701 Rundown: July 15, 2024

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

High speed police chase ends in arrest

Alfred Lee Clark from Cody, Wyo., was arrested on Thursday, June 27 after a high-speed chase through both McKenzie and Billings Counties.

He has been charged with five Class C felonies and one Class B misdemeanor.

According to the affidavit filed with the Northwest Judicial District, a deputy with the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) observed a black 2020 GMC Sierra on Highway 85 driving at a high rate of speed. Using his radar, the deputy clocked the vehicle at 78 mph in the 65 mph zone.

The deputy activated his red and blue emergency lights in an attempt to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver increased his speed and a pursuit began.

Clark was attempting to evade law enforcement at speeds between 80 and 115 mph.

Tire spikes were eventually deployed when the vehicle made it to Billings County, but it was a PIT maneuver carried out by law enforcement which finally brought Clark’s vehicle to a halt.

According to court documents, “The driver, identified as Alfred Lee Clark, refused to exit his vehicle. He continued to be non-compliant with commands and once he exited his vehicle, a taser had to be deployed to gain compliance.”

Clark later admitted to drinking beer but wouldn’t submit to providing a breath sample.

He’s been charged with Class C felony DUI, Class C felony DUI-refusal, Class C felony reckless endangerment, Class C felony fleeing a peace officer, Class C felony preventing arrest and Class B misdemeanor driving under suspension.

(Story by Kristen Jones, McKenzie County Farmer)

Independent to headline national study

Once again, the Central City will be at the forefront of innovation. This time, it's the local newspaper you're holding in your hand that needs a reinvention.

The time for change is now, and with help from national researchers, the Foster County Independent will be the first and only newspaper in North Dakota to test a new business model for community news.

Teri Finneman, a tenured professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, chose Carrington as the pilot North Dakota community for her "Reviving Rural News" initiative aimed at preserving and strengthening newsrooms in rural communities.

"When I am determining which newspapers I want to work with, the very first thing that I look at is who the publisher is," Finneman said.

"Because I want to work with a publisher who I know is going to be innovative, who cares deeply about journalism and is invested in making their newspaper a national model for the rest of the country, and Amy does that. Amy fits all of the criteria."

For the next six months, the community of Carrington will be the testing grounds for innovative solutions identified by Finneman and her team.

"Local newspapers are most critical for democracy and for our nation," Finneman said.

Yet, since 2004, the U.S. has lost a quarter of its community newspapers – more than 2,500 in total – many of them in counties with no other news sources. It's time to reverse the trend.

(Story from The Foster County Independent)

Passing lane project crossing NE Wells County

When finished, the long-awaited and promised passing lane project on Highway 52 currently underway on the roadway east and west of Harvey from Drake to Fessenden, will complete the state’s Safety Improvement project stretching from Portal on the Canadian border south and east to Carrington.

Already completed are the stretches of the highway north of Minot to Portal, southeast of the Magic City to Drake and from Fessenden to Carrington.

The Harvey segment is the last in the project and is estimated to cost around $43 million.

Project engineer Greg Semenko was in Harvey Tuesday “watching Highway 52 grow.”

Semenka has been monitoring the project since work started north and east of Minot to Portal.

“It’s a busy roadway,” different from other highways in the state, he admits, because of the commerce it carries.

Harvey city leaders expected the project to be completed last year just like the other segments, but a change in plans meant a 1-year delay as the roadway into Minot was prioritized by the Department of Transportation.

Immediately east and west of Harvey passing lanes will be added, each 2.7 miles long.

Turning lanes at the Highway 91 interchange in Harvey and the southside frontage road entrance will be expanded, as well as the interchange at Anamoose. Meanwhile, passing lanes at Martin and Manfred are currently under construction.

(Story by Neil O. Nelson, The Harvey-Herald)

Estevan is likely site for nuclear power

A nuclear reactor is likely coming to Estevan, Saskatchewan, within the next decade with a possible location as close as 15 miles north of Noonan, N.D.

SaskPower, Saskatchewan’s leading electric provider, started considering possible sites for a GE-Hitachi BWRX-200 small modular reactor around 2023, focusing on areas around Estevan and Elbow, a town northwest of Regina, N.D.

The company has now landed on two possible locations near Estevan to host the reactor, with the possibility of a second reactor later on.

One is near the Rafferty Reservoir west of Estevan and about 23 miles northwest of Noonan. The other is a site near the Boundary Dam Reservoir south of Estevan and about 15 miles north of Noonan.

Shari Bublitz, emergency manager in Divide County, said there haven’t yet been very many discussions on the North Dakota side about possible impacts of the reactor as far as she’s aware.

“I have heard about the nuclear power plant but haven’t done extensive research or been asked about it,” she said.

SaskPower is continuing to gather public input about the project as the process moves forward.

(Story by Jordan Rusche, The Journal)