BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A pipeline company is asking state and federal regulators for permission to build an oil pipeline beneath North Dakota's Lake Sakakawea.
   Enbridge Inc. says in regulatory filings that the pipeline would carry up to 60,000 barrels of oil daily.
   Enbridge wants to start operating the line by the end of next year. It will cost $136 million to build.
   The company wants North Dakota's Public Service Commission to review a proposed route for the line.
   It would be 12 inches in diameter. It would run for 36 miles north from Johnson's Corner, east of Watford City in McKenzie County, to Enbridge's Beaver Lodge station southeast of Tioga.
   The federal Bureau of Land Management is taking comment on the project. Some of the proposed route goes across federal land.

   GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) _ The Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota could be on its way to its warmest fall and winter on record.
   The average daily temperature between Sept. 1 and Jan. 29 in Grand Forks has been nearly 35 degrees, and in Fargo just over 38 degrees. The National Weather Service says both marks break the previous records by more than a degree.
   Forecaster Mark Ewens says that's impressive over a 150-day period.

   DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) _ The city of Dickinson last year issued a record value of building permits for the second year in a row.
   City Planner Ed Courton said more than $144 million worth of permits was issued in 2011, nearly doubling the city's 2010 record of $83 million.
   The increase in construction in Dickinson is due in large part to the booming oil industry in western North Dakota. Courton says building projects also are more expensive than they have been in the past.
   The oil patch city of Williston earlier announced its 2011 building permit value of nearly $358 million, more than triple the city record set the year before.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple reports he raised $824,000 last year for his election campaign.
   Dalrymple's disclosure report with North Dakota's secretary of state shows he raised most of the money last November and December.
   Dalrymple has been governor since December 2010, when former Gov. John Hoeven resigned to go to the U.S. Senate.
   Dalrymple was Hoeven's lieutenant governor for a decade. He's running his first campaign for governor this year.
   The Republican incumbent says he had $710,000 in campaign funds in his treasury at the end of last year.
   North Dakota state Senate Democratic leader Ryan Taylor is the only declared Democratic candidate for governor.
   Taylor has not filed his campaign fundraising report yet. Taylor has said he expects Dalrymple will outspend him.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Congressman Rick Berg says he has almost $1.4 million in his campaign fund so far for his Senate race.
   Berg said Tuesday he raised $552,000 during October, November and December of last year. He and Republican Duane Sand are competing for the North Dakota GOP endorsement for the Senate.
   They're seeking the Senate seat being left open by incumbent Democrat Kent Conrad. Conrad is not running for re-election after spending almost 24 years in the Senate.
   Democrats Heidi Heitkamp and Tom Potter are running for the North Dakota Democratic Senate endorsement. Heitkamp reported raising more than $450,000 for her campaign last year.

    
   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ American Crystal Sugar Co. and its locked-out factory workers have again failed to resolve their differences.
   Union President John Riskey said that representatives of the two sides sat down with a federal mediator for a daylong negotiating session Monday but there was no resolution.
   Crystal vice president Brian Ingulsrud says in a statement that the company's final offer remains on the table.
   Crystal's 1,300 union-represented employees have been locked out of the company's sugar beet processing factories in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa since Aug. 1, after union workers rejected a company contract offer. The workers turned down a revised offer in November.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ State Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the federal Environmental Protection Agency is giving North Dakota more of a voice when it comes to protecting endangered species from exposure to pesticides.
   Goehring says the EPA has approved a plan that will protect endangered species in the state while still being ``reasonable'' for pesticide users.
   Goehring says that under the plan, his department will help with assessing risks and implementing management plans. He says pesticide users will be able to offer ideas and recommendations.
   North Dakota is home to seven endangered species: the whooping crane, black-footed ferret, piping plover, pallid sturgeon, least tern, grey wolf and western prairie fringed orchid.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ For 684,000 North Dakotans, there are now 1 million vehicles.
   North Dakota Transportation Department director Francis Ziegler reported Tuesday the agency registered more than 1 million vehicles last year. It's an all-time high.
   The registration number includes all sorts of machines _ cars, trucks, boats, trailers, motorcycles, buses, snowmobiles and motor homes.
   Ziegler says it's a reflection of western North Dakota's booming oil-producing region and the robust economy statewide.
   He says vehicle dealers across the state say they're doing good business.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Prices that North Dakota farmers received for the majority of their crops in January were down from December.
   The Agriculture Department says farmers in January received an average of $7.95 per bushel for the state's staple crop, spring wheat. This down figure is a decrease of 49 cents from December.
   The Agricultural Department says soybeans sold at $11.10 per bushel for the month, a decrease of 10 cents from December.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's lottery will be exploring whether to use the Internet to sell tickets directly to players.
   Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (STEN'-jum) says the Legislature would have to approve the change.
   He says the idea will be looked at cautiously. Stenehjem says he doesn't want to annoy the lottery's existing retail network.
   The U.S. Justice Department now says states may use the Internet to sell lottery tickets to their own residents. The agency has argued before that direct lottery ticket sales would violate federal law.
   North Dakota Retail Association President Mike Rud (ROOD) says lottery ticket retailers aren't likely to support Internet sales.
   He says if that happens, the state should just switch to selling tickets only on the Internet. Rud says stores will use lottery space for something else.

   DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) _ The Mule Deer Foundation is planning a study of the effects of western North Dakota's booming energy industry on the mule deer population. Results won't be known for years.
   Foundation Regional Director Marshall Johnson said that officials think energy development and the increased housing development and traffic it has brought all have impacted mule deer.
   Johnson says the foundation is not an enemy of the oil industry but it does want ``responsible'' energy development.
   Bruce Stillings with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department says he thinks the recent harsh winters are the reason for a drop in the mule deer population.
   Stillings says a study on the oil industry's impacts won't begin until next year and could take as long as five years to finish.
   

