North Dakota
Spirit Lake Tribe pushes for more ways to help state's missing and murdered Indigenous people
SPIRIT LAKE NATION — As Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Awareness Day approaches, the Spirit Lake Tribe and other tribal nations throughout North Dakota continue to face the widespread issue by advocating for legislation, offering reward money and organizing widespread searches.
“This day serves as a crucial call to action, spotlighting the urgent need for legal reforms and resources to combat violence against Indigenous communities,” says a press release issued by the Spirit Lake Tribe.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) Awareness Day is Monday, May 5. As of Tuesday, April 29, there are 14 Indigenous people considered missing in North Dakota, according to the state’s missing persons database.
Five have disappeared within the last six weeks, including
Renzo Bull Head, a 20-year-old member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe whose disappearance has inspired nearly 100 people across various tribes and regions to volunteer their efforts to search.
All tribal nations located in North Dakota, as well as some in South Dakota and Minnesota, have dispatched staff and equipment, including drones and boats, to help search, according to the release. Nonprofit organizations have offered their assistance as well.
More than a month after he went missing, these efforts continue.
“Spirit Lake is still assisting with his search,” Vicki Alberts, Spirit Lake Tribe’s public relations specialist, told the Grand Forks Herald. “The council has still been open to deploying resources, and still allowing me to help where I can with the family, as far as getting their story out, and continuing to help with some of their social media posts.”
The Spirit Lake Tribe acknowledges that while state and federal resources and support are vital to resolving missing persons cases, “they cannot always be relied upon,” the release said. “Instead, (tribal nations) must assist one another in all ways possible, reinforcing the importance of inter-tribal solidarity in the face of adversity.”
Alberts said the Spirit Lake Tribe will soon be reinvigorating efforts to find its own missing people —
Isaac James Hunt
and
Jemini Posey
— both of whom have been missing for more than a year.
“We have search efforts that will be deployed here in May,” Alberts said. “It’ll be posted on the main
Spirit Lake Facebook page
once we get all of the details put together because, with that one, it is more of a coordinated effort. We are working specifically with our emergency response team here at the tribe, and they’ll be bringing in some of the local nonprofit search-and-rescue teams to assist with that effort.”
The tribe is offering a $20,000 reward — which would come out of the tribe’s general fund — for information leading to the recovery of Posey and Hunt, the release said.
“These are our people, and we want the families to know that we stand with them in their search,” Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street said. “Every effort counts, and we are committed to utilizing all available resources to find Jemini and Isaac.”
A 5K walk/run in honor of Posey and Missing Indigenous Women’s Month is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 11, in Fort Totten.
Another area of advocacy for Indigenous peoples has occurred at this year’s legislative session, during which two bills that could help have been making their way through the Legislature.
HB 1199, a bill that aims to establish a state-funded task force that focuses on missing Indigenous peoples, passed 46-1 in the Senate Monday, April 28, with an emergency clause that makes it effective immediately once filed with the secretary of state.
“This bill is about ensuring that when an Indigenous person goes missing, every available resource is mobilized to bring them home safely,” said Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette.
The second bill, HB 1535, aims to establish a state “Feather Alert” system, which would allow for notifications to be issued when an Indigenous person is missing. When the bill returned to the Senate with amendments Thursday, May 1, it passed 45-1.
“The Feather Alert system is essential for empowering our communities to respond swiftly to missing persons cases,” Jackson-Street said. “We cannot afford to wait when lives are at stake.”
Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
North Dakota
Kaitlyn Grace Lucier, Fargo, Chapter 7
Samuel Todd Hicks, formerly known as Thomas Samuel Hicks, Fargo, Chapter 7
Teresa and Dominik Renwick, Fargo, Chapter 13
Susan Renee Fuller, formerly known as Susan R. Schaffer, doing business as Susie’s Sparkling Cleaning Service, Fargo, Chapter 7
Shannon Lynn Taylor, Fargo, Chapter 7
Jesse Patrick and Jaime Elizabeth Brown, Williston, Chapter 7
Kerri Lee Weishaar, Minot, Chapter 7
Terry Marie Moritz, Valley City, Chapter 7
Joshua Allen Sewill, Hatton, Chapter 7
Bryan Eugene Flecker, Minot, Chapter 7
Anna Marie Rahm, formerly known as Anna Marie Tanner, and Joshua Edward Rahm, Bismarck, Chapter 13
Sherri Rae Fisher, Baldwin, Chapter 13
Heather Lynn McElroy, formerly known as Heather Anderson, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Kaitlyn Autrey, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Michelle Lynn Miller, Fargo, Chapter 13
Kimberly Georgeann Callahan, Fargo, Chapter 13
Erin Elaine and Jose Luiz Murphy, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Shelly and Kieth Quimby, St. Thomas, Chapter 7
Minnesota
Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.
David Howard Gilpin, Osakis, Chapter 7
Timothy Virgil Hoag, Moorhead, Chapter 7
Jason Darryl Dykhoff, Ottertail, Chapter 7
Zachary Nicholas Hodgson and Jolynn Beth Warnes, formerly known as Jolynn Beth Hodgson, Kensington, Chapter 7
Riley Matthew Hinman, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Layne Christopher Condiff, Park Rapids, Chapter 13
Thomas Beecher Hoyer, Menahga, Chapter 13
Christine Karen Jakubek, also known as Cristine Anderson, Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.
Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.
Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.
Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
Hoeven, Armstrong, Traynor speak on OBBB Rural Health Transformation Fund updates in ND
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – On Friday, North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven, Governor Kelly Armstrong and Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor explained how the state plans to use millions of dollars from the Big Beautiful Bill’s Rural Health Transformation Fund to transform healthcare across the state.
They spoke extensively about the special session to allocate the funds, and confirmed that it is still tentatively set for Jan. 21.
The Big Beautiful Bill allocated $25 billion for rural healthcare nationwide. North Dakota received $500 million for five years and $200 million for the first year. There is still another $25 billion left to be spent, and North Dakota is hoping to receive an extra $500 million.
“I truly believe that with the plan we’re putting in place and the things we built that line up with that, we’ll get a billion dollars over five years,” said Hoeven.
Federal rules require the state to lock in contracts for the money by October first— a deadline officials say is driving the need for a special session.
In the first year, North Dakota will focus on retention grants to keep existing staff, technical assistance and consultants for rural hospitals, as well as telehealth equipment and home patient monitoring.
Governor Armstrong says the special session will include policy bills tied to how much federal rural health funding the state can earn.
“We’re going to have a physical fitness test for physical education courses, nutrition education, continuing education requirement for physicians, physician assistant licensure compact—which North Dakota has been doing, dealing with that since the heart of the oil boom and moving forward—and then an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists,” said Armstrong.
Hundreds of millions of dollars could reshape healthcare in rural North Dakota, and state leaders say the next few weeks are key to receiving and spending that money wisely.
The governor says he only wants to focus on bills related to the Rural Health Transformation Program during the special session and doesn’t intend to deal with other state issues during that time.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
North Dakota
North Dakota officials celebrate being among big winners in federal rural health funding
Somali minister says Israel plans to displace Palestinians to Somaliland
Slow-moving prisoner releases in Venezuela enter 3rd day after government announces goodwill effort
Catholic group asks SCOTUS to block California law against revealing students’ gender identities to parents
Audio of Ellison meeting with convicted fraudsters resurfaces as lawyer alleges Walz, AG share blame
Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Somali minister says Israel plans to displace Palestinians to Somaliland
Slow-moving prisoner releases in Venezuela enter 3rd day after government announces goodwill effort
Video: Raising a Baby in Altadena’s Ashes
Trump signs order to protect Venezuela oil revenue held in US accounts
What Canada, accustomed to extreme winters, can teach Europe
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology4 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX6 days agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Dallas, TX2 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Delaware2 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Iowa4 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Health7 days agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
-
Nebraska4 days agoOregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska