later stood trial in connection with the stabbing Ward County Detention Center via AP ; Court TV Game Recap: Baseball | 5/3/2025 4:12:00 PM | Andy Thurston Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Thanks for visiting This work, From boilers to backhoes: how 5 CES keeps Minot AFB’s heart beating, by SrA Kendra Ransum, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright A wildfire south of Rolla on Sunday caused a temporary power outage ROLLA — A wildfire in northern Rolette County spread a little too close for comfort near Rolla on Sunday causing a brief power outage and some evacuations from nearby homes Rolette County Emergency Manager Cody Mattson reported that while the cause of the fire had not yet been determined Sunday afternoon the fire got close to the city of Rolla from the south Mattson said a Rolette County Sheriff’s deputy had reported the fires damaged several power lines knocking out power and internet for some of the town “They’ve evacuated a few residents’ houses just to get out of the area It’s not affecting any of the structures at this time but they just want people to get out of the area so the fire trucks and stuff can do their jobs,” Mattson said “He did mention some of the powerlines did catch on fire That’s kind of what they were concerned about for the residents in case one of them fell so they wouldn’t get electrocuted.” around 1,400 customers in Rolette County were without power due to the outages Mattson said the response to the Rolette County fires was kickstarted by a call after noon from the North Dakota Watch Center with the National Weather Service Wildfires east of Belcourt on the Turtle Mountain Reservation were still burning on Sunday afternoon A few wildfires started Saturday and continued through Sunday “What’s kind of nice about this new technology is the National Weather Service monitors hotspots around the state and anytime they see a hotspot they’ll notify the local emergency manager or the Watch Center,” Mattson said “What we do is call our dispatch center and get a deputy on scene to verify and if we can verify there’s a fire there we’ll dispatch some fire agencies to go and put the fire out It’s worked to our advantage twice now.” Mattson said earlier on Sunday the Watch Center had identified a hotspot east of Rolette A farmer had burned some hay bales four days prior when the fire conditions were still moderate which had continued to burn into the weekend The National Weather Service enacted a Red Flag Warning and burn ban over western and central North Dakota after noon on Sunday reporting wind speeds of 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph “Luckily the farmer did a good job of having fire breaks around the hay bales so nothing was spreading Sometimes it can take days or weeks for them to finish burning we got the call about the hotspot south of Rolla and that was the fire they’re doing right now,” Mattson said “We’re all about preventing all of these things and that’s kind of a key feature that’s helping us We can get out there right away and get things done before it spreads too far.” Mattson said there were seven agencies on the scene addressing the fire Mattson said the call had also gone out to the Rugby Fire Department Mattson said fires had been sparking up in the area throughout the weekend including 13 fires on Turtle Mountain Reservation lands According to a release from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa,Tribal Chairman Jamie Azure issued a state of emergency due to the imminent fire danger presented by 13 fires still active Sunday evening which were unable to be contained due to limited resources The Belcourt Rural Fire Department response was being supported by fire departments from Bottineau Mylo and units from the North Dakota Forest Service “They’re still battling quite a few fires I just talked with the Tribal Emergency Manager Anita Bloom about a half-hour ago It’s nice to visit back and forth and see if there’s any resources we can share between the tribal and county government,” Mattson said Mattson indicated the crews were containing the fires and said he was hopeful the winds would die down later Sunday evening “By nine o’clock tonight the wind is supposed to die down so hopefully we’ll get a little bit of a break and then maybe a couple days with chances for rain in our area It looks like really warm temperatures through the weekend so it might be another battle again next weekend,” Mattson said NEW TOWN – A grassfire was also reported south of New Town Sunday afternoon according to a social media post by the MHA Emergency Operations Center The fire was reportedly under control around 2:30 p.m. but jumped the line and began pushing north causing outages to about 60 structures in the area of 28th Street Northwest to 30th Street Northwest The information said power was expected to be restored in a few hours the fire was not fully contained and was located seven miles south of New Town near Littlefield Bay BISMARCK – As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease tops more than seven million for the .. BISMARCK – The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Policy Committee voted to reelect Adam Goldwyn as chair at its recent .. Dawn Mattern with sports medicine and orthopedics at Trinity Health will host Minot’s 17th annual Doc Walk on .. Brad Thykeson has been appointed as state executive director with the North Dakota Farm Service Agency has announced its expansion into Arizona’s East Valley Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of North Dakota | https://www.minotdailynews.com | 301 4th St SE The episode synopsis: "Beloved 18-year-old college student Anita Knutson is found stabbed to death in her apartment The