North Dakota
What caused a deadlock for the North Dakota Republican endorsement for US House?
FARGO — None of the Republican candidates for U.S. House expected the North Dakota Republican Party’s endorsement for their race to
end with a deadlock.
The unusual vote garnered ballots for three candidates on Saturday, April 6, at the state GOP convention in Fargo. Only two qualified for the nomination, but there was a twist.
On the first vote,
Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak
topped
military veteran Alex Balazs, of Cando,
611-403. Fedorchak seemed to win, but voters wrote in former state
Rep. Rick Becker’s
name on 382 ballots. Also known as spoiled ballots, the write-ins counted toward the total vote and prevented the nominees from getting a majority.
No majority, no election, NDGOP Chair Sandi Sanford announced. Twice.
Even after Becker told delegates to vote for a nominee on the second go-around, neither could secure the nod. Balazs edged Fedorchak 605-599. With 13 ballots spoiled again for Becker, Balazs fell short of the majority.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
Becker, Balazs and Fedorchak told The Forum after the vote that they were surprised no one could get a majority. Sensing the results wouldn’t change, Fedorchak said there was no point in making delegates stay for a third vote.
She decided to step up to the microphone and concede the nomination to Balazs.
“It was just clear to me, it was time to move,” Fedorchak said Monday in a phone interview with The Forum.
She called Becker’s successful attempt to spoil ballots a “self-serving” stunt. State GOP rules said the Bismarck man couldn’t seek the nomination because he ran as an independent against U.S. Sen. John Hoeven in 2022.
The morning of the vote, Becker asked delegates to vote for him, though he said in a text message that
he didn’t want Balazs to get attention.
In the months leading up to the convention, delegates told Becker they didn’t like their options for the nominee and that they would write his name in, he told The Forum on Tuesday. He said he warned them that would waste their ballots.
He also said he didn’t know the spoiled ballots would count toward the total and potentially prevent a majority.
“People were angry because they thought it was a stunt to spoil the convention,” he said. “It really wasn’t.”
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
In 2021, the North Dakota Republican Party put in place a rule that would ban anyone from seeking the GOP endorsement in any race for six years if they run as an independent or seek another party’s endorsement.
Becker said the rule didn’t specifically target him, but he said it prevents Republicans from having an option at the convention.
“It should not be there to protect incumbents,” he said of the rule, advocating that it should be changed.
Fedorchak said the rule should “absolutely not” be changed.
“Are you serving the Republican Party, or are you just trying to find the easiest path to victory?” she asked.
Becker broke the rules and then came to the convention to orchestrate a plan to spoil ballots, Fedorchak said. That threw the convention into chaos, she said.
“It served no purpose,” she said.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
Becker said his voters felt disenfranchised by not being allowed to vote for him. All they wanted was a voice, and they got it by spoiling ballots, he said.
“We have significant support throughout the state, and I think the convention showed that,” he said.
Before the first vote, he said, he asked party leaders if he could speak after the first-round results were announced. In that speech, he thanked his supporters, said their voices were heard and encouraged them to vote for a qualified nominee instead of him on the second vote.
Fedorchak said Becker disenfranchised voters by running as an independent in the first place.
“Those kind of actions don’t belong in a person seeking one of the highest offices in the state,” she said. “Leaders are supposed to serve others, not be served.”
As a first-time candidate, Balazs said he knew the fight for the nomination was an uphill battle.
“I was ready for any process that came along — maybe not this one,” he said of the spoiled votes.
The vote should have been a clean one between the two nominees, Balazs said shortly after the vote. He didn’t agree with Becker’s tactics, though he said he respects Becker’s supporters wanting to vote for their preferred candidate.
“They clearly wanted a moment to speak,” he said.
When asked if the rule should change, he said that is up to the party. He said he wouldn’t change the rule unless his supporters wanted to. When rules are in place and candidates decide to break them, they have to live with the consequences, he said.
“If it was my kid, I’d say, ‘I’m not changing the rules now because you already knew that,’ ” Balazs said.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
Heading into the June 11 primary, Balazs, Fedorchak and Becker face a
five-way race.
Former Miss America and Bismarck attorney Cara Mund joined the race as a Republican on Monday, as did
Williston resident Sharlet Mohr.
The winner will either face Trygve Hammer, whom the Democratic Party endorsed this weekend, or Roland Riemers, of Grand Forks. Riemers also joined the race on Monday.
Getting a party’s endorsement, especially from the controlling party in the state, gives Balazs an advantage. Seen largely as a newcomer, he can now tell voters he has the support of the party.
Balazs said he plans to travel as much as possible to meet with people and get his name known to the public. He said the candidates need to learn to follow the rules as they run their campaigns.
“I’m going to run that way up until the primary,” he said. “It’s going to be honest. … People have to decide who has the best character, who has the best platform and who they want to vote for.”
David Samson/The Forum
Becker said he was pleased with how many delegates voted for him. He said he feels good heading into the five-way race because three candidates, including himself, have name recognition.
“I think the grassroots base has actively been growing,” he said, calling the vote at the convention a success.
Fedorchak also is well-known in the state, along with Mund, who ran against U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong in 2022 as an independent.
Fedorchak said she is excited to get out to meet people, talk about her mission and get her message out to voters.
“I think we have strong momentum coming out of the convention,” she said.
Missouri State football’s hopes of winning a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Saturday quickly disappeared as the Bears didn’t put up much of a fight against the No. 1 team in the Football Championship Subdivision.
FCS No. 14 Missouri State (8-3, 6-1 MVFC) didn’t stand a chance in a 59-21 loss to FCS No. 1 North Dakota State (10-1, 7-0 MVFC) at the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota.
The Bears were dominated along the offensive and defensive fronts against the nine-time FCS champions. The Bison scored early and often, taking a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and keeping their foot on the gas throughout.
The loss will be a measuring stick for Missouri State as it departs the FCS to become an FBS program in Conference USA next season. NDSU would rank among the better Group of 5 teams as a well-established winning program the Bears hope to build toward. It’s clear they have a long way to go.
Missouri State has an outside chance at still winning a share of the MVFC. The Bears would have to beat FCS No. 3 South Dakota State (9-2, 6-1 MVFC) in Springfield in their FCS finale while requiring the Bison to lose to FCS No. 5 South Dakota.
Missouri State football fell into too big of a hole early
The Bison scored two touchdowns within the first quarter’s first five minutes. A 52-yard rushing touchdown on the Bison’s second offensive play was followed by a Jayden Becks fumble deep in MSU territory on the Bears’ first play of their second drive. NDSU star quarterback Cam Miller completed a three-yard touchdown pass, on fourth down, shortly after.
NDSU built its lead up to 28-0 with 8:16 left in the half. The Bears scored off a one-yard Jacardia Wright run before Miller threw his first interception of the season. A trick play saw Hunter Wood throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Becks to cut the lead in half.
Any feel-good the Bears could take into halftime disappeared when the Bison marched down the field and scored on a one-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left, regaining a three-touchdown lead.
North Dakota State dominated on both fronts
The biggest concern for the Bears heading into the game was how well their offensive and defensive lines would hold up against both elite Bison units. The answer? Not very well.
North Dakota State gashed the Bears on the ground with beautiful blocking throughout, opening up giant holes and allowing runners to pick up big gains. The Bison scored on rushes of 48, 49 and 52. They ended with 364 rushing yards while averaging 9.6 per carry.
On defense, the Bison got after Bears star quarterback Jacob Clark, sacking him four times and then sacking Brock Bagozzi twice when he came in relief. They limited the Bears’ grounded game to 86 combined yards with Jacardia Wright finishing with 68.
Were there any positives for Missouri State football?
Clark didn’t play poorly but looked overwhelmed early. He missed a few passes you’re used to seeing him make while the Bison pulled away. His 247 yards helped him break the school’s single-season passing record in one fewer game than Jason Shelley played during the fall 2021 season.
Other than that? There wasn’t much to write home about. It’s not terrible that the Bears got to see where they’re behind a top FCS team that might be among the best in the Group of 5 if NDSU ever gets an FBS invite. They have a lot of work to do in recruiting more offensive and defensive linemen who can be competitive at the next level.
North Dakota
From hunting for prehistoric sea monsters to white-water rafting, gorgeous Pembina Gorge has it all
WALHALLA, N.D. — When the state’s Senior Paleontologist Clint Boyd leads first-time visitors into the Pembina Gorge for public fossil hunts, their responses often surprise him.
Of course, these weekend paleontologists are thrilled that they might unearth part of a mosasaurus — a prehistoric sea “monster” bigger than a city bus — from the oldest exposed rock in the state.
But whether they’re native North Dakotans or Italian tourists, they also thrill at the beauty of their surroundings: a 2,800-acre stretch of land so filled with hills, soaring river-valley cliffs, pockets of wetlands and the largest continuous, undisturbed forest in North Dakota that it seems custom-built for its own full-color coffee table book.
Some say they never anticipated such lush landscapes in North Dakota, which is sometimes unfairly stereotyped as one endless farm field. But this, they’ll insist, looks more like the north woods of Minnesota or perhaps even Canada.
Now the Gorge is getting its due.
In May of 2023, Gov. Doug Burgum announced plans to develop the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area into North Dakota’s 14th state park. Drawing from an ambitious master plan developed in 2014, North Dakota Parks and Recreation has invested $6 million in state dollars and $2 million in federal dollars toward completing the first phase of that plan: a 55-unit campground, with 50 modern campsites, five primitive sites, up to six year-round cabins, underground utilities, roads, a maintenance shop and a comfort station.
The campground is slated to open in 2026.
Contributed / Poppy Mills
It’s all to provide an “adventure park” experience to the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 visitors who explore the trails through Pembina Gorge annually, said Mike Deurre of North Dakota Parks and Recreation.
The area boasts trails for hiking, mountain-biking, ATV-riding, snowmobiling and horseback riding. The Pembina River offers the only white-water rafting (albeit a fairly tame, Class 1 version) in the state. That’s not to mention sightseeing, leaf-gazing, bird-watching and fossil-digging aplenty.
Ask Mike Deurre, who manages the Gorge recreation area and nearby Icelandic State Park, if he’s excited about the Gorge’s upcoming upgrade, and he chuckles.
“I’ve kind of described it like the Gorge has been like my fourth child,” he said. “After year 17 here, I feel like my baby got a full-ride scholarship to college.”
He’s not alone.
Screenshot / PembinaCountyND.gov
“We’ve had people showing up at the construction gate with their campers until they realized it was still under construction and wasn’t quite ready to go yet,” he said. “We get questions all the time: ‘When is it ready? What are we looking at?’ It’s been really fun to see that.”
Especially for Deurre, a Mandan, N.D., native who admits “I’d never even heard of anything north of Grand Forks,” before applying for a job here in 2007.
But once he saw firsthand the beauty, wildlife and landscape, he was amazed he hadn’t heard of the area sooner. The 12,500-acre formation was shaped by massive glacial runoff which carved out the soft shales left by the oceans millions of years ago to create one of the deepest and steepest river valleys in North Dakota.
Contributed / Cassie Theurer for North Dakota Tourism
Back then, Deurre’s top priority was to find a workable solution for ATV enthusiasts and landowners alike amid the Gorge.
“Originally, there were a lot of landowner complaints on ATVs with people driving everywhere. So they hired me, the dumb 26-year-old, to go up there and figure it out,” he joked.
The agency quickly realized they couldn’t stop ATV traffic, as the four-wheeling genie had already roared out of the bottle.
“You have to give people somewhere to go, because there’s not a lot of trails for ATVs in North Dakota,” he said. “The consensus was we had to build something.”
That would spark the 2014 master plan, which outlined a template for development based on public feedback in a 159-page document.
Today, the recreational area offers nearly 30 miles of trails for everyone from horseback riders to ATV drivers. Deurre described the pathways as tight and twisty, with hairpin turns. “I usually tell people if you’re going over 8 (miles an hour), you’re going too fast. But people have a lot of fun on them,” he said.
Contributed / North Dakota Tourism
That’s not to mention the extensive snowmobile trail network in this area, which totals 455 miles, taps into a statewide trail system and is managed by volunteers from the Northeast Snowmobile Club Association.
Trails may be an ideal way to explore the Gorge, as they can take you into the most scenic areas. Case in point: The Tetrault State Forest Lookout Point, which is so naturally magazine-ready that it frequently graces state tourism publications.
Trail-blazing might also give you a glimpse of wildlife, like elk, white-tail deer, red fox, river otters and even the occasional lone wolf or black bear. The Gorge contains a sweep of forest that serves as a transition zone between three different biogeographical provinces: boreal forest, eastern deciduous forest and central grassland. It’s one reason you’ll find the state’s most extensive woodlands for oak and birch here.
Contributed / North Dakota Parks and Recreation
The diverse ecosystem also includes 30 plant species and 21 animal species categorized as “rare” in the state.
It’s getting late for this season, but autumn is historically the Gorge’s time to shine. The trees form a plush carpet of greens, orangey-browns and golds that rolls across the undulating terrain. Look closer, and you’ll spot the fiery reds of sumac and other smaller plants beneath the canopy of bigger trees.
“To get out on the trails during that time, it’s just nice,” Deurre said. “It’s nice, crisp air and it feels so good. You find yourself stopping and staring at things.”
Some say the best way to see the Gorge is to forego trails completely and canoe or kayak it instead.
