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

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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.

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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.

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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,

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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.

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





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Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News

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Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News


FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — For more than 400 miles, 12 runners will trek across North Dakota to carry the stories of love, loss, and resilience from community to community.

“After having run Haven since 2017, the 10.15 Project came, and it just is so exciting because it’s really looking at pregnancy and infant loss and putting it in a new light. And really giving people the opportunity to do something that you can see and it’s meaningful,” said Jen Burgard, Founder and Executive Director of Haven.

The 10.15 Project was co-founded by Haven, an organization that supports grieving families. The relay begins on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. And during the four days, the team hopes to bring awareness to families.

“It gives you pieces of solitude, of quiet, of reflection, and also a purpose. It gives you meaning, and I think endurance is one of the biggest pieces of this. It’s the endurance required to navigate pregnancy and infant loss is extreme. And I think this really mirrors that,” said Burgard.

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While many of the runners come from different fields, many have also experienced a loss themselves.

“When it happened in my family, it was kind of something we were all struck by. You realize how common it is. And you know, I want to bring light to that,” said Ty Casey, Runner and Learning and Development Specialist at TrueNorth Steel.

Casey has multiple runs planned over the next few months, but with this run in particular, he hopes this will bring awareness.

“If this is one thing that can help bring light to it and help people be more open and help people to talk about it, and take some of the grief away that would be totally ideal for us just to help out a little bit,” said Casey.

The relay begins on October 15 in Medora and will end on October 18th in Fargo.

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Behind the Badge – Spring Fever

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Spring Fever

District Game Warden Sam Feldmann

As winter begins to fade and ice fishing begins to slow, everyone gets the itch to be outside on nice days when it’s warming and the sun is shining. People are beginning to think about their garden or outdoor projects around the house they have been pondering all winter.

While others have been thinking about open water fishing, getting the boat ready, hitting the field to look for shed antlers in a favorite spot they’ve been watching deer all winter, or slipping into the field to lure a spring gobbler into shotgun range with a new call they’ve been practicing with all winter.

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With the excitement of warm weather and getting out to enjoy everything a spring day has to offer, I would like to remind everyone of a few things while enjoying what North Dakota has to offer.

This year is a registration year for all motorized watercrafts. This doesn’t just mean you have to renew your registration. It means that when you get the new red stickers sporting “28” on them that they must be affixed to both sides of the bow of the boat.

Another reminder is that if you are going shed hunting, there are a few things to remember. Shed antlers are legal to possess. This time of year, our officers receive lots of calls about shed hunters locating “dead heads,” which are animals that have died and the antlers are still attached to the skull plate.

If you happen to locate a dead head, you cannot possess it without contacting your local game warden and receiving a permit for the animal. Also, if you are going to shed hunt on posted private property or a Private Lands Opens To Sportsmen tract, you need to obtain permission to do so. Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.

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If you are going to be chasing turkeys this spring through the timber, there are a few things that should be remembered. Make sure you have your tag with you when you are in the field. Remember that your tag is only legal for one bearded wild turkey. If you are lucky enough to harvest a turkey you fooled into coming to your calling and decoy, you must tag it before doing anything else.

One last reminder for the spring activities. Remember that all licenses, whether it’s a hunting license or fishing license, expired March 31 and needed to be renewed as of April 1, 2026

With these few reminders out of the way, remember to have fun and enjoy what the great state of North Dakota has to offer.



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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News

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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News


MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.

The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.

Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.

Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.

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Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.





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