   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ The number of sheep and lambs in North Dakota is at an all-time low.
   The Agriculture Department says in its latest report that sheep and lambs on Jan. 1 totaled 73,000 animals, down from 78,000 the previous year. Breeding sheep, market sheep and lambs and the 2011 lamb crop all were at record lows, as was wool production.
   Goats also are included in the report. The Agriculture Department says there were 2,800 goats and kids in North Dakota on Jan. 1, up 100 animals from the previous year.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota environmental activists want lawmakers to toughen new state oil production rules.
   The rules ban companies from using open pits to dispose of liquid drilling wastes from most oil wells. They're supposed to take effect in April.
   Keene rancher Donald Nelson says the liquid waste disposal pits should be banned outright. Nelson is a spokesman for the Dakota Resource Council environmental group.
   Nelson says the rules should also require flow monitors on salt water disposal lines. He says that would result in faster detection of pipeline leaks, and could head off huge salt water spills.
   North Dakota's Industrial Commission has approved the rules, but they still need a review from a legislative committee.
   Nelson says the Dakota Resource Council will enlist sympathetic lawmakers to push to toughen the rules.

    
   MINOT, N.D. (AP) _ Gov. Jack Dalrymple and the state Chamber of Commerce are promoting a 20-year development plan for North Dakota.
   Dalrymple and chamber director Andy Peterson are outlining the proposal Monday. A steering committee includes media executives and Democratic and Republican state lawmakers.
   Dalrymple says the effort will focus on ways to expand North Dakota's recreational and cultural offerings along with business development and growth. Meetings are to be held in North Dakota's eight largest cities next month to talk about the proposal.
   The U.S. Agriculture Department's Rural Development agency is carrying out a separate initiative on North Dakota's future. Agency director Jasper Schneider says community meetings have been held in Linton, Devils Lake and Grafton, and others are planned.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures in January have provided good news for North Dakota livestock ranchers, but some farmers are expressing concern about snow protection for alfalfa and winter wheat.
   The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its weekly crop and weather report that the average snow depth statewide was 1.8 inches on Jan. 29, compared with 24.3 inches a year ago.
   The north central district reported the highest snow depth at 3.2 inches. The southwest district reported no measurable snow on the ground.
   Snow cover protection for alfalfa is rated 90 percent poor, 9 percent adequate and 1 percent excellent. Snow cover protection for winter wheat is rated 80 percent poor and 20 percent adequate.
   Cattle conditions are rated 7 percent fair, 63 good and 30 excellent.

    
   FORT YATES, N.D. (AP) _ The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the states of North Dakota and South Dakota have signed an agreement to work together to improve traffic safety.
   Tribal leaders and officials with the North Dakota Department of Transportation, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety signed the pact on Monday during a ceremony at Fort Yates.
   The agreement envisions culturally appropriate traditional media, social media and local outreach events promoting safe traffic practices and behaviors.
   Officials say a focus will be placed on efforts to increase seatbelt use and reduce the incidence of speeding and impaired driving.
   State officials will work with the tribe to complete and update a highway safety plan aimed at reducing fatal and serious injury crashes on the reservation.

    
   BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) _ A Florida man suspected in the death of a man whose body was found in a ditch in northeastern Montana has made an initial court appearance in North Dakota.
   Forty-six-year-old Charles Bowman Bowen appeared Monday before District Judge David Nelson in Williston. The judge continued the extradition proceedings without making a decision.
   Bowen was arrested Friday in the death of 49-year-old Brian Doyle, also of Florida.
   The hometowns of the victim and the suspect were not clear.
   Doyle's body was found Jan. 20 near Bainville, Mont., in a ditch along U.S. Highway 2.
   Investigators say he was run over by a motor vehicle but are not releasing further details.
   Montana authorities are seeking a $100,000 bond on Bowen.

 
   JAMESTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ Two Jamestown residents charged with murder are scheduled to go on trial Feb. 6 in Stutsman County District Court.
   34-year-old Leron Howard and 22-year-old Janelle Cave are charged with murder in the death of 18-year-old Abdi Ali Ahmed, an immigrant from Somalia.
   Ahmed's body was discovered in a ditch near Spiritwood on April 30. Authorities say he was stabbed and suffered blunt force trauma.
   Howard and Cave pleaded not guilty in July to murder and criminal conspiracy. They're expected to be tried together.
   Judge Thomas Merrick will preside over the two week trial, starting with selection of the 12-member jury on Feb. 6.

   Below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures in January has provided good news for North Dakota livestock ranchers, but some farmers are expressing concern about snow protection for alfalfa and winter wheat.

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its weekly crop and weather report that the average snow depth statewide was 1.8 inches on January 29, compared with 24.3 inches a year ago.

   The north central district reported the highest snow depth at 3.2 inches. The southwest district reported no measurable snow on the ground.

   Snow cover protection for alfalfa is rated 90 percent poor, 9 percent adequate, and 1 percent excellent. Snow cover protection for winter wheat is rated 80 percent poor and 20 percent adequate.

   Cattle conditions are rated 7 percent fair, 63 good, and 30 excellent.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota Senate's Republican majority leader says the Legislature needs to provide a greater share of state oil tax collections to local governments.
   Rich Wardner of Dickinson is chairman of a committee that's looking into how oil tax revenues are split up.
   North Dakota's oil production tax is now divided among the state and local governments.
   But a number of county, city and school officials say the formula needs to be reworked to give local governments more money.
   Wardner says it's clear that western North Dakota's oil boom has put a tremendous strain on local schools, roads and public works.
   He says the Legislature will need to take a close look at how oil tax revenue is divided among the state and local governments.
   

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's secretary of state says people who sign ballot measure petitions should make sure the petition carrier sees them do it.
   Al Jaeger says he's heard reports of petitions being left unattended for people to sign. Jaeger says that's against the law, and signatures on those petitions may not be counted.
   Jaeger says sometimes petitions are downloaded and circulated by people who may not be aware of the rules.
   The secretary of state says a petition carrier has to personally witness each signature for the name to be valid.
   Right now four petitions are being circulated. Two relate to the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname. The other two deal with farming rights and a proposed outdoors fund.

