North Dakota News Brief for Weds Jan 19

5 candidates selected to interview for NDSU president’s post

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Five candidates have been selected to interview for North Dakota State University president. The prospects will visit the Fargo campus later this month. Finalists will be selected to return to campus final interviews on Feb. 23. The candidates are David Cook, vice chancellor for public affairs on economic development at the University of Kansas; Hesham El-Rewini, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Marymount University; Mary Holz-Clause, acting executive chancellor at the University of Minnesota in Morris and Crookston; Debra Larson, provost and vice president of academic affairs at California State University in Chico; and Michael Tidwell, immediate past president of the University of Texas in Tyler.

FATAL FIRE-GRAND FORKS

Officials: Cigarette ignited fatal fire in Grand Forks

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Investigators say a fatal weekend fire in Grand Forks was the result of an accident. Fire Marshal Rod Freitag said Tuesday it was caused by improper handling of smoking materials. Officials say a smoldering cigarette ignited combustible materials next to a bed. And, the burning materials ignited the mattress. The fire early Saturday killed 40-year-old Sarah Gatica. Firefighters rescued a second resident who was taken to Altru hospital. The bedroom sustained moderate damage. Fire officials say there was smoke and heat damage throughout the main floor.

STATE OF THE STATE POSTPONED

Burgum postpones State of State speech because of laryngitis

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has postponed his State of the State address due to laryngitis. The speech was scheduled for Wednesday in Fargo. The governor’s office said in a release that Burgum is “currently having challenges with his voice and does not want this to distract from the annual message.” The governor’s regular test for COVID-19 came back negative on Monday, A new date for the address has not set. The governor delivered similar talks to the Legislature on two occasions last year, once in January and again in November for a five-day special session. Lawmakers do not meet for a regular session this year.

TAX COMMISSIONER

Newly appointed tax commissioner to run in 2022 election

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Less than a month after he was appointed North Dakota 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.