case takes nearly eighteen years and the undying commitment of friends was found dead in her off-campus apartment by her father on June 3 The verdict ignited an outpouring of emotion in the courtroom 2025 in her home with her loving family by her side Geraldine Alice Adam was born on December 5 a daughter of Michael and Dorothy (Volk) Adam in Harvey where she graduated in 1974 from Minot High School Jeri was united in marriage to Robin “Robby” Novak in Minot They made their home on the Novak farm south of Minot where they proudly raised their two children Lee and Kelly The dairy barn was a hub for neighbors and friends to visit and buy fresh milk and cream many area schools would also come tour the dairy operation Jeri also worked as a preschool teacher and daycare provider for many years She held positions in; patient accounts Trinity Health activities finance manager at Minot High School and retired as secretary from First Lutheran Church Jeri had fond memories from working with great people at each position she held Jeri enjoyed farm life and had many hobbies including crafts She enjoyed preparing and being a part of craft shows for many years She hosted the Country Barn Craft Show where thousands of people would come every fall to enjoy the farm and vendors Jeri and Robby hosted many beautiful wedding receptions in the barn She always said how much she loved being a mom but it was obvious becoming a grandparent trumped that Her and Robby loved having the grandkids for sleepovers If a grandkid dreamed it up grandma would try to make it happen and activities so special and “fair” for each grandkid The memories they created for the grandkids are nothing short of amazing and she will be missed so very much Jeri was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church where she was active with the Altar Society Jeri’s time of illness was very difficult and our family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the support during that time A special thank you to Brooke and Rosemary at First Light the hospice team along with the care team and staff at Mayo Jackie (Murray) Kaeding all of Minot; brothers and sisters-in-law and Rhonda Bovair (Joe Greenwood) Cottage Grove She was preceded in death by her parents; in-laws at 10 am at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Minot at 6:00 pm at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home The service will be livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to the Thompson-Larson Funeral home website: www.thompsonlarson.com Those wishing to sign the online register and share memories may access the online obituaries section at (www.thompsonlarson.com) the family requests donations be made To Our Lady of Grace food pantry or consider donating blood products to local blood bank The simulated training offered nursing students at Dakota College at Bottineau’s Minot campus rose to a new level during the program’s annual Leadership Day event Friday A visit by a high-tech mobile simulation lab gave students a realistic experience in hands-on care that allowed them to test their knowledge and put it to practical use The University of North Dakota’s Simulation in Motion van has been used across northwest North Dakota to provide a variety of training scenarios but it was a first in Minot for DCB it was a grant from the Helmsley Foundation to provide medical training for rural EMS critical access hospitals,” said Clifford Black Both are originally from Minot but now live in Garrison The role of the simulation lab has expanded beyond training emergency and rural responders the SIM unit has traveled to train employees of businesses that require a high level of safety and to provide testing situations for resident doctors “We do training for all kinds of things – a lot of cardiac training cardiac ready communities,” Black said “We have about 80 scenarios we can pick from.” A lifelike mannequin can even simulate giving birth allowing for training in different types of birthing complications The high-fidelity mannequins simulate breathing and have a pulse and eye pupil reaction The mannequin’s vital signs and physical responses are controlled remotely from within a separate area of the unit the condition of the patient can go one way or the other,” said Tara DeCrans “What they do can improve the patient What they do or don’t do can deteriorate the patient We’re not running anything that the patient is going to die today It’s just a really good learning experience.” Black said trainees can intubate the mannequin patient or insert intravenous lines and deliver medications The scenario facing registered and licensed practical nursing students Friday involved a hospitalized 70-year-old “patient” named Edith with congestive heart failure As Edith began experiencing pain and emergency issues students responded to the conditions they were seeing and called for help from higher level care providers when necessary Brenda Black remotely controlled Edith’s condition and spoke through the mannequin responding to the nurses as a real patient would The unit is equipped with an ambulance bay and an emergency bay with the emergency bay doubling as a hospital room for the nurses’ exercise on Friday DeCrans said Leadership Day included three additional activities held at DCB’s location inside Trinity Heath West The event offered an escape room that required correctly solving medical clues as well as simulations for skill testing and demonstration of cardio-pulmonary respiration (CPR) had been stationed with her husband in Japan She also lost a beloved daughter to Leukemia ND where she and her husband raised their family and Ron’s military career often kept him away from the family while on duty She taught them about the