North Dakota
Today in History, 1957: North Dakota woman one of 173 to die on U.S. roads on Christmas night
On this day in 1957, U.S. traffic deaths during the Christmas holiday reached 173 nationwide, including a North Dakota woman killed in a Minnesota crash.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
N.D. Woman Yule Crash Victim
Death Toll Across U.S Reaches 173
Traffic deaths on Christmas night were only seven from the National Safety Council’s fatality estimate for the holiday period amid warnings the final toll would exceed it.
Among those killed on the nation’s highways during the brief holiday was a North Dakota woman.
She was Mrs. Martin E. Sitz, 54, of Park River, N.D., who died in a car-truck collision on Highway 2 about seven miles east of Fosston, Minn., late on Christmas Eve.
Her death raised the Minnesota traffic toll for 1957 to 666. That is 38 more than at this time a year ago.
No motor vehicle fatalities had been reported in North Dakota up to 11:30 last night.
Before the holiday got under way, the Safety Council estimated 180 persons would die in traffic mishaps between 6 p.m. (local time) Tuesday and midnight Wednesday.
Nearing the close of the 30-hour period, traffic deaths across the country had reached 173, according to the Associated Press.
At least 26 other persons died in fires and 14 were killed in miscellaneous accidents, bringing the total to 213.
Unseasonably mild weather in most parts of the country brought auto travel above normal.
Mrs. Sitz’ 51-year-old husband was seriously injured in the Minnesota crash and Archie Piotrias, 64, of Argyle, Minn., the truck driver, suffered chest injuries. They were hospitalized at Fosston.
Mr. and Mrs. Sitz, who had resided in Park River for several years, were on their way to the Twin Cities to spend the holidays with members of their family.
Mrs. Sitz’ death was the first fatality reported from a Christmas holiday in Minnesota, which is in the midst of its worst traffic year in history.
Park River is in Walsh County about 120 miles north and 17 miles west of Fargo-Moorhead. Fosston, in Polk County, is in northwestern Minnesota about 50 miles east and 60 miles north of Fargo-Moorhead.
In South Dakota, Alan Gates, 21, of Pierre died Wednesday of injuries suffered early Saturday when his car rolled over on U.S. 14, a mile east of Fort Pierre, S.D.
Gates, who had been attending Huron (S.D.) College, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Gates.
James Matthews, 21, of Pierre, and Connie Bartels of Fort Pierre, who were riding with Gates, have been released from the hospital.
The death was the 176th on South Dakota highways so far this year and 10 fewer than on this date a year ago.
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.
North Dakota
Greenpeace seeks new trial, claiming jury pool biased in case over Dakota Access Pipeline
Greenpeace has asked for a second trial after a judge entered a $345 million judgment against the organization in a landmark case brought by the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The case “threatens to result in one of the largest miscarriages of justice in North Dakota’s history,” attorneys for the environmental group wrote in a brief filed last week.
After a three-week trial roughly a year ago, a Morton County jury directed Greenpeace to pay Energy Transfer about $667 million, finding the environmental group at fault for inciting illegal acts against the company during anti-pipeline protests in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017 and for publishing false statements that harmed Energy Transfer’s reputation.
Greenpeace denies Energy Transfer’s claims and maintains that it brought the lawsuit to hurt the environmental movement.
Southwest Judicial District Judge James Gion in October slashed the jury’s award to $345 million, though he didn’t finalize the award until late February.
Greenpeace is now taking steps to fight the judgment, which includes its motion for a new trial.
The environmental group’s reasons for the request include claims that the jury instructions and verdict form contained errors, and that Energy Transfer was allowed to present unfair and irrelevant evidence to jurors. The group also alleges the jury pool was biased.
Greenpeace says the jury’s award assumes that Greenpeace was entirely responsible for any injury Energy Transfer sustained related to the protests. Jurors were not given the opportunity to consider whether Greenpeace was only at fault for a portion of the damages, the organization wrote in its brief.
Attorneys for Greenpeace also referenced the mailers and other media circulated to Mandan and Bismarck residents before the trial that contained anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protest and pro-energy industry content.
The environmental group seeks a new trial in Cass County, arguing in part that the jury pool in the Fargo area would be more fair because its residents did not directly experience the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and because the local economy is less dependent on the energy industry.
If Greenpeace’s request for a new trial is denied, it plans to appeal the case to the North Dakota Supreme Court, the organization has said.
Greenpeace previously asked for the trial to be moved from Morton County to Cass County in early 2025, which Gion and the North Dakota Supreme Court denied.
The lawsuit is against three separate Greenpeace organizations — Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund.
Energy Transfer as of Wednesday morning had not submitted a response to Greenpeace’s motion for a new trial. Previously, the company has defended the jury’s verdict and disputed Greenpeace’s claims that the court proceedings were not fair.
