Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Unprecedented Flooding
An early October blizzard brought much of North Dakota to a screeching halt. With roads impassable and activities canceled, most folks opted to spend Friday and much of Saturday morning indoors.
The snow seemed to melt down just as quickly as residents could shovel. Within a week’s time, the community faced an “unprecedented situation.” Governor Burgum addressed nearly 500 members of the public in a 90 minute meeting at Festival Hall in Fessenden to discuss the impact of the fall flooding. Now at year’s end, thousands of acres of crops still stand in fields across the state.
Navigating the orange cone maze
Road construction can be a pain. This year there was no shortage. Between the installation of new water mains on the north end of town, and the ongoing construction on U.S. Hwy. 281 it seemed like heavy equipment was everywhere. In an effort to keep readers safe and informed, the Transcript provided ongoing coverage, including a video shared online on how to get through New Rockford when Hwy. 281 was shut down for construction, and one-way frontage roads had motorists guessing.
Hanson sentenced
Hunter Hanson first splashed into the news at the end of 2018 when the Public Service Commission issued a cease-and-desist order against the 21-year-old grain merchant doing. The Transcript provided ongoing coverage all the way up until Nov. 12, 2019, when U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland sentenced Hanson to eight years in a federal prison, plus three years of probation. Also as part of his plea agreement, Hanson agreed to pay $11.1 million in restitution. Farmers and businesses defrauded by Hanson continue to wait for a resolution of their claims by the PSC to recuperate some of their losses.
Lail sentenced
On Feb. 6, former New Rockford resident Alexander Lail, who was earlier convicted of attempted murder and other crimes, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The sentencing hearing was held in the Barnes County Courthouse in Valley City with Judge Daniel Narum presiding. The 12-year sentence was concurrent for all charges. Lail has appealed his case to the N.D. Supreme Court. Oral arguments were heard by the Supreme Court in December.
Dam Dilemma Decided
After more than five years, the battle over Rosefield Dam was seemingly settled in 2019. The year began with a decision to reaffirm the Eddy County Water Resource District’s determination that the dam should be removed. That decision came from Southeast District Judge Cherie Clark on Thursday, Jan. 3.
In the spring landowner Monty Schaefer found new information available in OSE files that supported his claim. Senator Joan Heckaman and State Water Commissioner Michael Anderson helped Schaefer secure a meeting with the OSE after reviewing this new information. At a June 4 meeting of the ECWRD, a tense discussion ensued over a letter from the Office of the State Engineer. It read, “The OSE does not consider the Rosefield Slough Dam, as it exists today, to be in violation of N.D.C.C. 61-16.1-38. The OSE retracts its November 2016 decision.”
With the OSE reversing its prior decision, the ECWRD was free to make an independent determination. They chose to revert to their original 2014 decision that work done by Schaefer was maintenance, and therefore the dam will remain on the landscape until further notice. Schaefer agreed to enter into a maintenance agreement with the ECWRD to guide future work on the dam.
