Around the State: May 8, 2023

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

Task Force seizes deadly drugs in Williston

Richard Agnes, 30, is facing three Class A Felony charges, that each carry a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, along with three Class C Felony charges that carry a maximum of five years imprisonment following his arrest on Tuesday, April 18.

According to court documents, a Williston Police K9 and his partner responded to the South Ridge Apartment Complex in Williston to assist the Northwest Narcotics Task Force (NWTF) with an ongoing investigation.

With consent from apartment management, officers deployed the K9 to conduct a free air sniff of the area that indicated a positive response for narcotics.

During a search of the apartment the following items were seized: 480 grams (4,320 pills) of Fentanyl; 105 grams of Cocaine; 705 grams of Methamphetamine; 645 grams of Marijuana; 122 packs of THC Edibles and four firearms.

The NWTF has estimated the street value of the drugs confiscated to be $350,000.

Agnes is a convicted felon and informed law enforcement that he had just been released from a Nevada prison this year.

(Story by Patrice Bumstead, the McKenzie County Farmer)

False Alarm: Grenade causes evacuation in Tioga

A “training grenade” prompted an evacuation of the Tioga Police Department’s downtown headquarters and immediate surroundings for several hours until a bomb squad could travel from Minot to examine the device.

The bomb squad gave the all clear at 7:12 p.m., after determining the device turned in by a member of the public for disposal, did not contain any explosive material despite its outward appearance.

(Story by Jacob Orledge, the Tioga Tribune)

Tioga Highway 40 renamed

Tioga’s main thoroughfare has officially been renamed Oil Capital Way as a tribute to the backbone of the region’s economy.

The new name for Highway 40 as it passes through Tioga approved by city commissioners recently, was prompted by the statewide effort to bestow “urban” addresses to all properties and roadways within city limits to ensure emergency services can accurately respond if called.

Commissioners approved the renaming of four streets within city limits. These streets, though within city limits, have until now retained their “rural” name such as 67th Street and 68th Street.

So 68th Street east of N.D. Highway 40 will be named Signal Road. Sixty-seventh Street, from N.D. Highway 40 west, will be renamed Eighth Street, Highway 40 between Signal Road and Eighth Street, will be named Oil Capital Way, and 18th Street Southeast was created.

(Story by Jacob Orledge, the Tioga Tribune)

Book ban bills headed for signing

Two bills that supporters say will protect minors from sexually explicit content in public libraries cleared the legislature on April 21, and await Gov. Doug Burgum’s signature.

Critics of House Bill 1205 and Senate Bill 2360 call both measures unnecessary censorship.

Both measures define “explicit sexual material” as “any material which, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community in North Dakota as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors; and taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”

House Bill 1205 requires libraries furnish “compliance reports” to legislative management.

Libraries would be required to form policies and procedures for removing or relocating “sexually explicit material,” responding to requests to remove or relocate materials, developing age-appropriate collections, and periodically reviewing collections.

Senate Bill 2360 allows criminal misdemeanor charges to be filed against any librarian who “will fully allows” such materials in an area frequented by minors.

(Story by Brad Nygaard, the Journal, Crosby)

New $3.2 billion gas to liquid processing plant

Cerilon, Inc., a global energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is one step closer to completing its plan to build a $3.2 billion natural gas processing plant near Trenton, N.D., after meeting with the McKenzie County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) and securing a $5 million loan from the county toward the completion of the project.

Josh Teigen, the North Dakota Commissioner of Commerce, has said the State of North Dakota has worked on this project with Cerilon for over two years and he calls this a “massively impactful project” for the state.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council first spoke about this project in the summer of 2022, though at that time there was very little known in the way of specific details.

“I’m super excited about the state of the project,” Teigen said. “It’s maybe, the most critical project we have occurring in the state of North Dakota today.”

Rochelle Harding, Cerilon Director of Sustainability and Engagement explained the project to the Farmer.

“At Cerilon, we build gas to liquid facilities that convert natural gas into high value and low carbon emission transportation fuels and products for consumers and businesses. Our process creates products with improved performance characteristics and reduced environmental impact when compared to similar, traditionally manufactured products.”

(Story by Kristen Jones, the McKenzie County Farmer)