Man convicted in quadruple slaying to appeal verdict in case

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A man sentenced to life in prison for the gruesome killings of four people at a Mandan business plans to appeal his conviction. A notice of appeal filed Thursday by 47-year-old Chad Isaak says Isaak is questioning whether the evidence in the case was sufficient to support his conviction. A jury in August found Isaak guilty of killing RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and employees Adam Fuehrer, Bill Cobb, and his wife, Lois Cobb.  The four were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019, inside the property management company’s building in Mandan. Investigators say the victims were stabbed more than 100 times, total.

TOW TRUCK CRASH-FATALITY

1 dead, 3 hurt when SUV rear-ends tow truck stopped on I-94

TOWER CITY, N.D. (AP) — Authorities say a 43-year-old Bismarck woman was killed when the SUV she was riding in collided with an unoccupied tow truck that was stopped in the right lane on Interstate 94. The crash happened about 9 p.m. Saturday near Tower City. The state Highway Patrol says the flatbed tow truck experienced a mechanical issue and was stopped on the highway. The tow truck driver called to have his vehicle towed and received a ride from the scene. A westbound GMC Yukon rear-ended the tow truck and both vehicles came to rest in the ditch. The woman passenger who was seated in the front was pronounced dead at the scene. A 42-year-old man who was driving and two juvenile passengers suffered serious injuries.

DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE

Judge refuses to delay release of disputed DAPL documents

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A state judge has refused to delay the release of thousands of documents related to security during the construction in North Dakota of the heavily protested Dakota Access Pipeline. South Central District Judge Cynthia Feland in late December ruled that the documents are public. Attorneys for pipeline developer Energy Transfer asked Feland to put on hold disclosure of the records as it appeals to the state Supreme Court. Feland on Friday gave Energy Transfer the go-ahead to appeal, but she rejected the request to delay release of the records.

BURGUM-STATE OF STATE

Burgum’s State of the State rescheduled for Fargo Theatre

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Gov. Doug Burgum’s State of the State address has been rescheduled for next month. The Republican governor was to deliver his address this past Wednesday, but he postponed it due to laryngitis. The address is now scheduled for Feb. 16 in Fargo. Past governors typically did not give the address in off-years of the Legislature. Burgum did so in 2018 in Minot and in 2020 in Grand Forks. His speech next month will be his third State of the State since January 2021. He spoke to the Legislature early last year and again in November during lawmakers’ special session.

FATAL SHOOTING

Police: Woman found fatally shot on St. Paul sidewalk

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police say a woman was shot and killed in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood early Saturday morning. Authorities  received a 911 just after midnight Saturday to report hearing an argument followed by at least one gunshot. Officers found a woman in her early 30s suffering from a gunshot wound lying on the sidewalk outside of a house. Medics pronounced the woman dead a short time after their arrival, Two men who were at the house when officers arrived and were being questioned. No arrests have been made, but police don’t believe it was a random incident.

REPORTER’S PHONE CONFISCATED-EXPLAINER-SHIELD LAW

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.