FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Blizzard conditions have closed portions an interstate and highways in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota Friday. The North Dakota Highway Patrol has closed Interstate 29 from Fargo to the Canadian border due to blowing snow and near-zero visibility. Motorists face fines if they travel on roads that have been closed. Highway 2 from Devils Lake to Grand Forks is also closed. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for all of eastern North Dakota and parts of northwestern Minnesota. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph were expected with isolated gusts of 70 mph. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has also closed parts of at least 11 highways in northwestern Minnesota.

LAND COMMISSIONER

Heringer selected North Dakota land board commissioner

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Bismarck attorney and investment manager Joseph Heringer has been selected to head of the agency that handles land rights for some of North Dakota’s largest industries. Heringer replaces Jodi Smith, who resigned in October. The land board commissioner leads the Department of Trust Lands. The state Board of University and School Lands oversees the Land Department. Gov. Doug Burgum heads the five-member, all Republican board. The Land Department leases rights for grazing and rights to produce oil, coal and gravel from state lands. It manages several state trust funds, including the common schools trust fund that benefits public schools.

TRIBAL ANCESTORS-DISINTERMENT

Affidavits help return ancestral tribal remains to Dakotas

AGENCY VILLAGE, S.D. (AP) — Descendants of Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribal leaders will sign the necessary paperwork Saturday to help bring home the remains of their ancestors. Relatives of Amos LaFramboise and Edward Upwright will gather with South Dakota tribal leaders to sign affidavits that will allow the remains of the two young boys to be removed from the Carlisle Indian School cemetery in Pennsylvania and moved to the Dakotas. LaFramboise’s father helped found the Lake Traverse Reservation government in South Dakota. Upwright is the son of Waanatan II, an early tribal chief. The school cemetery is on property owned by the U.S. military which in recent years has given tribes the opportunity with affidavits from living relatives to claim the remains of the 188 Native American children buried there.

REDISTRICTING LAWSUIT-TRIBES

2nd lawsuit targets North Dakota tribal subdistricts

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A second lawsuit has been filed opposing the North Dakota Legislature’s creation of state House subdistricts encompassing American Indian reservations, alleging that the consideration of race is unconstitutional. The federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday. Another lawsuit filed earlier this month by the Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain tribes also opposes the subdistricts. Turtle Mountain argues the split House district “packs” tribal members into a single subdistrict on its reservation, while diluting their vote in the non-reservation subdistrict. Spirit Lake alleges the new redistricting map dilutes American Indian voters on and near its reservation.

BC-US-BORDER-AGENCY-NEW-LEADER

Border agency chief faces challenges from within and outside

YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — Chris Magnus has many challenges to overcome in his new role as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Among them are agent discontent, allegations of migrant mistreatment, a failure to recruit more women and an asylum system that many view as broken. In an interview with The Associated Press, Magnus acknowledged morale problems within the nation’s largest law enforcement agency but offered no quick answers to the heavy migration flow to the U.S., which attracts more asylum seekers than any other country. Magnus might seem like an unconventional pick. As police chief in Tucson, Arizona, he rejected federal grants to collaborate on border security with the agency he now leads and kept a distance from Border Patrol leaders.

BANKERS SURVEY

Survey: farm prices, equipment sales soar across 10 states

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers released Thursday says the strength of the economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states continues to drive farmland prices and farm equipment sales higher. The overall economic index for the region grew to 61.5 in February from January’s 61.1. Any score above 50 suggests growth. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says the region is benefitting from a combination of solid grain prices, low interest rates and strong agricultural exports. The survey covers Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.