police Department (DPD). The statement, which sparked heated discussion across social media and to which DPD even responded publicly, stemmed from a recent update to city municipal code Section 58-1 which aimed to clarify the definition of e-bike.
Courtesy / Dickinson Police Department
There is no explicit definition for scooter in the glossary at the top of of the
newly-updated format of Section 58-1 attached to the video from DPD
. Multiple references in Section 58, however, define how scooters can be operated. Further on in Chapter 58, however, Section 58-390 which can be found in the city’s online Municode database defines a “motorized scooter” as a “a self-propelled device which has a motor or engine, a deck on which a person may ride and at least two wheels in contact with the ground and which is not otherwise defined in N.D.C.C. § 39-01-01(47), as amended, as a motor vehicle,” even though the definition is not listed in the glossary.
Dickinson Press file photo
The word “scooter” does not appear in Chapter 39 of North Dakota Century Code.
However, North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) clearly states alongside licensing requirements that “a maximum piston or rotor displacement of 49.98 cc (3.05 cubic inches enabling a speed not to exceed 30 mph on a level surface” is one of the qualifying factors of “a motorized bicycle/scooter.”
RubyAnn Stiegelmeier / The Dickinson Press
A motorcycle, according to NDDOT alongside licensing requirements, has “a minimum piston or rotor displacement of 49.99 cc or greater enabling a speed greater than 30 mph.”
A Honda WW150, according to the specifications listed on the IAAI website, has a 157 cc engine, and most online sources agree that a Honda WW150 has a top speed of 60-75 miles per hour.
Section 58-1 of Dickinson city code, as found in the newly-updated version posted by DPD, also says that “motorcycle means every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, regardless of the engine components (electric, gas, etc.), but excluding implements of husbandry. The term “motorcycle” does not include an electric bicycle as defined.”
Dickinson Press file photo
So, was the juvenile driving a motorcycle or a scooter?
“The definitions at the state level are a little different than ones we use locally,” said Lt. Mike Hanel of the Dickinson Police Department (DPD) in a conversation with the Press.
What does the City of Dickinson have to say?
The Press reached out to city administrator Dustin Dassinger to clarify whether the city views a Honda WW150 as a motorcycle based on municipal code. Dassinger forwarded the question to the chief of police in lieu of answering, and no response was received from Chief Cianni at the time of reporting. However, Lt. Mike Hanel responded to the question, sharing more information from DPD’s point of view.
Dickinson Police Department said that the Honda WW150 is “most definitely considered a motorcycle,” based on the engine combustion.
“We will most likely have to address this in our next round of ordinance reviews,” Hanel added.
People with further questions should reach out to Dickinson Police Department, he said.
“We want to make sure that the public doesn’t have any lingering questions about what constitutes an e-bike or a motorcycle,” Hanel said.
Toy vehicles and scooters are “on the horizon” for the city to address in upcoming ordinance changes, according to Hanel. Deputy Chief Hanson is spearheading those efforts, according to Hanel, and no specific timeline is in place for the changes, but “it’s something we want to address sooner rather than later.”
Do teens need a motorcycle license to operate one?
Adjacent to the information about a “motorized bicycle/scooter”, NDDOT states that a person as young as 14-15 can obtain a motorcycle permit or a motorcycle license in North Dakota. Plus, according to NDDOT, if the person completes a Basic Rider Course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation within the prior year, the road test for obtaining a permit or license is waived.
A teen must hold a permit for at least two months prior to obtaining a license.
However, in the portion of Dickinson municipal code cited by DPD in their e-bike ordinance videos, Sec. 58-459 states clearly that “no child under the age of 12 years shall operate a motorized skateboard, motorized scooter or an electric bicycle.”
The gap between the age of 12 listed in Dickinson municipal code and the age of 14 listed in NDDOT licensing regulations raises further questions about the matter.
Can scooters be driven on the roadway, or only sidewalks?
The newly updated Section 58-458 of Dickinson municipal code states the following under the heading ‘prohibited operation’:
“No person shall operate a motorized skateboard, motorized scooter or an electric bicycle:
- (1) On any sidewalk in the City, except for use in crossing such sidewalk by the most direct route to gain access to any public or private road or driveway when operating at a speed 15 miles per hour or more. Any operation under 15 miles per hour is permitted.
