Connect with us

North Dakota

West Fargo School Board weighing options prior to another bond referendum ask

Published

on

West Fargo School Board weighing options prior to another bond referendum ask


WEST FARGO — Members of the West Fargo School Board met on Monday, May 20, to weigh their options regarding the future of the district’s facilities in light of their failed 2023 bond referendum and an ever-increasing number of students.

In September, a

$147 million bond referendum failed, primarily due to low voter turnout. The bond would have funded the building of a new elementary school, several additions and renovations to existing school buildings, including an expansion at Horace High School and Heritage Middle School, and

$5 million to help fund another sheet of ice and an addition at Veterans Memorial Arena.

Advertisement

Afterwards, the school district reconvened its facilities task force and rebranded it the West Fargo Schools Facilities Planning 2.0 task force. The task force, composed of about 75 parents and community members, met in a series of meetings in February and March and held public feedback-gathering sessions throughout April.

On Monday, members of this task force presented their findings to the school board.

While most of the evening focused on discussing the project details in light of the community-wide survey results, attendees also discussed if they should refocus their plan on a longer term of 10 years rather than five.

Community feedback on this idea is split, task force members said, with some residents balking at the large price tag and others encouraging the district to think long-term instead of bringing back another bond request to the community five years from now.

Some members stated that the district could get voter approval on the 10-year plan and, if the expected student growth doesn’t materialize, simply scale back as needed and not move some projects forward.

Advertisement

No action was taken during Monday’s meeting.

Ultimately, district leaders stated that voters won’t see a bond vote on this in 2024, agreeing that they want to gather more information prior to making a final decision on what’s next for this bond.

They plan to have more details on hand before they make their final determination on what is included in the final bond referendum vote, members agree, including cost information on the various proposals.

The West Fargo School Board is expected to discuss the matter further this summer. Early in 2025 was discussed as a likely time to hold another special election.

When the $106.9 million bond was passed in 2018, it included money to build the district’s third high school and middle school,

Advertisement

but the district built smaller to keep the overall impact to taxpayers as low as possible at that time and also to account for the potential for slowed growth in the district.

However, growth has not slowed down. The district remains projected to grow by around 400 students each year for the next 10 years, the same rate it has grown each year in the past decade. The district is now considering a second bond referendum effort to account for the needed facilities to accommodate that projected growth.

Despite the recent bond referendums, the school district has continued to pay down its debt and it has been able to reduce its overall mill levy the past three years.

Prior to last year’s bond failure, West Fargo had strong support of its building referendums. In 2018, the $106.9 million bond was approved by 71% of voters. In 2015, 80% of 6,064 voters approved a $98.1 million bond. In 2011, 70% of 7,420 voters approved a bond referendum that helped pay for the expansion of what is now Sheyenne High School.

Advertisement

Local government reporter working the night shift 👻. I cover Fargo city government, Cass County government and undercovered populations in the area.





Source link

North Dakota

Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston

Published

on

Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston


WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.

Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.

Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.

Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.

Advertisement

“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.

Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.

The cause remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.

ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.

Advertisement

The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.

Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.

Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

North Dakota

ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission

Published

on

ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission


Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.

WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.

The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.

Advertisement

“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.

As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.

“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”

Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”

According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.

Advertisement

“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.

According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.

“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”



Source link

Continue Reading

North Dakota

Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo

Published

on

Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo


FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.

Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.

Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.

Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending