BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Less than a month after he was appointed ND tax commissioner, Brian Kroshus said he plans to run for the post in the 2022 election. Kroshus, a Republican, was appointed tax commissioner by Gov. Doug Burgum and started on Jan. 4. Kroshus previously served as a member of the Public Service Commission. He was appointed to the position by Burgum in 2017, elected by voters in 2018 and re-elected in 2020. He was chair of the PSC in 2019 and 2020. Burgum tabbed Kroshus to replace Ryan Rauschenberger, who resigned after seven years as tax commissioner to focus on recovering from alcohol problems.

DEFENDANTS-RACE DATA

Collecting race data on defendants nearly complete in ND

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A nearly yearlong effort at collecting race data on defendants to identify any potential bias in North Dakota’s justice system will come to an end soon. The court rule that took effect in March 2021 requires that prosecutors filing criminal complaints include the race of adult defendants as perceived by law enforcement officers’ reports. The judiciary’s Minority Justice Implementation Committee will look at the data this spring and identify any issues or disparities. The committee’s chairman, Northeast District Judge Anthony Swain Benson, says the ultimate goal is identifying any types of racial prejudice that may exist in the justice system.

FATAL FIRE-GRAND FORKS

Woman dies in weekend house fire in Grand Forks

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — A weekend house fire in Grand Forks has taken the life of a 40-year-old woman while another person was rescued. Firefighters were dispatched to the house shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday. One of the residents of the house called for help and told dispatchers he or she was trapped in the house. First responders were able to see the individual through a side window. Firefighters entered the home and were able to get the person out of the house through the window. Once inside, firefighters found the second person and both were taken to Altru where Sarah Gatica was pronounced dead. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

COMMERCIAL BEE SUPPLY

North Dakota beekeeping supply to serve top US honey states

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A commercial beekeeping supply business has opened in far southwestern North Dakota that will serve people in three of the top five honey producing states in the country. State Department of Commerce officials say Commercial Bee Supply in Hettinger is meant bolster the beekeeping and other agriculture sectors in the community and region. It is within comfortable driving distance for producers in the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. North Dakota leads the nation in honey production, and together with Montana and South Dakota produced nearly half of all U.S. honey in 2019, according to Department of Agriculture. The project was backed by local and state incentive programs. It is expected to create 12 full-time jobs.

SCIENCE MUSEUM-DONATION

Proposed Fargo-Moorhead science museum gets $1 million gift

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A proposed science museum in the Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota area has received a $1 million donation from a local business leader. Officials with the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum say the gift from John Ballantyne will help with facility planning and feasibility studies for facility in the community of about 250,000 people. Ballantyne is co-founder of the Fargo biological sciences company Aldevron and serves as its chief scientific officer. The museum focus on the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, collectively known as STEM. The plans includes a mobile STEM classroom. Aldevron’s operations began in a laboratory at North Dakota State University in 1998 and have grown to include sites in Madison, Wisconsin, and Freiburg, Germany.

OIL LEASE SALES

Judge denies North Dakota’s federal oil leasing request

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A judge has denied North Dakota’s request for an order forcing the federal government to hold oil lease sales. The Bureau of Land Management is planning to hold such a sale in the first quarter of 2022 after canceling all sales last year.  U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ruled against the state Friday in part because a U.S. Justice Department attorney has offered an assurance  that the bureau plans to hold the sale imminently. Traynor wrote in his order that he agreed with the federal government’s assessment that the state had made “a premature request.”