- (2) In any City parking structure or City park, except for use on public roadways or designated community paths or trails within such park; (3) On any public property that has been posted or designed by the owner of such property as an area prohibiting skateboards;
- (4) On any public roadway consisting of a total of four or more marked traffic lanes, or having an established speed limit of greater than 25 miles per hour; or
- (5) On any private property of another, or any public property which is not held open to the public for vehicle use, without the written permission of the owner, the person entitled to immediate possession of the property, or the authorized agent of either.”
Dickinson city code also mandates in Sec. 58-460 that “a person operating a motorized skateboard,motorized scooter or electric bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic, at the time and place and under the then existing conditions, shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway…”
Dickinson Press file photo
In response to questions about the Saturday accident, Lt. Hanel clarified that the vehicle the youth was driving on was classified as a motorcycle based on its engine displacement, and that the vehicle was required to operate on the roadway, not the sidewalk.
If she had been driving a scooter, could she have used the sidewalk?
A sidewalk exists on the east side of 30th Avenue West, but there is no sidewalk on the west side of the road, despite homes and businesses – even newly-opened ones – being located west of 30th Avenue West, especially in the busy I-94 business corridor.
A lack of visible crosswalks complicates travel, as well.
RubyAnn Stiegelmeier / The Dickinson Press
There is no crosswalk across 30th Avenue West at 19th Street West, even though a home is located in the immediate area.
Also, it is difficult to ascertain whether crosswalks are present at 15th Street West and West Ridge Drive to allow people to cross from the eastern sidewalk to the businesses and homes in the area west of 30th Avenue West. Yellow padding is in place at the curb in each street’s location, but no striping is visible across 30th Avenue at either street to alert motorists of a crosswalk. At West Ridge Drive in particular, the yellow padding leads – not to a sidewalk – but a grassy gap area without any official marking that it’s even a walkway.
The Press asked Lt. Hanel whether he was aware of any plans to upgrade safety measures in the area of 30th Avenue West and West Ridge Drive.
Hanel did not share any specific information, but directed the Press to the city’s engineering department to ask about any potential plans to upgrade the sidewalks or crosswalks in that portion of 30th Avenue West. The Press reached out to the engineering department but did not receive a response by the time of publication, likely due to the timing of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
RubyAnn Stiegelmeier / The Dickinson Press
Gray areas and further remaining questions
Dickinson municipal code still leaves several questions unanswered, especially in regards to Saturday’s accident.
When will the city address the discrepancy in the definitions of the term “scooter”?
Many small electric scooters are capable of traveling over the speed of 15 miles per hour, so does requiring scooters traveling above the speed of 15 miles per hour to travel on the roadway improve the safety of Dickinson, or does the regulation push scooter drivers to use the roadway alongside other larger, faster vehicles?
Will the city enact a stipulation in municipal code that youth without a motorcycle license must operate scooters on sidewalks or bike paths only? Since city code allows children as young as 12 to operate scooters, and scooters are required to be on the road if they’re going over 15 miles per hour, how will the city address this?
Why have no sidewalks been built on the west edge of 30th Avenue West, despite extensive business development – including apartment complexes – going on in the area? Why is the sidewalk incomplete at West Ridge Drive? Also, most strikingly, why are there no clearly marked crosswalks for either pedestrians or scooter users across that area of 30th Avenue West?
Most of all, will Section 58-460 of municipal code, which requires scooter drivers to “travel as close as practicable to the right-hand curb” contribute to future incidents, since the juvenile was traveling southbound and then according to NDHP, “veered right, overturned, and struck a light post?”
WALHALLA, N.D. (KFYR) – A new state park is nearing completion right here in North Dakota.
Pembina Gorge State Park, just 6 miles west of Walhalla, is set to open for the season this summer on June 9.
It spans 12,500 acres and features more than 16 miles of trails.
The park will include an Off-Highway Vehicle campground, along with access to rugged terrain, forested hills, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
It’s North Dakota’s 14th state park.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
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