BISMARCK — More than 24,000 names are etched in the marble at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.

This year, three names were added from North Dakota.

Fargo Police Department Officer Jake Wallin and Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin were killed in the line of duty last year. The third officer died 150 years ago.

“It’s a real honor. This is a family story we have had for a long time,” said Karen Nielsen.

She is the great-great-great-granddaughter of former Sheriff Charles McCarthy.

It’s a story that the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department didn’t know much about until last year when they were researching the department’s history as part of their 150th anniversary celebration.

“The only information we had to start with was a name on the wall,” said Deputy Elliot Carvell.

There is no known picture of McCarthy, but plenty of history. McCarthy served in the Civil War.

“He was arrested by General George Custer for some illegal wood cutting prior to being the sheriff,” Carvell said.

McCarthy was the sheriff of the Dakota Territory as North Dakota would not become a state for another 15 years.

“It’s hard to comprehend what law enforcement would have been like in that time. These were one-man departments,” Carvell said.

It is believed McCarthy was the first lawman from North Dakota to be killed in the line of duty.

McCarthy, along with Deputy U.S. Marshall Clinton J. Miller, drowned on December 12, 1874, when their horse sleigh fell through the frozen Missouri River. They were investigating a deadly shooting outside a saloon near Washburn.

“It’s important to remember those who came before you,” said Carvell.

Through Ancestry.com, Carvell was able to track down Nielsen and her father who live in the southwest.

He informed them McCarthy’s name was going to be added to the police memorial walls in Bismarck and Washington, D.C.

“It really made the history come alive. It was really an honor,” said Nielsen.

“It’s a symbol or recognition to our current officers that the sacrifices they make each day, whether small or large, are not forgotten,” said Carvell.

Nielsen and her father were not able to attend the ceremonies this year, but hope to make it to Bismarck and Washington, D.C. in the near future.

“We are very thankful to them and proud of them for doing that and honoring him,” she said.

Deputy U.S. Marshall Clinton J. Miller is not on the wall yet.

McCarthy replaced Miller as sheriff when Miller became a deputy marshall.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.

(Bismarck, ND) —  North Dakota has been ranked as the second most dangerous state for workers when it comes to workplace fatalities in 2022.  

That’s according to the AFL CIO, which recently released its annual report on worker safety.  

The report shows that some of the most dangerous industries in North Dakota are agriculture and the oil industry.  

The agency says the state can improve worker safety by updating OSHA policies and workers’ compensation rules.  

The report ranked Wyoming as the most dangerous state to work in.

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.