Visitors can kayak the Pembina River by contacting the office of the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area. Through this program, they can opt for a 3.5-mile, two-hour float, which begins at the Vang Bridge near Frost Fire Ski Resort and travels to the Brick Mine Bridge. The bridge is a charming, red structure originally built by the Fargo Bridge & Iron Company for Mayo Brick & Tile Company in 1905. Traveling to and from it will expose you to some of the Gorge’s prettiest views.
Contributed / Cassie Theurer for North Dakota Tourism
Another kayak option is to travel from the Vang Bridge to the Highway 32 Bridge, which is 10.75 miles and provides four to six hours of scenic sailing.
The Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area offers kayak rentals for $32/half day or $50/full day. Life jackets and paddles are provided with your rental. The recreation area also will transport kayakers for an additional fee.
Contributed / Dan Koeck for North Dakota Tourism
“It’s a really cool way to see the Gorge on the river,” Deurre said. “You kind of feel like you’re right there in the middle of nowhere.”
Clearly, people dig the Gorge.
Like, literally.
The North Dakota Geological Survey runs public dinosaur digs in four locations across the state — Bismarck, Dickinson, Medora and the Pembina Gorge.
The Gorge alone opens up 100 spots to aspiring archaeologists each summer. Clint Boyd, who oversees all the public digs, says that when registration for its statewide digs is announced to its 2,500-strong email list, they fill quickly — sometimes within minutes. “It’s crazy popular,” he said.
Since the state’s first public dig in 2000, Boyd said the event has attracted people from 45 states and countries as far-flung as Norway and Italy.
Boyd cites several reasons for the dig’s attraction.
One is that North Dakota’s public dig program is so affordable. The department charges $40 to $60 per person per day to cover supply costs and the salaries of summer interns to help at the site. In comparison, he said, public digs in other states charge up to $300 per day.
People also can opt to dig just a day, or even a half-day, rather than committing to a full week.
Another is the high concentration of specimens found in the Gorge. “Normally when you go look for fossils, you dig out what’s there and then have to explore around to find another,” Boyd said. “This site we’ve been working at Gorge, we collect a skeleton for a mosasaurus and shortly after that, 40 or 50 feet from there, we’ll find another one. “
The Gorge has proven to be an especially rich source of marine life from 75 million years ago, including turtles, fish, plesiosaurs, squid and sharks.
Contributed / Cassie K. Theurer for North Dakota Tourism
It’s a mecca for the mosasaur, a huge, carnivorous aquatic lizard whose bones have been found in the black shale of the Pierre Foundation, which runs throughout the Gorge.
Mosasaurs were essentially the kings of the food chain for their time, with some species growing as large as 60 feet.
In 2015, Boyd and a team discovered a new species of mosasaur which may have been a precursor to the Mosasaurus, a larger form that grew to nearly 50 feet long and lived alongside the T-rex.
“If you put flippers on a Komodo dragon and made it really big, that’s basically what it would have looked like,” said
Amelia Zietlow
, a doctoral student in comparative biology who co-authored a study on the discovery with Boyd and another researcher for the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
The researchers also described the prehistoric predator as possessing an extra row of teeth, a shark-like tail and a bony ridge on the skull which gave it the appearance of “angry eyebrows.”
Boyd named the discovery Jormungandr walhallaensis to honor the nearby community of Walhalla and the ethnicity of the area.
“Given the similarity of spelling between Walhalla and the mythological Norse location Valhalla, we chose to name it after the legendary sea-dwelling World Serpent: Jormungandr,” Boyd wrote in a North Dakota Geological Survey newsletter.
Those itching to unearth their own sea-faring fossils should know there’s no prior experience required to participate in the dig. Kids as young as 10 can attend for a half-day, but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Participants must be 15 or older to attend a full-day dig.
Learn more about fossil digs at
https://www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/paleontology/fossil-digs.
Information about rentals and other Gorge attractions is available by contacting the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area at 701-549-2444 or pgsra@nd.gov.
North Dakota
What channel is Missouri State vs North Dakota State today? Time, TV schedule for Week 12 game
Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard previews North Dakota State
Bears coach Ryan Beard previewed their upcoming game against North Dakota State. The winner will claim at least a share of the MVFC championship.
By the end of Saturday afternoon’s matchup with FCS No. 1 North Dakota State, Missouri State could call itself a champion of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The FCS No. 14 Bears (8-2, 6-0 MVFC) have put themselves in this position by winning eight consecutive games for the first time since becoming a Division I program. They’ll have to win somewhere they haven’t since 2009 when they play in the 2:30 p.m. game at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
A win would give the Bears a share of the league for the first time since the 2021 spring season. They could then win the Valley outright with a victory over South Dakota State on Nov. 23 in Springfield.