wonders of nature Judy’s career took her to Los Angeles where she and her husband were able to travel the world whenever she had temporary duty assignments (TDY’s) This time was also filled with frequent trips to Minot to be with their grandchildren they moved back to Minot to live closer to family Judy loved spontaneity and outdoor adventures She had an amazingly free spirit (belied by her reserved manner) Judy was dearly loved by family and friends and greatly respected by nearly everyone who met her and Gina Renee (Michael Johnson) Brekke of Bismarck; grandchildren: Denise (Ian Whitehead) Buchanan and Brandon (Vidya) Shade; and great-grandchildren: Caitlyn Bertsch Judy was preceded in death by her beloved husband Celebration of Life for Judy Thiele: 3 p.m. in her home surrounded by her loving family Eva Luz Cabán-Giovannetti was born in San Juan the daughter of Reynaldo Cabán and Lucia Giovannetti She attended Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Convent School graduating in May 1966 Eva met her future husband Victor and began a love story that lasted 61 years Eva and Victor were united in marriage on Dec Victor entered military service with the U.S The family arrived at Minot in April 1979 and resided there until 1986 when they made their forever home in Des Lacs Eva enjoyed visiting with friends and family Eva is survived by her husband of 53 years Victor Olivia and Gabriel along with many cousins in the United States and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico grandparents and brother Reynaldo Cabán-Giovanetti To view a recording of the service or share memories and condolences access her obituary at www.thomasfamilyfuneralhome.com.| Memorial donations are preferred to the Humane Society of the United States The news that the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities was terminating 23 employees due to federal funding cuts sent a shockwave through Minot and the state NDCPD Director Lori Garnes stressed that the employees were not being let go due to job performance but as a result of storm clouds of uncertainty borne from President Donald Trump’s executive order to cease all federal grants and major cuts levied against the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education by the Department of Government Efficiency which were the primary sources of federal funding for the center While the President’s order is currently locked up in federal court Garnes highlighted the reality that future funding for a number of the grants coming up on their respective renewal years was in question None of them have done anything that would warrant being dismissed from their position This is not a matter of people not doing their work,” Garnes said Garnes expressed hope that the 23 employees could return to work if the funding for the grants the center depends on is secured then you will be offered to have this job back Our intent is not to go find new people but to not actually terminate the folks that are in the positions,” Garnes said It’s hard to say what’s going to happen between now and three months from now.” Garnes said the decision to cut staff was more due to the difficulty in planning for the future that the uncertainty in Washington Garnes said established lines of communication with the staff of federal agencies has been shaken up and those who remain haven’t been able to provide any clarity around the fate of the funding “The people in those offices don’t know what’s going to happen Some of the people that we’ve come to rely on aren’t there anymore and others that are there don’t know what to expect,” Garnes said “We’ve got notice that the intent is to cut all these extra funds but then there’s very little communication about what the thinking is It’s not even remotely possible these are coming back and this is what you need to deal with,’ then we could at least plan a direction to move forward.” The NDCPD operates under a five-year funding cycle and is currently in the midst of a fiscal year ending in 2027 The center receives about $13 million in federal grants and contracts each year The remainder comes from state or local contracts Information provided by Garnes indicates that three federal grants are expected to continue uninterrupted eight grants funding various programs – including the ASTEP program the Transition and Diversion Services Pilot Project and the Community Staff Training Program – are in question A further five grants are expected to be defunded or paused either in August or at the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1 One is a $1 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Navigator program a federal program to assist people in accessing health care and insurance Two grants from the State Council of Developmental Disabilities used to aid child care providers and employers in working with children and people with disabilities are valued together at $60,000 The remainder include funding for the hearing detection and intervention services the remaining 49 staff are meeting all of the center’s contractual commitments while preparing for the potential loss of specific federal projects Garnes said she and her staff were still grappling with actions and decisions which seem indiscriminate All of us are in favor of eliminating waste We want our government to be good stewards of our tax dollars and use them in ways that benefit the entire country We’re not sad they’re looking into how to eliminate fraud programs that are counted on and really necessary for people are being eliminated with the overall cuts,” Garnes said One man has been arrested and another is at large after an attempted burglary in southwest Minot in the early .. Kelly Armstrong has directed all government agencies