North Dakota
Time for change? Locals react to the push to remove daylight savings in North Dakota
BISMARCK, N.D. — Lawmakers in the North Dakota House have passed Bill 1259 that could make the state the third in the nation to permanently observe standard time, eliminating daylight saving time.
Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that already observe standard time year-round, and if the bill becomes law, North Dakota would join them.
The bill has sparked mixed reactions from residents, especially in Fargo-Moorhead, where the change would have a noticeable impact on daily life. According to Representative Dan Ruby, a co-sponsor of the bill, the benefits of no longer switching the clocks twice a year outweigh the potential disruptions.
“It’s maybe not preferable for the time that I would like to be on, as many other people would, but it is the advantage of not having to disrupt our lives twice a year. It kind of outweighs that,” Ruby said.
However, students at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) have expressed concerns about the potential confusion. “It is just one hour, but it’s the mental, cognitive load to remembering that time difference in terms of planning on two different time schedules is going to be a little bit of an annoyance,” said Tony Urbanski, an MSUM student.
Some residents also worry about the complications along the North Dakota-Minnesota border. If the bill passes, residents in North Dakota would permanently observe standard time, while neighboring Minnesota would continue to follow daylight saving time. “If I lived in Moorhead, and worked in Fargo, my clock would fall back an hour when I cross the state line getting to work… for six months out of the year, and vice versa,” said one Fargo resident.
Others, like former State Senator Tim Flakoll, don’t see the value in the change. “I just don’t see the value in it from my perspective… I think a lot more people want to be out in the evening doing things than they care about being up at 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning to get things done,” he said.
Meanwhile, MSUM students voiced concerns about missing classes or flights due to the time change. “I think that would cause people a lot of trouble, especially since the Hector International is, is over there. I mean, I always fly through there… I could definitely see myself missing a flight because of that,” said Aiden Price, an MSUM student.
Ruby acknowledged the confusion but emphasized that the change would simplify life overall. “He had voted no on the bill on the floor, and said, ‘You know, I think I voted wrong, because I’m kind of thinking that in the spring, kids would be getting on the school bus with more light when, when that switches, it moves back, and kind of puts them back into darkness for a while when they’re going to school,’” Ruby said.
As of now, the bill has passed in the House and is set to be discussed in the Senate, where Ruby will be gauging support in the coming future.
North Dakota
North Dakota voters to decide single-subject requirement for future constitutional amendments on June 9
BRECKENRIDGE — Coaches, teammates, friends and family gathered in the south parking lot of Breckenridge High School for another state tournament sendoff.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
This year, it was Troy Berndt taking the ceremonial convertible ride. He is headed to St. Michael-Albertville High School for the Minnesota Class A State Track and Field Meet on June 4-6.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
He will be running in the third heat of the 400-meter prelims, scheduled for 4:52 p.m. June 4. There are seven athletes in each heat, 21 total, and nine will advance to the finals at 6:20 p.m. June 5.
The top two finishers in each heat advance, along with the next three best times. Berndt’s personal best time of 50.67 has him seeded 13th, but the 10th-, 11th- and 12th-seeded runners are less than five hundredths of a second ahead of him. The eighth- and ninth-seeded runners are also close, at 50.33 and 50.39, respectively.
Berndt dropped nearly seven-tenths of a second from his previous personal best at the Section 6A West Subsection Meet on May 21, running 51.35, and shaved another 0.68 seconds off at the Section 6A Championships on May 28 with a time of 50.67. If he keeps lowering his time, he will have a shot at reaching the podium against the best runners in Class A.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
Results and photos will be available online immediately following the race June 4 and in the June 10 print edition of the Wahpeton Daily News.
Corbin Lee is a sports reporter for the Wahpeton Daily News and Richland County News-Monitor. Corbin can be reached by calling (701) 291-3551 or emailing corbin.lee@wahpetondailynews.com.
On this day in 1971, Rugby repeated as North Dakota’s high school sand greens golf champion behind medalist Dwight Stempson’s winning performance.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Rugby Repeats As Sand Greens Golf Champion
RUGBY, N. D. — Rugby repeated as North Dakota high school sand greens golf champion here Wednesday, posting a four-man total of 293 strokes for 18 holes.
Led by medalist Dwight Stempson’s medalist 36-35 — 71, the Panthers were eight strokes ahead of runnerup Stanley, which had a 301. Following were Garrison 311, Beulah 315, Leeds 322, Ashley 323, Bottineau 328, Pembina 329, Tioga 332, Parshall 341 and Hettinger 342.
Stempson and teammate Bruce Carlson each had one-under par 71s, but Carlson was unable to be at the regional and wasn’t qualified for individual honors.
Rounding out the Rugby totals were Delwin Wilson 40-37 — 77 and Dennett Hutchinson 35-39 — 74. Gary Kirchoffner, 41-39 — 80, was Rugby’s fifth entrant with the best four-of-five scores counted.
Runnerup Stanley was led by Steve Springan’s 34-38 — 72 and Joe Springan’s 36-38 — 74. Their two-man total of 146 strokes was good enough for the doubles title. Two strokes back with a 148 was the duo of Stempson and Wilson. Stan Saathoff and Mike Stepina of Garrison each had 76s for a 152 total and the Ashley combo of Steve Maier (76) and Dave Kretschmar (78) was fourth with a 154.
Stempson was the driving contest winner with a distance of 280 yards. Chris Knutson of Garrison headed the pitch and putt competition.
Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.
-
Georgia7 minutes agoLambert rising freshman is second-youngest winner of Georgia Women’s Amateur
-
Hawaii9 minutes agoGov. Green responds to lawsuit challenging Hawaiian Homes program | Maui Now
-
Idaho14 minutes agoIdaho State Police: Driver runs stop sign, hits hay-stacker truck in Twin Falls
-
Illinois22 minutes agoConsumer advocacy groups oppose Illinois American Water $142.4M rate hike and potential major acquisition
-
Indiana24 minutes agoPHOTOS | Restored fountains at Garfield Park Sunken Garden
-
Iowa30 minutes agoWaukee Northwest beats Urbandale in Iowa boys soccer state semifinal
-
Kansas37 minutes agoKansas City, Missouri, police searching for missing 11-year-old girl
-
Kentucky40 minutes agoKentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for June 3, 2026
