North Dakota
Women’s basketball: Gophers open with rout of North Dakota
The Minnesota women’s basketball team is picking things up where they left them to end the 2024-25 season.
The reigning Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament champions played host to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Tuesday night to open the new season and won, 91-47, at Williams Arena.
“Defensively, our young ladies played really, really hard,” head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “They were really disruptive. It was really fun to watch. And then on the offensive end, we didn’t make as many shots as we wanted to, but our offensive rebounding was absolutely outstanding.
“The energy really propelled us, and I thought this was a great way to open the season and get things started.”
The Gophers have high expectations after going 25-11 in 2024-25, the last five while winning the WBIT after being snubbed for an NCAA tournament bid. Minnesota struggled in Big Ten play, going 8-10, but was dominant against nonconference opponents, going 17-1.
While the challenges against other Big Ten teams are still a month out, they had a roster shake-up that provided new challenges for the foreseeable future.
Forward Mallory Heyer announced on social media last week that she was leaving the team and entering the transfer portal for ‘personal reasons.’ Heyer’s decision to leave was a shock to many on the team, but her departure led to other players being the stars on both sides of the ball in the season opener.
Senior guard Amaya Battle stepped up where Heyer was best, leading the team with 10 defensive rebounds, while freshman guard Makena Christian made a strong first impression, leading the way with 23 points and making 50% of her 3-point attempts.
The reigning Wisconsin Player of the Year was ranked as the best guard in the state last season, and her play on Tuesday showed 3,300-plus Gophers fans the excitement around their newest starter was well worth it.
“I thought she handled the emotions of playing in her first home contest at a really high level,” Plitzuweit said of Christian’s performance. “I think she’s someone who’s very calm and steady, anyway, but I thought she did some really good things on both end of the court.”
“I was excited to play with all my teammates,” Christian said. “Being in the Barn was really cool. I think the energy was really cool. But the main thing was I was really excited to play with my teammates.”
“Big shoutout to Amaya,” center Sophie Hart said. “Because 10 defensive rebounds, oh my gosh. She has really stepped up in that category. I mean, obviously tonight, but even in practice. So, I’d say it was a team effort.”
Hart scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and grad forward Finau Tonga added 14 points. She was 6 for 8 at the free throw line and corralled seven rebounds.
The Gophers are back in action at 7 p.m. Friday against Manhattan at Williams Arena.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Roads in northwest North Dakota are reporting extremely low visibility due to blowing dust and dirt.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol shared photos of an intense dust storm that led to a crash in Williams County on Highway 85 at 1:30 p.m.
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Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol -
Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol
The NDHP is advising the public to stay home if possible, and if you must travel, slow down, turn on your headlights, increase following distance, and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
KELOLAND News also received photos from our viewers of dust storms in South Dakota.
WILLIAMS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol is urging drivers in northwest North Dakota to stay off the roads Thursday afternoon as blowing dirt creates near-zero visibility in some areas.
As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, troopers were reporting low to no visibility in parts of the region, including along Highway 85 in Williams County near mile marker 212, where a crash occurred. The Highway Patrol shared a photo from the crash scene showing extremely reduced visibility.
Officials are asking people to stay home if possible. Those who must travel are urged to slow down, turn on their headlights, leave extra space between vehicles and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON — The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services has been recognized for its wildfire prevention efforts with a national Bronze Smokey Bear Award.
“These awardees demonstrate what fire prevention looks like in action,” said U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher. “Their efforts protect lives, support firefighters and make a real difference in communities across the country.”
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and with North Dakota experiencing another active spring wildfire season, each fire prevented is one that local responders don’t have to put out, underscoring the importance of each individual’s responsibility to work and recreate safely outdoors. The award to the N.D. Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) recognizes its efforts in communicating just that.
The communications team is led by Strategic Communications Chief Alison Vetter and is supported by Autonomous Systems and Communications Specialist Clint Fleckenstein.
According to information from the Forest Service, the team’s creative products are visually appealing, engaging and effective. The “Learn Before You Burn” tagline urges North Dakotans to visit the interactive N.D. Fire Declarations and Burn Restrictions map to learn their local restrictions, fire danger and red flag warnings before burning or recreating outdoors. Vetter and Fleckenstein consistently take initiative to address fire prevention issues proactively and go above and beyond to become the best possible storytellers of wildfire prevention messaging.
Alison Vetter
Their statewide efforts identify unique and effective avenues to communicate these important public safety topics, addressing top human-caused fire causes like open burning and equipment use through reels, interviews, Gas Station TV, visits with local students, and GoodHealthTV kiosks found in local health units, schools and other public buildings.
During the historic October 2024 wildfires, NDDES mobilized the Joint Information Center, responding to the elevated need for education, prevention and response to determine messaging needs in real time. This included topics like publicizing daily fire danger, sharing resources for affected landowners, advocating for defensible space and safety tips, and messaging ways to minimize fire risk when harvesting, hunting, or enjoying the outdoors. Alison and her team worked over the winter of 2024-2025 to identify prevention efforts and causes, and crafted effective communications strategies to reduce wildfire occurrence, which proved necessary into an active spring 2025 fire season as well. After the devastation of the October 2024 wildfires, they created a documentary to highlight the value and appreciation for those who responded to the call and showcase the unique way North Dakota communities show up for one another in crisis.
The 2026 Smokey Bear Awards will be presented at the National Association of State Foresters’ annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, in September.
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