to fly the U.S Thanks for visiting Game Recap: Baseball | 4/29/2025 7:59:00 PM Thanks for visiting Texas to Raphael and Sophia (Calderon) Péna She was raised and educated in San Antonio where she graduated High School Gloria was once married to Arthur Gonzales and Tony Chavez She was employed as a civil service employee at McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento in North Highlands She moved to Minot in 1997 where she was employed as an office assistant at the American Red Cross and Minot Housing Authority prior to her retirement in December of 2016 Gloria was a member of the First Assembly of God/Journey Church in Minot where she participated in missionary trips to Mexico Gloria is survived by her children: Albert (Ramona) Gonzales Rosanna Gonzales and Cynthia Chavez; numerous grandchildren great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; siblings: Virginia Exparza Rueben Péna and MaryAnn Gembler along with several nieces Gloria was preceded in death by her parents Arthur Gonzales; an infant son and siblings: Beatrice to American Cancer Society – https://donate.cancer.org/ or American Diabetes Association – https://donors.diabetes.org/ Memories and condolences may be shared at www.thomasfamilyfuneralhome.com Thanks for visiting – Old National Bancorp announced the closing of its previously-announced merger with St BISMARCK – The stunning landscapes of North Dakota along with its lively culture and varied wildlife BISMARCK – Samuel Benson of Underwood and Moorea Knapp of Bismarck are the 2025 recipients of the Jeff Burgess .. Minot State University President Steven Shirley notified the university staff on Wednesday KX NEWS Voices for the Missing at Bismarck State College Three more cases of measles confirmed in Williams County From poems to purpose: Minot rapper Dakotah Faye gets deep about recovery Eighth Circuit rules ND state law defines Ordinary High Water Mark for Missouri River NDFU urges Congress to pass bill to support family farmers The housing market is more competitive around Bismarck and Mandan in 2025 compared to the last two years Volunteers are still looking for Keith Schmidt in Dickinson Firefighters were fighting more grass fires around North Dakota over the weekend Two Minot photographers were among Governor’s Photo Contest winners announced Wednesday at the North Dakota Travel Industry Conference in Minot along with North Dakota Commerce Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman and North Dakota Council on the Arts Rhea Beto presented the winning entries from the 21st annual contest There were 732 submissions from 136 photographers celebrating the beauty of North Dakota’s four seasons and unique experiences received the top award in the Spring Activities category with “Western Meadowlark Singing its Prairie Song,” taken in McHenry County He received an honorable mention in the Fall Activities category with “Linus with a Pheasant After a Hunt,” taken in McHenry County and in the Winter Scenery category with “Running Pheasant,” taken near Minot Corey Serr of Minot received an honorable mention for “Badlands Sunrise,” taken in the Little Missouri National Grasslands won the Best in Show award for his photo “Storm Passing in a July Morning Sunrise,” which captures Sweet Briar Lake in rural Morton County as the sun breaks through the clouds after a summer storm passes “A Brilliant Autumn Tree Over an Earth Lodge Village,” with honorable mentions to Kayla Gilberston and Warren Abrahamson “Early Fall Ride on the Lewis and Clark Riverboat,” with honorable mentions to Grant Lannoye of Cando and Olson “God’s Grace Overlooking the Missouri River,” with honorable mentions to Casey Helling of Golden Valley and Serr with honorable mentions to Miranda Lindstrom of Amenia and Kayli Richards of Bismarck with honorable mentions to Candance Berg of Devils Lake and Rebecca Raber of Bismarck “Checking out the Post Cemetery,” with two honorable mentions to Christian Cairy of Jamestown “Wild horses,” with honorable mentions to Olson and Grant Kraft of Fargo “A Selfie Under the Northern Lights with honor mention to Cairy These prints will be on display at the North Dakota State Capitol The American Automobile Association (AAA) partnered with the state to support the Governor’s Photo Contest Baseball: Minot State and Umary host doubleheaders on Friday's Baseball: Minot State and Umary host doubleheaders on Friday's The federal AmeriCorps Agency has terminated agreements with four North Dakota organizations including Souris Basin Planning Council in Minot disrupting the service of 84 AmeriCorps members The terminations are due to a determination that the awards no longer align with agency priorities Serve ND receives money from the Corporation for National and Community Services and directs dollars to organizations in the state through subagreements including support for vulnerable populations early childhood education and literacy programs In addition to Souris Basin Planning Council (SBPC) subagreements were terminated with Cooperstown Community Activities Sanford Foundation and South East Education Cooperative Professional Corps in North Dakota Unaffected are subagreements with South East Education Cooperative Reading and Math Corps These programs have 187 AmeriCorps members providing services in education said the organization’s Community Builder Program has consisted of the AmeriCorps program through the Serve ND and a separate AmeriCorps VISTA program which SBPC received email notice of that evening the notification came from Serve ND that the subagreement with SBPC also had been selected by AmeriCorps for termination Hernandez said there was no indication that SBPC was out of compliance with any programs prior to the termination Hernandez said the termination decision was not Serve ND’s nor did Serve ND have input into deciding which of its subagreements would be cut She added North Dakota is more fortunate than some states Hernandez said SBPC’s subagreement was to run until Sept “Members serving under our agreement we were forced to inform them that their service will be ending and they would be exited and they had to stop all service hours immediately,” Hernandez said Terminated AmeriCorps members will not be able to complete their service receive stipends or receive their full education awards under the programs they were working through efforts are being made to see if there are options for Serve ND-funded members to be covered by other agencies whose funding was not cut Hernandez said the impact goes beyond the terminated members SBPC has stopped activities associated with recruiting and placing AmeriCorps members including plans to establish a statewide AmeriCorps VISTA position to help build capacity for the state’s food pantries “We also had some individuals who we were working on onboarding to these projects and we had other organizations that we were already working with formalizing memorandums of understanding and getting that member recruitment in time for summer period,” she said said she will be looking for a way to retain the AmeriCorps member who had joined the team this spring in communications capacity building through SBPC If other AmeriCorps funding still in place isn’t available FAARMS would consider self-funding the AmeriCorps position because of the particular value of the skills of the current member Losing access to AmeriCorps will have an impact especially because FAARMS also has had other federal funding frozen “The bottom line is it would mean a great financial strain on our organization which is already stretched a bit,” Blumhagen said “It means stretching the dollars further and having to work twice as hard at fundraising at a time when fundraising is harder than ever.” the sudden and sweeping termination of AmeriCorps grant funding impacts more than 1,000 programs and forces more than 32 000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers to end their service early Last fall the North Dakota Department of Commerce had announced $208,782 in federal AmeriCorps funding for SBPC including $107,553 in matching funds for 24 AmeriCorps members to provide capacity building for local nonprofits “I have long spoken with pride about the transformative impact of AmerCorps – words that come easily because they come from personal experience,” Hernandez said That year of service deepend my commitment to public service inspiring me to pursue a master’s in public administration and dedicate my career to economic and community development in North Dakota Imagining a future without AmeriCorps – and without the next generation of leaders it nurtures – is deeply unsettling “We are urging leadership to reinstate not only the funding for the existing grant period but to ensure that it continues in North Dakota in the future,” she said 2025 following complications from an open heart surgery He was surrounded by his loving family at the time of his death Ty had over 13 years of telecommunications experience and always wanted to know more and learn more He was certified in many different areas of his career he worked as an Electronic Equipment Maintainer with CP Rail where he was employed for the last 8 years of his life Ty loved spending time with his friends and family One of his proudest moments was getting his pilot’s license so he could take his family up flying Ty also loved riding his Harley with his wife anywhere to get on the open road and ride free He also loved camping with friends and family and was looking forward to retirement so he could travel with his wife and build new memories Pam; his children Ashley Dahly; Derrick and wife Katie Dahly; and Autumn and husband Levi Cooper; his grandchildren Elijah He was preceded in death by his son Dustin Dahly his parents Orville and JoAnna Dahly and many other loved ones A celebration of life will be held at a later date Golf: The Minot High Invite got underway on Friday at the Souris Valley Golf Course Heart disease is the leading cause of death across most groups in the United States The 5-1 win sealed the victory for the Austin Bruins in the series against the Minot Minotauros on Monday A new state grant program for county agricultural fairs has the attention of area fair boards that see opportunities to get help with their infrastructure needs this is an absolute win for the state of North Dakota,” said Don Jelsing with the Pierce County Fair Board in Rugby The Legislature passed and the governor signed House Bill 1591 which creates a County Fair Resiliency Grant Program with one-time funding of $1.5 million under the North Dakota Agriculture Commission The agriculture commissioner can award grants of up to $100,000 to a fair association with the stipulation the recipient provides one dollar of matching cash from nonstate sources or in-kind contribution for every $2 of grant funding received Further specifics of the grant program will be drafted by the ag commission but it is expected that fair boards that lobbied for the bill will have input into that process president of the Burke County Fair Association said his initial concern with the bill was the proposed one-to-one match which would be difficult for small fairs to attain particularly with the in-kind match allowance “That will help us out tremendously,” he said The Burke County Fair receives assistance from the county and raises funds from a number of donors but those funds are needed just to put on the fair and keep it free so families can attend we’re going to have to try to find other money for that – additional money on top – which is going to be very hard The in-kind will help quite a bit,” he said The Burke County Fair has issues with its water source and electrical wiring The electrical issue poses a potential safety risk while a leaking roof on the 4-H static exhibit building requires special measures be taken during rain events to protect the projects The Mercer County Fair Board would like to eventually move its fair from inside the city of Beulah but could use a new barn for small animal exhibits and maybe a grandstand at some point a Mercer County commissioner and fair board member “We don’t have any running water We’d like to get something like that installed,” he said The fair receives county funding assistance but not enough to manage infrastructure projects we will be able to fund some type of a match and get some of these projects in place for the future,” Bauman said of the state grant Bauman said the fair board already invested more than $400,000 into upgrading the fair’s lighting and power system buying new pens and building two hoop barns for which the board is making loan payments it’s a constant struggle to keep up and everything costs so much,” he said “All this stuff is done by volunteer help The McLean County Fair has a number of needed infrastructure projects as well “We’re looking at several different projects,” she said Smaller projects are planned to make the fair more accessible with better bathrooms and fencing on the highway side of the grounds for safety “We have been saving money for quite a few years,” Schell said Jelsing said about 31 county fairs in the state would be eligible to apply for state grants The Pierce County Fair Board has infrastructure plans involving a fairgrounds relocation that could cost $500,000 to $1 million The fairgrounds now is on park district land which would continue to be used for parking and possibly continuation of a racetrack The carnival and all the big events will move to the nearby new area where extra space will allow for more parking and an outdoor horse arena The additional property would accommodate a demolition derby that has been held there in the past Concessions and free stage shows will be moving and a new exhibit building is proposed for the future The transition will begin this year with the carnival relocating to the new property “It gives our carnival a little more freedom to bring some different rides,” Jelsing said “They have always told us over the years they can’t bring any more rides because the land is too sloped and they can’t physically block the carnival to get it level enough to be safe enough.” A state grant could mean the difference between completing the move next year or not The fair won’t have trouble producing grant match money given the community support and funds already raised not to mention the many hours of in-kind donations from volunteers “We continue to try to do what we can talk to people about the project and try to raise money for it,” he added “We’re very positive that we are going to have this thing rocking and rolling by 2026.” Thanks for visiting North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne announced he will not seek reelection to a 13th term as president at the organization’s annual meeting in December Watne was first elected in November 2013 and also serves as president of Farmers Union Insurance and Farmers Union Service Association As leader of the largest farm organization in the state “I am convinced that strong leaders must develop new leaders of future generations for the longevity of an organization to succeed It is time to let a new generation of capable people step forward and lead us into the future of agriculture and the success of family farms and ranches.” state board member and staff executive director “The state of our organization is strong and effective,” he added “I believe we have made a huge difference in the lives of family farmers and ranchers in this country And I have no doubt we will be effective well into the future thanks to the continued strength of our members.” BISMARCK – The state’s acquisition of a downtown Trinity Health building for a Health Sciences Institute would go a long way in addressing the region’s shortage of healthcare workers according to testimony provided to a House subcommittee Friday Trinity Health and Minot Area Chamber EDC sought to have the Education and Environment Section of the Appropriations Committee restore about $13 million for the institute that had been cut by the Senate from the higher education bill remodel and equip Trinity Health West as a training center for a variety of nursing and allied health programs Trinity would relocate its remaining services in the building to create space DCB already offers nursing education on the second floor Shirley noted the Minot project rose to the top of the State Board of Higher Education’s priority list when introduced last summer with minimal input and discussion at a Senate hearing the item was removed from the proposed budget The Senate instead funded three different N.D University System projects that were not funded as requested in the 2023 session but were listed in legislative intent to fund in the future questioned how Minot plans to get the project to the finish line after letting it get away from them on the Senate side it’s kind of a hard sell,” Nathe said of the differences with the Senate that would need to be worked out in conference committee negotiations “I would just say if this moves forward we would need everybody’s help from Minot on the other side – in the other chamber.” called the lack of attention to the bill on the Senate side an oversight that this was going to stay intact,” she said “The fact that it is a workforce solution – we see some great value.” “We have a track record of delivering high quality health-related academic programming in downtown Minot,” MSU President Dr “This major expansion would allow us to build on that legacy and bring a whole new realm of important educational opportunities that will truly help provide healthcare workforce solutions throughout north central and northwestern North Dakota with a wide variety of possible new programs in such fields as surgical technician medical assistance respiratory therapy technicians and on and on “We will also be able to offer a range the bachelor’s offerings that we have at Minot State University and with a potential new master’s degree at MSU in nursing this new institute would truly allow us to have an all-of-the-above strategy as we work to further meet and solve healthcare workforce challenges,” he said The Trinity building also was presented to legislators as a bargain Trinity Health President/CEO John Kutch said the building is valued at more than three times the price discussed with MSU but Trinity is motivated by a desire to solve its labor challenge “If you were to present me with 200 qualified nurses He explained the need extends throughout the healthcare system in the community and region “One of the things that is impacting our ability to grow with respect to meeting the needs and expectations of the patient population that we serve is our inability to get access to that human capital that we need We cannot grow our services to provide the level of access,” Kutch said Carmen Simone outlined the college’s existing nursing program which has eight slots in Bottineau at each the LPN and two-year RN levels DCB is operating at full 16-person capacity at each of the levels the program has 48 applications for next year’s LPN class and is in the process of hiring more faculty to be able to double the number of LPNs it graduates DCB also provides other allied health courses in Bottineau and Minot including operating the new dental assisting program in downtown Minot The request is to add $12.35 million in state funds to the higher education bill with authorization for $650,000 to be raised locally Shirley said applying for a state Workforce Innovation grant is an option to assist with certain costs the Health Sciences Institute could be operating within a year or two Thanks for visiting will host a telephone town hall on Thursday Community members are invited to attend a “welcome home” event for 118 veterans returning on the Western ND .. BISMARCK – The North Dakota Library Coordinating Council is seeking nominees for a citizen at large position that .. The Austin Bruins won 4-3 against the Minot Minotauros in a game that went to overtime The series is now tied at 2-2 and the next game will be the decider The teams play each other again for Game 5 on Monday Thanks for visiting who resides at Minot Lodge Senior Living in Minot World War II veteran and retired farmer Ray Curtis celebrates a birthday today that not many people reach He’s one of the oldest living World War II veterans in North Dakota who lives at Minot Lodge Senior Living in Minot will observe the day with a birthday party held in his honor this afternoon at the assisted living facility Teresa Glaspey of Portal and Judy Antrim of Laporte 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren Curtis has often said much of his longevity is attributed to keeping active At Minot Lodge Senior Living he plays cards takes part in exercise class and rides the stationary bike in the exercise room besides walking every day He used to lead the exercise classes if no one was available to lead them “He really believes in exercise and staying active,” Glaspey said executive director of Minot Lodge Senior Living since August said Curtis and his enthusiasm for keeping active and exercising has inspired her “He is truly inspiring,” she said Curtis’ is a longtime subscriber and reader of The Minot Daily News “He’s always been a big reader throughout his life,” Glaspey said “As long as I can remember he read The Minot Daily paper He used to read it from the front page to the back page he really read the paper.” Due to failing eyesight she said he uses a magnifying glass to read the paper now takes part in an exercise class led by Minot Lodge Senior Living activities director Steph Wright Curtis has led exercise classes when those who normally do it can’t be there “I imagine it was the doctor’s house but they called it a hospital.” He moved with his family to Minot in 1927 and graduated from Minot High School (now Central Middle School) in 1935 he farmed with his dad and brother until enlisting in the U.S He spent some time in the United States and then he was overseas for a while,” Glaspey said For his first two months in the Army he worked as a clerk-typist in Minot When Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941 he had just a short time left in the Army but the attack changed those plans He and his wife were together for a few months after their marriage and then she went to Minot to stay with his parents until he was discharged from the Army in December 1945 He said in the 2021 interview he was in the states about four years and in Germany about 10 months Curtis moved up to the rank of sergeant and then went to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant While in the Army he served as a communications officer an aircraft automatic weapons unit commander and Curtis farmed the family farm in the Columbus area He and Ellen retired in 1983 and moved to Minot Curtis moved to the assisted living facility a number of years ago who is about four months older than Curtis is believed to be the state’s oldest veteran