   MINOT, N.D. (AP) _ A consultant will help the Ward County Historical Society assess damage to its museum grounds from last year's Souris River flooding in Minot.
   Lawrence Sommer is based in St. Paul, Minn., and has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and historic preservation. He's to arrive in Minot on Feb. 8.
   Officials have estimated that flood damage to the historical society on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds will total more than $1 million.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is looking for ideas on how best to use federal money for specialty crop grants.
   He's scheduled two sessions to gather public comments on the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant Program. The first is this coming Friday at the Fargo Holiday Inn, followed a week later by a session in the Sakakawea Room in the state Capitol in Bismarck.
   Goehring says the purpose of the grant program is to give producers of fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops a competitive edge in today's marketplace. He says he wants to hear from producers and consumers on the best ways to allocate the federal funds.
   North Dakota has about $600,000 to dole out. The state Agriculture Department is accepting applications through April 20.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota Department of Transportation has issued a travel alert for the northwestern part of the state as freezing rain is creating icy road conditions.
   The alert includes the cities of Watford City and Williston, as well as surrounding areas.
   Drivers are allowed to travel, but they are encouraged to use extreme caution, reduced speeds and drive according to conditions.  
   A travel alert has the potential to change into a no travel advisory if conditions deteriorate.
   Drivers wanting up-to-date information should call 511 or go to the website at WWW DOT d o t DOT ND DOT gov SLASH website.

    
   WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP) _ Montana authorities say a Florida man has been arrested in North Dakota and is being extradited to Montana to face a negligent homicide charge in the death of another Florida man.
   Roosevelt County Sheriff Freedom Crawford says police took 46-year-old Charles Bowman Bowen into custody Friday in Williston, and he's being held in the Williams County Detention Center.
   The body of 49-year-old Brian Doyle was found on January 20th in a ditch along U.S. Highway 2 near Bainville, a small community near the North Dakota border.
   Crawford says Doyle , who worked for an oil field maintenance company in North Dakota, died after he was run over by a motor vehicle.
   Home towns of the two Florida men have not been released.

   MINOT, N.D. (AP) _ Police in Minot say they arrested 17 kids for underage drinking after busting up a party in the northwest part of town.
   Officers arrived at the house just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday and arrested three other juveniles who ran off, while others got away. Seven adults inside the house were also arrested, and 17 of the 22 juveniles found inside were cited.
   No names were released.
   Police say they also confiscated what appeared to be cocaine and cocaine paraphernalia.
   Police say one juvenile male was hospitalized with an injury sustained while attempting to flee from officers.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ An old brick house that has served as the warden's home at the North Dakota state penitentiary is slated to be torn down this fall.
   The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that the 115-year-old building has outlived its usefulness.
   The warden is no longer required by law to live there, and the building has been used as office space since former warden Tim Schuetzle retired in 2010.
   By the end of summer, the division using the old bedrooms and living rooms as offices will move to a new nearby administration building.
   A $64 million construction and renovation project at the prison includes tearing down the house, but local history buffs are hoping it can be moved to a new location.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple is mulling a request to remove the Pembina County state's attorney on allegations he has neglected prosecutions, skipped county meetings, ignored requests for legal advice and been rude to county employees.
   It'd be an unusual move for the governor to exercise his power to remove a local elected official _ but it's happened before.
   One mayor was removed for ignoring gambling, prostitution and debauchery in his town. A county sheriff was booted for a string of drunken-driving arrests. Governors since 1917 have occasionally booted officials for wrongdoing or failing to do their jobs.
   Pembina County workers have reported they're afraid of Askew, who declined to comment. Dalrymple has appointed a retired state district judge to preside over the case.

   JAMESTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ Jamestown's city engineer office is issuing written apologies to property owners whose boulevard trees were harshly pruned last fall.
   City Engineer Reed Schwartzkopf says ``the buck stops here,'' and that he'll sign the apologies himself.
   Property owners have complained about trees being ``butchered'' and ``hacked'' by city crews. Resident Dann Holm says an apology is one thing, but restitution is another. Mayor Katie Andersen reminds residents that trees planted on the boulevard are city property.
   The city is implementing a policy under which it will not trim boulevard trees but will instead tell property owners if trees need to be trimmed.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce wants to bring a low-cost airline to North Dakota's capital city.
   The chamber plans to seek $200,000 from Bismarck's economic development fund. The money would be used to guarantee a minimum profit for a new airline in its first year.
   Mayor John Warford says he wonders if the city should give money to a potential competitor of Bismarck's existing air carriers.
   The chamber also is asking businesses to pledge a total of $300,000 from their travel budgets to buy tickets on a new airline. Airport Manager Greg Haug says the airport supports the efforts.

   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ A two-day conference is set in Fargo this week on producing, marketing and processing locally grown foods and food products.
   The 8th annual conference Friday and Saturday at the Holiday Inn is sponsored by the state Agriculture Department and the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association. The association will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the conference.
   State Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says conference sessions will range from ``nuts and bolts'' farm topics to presentations on new marketing methods and digital tools.
   The conference is funded in part by a grant from the federal Agriculture Department. There is a $40 registration fee.

    
   ST. MICHAEL, Minn. (AP) _ A Minnesota wholesaler is recalling more than a ton of beef sirloin products because the labels fail to indicate that one ingredient is milk, a possible allergen.
   The U.S. Department of Agriculture says J&B Group Incorporated of St. Michael is recalling over 2,600 pounds of products. The products were made between January and September of last year, and were distributed for institutional use in Montana, North Dakota and Texas.
   The USDA says there have been no reports of illness due to consumption of the products.    
   The products are 10.5-pound cases of ``Ellison Meat Company Beef Sirloin Top Butt Steak, Cap Off, No Roll, Marinated,'' and 10-pound cases of ``Ellison Meat Company Beef Sirloin Top Butt Steak Cap Off.
   Consumers can find more information on the USDA website.
   

 
   DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) _ Thousands of anglers and fans are hitting the ice on Six Mile Bay for the 28th annual Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department fishing tournament.
   The event the last Saturday of January typically draws people from area states and Canada. Fire Chief Jim Moe says 15,000 tickets were sold this year. He expects anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people to actually fish.
   The tournament is expected to raise more than $100,000 for the Fire Department.
   

        
   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ Power generated in North Dakota is going to be used to offset some of the electricity used in Indianapolis on Super Bowl Sunday.
   The renewable energy credits from power generated from wind farms near Langdon and north of Valley City will offset 15,000 megawatt hours of electricity associated with the game on February 5th.
   Green Mountain Energy Company in Austin, Texas, provided the credits, which were acquired from Minnkota Power Cooperative, based in Grand Forks.
   The carbon offsets are associated with the electricity used at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is where the game is played; the Indiana Convention Center, site of the NFL Experience Football Theme Park; and four hotels hosting Super Bowl participants and media.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A Houston-based gas company has announced plans to build a new plant near Ross, North Dakota that could process up to 75 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
   Plains All American Pipeline announced the project Friday.
   The company's subsidiary, Plains Gas Solutions, will operate the plant, which is expected to be completed in spring 2013.
   It's not immediately clear how many jobs will be created.
   Governor Jack Dalrymple (DAHL'-rimp-ul) says he applauds the development of the new plant.
   The Governor's Office says North Dakota's natural gas production increased 53 percent to 521 million cubic feet per day between January and November 2011.
   

    
   DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) _ A geologist with the North Dakota Geological Survey says geothermal system installations have increased by 26 percent in North Dakota compared to last year.
   Lorraine Manz said that permit applications have been received from all over the state, although most are concentrated in the larger cities.
   Geothermal systems move heat through a network of pipes approximately 200 feet below ground. Fluid circulates through the pipes, moving heat into the ground to cool off buildings and warm air from the ground to heat them. The systems are less expensive to operate and more eco-friendly.
   Installations have jumped from 897 in 2010 to 1,135 last year in North Dakota.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Oil lease sales on some environmentally sensitive land in southwestern North Dakota are being delayed.
   The state Department of Trust Lands is holding an auction February 7th to sell the rights to explore for oil on some state lands.
   North Dakota's Game and Fish Department and the North Dakota chapter of the Wildlife Society wanted some land taken off the list.
   They say some of the land could be designated as wilderness. Other properties are habitat for bighorn sheep, sage grouse and mule deer.
   North Dakota's land board voted Thursday to delay selling oil leases for the land. Thirteen tracts in Billings and Golden Valley counties are affected.
   Proceeds from oil production on state lands go into a trust fund that benefits North Dakota's schools.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ State land in some of western North Dakota's oil-producing counties will be earning a bigger share of income for a school trust fund.
   North Dakota's Land Board voted Thursday to raise the royalty rate companies have to pay if they produce oil from state lands.
   The decision affects new leases in Billings, Divide, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams counties.
   Royalties are a share of the value of the oil that's produced from the land. The state royalty is now one-sixth of the value. The rate in the seven counties is now being raised to three-sixteenths of the value.
   Governor Jack Dalrymple says the higher rate is common for leases of private land, and the state should get the same.
   The money goes into a state school trust fund.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A jury has acquitted a North Dakota man accused of stabbing his friend to death.
   The Burleigh County jury found 28-year-old John Unruh not guilty of murder in the April 16th death of 23-year-old Randall Albaugh. Unruh was also acquitted of a felony charge of preventing arrest.
   Unruh earlier testified that he was using a knife to open the door of a bathroom where Albaugh and a woman were having loud sex within earshot of his young daughter, and that Albaugh was stabbed when he lunged at Unruh.
   Defense attorney Tom Tuntland says Unruh was protecting himself, and that Albaugh's death was a ``terrible tragedy,'' not murder.
   Prosecutor Lloyd Suhr said in his closing argument to the jury Wednesday that Unruh was not justified in using deadly force.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Western North Dakota's oil boom means money and jobs, but school, county and city officials say it's also tough to keep up the roads and have enough school space for new students.
   Williston Superintendent Viola LaFontaine (LAH'-fahn-TAYN') says her school system has grown by 480 students in the last two years alone. She's expecting another 1,200 next fall.
   LaFontaine and other local officials from western North Dakota are talking to the state Legislature's energy development committee Thursday.
   They're asking for a bigger share of state oil taxes to repair roads, build schools and pay for other needed public works.
   The North Dakota Senate's Republican majority leader is chairman of the committee. Rich Wardner says the information is needed to show lawmakers the impact of the oil region's booming growth.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The National Weather Service says the risk of flooding in the Missouri River and James River basins in North Dakota right now is near normal.
   The agency says in its first flood outlook of the season that there is ``modest'' snowpack in the countryside because of the warm and dry early winter, though forecasters say enough snow and rain is likely to create at least some risk of spring flooding.
   

   WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democrat Heidi Heitkamp's campaign says she raised $500,000 for her U.S. Senate bid in the final quarter of 2011.
   Heitkamp's campaign released her fundraising numbers to The Associated Press on Friday. The former North Dakota attorney general and one-time gubernatorial candidate is running to replace Sen. Kent Conrad, also a Democrat, who is retiring at the end of his term.
   Heitkamp's fundraising reflects the final quarter of 2011, when she announced her bid. She is running against GOP Rep. Rick Berg.
   Berg hasn't released his fundraising totals for the most recent quarter yet. But the congressman reported having raised about $1 million as of September 2011.

   NEW ROCKFORD, N.D. (AP) _ Authorities say they have recovered the body of a New Rockford man who disappeared while fishing.
   Searchers located the body of 53-year-old Michael Hermanson Thursday morning at a lake in Eddy County.
   Hermanson had been missing since Monday morning when he left to go fishing.
   Eddy County Sheriff Brandon Maygra says searchers on the ground spotted equipment from Hermanson's truck floating in the water, leading them to discover his body.
   Maygra says authorities believe Hermanson drove his vehicle onto the lake and it fell through. The sheriff says Hermanson managed to escape the vehicle and walk about a half mile before collapsing.

    
   GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) _ Officials say a fire at a Grand Forks apartment that injured a construction worker was caused by maintenance crews working to refit a pipe.
   Construction crews had been working on a third-floor corner apartment in Grand Forks when the fire started Wednesday morning. One of those workers suffered a minor burn to his hand trying to get the fire out before the fire department was called. No tenants were hurt.
   Fire officials say the accidental fire started when workers used a torch as they attempted to place a new fitting on a pipe. Combustibles in the wall caught fire, causing the fire to spread quickly.
   Authorities earlier estimated the fire caused $100,000 worth of property damage.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota House's Democratic leader says Mandan Republican Representative RaeAnn Kelsch should resign as chairwoman of the House Education Committee.
   The state Tax Department recently filed a $304,000 lien against Kelsch because she didn't file state tax returns going back to 2004.
   Kelsch has said she's working to resolve the problem. She's said she wasn't aware the tax returns hadn't been filed because her husband handled the family finances.
   House Democratic leader Jerry Kelsh says RaeAnn Kelsch's income tax problem is a breach of ethics.
   He says RaeAnn Kelsch should also resign any leadership positions she has outside the state that are related to her job as a North Dakota lawmaker.
   RaeAnn Kelsch declined comment.
   

    
   FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) _ Frank Gaines scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead IPFW to a 75-66 over North Dakota State on Thursday night.
   IPFW (10-10, 4-7 Summit) used a 21-11 run over the final 6-1/2 minutes to gain control of the contest.
   North Dakota State got 24 points and 10 rebounds from Taylor Braun, 16 points from Lawrence Alexander and 15 points from Mike Felt.

   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ The Fargo School Board has slashed the asking price for a century-old school that's been put up for sale.
   The Woodrow Wilson High School building built in 1917 was put on the market for $1.45 million, but school Business Manager Broc Lietz (leetz) says potential buyers balked at the price. An unnamed prospective buyer offered much less, and the board countered with a $1.1 million offer. The buyer apparently has lost interest.
   The school board has voted to extend its contract with a selling agent through Aug. 1.
   Woodrow Wilson houses the district's alternative high school and other programs that soon will move to a new building that received $4.5 million in upgrades.

    
   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota State University has named a new head women's soccer coach.
   Mark Cook for the past 11 years has been director of coaching at the Minnesota Thunder Academy, a youth soccer club program in Minnesota's Twin Cities. He also was an assistant coach at Bloomington Jefferson High School in that state. Last year he was named the Minnesota Class Double A assistant coach of the year.
   Cook replaces Pete Cuadrado, who left NDSU after nine successful years to become the coach at Wyoming.
   

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A jury has acquitted a North Dakota man accused of stabbing his friend to death.
   The Burleigh County jury found 28-year-old John Unruh not guilty of murder in the April 16 death of 23-year-old Randall Albaugh. Unruh was also acquitted of a felony charge of preventing arrest.
   Unruh earlier testified that he was using a knife to open the door of a bathroom where Albaugh and a woman were having loud sex within earshot of his young daughter, and that Albaugh was stabbed when he lunged at Unruh.
   Defense attorney Tom Tuntland says Unruh was protecting himself, and that Albaugh's death was a ``terrible tragedy,'' not murder.
   Prosecutor Lloyd Suhr said in his closing argument to the jury Wednesday that Unruh was not justified in using deadly force.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The North Dakota chapter of The Wildlife Society and the state Game and Fish Department are questioning some parcels of state land included in an upcoming mineral lease auction.

Mineral rights on 73,000 acres of state land will be auctioned Feb. 7. It's one of the largest lease sales in recent state history.

The Wildlife Society is asking that some parcels of pristine Badlands be withdrawn from the list. They're in or near designated roadless areas in the Little Missouri National Grasslands. Gov. Jack Dalrymple says he'll recommend that the state land board postpone leasing the tracts.

Game and Fish also intends to provide a list of tracts that the agency believes have conservation value. They provide habitat for big horn sheep and sage grouse.

   VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP) _ Valley City residents have voted to retain their mayor.
   Incumbent Bob Werkhoven received 57 percent of the vote in Tuesday's recall election. Former Police Chief Dean Ross got 43 percent.
   Werkhoven and City Commissioner Ken Evenson became targets of the recall election after months of political turmoil in the city of 6,600 people last year. Ross was suspended as police chief amid allegations he mishandled public money, an accusation he disputed and the city later dropped.
   Ross said he did not oppose Werkhoven in the recall election to seek revenge but because he wanted to make changes to the city.
   Evenson lost his commission seat in Tuesday's election, getting only 48 percent of the vote. Firefighter Duane Magnuson got 52 percent.
   About one-third of city residents voted.

   MINOT, N.D. (AP) _ State health officials this week are running radioactivity tests on bags filled with an oil field material that are stacked in downtown Minot.
   The move comes after reports that municipal landfills in western North Dakota are increasingly rejecting oil field waste because of elevated lead and radiation levels. Health officials have said there is no risk to the public.
   The stacked bags contain proppant, a product used in the recovery of oil from shale rock. Much of it is imported. Many of the bags in Minot came from China.
   State Air Quality Director Terry O'Clair says staff will go to the Minot site to take radioactivity readings on the bags at Sand Source Services, which operates a loading facility.

   UNDERWOOD, N.D. (AP) _ More than 200 acres of crop land near Underwood that were mined for coal more than 20 years ago are set to be turned back to farming.
   It will be the first time in the Falkirk Mine's 35-year history that any land will go back to agriculture.
   State law requires coal mining companies to post bonds to ensure they properly reclaim the land after the mining is done. The state Public Service Commission has released other Falkirk-mined acres from reclamation bonds for such purposes as a golf course and a wildlife management area.
   Jim Deutsch with the PSC said that the 217 acres that likely will be formally released this spring are the first Falkirk coal mine acres that will be released for crops.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota U.S. Rep. Rick Berg says President Barack Obama's statements on energy policy in his State of the Union address were contradictory.
   The Republican congressman says the Democratic president spoke of the need to increase all types of energy production. Then, Berg says, Obama talked about how the oil industry's been subsidized for too long.
   Berg says one move to help energy development would be to allow construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Obama has blocked the Keystone XL project.
   Berg says the president's speech started well with talk about getting ahead with hard work.
   But then, Berg says, Obama ``went on to talk about all these government programs.'' Berg says they would increase the federal debt and stifle individual initiative.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The director of North Dakota's Pipeline Authority says the state may need to encourage more construction of natural gas pipelines.
   The agency is commissioning a study of North Dakota's natural gas production trends and whether there's enough pipeline capacity to carry the fuel.
   Justin Kringstad says pipeline companies may assume North Dakota's oil and natural gas production will decline at the same rate as the wells get older.
   But Kringstad says there's evidence natural gas production will fall at a lesser rate. That means more natural gas to put into pipelines. Kringstad says the state needs to know whether there will be enough pipeline space in the future.
   North Dakota's Industrial Commission has approved a study of the trends. Kringstad says it should be finished by June.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ President Barack Obama spoke in his State of the Union speech about encouraging energy production and manufacturing jobs.
   But North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven says the president's actions haven't been matching his words.
   Hoeven says the president has blocked construction of a Canadian oil pipeline to the United States that would lessen the nation's need to import oil from overseas.
   The Republican senator says Obama's administration hasn't focused on shaping tax and regulatory policies that would encourage job creation and private investment.
   Hoeven says the president's approach ``has been to implement even more regulation.''
   He says he'll focus in the future on promoting what he says are pro-growth policies that can reduce the federal budget deficit and unemployment.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad says President Barack Obama's emphasis on cooperation to resolve the nation's problems was a good reminder to Congress of ``the need to work together.''
   Conrad says the president's State of the Union speech Tuesday also included a useful appeal to increase energy production.
   Obama has been criticized for blocking construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. It would take Canadian oil to Gulf Coast refineries.
   Conrad says he believes the pipeline will be built. He says it was blocked because Congress gave the president an unreasonable deadline for approving it.
   He says he would have liked Obama to spend more time talking about the need to control the nation's debt and budget deficits.
   Conrad is a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ An audit says North Dakota's Mill and Elevator might lose at least $60,000 because of the collapse of the MF Global commodities broker.
   The state-owned flour mill was a client of MF Global. The company went bankrupt last October. Investigators say MF Global used clients' money for its own operations, and more than $1.2 billion went missing.
   State mill manager Vance Taylor says the mill used MF Global and another broker to buy futures contracts on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. This was done to lock in prices for wheat the mill bought to grind into flour.
   The mill had $408,000 in its MF Global account when the company went bust. Taylor says $292,000 has been recovered. The audit estimates the mill will get another $55,000, but that's not assured.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A Bank of North Dakota flood rebuilding loan program has been extended to cover mobile homes.
   The Legislature set aside $50 million for the program. It's intended to aid the rebuilding efforts of North Dakotans whose homes were damaged by flooding last year.
   Bank senior vice president Bob Humann says $5 million in loans is now available for mobile homes. He says it's a way to help people get housing quickly.
   Flooded mobile homes have to be replaced. The loan money can be used to put a down payment on a new mobile home or buy one outright.
   Loans of up to $30,000 are available at 1 percent interest over 20 years. More than 500 loans have been approved so far, totaling $15.3 million.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Two 23-year-old men could face time in federal prison after pleading guilty in a Belcourt home burglary.
   Frank Patnaude of Belcourt and Brandin Decoteau of Bismarck both have pleaded guilty to burglary, and Decoteau also has pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm.
   U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon says that in April 2010, Patnaude provided his vehicle to Decoteau, who drove to the Belcourt home, kicked in a door to gain access and stole a rifle.
   Patnaude faces up to five years in prison when he's sentenced April 16. Decoteau faces up to 15 years at his sentencing Feb. 27.

    
   COOPERSTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ The judge in the murder trial of a Cooperstown man accused of killing a North Dakota State University researcher has denied a request to throw out evidence obtained through search warrants.
   Daniel Wacht is charged with murder in the death of Cooperstown-based NDSU researcher Kurt Johnson. Wacht pleaded not guilty and a trial is scheduled to start April 16.
   His attorney, Steven Mottinger, argued that there wasn't enough evidence tying Wacht to the crime to support the search warrants.
   Court documents say that during the last of the three searches, authorities found Johnson's severed head in Wacht's basement with what appeared to be a bullet hole in the forehead. His body has not been found.
   

    
   DULUTH, Minn. (AP) _ A 19-year-old North Dakota man faces felony charges after a Minnesota crash that killed a woman and critically injured the grandson she was driving to school.
   Hawk Patrick Edwards of Williston, N.D., was charged Monday with criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation.
   The complaint alleges that Edwards' pickup crossed the center line and collided head-on with a car driven by 65-year-old Paula Bergren of Duluth, Minn., last Thursday.
   Bergren was killed. Her 13-year-old grandson, Edward Everett Bergren, was critically injured.
   The suspect's first statement to police was: ``I just killed those people.''
   A preliminary breath test found Edwards had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent. Minnesota's legal limit is 0.08 percent.
   Edwards remained in jail Tuesday, with bail set at $150,000.

    
   JAMESTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's congressional delegation says the federal Transportation Department has chosen Great Lakes Aviation to provide long-term service to Jamestown under the Essential Air Service subsidy program.
   Sens. Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Rep. Rick Berg say Great Lakes will offer 18 round-trip flights per week between Jamestown and Minneapolis. Service with 19-seat planes is expected to start in mid-March.
   Great Lakes will fill a void created by Delta's decision last year to halt service to Jamestown and Devils Lake, along with other smaller cities. Great Lakes also has begun service between Devils Lake and Minneapolis.

   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ A Canadian man charged in one of the largest credit card fraud schemes in U.S. history faces nearly 22 years in prison.
   Adekunle Adetiloye (aw-duh-KUHN'-lee aw-duh-tuh-LOH'-ee) is scheduled to be sentenced Monday morning in Fargo. He pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud.
   The case wound up in North Dakota after U.S. Bank's customer service center in Fargo intercepted calls by Adetiloye and others. Authorities believe Adetiloye masterminded a scheme to open nearly 600 fraudulent bank accounts and bilk major banks out of $1.5 million dollars.
   Defense attorneys argued during the sentencing phase that their client was a ``marginal and minimal participant'' whose role was to handle mail and withdraw money from ATMs. The government and the judge have said otherwise.
   No one else is charged in the case.

   JAMESTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ A state Commerce Department group that helps developers of North Dakota farm products will consider funding six projects this quarter.
   The grant requests to the Agricultural Products Utilization Commission total about $181,000. The commission meets Feb. 16 in Jamestown to discuss them.
   The largest request is $54,350 for agribusiness development in the Grand Forks region.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Tax Commissioner Cory Fong says tax tips can now be found on YouTube.  Fong says the videos offer how-to tips and other messages about filing state income taxes. Fong says the videos are about a minute long and will be run through April 15.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The Small Business Association says small, nonfarm businesses in 22 North Dakota counties and neighboring counties in Montana and South Dakota are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans.
   The SBA's Alfred Judd says the loans offset economic losses in 2011 because of reduced revenues caused by the combined effects of spring snowstorms, frosts and freezes in late spring and early fall, flooding and other weather-related issues.
   Primary North Dakota counties include Adams, Bowman, Burleigh, Logan, Morton, Slope and Stark. The neighboring North Dakota counties that are eligible are: Billings, Dunn, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Kidder, La Moure, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Oliver, Sheridan, Sioux and Stutsman.
   Also eligible are Corson, Harding and Perkins counties in South Dakota and Fallon County in Montana.
   

    
   MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Freezing drizzle and rain is making roads slick across portions of the Upper Midwest.
   The precipitation is expected to change over into snow that could continue Monday.
   The National Weather Service has updated its winter weather advisories to cover most of Minnesota and South Dakota, nearly all of Wisconsin and large parts of North Dakota and Iowa.
   In southeastern Minnesota, Rochester police responded to more than 70 crashes. In northwestern Minnesota, four people were injured in a crash on Interstate 94 while a woman was injured when a car slid into a parked fire truck. But nobody was hurt when an SUV slid into a snowplow on U.S. Highway 2.
   Authorities closed Interstate 43 in both directions near Green Bay, Wisconsin for over two hours due to multiple crashes.
   

    
   WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ A teacher who was ousted as adviser for the West Fargo High School student newspaper says he's happy to have the job back.
   Jeremy Murphy was removed in June 2009 after he argued with administrators over stories and columns in the school newspaper.
   His students and fellow teachers unsuccessfully tried to push the West Fargo school board to reverse the decision.
   Now there's a new principal and a new school superintendent. Murphy says he wanted to be the student paper's adviser again, and new principal Cory Steiner agreed.
   Steiner said that everyone learned from the dispute.
   Murphy's a former newspaper reporter. He has taught at West Fargo for six years. He teaches journalism and English and is the faculty adviser for the student paper and yearbook.
   

    
   DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) _ Devils Lake Fire Chief Jim Moe says safe ice shouldn't be a problem for his department's annual late-January ice fishing tournament.
   Moe says the recent cold weather has helped conditions after the warm early winter. He tells the Devils Lake Journal that there's more than a foot of ice on the lake's Six Mile Bay and there's no reason to cancel.
   The department's 28th annual tournament is Saturday. The event typically draws thousands of anglers from area states and Canada.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A Minnesota man convicted in North Dakota for impersonating a lawyer has filed an appeal in federal court.
   A Bismarck jury found Howard Kieffer guilty in 2010 on charges of mail fraud and false statements. Authorities said he lied on his application to practice law in federal court and worked on federal cases in at least 10 states.
   Kieffer was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and ordered to repay $152,750 to clients.
   The Duluth, Minnesota man claims in an appeal filed last week that his lawyers did a poor job of representing him. He's asking for a new trial or sentencing hearing.
   A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by Kieffer last year.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Officials say a water tower on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation has been shot full of holes.
   The federal Bureau of Reclamation says the 750,000-gallon water tower near Parshall was shot early this month.
   The agency says a reward is being offered for tips.

    
   RICHARDTON, N.D. (AP) _ More than a year after a fire destroyed two buildings in downtown Richardton, the charred structures are still sitting there.
   The buildings' owner was supposed to have torn down the former Elkhorn Bar and Hardware Hank buildings six months ago.
   Richardton City Commission President Frank Kirschenheiter (KUR'-shen-hy-tur) says the city can't afford to hire the job done.
   Kirschenheiter says the demolition would cost up to $100,000.
   He says the owner of the buildings, Jim Schmidt, promised to have the buildings razed by June 24th, but it wasn't done. Schmidt couldn't be reached for comment.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Officials say a water tower on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation has been shot full of holes.
   The federal Bureau of Reclamation says the 750,000-gallon water tower near Parshall was shot early this month.
   The agency says a reward is being offered for tips.

   DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) _ The Transportation Department says the roads are slick in southwestern and south-central North Dakota, and drivers should be careful when traveling Sunday morning.
   Freezing rain and snow fell Saturday night and Sunday, and left roads coated with ice. The affected areas include Bismarck, Dickinson, Bowman, Hettinger, Kenmare and Beulah.
   The Stark County sheriff and Dickinson police are advising residents to stay off the streets Sunday morning unless it's an emergency. The Dickinson Press newspaper said it wouldn't be delivering papers outside of town Sunday.

   DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) _ Devils Lake Fire Chief Jim Moe says safe ice shouldn't be a problem for his department's annual late-January ice fishing tournament.
   Moe says the recent cold weather has helped conditions after the warm early winter. He said that there's more than a foot of ice on the lake's Six Mile Bay and there's no reason to cancel.
   The department's 28th annual tournament is Saturday. The event typically draws thousands of anglers from area states and Canada.