Energy Transfer has indicated it may appeal Gion’s decision to reduce the award to $345 million.
Greenpeace will not have to pay any of the $345 million judgment for at least a couple of months, Gion ruled Tuesday.
Court documents indicate that the organization could have to pay a bond of up to $25 million while appeals proceed, though the environmental group has asked the judge to waive or reduce this amount. Gion has not decided on this motion.
He noted that obtaining such a large bond will be challenging.
“The magnitude of this matter defies simple decisions,” Gion wrote.
Energy Transfer in court filings urged the judge to require Greenpeace to post the full $25 million.
Any bond money Greenpeace provides would be held by a third party while the appeals proceed, according to Greenpeace USA.
Greenpeace International has filed a separate lawsuit in the Netherlands that accuses Energy Transfer of weaponizing the U.S. legal system against the environmental group. Energy Transfer asked Gion to order that the overseas suit be paused while the North Dakota case is still active, which Gion denied. The company appealed his ruling to the North Dakota Supreme Court, which has yet to make a decision on the matter.
(Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) – The cost of the power line and substation needed by a data center north of Fargo has risen from $75 million to $110 million, but developers say the data center company will still cover the entire cost of the project.
Applied Digital needs the project to power its data center being built between Fargo and Harwood. The data center requires 280 megawatts of power at peak demand.
Applied Digital will pay for the project but it will be owned by Grand Forks based, Minnkota Power Cooperative.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission held a hearing in Fargo on what is known as the Agassiz Transmission Line and Substation.
Activists steal wax figure of Emmanuel Macron
Greenpeace activists stole a wax figure of French President Emmanuel Macron to protest France’s trade with Russia.
Greenpeace has asked for a second trial after a judge entered a $345 million judgment against the organization in a landmark case brought by the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The case “threatens to result in one of the largest miscarriages of justice in North Dakota’s history,” attorneys for the environmental group wrote in a brief filed last week.
After a three-week trial roughly a year ago, a Morton County jury directed Greenpeace to pay Energy Transfer about $667 million, finding the environmental group at fault for inciting illegal acts against the company during anti-pipeline protests in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017 and for publishing false statements that harmed Energy Transfer’s reputation.
Greenpeace denies Energy Transfer’s claims and maintains that it brought the lawsuit to hurt the environmental movement.
Southwest Judicial District Judge James Gion in October slashed the jury’s award to $345 million, though he didn’t finalize the award until late February.
Greenpeace is now taking steps to fight the judgment, which includes its motion for a new trial.
The environmental group’s reasons for the request include claims that the jury instructions and verdict form contained errors, and that Energy Transfer was allowed to present unfair and irrelevant evidence to jurors. The group also alleges the jury pool was biased.
Greenpeace says the jury’s award assumes that Greenpeace was entirely responsible for any injury Energy Transfer sustained related to the protests. Jurors were not given the opportunity to consider whether Greenpeace was only at fault for a portion of the damages, the organization wrote in its brief.
Attorneys for Greenpeace also referenced the mailers and other media circulated to Mandan and Bismarck residents before the trial that contained anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protest and pro-energy industry content.
The environmental group seeks a new trial in Cass County, arguing in part that the jury pool in the Fargo area would be more fair because its residents did not directly experience the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and because the local economy is less dependent on the energy industry.
If Greenpeace’s request for a new trial is denied, it plans to appeal the case to the North Dakota Supreme Court, the organization has said.
Greenpeace previously asked for the trial to be moved from Morton County to Cass County in early 2025, which Gion and the North Dakota Supreme Court denied.
The lawsuit is against three separate Greenpeace organizations — Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund.
Energy Transfer as of Wednesday morning had not submitted a response to Greenpeace’s motion for a new trial. Previously, the company has defended the jury’s verdict and disputed Greenpeace’s claims that the court proceedings were not fair.
Energy Transfer has indicated it may appeal Gion’s decision to reduce the award to $345 million.
Greenpeace will not have to pay any of the $345 million judgment for at least a couple of months, Gion ruled Tuesday.
Court documents indicate that the organization could have to pay a bond of up to $25 million while appeals proceed, though the environmental group has asked the judge to waive or reduce this amount. Gion has not decided on this motion.
He noted that obtaining such a large bond will be challenging.
“The magnitude of this matter defies simple decisions,” Gion wrote.
Energy Transfer in court filings urged the judge to require Greenpeace to post the full $25 million.
Any bond money Greenpeace provides would be held by a third party while the appeals proceed, according to Greenpeace USA.
Greenpeace International has filed a separate lawsuit in the Netherlands that accuses Energy Transfer of weaponizing the U.S. legal system against the environmental group. Energy Transfer asked Gion to order that the overseas suit be paused while the North Dakota case is still active, which Gion denied. The company appealed his ruling to the North Dakota Supreme Court, which has yet to make a decision on the matter.
North Dakota Monitor is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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