Around the State: September 25, 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.

Bow hunting within Watford City begins

September 1 marked the beginning of hunting season, and following the success of last year’s hunt, Watford City is once again hosting a bow hunt within city limits to curb the ever-growing deer population that calls the city home.

Watford City is one of five North Dakota cities that have a regulated bow hunt within city limits. The other cities are Fargo, Minot, Bismarck/Mandan, and Portland. These cities all work closely with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) in an effort to keep local deer populations healthy.

According to the NDGF website, there are a number of reasons that deer population needs to be regulated. Officials say there are many potential hazards to deer populations when they get too dense or expand past what the land is capable of handling.

Over the past few years, many Watford City residents have expressed frustration about the deer with many citing the damage they do to their yards and gardens, while others are more concerned with their interference with traffic, and the increased liklihood of hitting a deer while driving on city streets.

(Story by Kristen Jones, the McKenzie County Farmer)

Community orchard offers wide variety of fruit

Did you know there is a place where anyone in town can go and pick fruit right off the tree, or vine, or bush? And even better, it’s complementary.

Fort Stevenson State Park Manager Chad Trautman came up with the idea.

“After seeing similar orchards in Rapid City, South Dakota while living there it encouraged me to pursue this as an opportunity.”

The orchard was planted back in 2021 in Wilderness Park.

Currently in the orchard there are 33 varieties of trees, shrubs and vines boasting many kinds of apples, berries and grapes that were ripe for picking just a few short weeks ago.

The Wilderness Park Committee does a considerable amount of work to keep the orchard in tip top shape with help from the Forestry Apprentice from Fort Stevenson State Park.

Currently there are crabapples and elderberries ready to be picked by anyone looking for fresh produce.

(Story by Tyson Matthews, the McLean County Independent)

Waiting game continues for local law enforcement

Law enforcement officials, investigating the shooting death of a woman killed in Watford City, continue to wait for evidence to be processed as their investigation continues.

32-year-old Brianne Anderson was shot at an apartment in Watford City just before midnight on Wednesday, March 22, and died the next morning at a Minot hospital.

At press time, no charges have been filed.

The investigation, prosecutors say, hinges on findings that are expected to come back from two external facilities, the North Dakota State Crime Lab in Bismarck and the FBI Lab in Quantico, Virg. This evidence, prosecutors say is expected to inform them of any charges that might be filed. The evidence was sent to labs several months ago.

(Story by Steve Hallstrom, the McKenzie County Farmer)

Smoky air reaches level of “Very Unhealthy”

North Dakotans, as well as much of the rest of the country, have been enduring sporadic days of smokyhaze for four months.

Poor air quality in the area, resulting from Canadian wildfires, may have reached its worst point yet recently.

Labor Day, September 4, had Burke County and Kenmare listed as having an Air Quality Index (AQI) just over 200, the highest level for the day in North Dakota.

A level of 201-300 is considered “Very Unhealthy” on the AQI chart.

Winds out of the west may have brought smoke from wildfires in Montana into the mix, as well.

In comparison to Canadian wildfires this year, however, wildfires in Montana and elsewhere in the United States have been insignificant.

As of September 11, 6,208 wildfires in Canada have burned 42 million acres. On Monday, there were 925 active wildfires in Canada.

Montana, by comparison, has experienced 1,458 wildfires this year, burning 114,405 acres, with 17 fires active as of September 11.

Though the haze from the fires has often been visible across the state, many people haven’t suffered ill effects until they could smell the smoke. Being able to smell the smoke has usually been accompanied by the extremely elevated AQI levels.

The previous record wildfire season was in 1989, when 18.8 million acres were torched.

(Story by Terry Froseth, the Kenmare News)

KHS senior class one of the smallest in years

The Kenmare High School senior graduating Class of 2024, is on track towards an unfortunate distinction. With just 10 students enrolled as seniors, the class will be one of the smallest to ever graduate at Kenmare.

Kenmare Public School got its start 126 years ago, in 1897. However, Kenmare High School didn’t have a graduating senior class until 1909. At that first ever commencement exercises, 15 seniors were awarded their diplomas.

While the KHS Class of 2023 is graduating only 10 seniors, they will be followed by two of the larger classes in recent years. The junior class has 31 students enrolled and the sophomore class has 30.

(Story by Terry Froseth, the Kenmare News)

Buxton seeks help moving stopped BNSF trains

Buxton’s mayor wants North Dakota’s congressional delegation to give BNSF Railway a kick in the caboose.

Mayor Travis Soderberg announced recently that he had reached out to U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven and asked for their help convincing BNSF Railway to stop blocking the railroad crossings leading into Buxton.

BNSF trains have blocked the railroad crossing along County Road 21 and another east of Reeve Avenue for more than 90 minutes on three separate occasions the past three weeks, he said.

The blocked roadways present a recurring and serious threat to public safety, Soderberg told the Buxton City Council.

Buxton’s fire crews cannot quickly reach nearby Interstate 29 to respond to an accident if a BNSF train stops for an extended period and blocks both railroad crossings, he said.

“We have a major safety issue here that is getting out of hand. Somebody is going to get seriously hurt if this situation doesn’t improve,” Soderberg said.

(Story by Cole Short, the Hillsboro Banner)