701 Rundown: Feb. 27, 2023

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

Elk Saltwater Disposal site explodes, severely injuring man

On Friday, Feb. 10, an explosion was heard at 10:26 p.m. The Elk Saltwater Disposal, near the intersection of 35th St. NW and Highway 85 in Alexander, erupted and became engulfed in flames.

At the time of the incident, there was one male truck driver on the scene, presumably off-loading from his truck. He was seriously injured with severe, but non-life threatening burns and was air-lifted to a nearby hospital.

These types of fires are considered highly dangerous due to the hazardous materials involved and the risk that H2S gas poses to first responders.

Typically, the procedure for these sorts of events is to simply monitor the blaze and let it extinguish over time. However, officials realized that this fire was different, and needed to be extinguished as soon as possible due to the risk it posed to the public.

“Normally, when a disposal site like this explodes, it is safer for the environment and everyone involved to let the fire burn itself out,” said Karolin Jappe, McKenzie County Emergency Manager. “Saltwater is so nasty, once you start putting water and foam on it, it expands and it goes everywhere.

“In this situation, the site was right off the highway and we felt that the risk to the public is just too great,” she added.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation and no additional details were released at the time of printing.

(Story by Kristen Jones, McKenzie County Farmer)

New spring flood outlook shows few changes

Recent weather has likely had little impact on the spring flood forecast, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

In an updated outlook issued on Feb. 9, the NWS reports that minor flooding is forecast along the Red River Valley for this year’s spring thaw.

So far, says the report, dry moisture levels this fall have offset a wetter-than-average winter since Dec. 1. The minor flooding forecast also comes despite snowfall totals running 5 to 20 inches above normal for this time of year.

Meteorologists expect the ground to have a more controlled runoff than last spring, when major flooding inundated areas along the Goose River.

“These numbers we’re showing now are quite a bit lower than they were last year at this time,” said Amanda Lee, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.

“You have to take into account that the ground we had before freeze-up was really quite dry” she added. “There’s quite a bit of room in the ground to soak up the water.”

(Story by Cory Erickson, Hillsboro Banner)

Park River native hits big time on TikTok

When asked if would ever have pictured himself where he is today, Levi Cudmore’s response was “not in a million years.”

A 2016 graduate of Park River and son of Robert and Susan Cudmore, Levi has taken his passion for the game of hockey and turned it into a viral page on TikTok.

TikTok is a platform where users can upload videos ranging in length from three seconds to ten minutes long. If a TikTok account has enough followers, its videos can be monetized and the account owner can make money.

That’s exactly what happened to “The Hockey Guys.”

Cudworth, along with his friends, make up the Hockey Guys team. The group started making funny little videos, such as one exhibiting how Americans saw words differently than Canadians.

“People loved that we were filming our everyday life as a college athlete because that is something that people don’t see everyday,” said Cudmore.

(Story by Steph Cronje, The Walsh County Record)

Reaching the tipping point

On Monday, February 13, a semi truck registered to Yellowstone Contracting of Manhattan, Mont., had its load, one half of a prefabricated house, shift and tip over while the vehicle was navigating the tight turns of the Highways 52-200/281 roundabout in Carrington.

The overturned cargo blocked the north portal of entry to the intersection, and traffic coming from and going towards New Rockford was diverted to 5th Ave. North adjacent to Casey’s and Central City Lumber, and 11th St. North just south of Community Credit Union and Carrington Motor Inc., until the scene was cleared

(Story from The Foster County Independent)

Watford City’s first deer hunt comes to an end

On January 31, the first-ever bow hunt to take place within Watford City limits came to an end.

The purpose of the event, according to city officials, was to curb the local deer population which had been growing in recent years.

According to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF), similar hunts around the state have had success at lowering deer populations within a city’s limits. The NDGF originally suggested issuing 30 deer tags, but city officials decided to increase that number to 50.

Hunters were allowed to purchase up to three tags, and 23 hunters completed the designated safety requirements and purchased their tags. All totaled, the deer hunt resulted in 25 deer being shot within city limits and later harvested.

Curtis Moen, Watford City administrator, said that two calls came in from people alarmed by the sight of hunters, but that overall it was a very peaceful hunt that caused no issues that he’s aware of.

“I feel like the bow hunters were very judicial in how they did everything,” he said. “They were respectful of the process and the rules.”

Chief Jesse Wellen of the Watford City Police Department agreed.

“Initially there was some feedback from citizens regarding having the city deer season,” he said. “But during the [actual] season we have not heard any feedback relating to the harvest of the deer.”

(Story by Kristen Jones, McKenzie County Farmer)