FARGO — A newcomer to North Dakota elections has launched a legislative campaign alongside two Fargo-area lawmakers.

Shawn Kessel, business development director for Fargo construction company Roers, will seek his first term representing District 27 in the North Dakota House, according to a news release. He joins the Republican ticket with Sen. Kristin Roers and Rep. Greg Stemen, both of Fargo.

“District 27 deserves a representative who can get to work on day one,” Kessel said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career solving complex problems for North Dakota communities, and I’ll bring that same commonsense leadership to the Legislature.”

The Dickinson native will run for a seat held by

Rep. TJ Brown.

District 27 Republicans selected Brown in March to replace

Rep. Josh Christy,

a 43-year-old lawmaker who died unexpectedly on Feb. 18 in Bismarck during the 2025 legislative session.

It’s unclear why Brown decided not to seek election to the post. The Forum has reached out to him for comment.

Kessel started working for

Roers in February.

He was a deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the North Dakota Commerce Department from 2018 until January of this year. Kessel wrote on his LinkedIn page that his time with the Commerce Department came to a “surprising” end as Gov. Kelly Armstrong took office.

Kessel also served as a city administrator for Wahpeton from 2000 to 2009, then filled a similar position for Dickinson until his transition to the state Commerce Department. He was a finalist for

West Fargo city administrator in 2023.

Tom Stromme / The Bismarck Tribune

Sen. Roers, who is also the majority caucus leader in the Senate, has represented District 27 since 2019. She is a nursing and clinical systems consultant for Sanford Health.

Stemen has held his seat since 2021.

District 27 covers parts of southwest Fargo and east Cass County south of Fargo down to County Road 46, extending from the Red River to west of Horace.

“Grown in North Dakota” ought to be a marketing slogan and have meaning worldwide, like Champagne from France or San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. The state should put public money to work to make this happen.

Whether it’s helping farmers and ranchers get USDA Organic certificates or starting our own statewide quality program, our agricultural producers here in ND ought to receive a premium for their product based on our excellent stewardship of the land. There is unrealized value in organic, or natural, products and we as North Dakota should lean into this and be at the forefront.

Along these lines, an article in the journal, “Regulatory Toxicology and Pharamcology,” that was published 25 years ago was just retracted. The article in question asserted that the chemical glyphosate used in RoundUp, the popular weed killer, was not carcinogenic. It turns out, through unrelated litigation, that those listed as authors didn’t actually write the article. They were paid by the company that makes the chemical to stamp their names on it. 

Wow. 

Does this mean that Roundup causes cancer? Not necessarily. But this “scientific” article was apparently used to argue to the public and government regulators over the past two decades that it did not, and now we know that article is probably not true.

This past April our corporate-owned Republican legislature went to bat for the German chemical company that makes RoundUp by passing a bill that insulates them from lawsuits, the only state in the nation to do such a thing. We look like rubes.

Matthew Zimny is a resident of Bismarck.

GRAND FORKS — A two-pronged weather system will bring rain, sleet and snow to portions of eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, according to WDAY and the National Weather Service.

On Monday, Dec. 8, the NWS predicts a “weak system” will produce a trace to 2 inches of snow in the region, according to a statement sent to the media. A stronger system will come on the heels of the first one, “bringing a wide range of potential winter impacts, from accumulating snow and mixed precipitation to high winds.”

In other words, it appears it’s time for some typical winter weather on the Northern Plains.

“Slight changes in the track of the system could change snow amounts and the possibility of any freezing rain,” the National Weather Service said in its media packet. “Winds will increase Tuesday night as a strong cold front moves into the area. However, it will be after the main batch of snow and it is uncertain how much warmer temperatures and rain/freezing rain earlier in the day will affect blowing snow.”

Considering the possibilities, a winter storm watch is in effect for northeastern North Dakota and parts of western Minnesota. The watch is for counties essentially from Langdon to Fargo in North Dakota, down to Fergus Falls and up to Roseau in Minnesota.

The system likely will be more impactful in the northern Red River Valley and northwestern Minnesota. On Monday, snowfall will be between a trace to 2 inches. It’ll likely be less snow and possibly more rain in Fargo, while places like Jamestown and Bismarck could see rain, but perhaps won’t see much snow .

On Tuesday, the best chances for 2 inches or more of snow are in the Devils Lake basin, across the northern Red River Valley and into central Minnesota. Some rain and freezing rain could move into southeastern North Dakota, but the impacts “are uncertain at this point,” the NWS said.

“Tuesday, that is the mess that is going to create a lot of problems on the road,” Jesse Ritka, WDAY’s chief meteorologist, said during a Sunday broadcast. The potential exists for rain, sleet and ice pellets, she said, and winds could reach 30 mph.

Temperatures over the weekend were in the single digits, but Monday will see temperatures rise into the higher teens to nearly 30 in the southern part of the region. On Tuesday, it’ll likely be in the 20s in places like Devils Lake, Grand Forks and Bemidji, according to WDAY, but likely in the 30s in Jamestown, Wahpeton, Fargo and Fergus Falls.

Monday will start off “snow free,” Ritka said during her forecast Sunday. “By the middle of the day, we’ll track the snow pushing through the Red River Valley. By the middle of the afternoon (it will be) out of here by about 5 or 6 o’clock.”

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.