Latest ND News at 3:30pm Friday Jan 21

EXPLAINER: How is North Dakota shield law supposed to work?

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The confiscation of a North Dakota reporter’s cellphone by a Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent has shined a light on the state’s 19-year-old shield law. The law is aimed at protecting journalists from being forced to turn over notes and other information without a court hearing. Reporter Tom Simon works for Williston Trending Topics News Radio Live, a Facebook outlet, and Coyote Radio 98.5. He had his phone taken by agents who were looking for anonymous sources he quoted for a story on the Williston school board. No hearing was held. Experts say the shield law that was passed by the 2003 Legislature is meant to prevent intimidation of reporters who are gathering news.

NORTH DAKOTA-GENDER INCLUSION

University will end draft work on gender inclusion policy

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — The University of North Dakota plans to end its work on a policy for gender inclusion and has no plans to implement it. The policy that was being drafted required use of a transgender person’s preferred pronouns and the use of locker rooms, bathrooms and other living facilities that align with a person’s gender identity. The policy was recently criticized by the North Dakota Catholic Conference, which questioned whether it “was conducive or hostile to not only the Catholic faith but also the truth about the human person.” In a statement Friday, UND President Andrew Armacost said “when speech becomes the source of discrimination or harassment, existing UND policies offer protections to all members of our campus, including in the areas of gender identity and sexual orientation.”

HOUSE APPOINTMENT

District chairman will complete term of late representative

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Bismarck-area Republicans have named a new state lawmaker to fill out the term of Rep. George Keiser, who died last month. District 47 GOP Vice Chairman Robb Eckert will serve the remaining 10 months of Keiser’s term. He will not run for election this year. Eckert owns Bob Eckert Painting. Keiser died Dec. 22 at age 75 after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. Keiser was first elected to the North Dakota House in 1992. Eckert says he will “continue to work for those Republican policies which make Bismarck and North Dakota one of the best places to live.”

AP-CN-CANADA-US-BORDER-DEATHS

Florida man charged after 4 found dead at Canada-US border

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — A Florida man has been charged with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, were found in Canada near the U.S. border. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota says 47-year-old Steve Shand has been charged with human smuggling after seven Indian nationals were found in the U.S. and the discovery of the bodies. The U.S. Border Patrol in North Dakota stopped a 15-passenger van just south of the Canadian border on Wednesday. Court documents say five other people were spotted by law enforcement in the snow nearby. Shand’s attorney, Doug Micko, declined to comment.

ENBRIDGE-LINE 3

Enbridge says it has fixed pierced aquifer near oil pipeline

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge Energy said it has stopped the flow of spilled artesian groundwater that began a year ago when workers installing the Line 3 oil pipeline in northwestern Minnesota punctured an aquifer. The spill near Enbridge’s terminal in Clearbrook was one of the worst environmental accidents during construction of the 340-mile (547-kilometer) pipeline in Minnesota. Workers dug too deeply into the ground and the rupture resulted in a 24 million gallon groundwater leak. The company told the state Department of Natural Resources that it stopped the uncontrolled leak on Tuesday. The DNR said it will monitor the repair and the investigation remains ongoing. The agency is looking at further restoration, mitigation and penalties.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota prison system feeling impact of omicron variant

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota corrections officials say the state’s prisons have been hit hard by the coronavirus omicron variant. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says active COVID-19 cases total 151, more than double last Friday’s total and infecting about one-tenth of the prison system population. There are three dozen more cases among prison staff. Inmates have a choice on whether to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Vaccination rates as of Jan. 13 ranged from about 82% at the Heart River Correctional Center in Mandan to about 90% at the Missouri River Correctional Center in Bismarck. The rate at the State Penitentiary in Bismarck is about 86%.