STENEHJEM FUNERAL

North Dakota attorney general eulogized as man of integrity

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered at the Bismarck Event Center to pay tribute to North Dakota’s longest-serving attorney general who died last week. Sixty-eight-year-old Wayne Stenehjem was found unresponsive at his home and died unexpectedly last Friday following his hospitalization. A cause of death has not been made public. Stenehjem’s body was brought to the Event Center Thursday in a procession of nearly 150 vehicles — most of them law enforcement vehicles from across North Dakota, all with lights flashing. Sister Peggy Stenehjem-Titus gave the eulogy for her brother, saying he taught her the importance of integrity, honesty and strong moral principles.

FARGO FIRE-TWO DEAD

Officials identify Fargo fire victims as elderly couple

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Officials have identified the two people who died in a house fire in Fargo last week. Ninety-one-year-old Garnet Blouin and his 88-year-old wife, Jean Blouin, died when the fire started in a home where they had lived for decades. Neighbor Lois Ellingson says she’s known the couple for more than 30 years. Ellingson says you never saw one without the other. She says the two were inseparable and a great couple. Having lived so long in their house, Ellingson says they knew the history of the block and watched it grow and change. The body of Jean Blouin was discovered in the home. Garnet Blouin died at a hospital.

SIDNEY HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

Police in eastern Montana investigating homicide in Sidney

SIDNEY, Mont. (AP) — Police in the eastern Montana town of Sidney are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead last week. Sidney Police Chief Mark Kraft says someone requested a welfare check on 50-year-old Christopher Wetzstein last Friday morning when he did not show up for work. Officers found him dead in his home. An autopsy performed Monday verified that Wetzstein was killed, but further findings are pending. Kraft did not say how Wetzstein died. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is helping with the investigation. No charges have been filed in the case.

AP-US-UNITED-STATES-UKRAINE-JAILED-FARMER

As Russia tensions boil, US farmer remains jailed in Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American farmer is jailed in Ukraine on charges he attempted to assassinate a former business partner who is now a government minister. The family of Kurt Groszhans says the charges are bogus and designed to stifle his claims of corruption. His former partner, Roman Leshchenko, has denied that he embezzled money from the American’s company. Groszhans’s relatives and supporters are also concerned that the North Dakota man risks being left behind as the U.S. braces for a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. The State Department says it’s closely following the case and takes seriously its responsibility to help detained Americans.

GAS PIPELINE-EXPANSION

Expansion of $260M gas pipeline completed in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A subsidiary of Bismarck-based MDU Resources Group Inc. says it has completed expansion of a $260 million natural gas pipeline in western North Dakota. State officials have hailed WBI Energy Inc.’s North Bakken Expansion project as a step toward curbing the wasteful flaring of excess gas, while increasing state tax revenues by allowing more oil drilling in the area. The project adds 250 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to a pipeline network. The line would connect to the Northern Border Pipeline, where the gas would be sent to Iowa, Chicago and other markets.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOEVEN

North Dakota senator in quarantine after positive COVID test

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota says he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Hoeven says he has not yet experienced any symptoms, but took a test after he was notified that he had been exposed to COVID-19. The Republican senator is fully vaccinated and has received his booster shot. Hoeven says he will be in quarantine through Sunday, following advice from the Senate doctor. He says he will “continue to follow the recommendations of my health care provider.”