701 Rundown: Jan. 17, 2022

Here’s your weekly rundown of some of the most interesting headlines from newspapers across North Dakota.

Watford man charged with Gross Sexual Imposition

Having been charged with Gross Sexual Imposition - forced, a Class AA felony, Raul Martinez-Ramirez’s appearance bond was set at $150,000 on Dec. 22.

According to documents filed in the Northwest District Court in Watford City, police responded to a possible domestic and sexual assault call from the Watford City Hotel on Dec. 21. The female victim did not speak English, but told police through a translator that she had been in Watford City since Dec. 5 to visit Martinez-Ramirez, her boyfriend of one year.

The victim told police that Martinez-Ramirez had raped and abused her on multiple occasions, adding that she didn’t have the strength to keep Martinez-Ramirez off of her. She also described the incidents as violent and torturous.

Martinez-Ramirez is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but if he’s ultimately convicted, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years imprisonment and offender registration.

(Story by Neal A. Shipman, McKenzie County Farmer)

Grafton City Council rescinds assessment resolution

A special Grafton city council meeting was called after the committees met on Monday, Dec. 3, to discuss a motion concerning the special assessment district that was formed for the purpose of repairing city streets.

When he got home after the meeting, City Attorney Nick Hall believed that the city had just overstepped their bounds by exempting certain properties from the assessment district. In a letter written to Grafton Mayor Chris West, Hall cited part of the N.D. Century Code that states a city can create a special assessment district, but stops short of giving cities the power to exempt certain properties.

N.D. Century Code 40-23-07 instead gives that power to the special assessment commission, which can determine which lots or parcels will be especially benefited by that improvement work, and must assess against each property an amount not exceeding those benefits.

After some discussion of Hall’s recommendation, the council unanimously rescinded the original resolution.

(Story by Todd Morgan, The Walsh County Record)

Hillsboro man rescues freezing pooch along County Road 13

Believing he had driven past a large piece of cardboard on the side of the road, Randy Spokely of Hillsboro eased off the gas and came to a halt along County Road 13 about three miles west of Caledonia, N.D. at roughly 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 1.

Spokely put his car in reverse to investigate the object, despite the frigid temperatures outside.

“As I got closer, I realized it was a dog,” Spokely said. “It struggled to lift its head up and I thought maybe it had been hit because it was breathing so faintly. It was like a frozen ice cube.”

After wrapping the dog in a blanket and placing the pooch in his passenger seat, Spokely and his wife, Angie, began the process of getting the dog the help it desperately needed. The dog, later dubbed Dreamer, was eventually taken to the Red River Animal Emergency Hospital in Fargo, where she was saved from severe hypothermia and frostbite.

To help pay for her treatments, nearly $3,500 was raised through online contributions. Dreamer is doing well and is now living with a foster family.

(Story by Cole Short, Hillsboro Banner)

Two major Cass County road projects planned for 2022

This summer, two major road projects will take place in Cass County. A $4.2 million reconstruction project of County Road 9 -- which is better known locally as the ‘Durbin road’ -- and a $1.2 million project to finish building paved streets in Horace near the new schools.

In the next two years, more projects are planned as funding from the new federal infrastructure bill passed by Congress, and funding from the state, will provide about $7 million to the county through The Prairie Dog program and Covid relief funds.

For paved roads, the biggest project in rural Cass County this year will be the County Road 9 project. It involves reconstructing and widening the paved road, and also refurbishing four miles of the county road that is gravel. A mile of gravel road on County Road 6 that connects to County Road 9 is also part of the project.

(Story by Angela Kolden, Cass County Reporter)