A win would also give the Bears their:
- First-ever win against a No. 1-ranked team
- First win over a Top 10 opponent since 2021 and first under Ryan Beard
- First-ever 7-0 start to conference play
- Seven conference wins for the first time in program history
NDSU (9-1, 6-0 MVFC) is as good as it gets in the subdivision with its lone loss coming to FBS Colorado to open the season. The Bison came four yards short of completing a hail mary to win the game which would have handed Deion Sanders a loss to rock the college football world.
The Bison have won nine FCS national championships since 2011. They have a consistent, championship-level program the Bears strive to be, even with Missouri State’s upcoming move to Conference USA in 2025. This game will serve as a good measuring stick for how far the Bears have to go when competing at the Group of 5 level next year.
Missouri State vs North Dakota State time today
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
- Time: 2:30 p.m.
- Location: FargoDome; Fargo, North Dakota
Missouri State vs. North Dakota State will kick off from the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota, at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2024.
What channel is Missouri State vs North Dakota State game on today?
Dom Izzo and Kyle Emanuel will call the game on ESPN+ live from the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
How to listen to Saturday’s game?
Corey Riggs and Sam Block will call the game on KWTO 101.3 FM live from the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
Catch up on Missouri State football coverage
You can catch up on what you need to know about Missouri State by previewing the game at the following links:
Missouri State vs North Dakota State history
- Series record: North Dakota State leads 12-2
- Missouri State’s last win: Nov. 20, 2010 (3-0)
- North Dakota State’s last win: Oct. 23, 2023 (27-20)
Missouri State football 2024 schedule
- Aug. 31 – Montana 29, Missouri State 24
- Sept. 7 – Ball State 42, Missouri State 34
- Sept. 14 – Missouri State 28, Lindenwood 14
- Sept. 21 – Missouri State 31, UT Martin 24
- Sept. 28 – Missouri State 38, Youngstown State 31
- Oct. 12 – Missouri State 41, Illinois State 7
- Oct. 19 – Missouri State 46, Indiana State 21
- Oct. 26 – Missouri State 49, Northern Iowa 42
- Nov. 2 – Missouri State 38, Southern Illinois 17
- Nov. 9 – Missouri State 59, Murray State 31
- Nov. 16 – @ North Dakota State
- Nov. 23 – South Dakota State
- Record: 8-2 (6-0 MVFC)
North Dakota State football 2024 schedule
- Aug. 29 – Colorado 31, North Dakota State 26
- Sept. 7 – North Dakota State 52, Tennessee State 3
- Sept. 14 – North Dakota State 38, East Tennessee State 35
- Sept. 21 – North Dakota State 41, Towson 24
- Sept. 28 – North Dakota State 42, Illinois State 10
- Oct. 5 – North Dakota State 41, North Dakota 17
- Oct. 12 – North Dakota State 24, Southern Illinois 3
- Oct. 19 – North Dakota State 13, South Dakota State 9
- Oct. 26 – North Dakota State 59, Murray State 6
- Nov. 2 – North Dakota State 42, Northern Iowa 19
- Nov. 16 – vs. Missouri State
- Nov. 23 – @ South Dakota
- Record: 9-1 (6-0 MVFC)
First known case of rare mpox strain confirmed in United States
Drake loses staggering sum after placing wager on Mike Tyson to defeat Jake Paul
How to make your VPN faster
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
Sabrina Carpenter brings 'Short n' Sweet' — and special guest Christina Aguilera — to Crypto.com Arena
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At APEC 2024, Chinese leader Xi tells Biden he’s ‘ready to work’ with Trump
Trump announces oil executive Chris Wright as his pick for energy secretary
Trump lawyer William Owen Scharf picked for 'crucial' White House assistant role
Who is Vox leader Santiago Abascal?
A majority of Senate Republicans doubt Matt Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general, sources say
-
Health1 week agoLose Weight Without the Gym? Try These Easy Lifestyle Hacks
-
Culture1 week agoThe NFL is heading to Germany – and the country has fallen for American football
-
Business1 week agoRef needs glasses? Not anymore. Lasik company offers free procedures for referees
-
Sports1 week agoAll-Free-Agent Team: Closers and corner outfielders aplenty, harder to fill up the middle
-
News5 days agoHerbert Smith Freehills to merge with US-based law firm Kramer Levin
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
Technology6 days agoThe next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
-
Business3 days ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health3 days agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