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The Small Business Association says small, nonfarm businesses in 22 North Dakota counties and neighboring counties in Montana and South Dakota are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans.
   The SBA's Alfred Judd says the loans offset economic losses in 2011 because of reduced revenues caused by the combined effects of spring snowstorms, frosts and freezes in late spring and early fall, flooding and other weather-related issues.
   Primary North Dakota counties include Adams, Bowman, Burleigh, Logan, Morton, Slope and Stark. The neighboring North Dakota counties that are eligible are: Billings, Dunn, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Kidder, La Moure, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Oliver, Sheridan, Sioux and Stutsman.
   Also eligible are Corson, Harding and Perkins counties in South Dakota and Fallon County in Montana.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's congressional delegation says nearly $10 million in federal highway funding has been awarded to repair roadways damaged by flooding last year.
   The delegation says the Spirit Lake Nation will receive $6.8 million in emergency funding to help repair and raise flooded roads. Theodore Roosevelt National Park also will receive more than $3 million.
   The money is part of a record $316 million the state will get in federal emergency transportation funding. The amount is separate from the regular federal funding the state gets for highways.
   Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven and Congressman Rick Berg say the $316 million for North Dakota makes up about one-fourth of all federal emergency highway funding being distributed nationwide.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A Grand Forks food distributor says the company is getting a raw deal from the federal government.
   Lakeland Fine Foods has filed a complaint in federal court against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a dispute over a food stamp program.
   Lakeland says the USDA has wrongly accused the company of improperly using benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
   The complaint says the USDA has refused to provide more information on the charges or talk with Lakeland representatives.
   Lakeland Fine Foods specializes in ice cream novelties and desserts. It sells to customers in the Dakotas.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Authorities say a woman held on drug charges at the Burleigh County jail has died.
   Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert said that 22-year-old Melissa Jans died in her jail cell on January 14th, a day after she was arrested on drug charges.
   Heinert says results from a preliminary autopsy showed that Jans' death was drug-related.
   Heinert says Jans had been been examined at a Bismarck hospital for detoxification and released prior to being jailed.

   
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota prison officials say a 29-year-inmate has died of natural causes
   Authorities said that Michael Foyt of Hettinger died Monday night at a Bismarck hospital.
   Prison spokesman Dave Krabbenhoft says penitentiary staff responded to a medical emergency for Foyt earlier that day.
   Krabbenhoft says he could not comment on Foyt's medical history.
   Foyt had been locked up since October and was serving a 42-month sentence for probation revocation for attempted gross sexual imposition.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The U.S. attorney from North Dakota has been appointed to help lead a Department of Justice group that aims to improve public safety on American Indian reservations.
   Timothy Purdon has been name vice-chair of the Native American Issues Subcommittee. The group is made up of 30 U.S. attorneys and is responsible for making policy recommendations to the U.S. Attorney General.
   U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson of South Dakota heads the subcommittee.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota Republican candidates for the U.S. House say they like the idea of a single flat tax rate and fewer deductions.
   The candidates debated in Bismarck Friday. The event was sponsored by conservative groups.
   The existing federal income tax code has a number of tax rates based on a person's income and an assortment of tax deductions.
   West Fargo Representative Kim Koppelman says the existing code is antiquated and needs to be overhauled.
   Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer says a flat tax could help shake the nation out of its economic slump.
   Cramer says he would favor keeping a tax deduction for charitable contributions.
   

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Job creation will be a big issue in this fall's elections, and the North Dakota Republican candidates for the U.S. House agree that government shouldn't be doing it.
   They say government doesn't create jobs itself, but it can help encourage growth with good tax and regulatory policy.
   Five Republican candidates and one Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House debated in Bismarck Friday. The debate was sponsored by conservative groups.
   Republican House candidate Bette Grande (BET'-ee GRAN'-dee) says the government should establish a business-friendly environment.
   GOP candidate Shane Goettle (GET'-uhl) says new federal mandates on business are holding back job creation.

    
   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ The longtime president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau says he'll retire in July.
   Cole Carley has led the organization for 21 years. During that time the number of hotel rooms in the metro area has nearly doubled. Airport boardings also have doubled.
   Over the two decades, the CVB's budget has nearly tripled, to $1.3 million. The budget comes entirely from lodging taxes.

   GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) _ One of the suspects in the alleged kidnapping of a Montana teacher now presumed dead received court permission to leave Colorado just two days before the woman disappeared.
   22-year-old Michael Spell of Parachute, got approval from a Garfield County judge on January 5th to go to Texas, saying his brother had been in a car accident there.
   Forty-three-year-old Sherry Arnold disappeared two days later in Sidney, Montana.
   Spell is awaiting arraignment in Garfield County on charges he tried to persuade a middle school student to text fellow students and ask them if they wanted to buy marijuana.
   He was arrested January 13th in Rapid City, South Dakota, and is being held on aggravated kidnapping charges in Williston along with 47-year-old Lester Vann Waters.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's congressional delegation says Minot and other communities in the state impacted by last year's flooding will receive $80 million in Community Development Block Grant disaster funding.
   Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad and Congressman Rick Berg say that North Dakota's chunk represents about 20 percent of the total funding available for disaster-affected states.
   U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan outlined the state's allotment during a conference call with the delegation on Thursday.
   Minot and Ward County will receive almost $77 million of the North Dakota allotment, with $67.5 million going directly to Minot and nearly $9.5 million of the balance going to the Ward County area.
   The new funds combined with FEMA grants are expected to provide over $150 million for housing and permanent flood protection.

    
   MINOT, N.D. (AP) _ The Minot City Council has approved a plan that could result in the acquisition of more than 270 properties for future flood protection measures.
   The voluntary program calls for negotiations to begin with willing landowners, with a goal of acquiring at least 272 homes. City Finance Director Cindy Hemphill is suggesting a citywide special assessment to pay the city's share of the cost, which could be as much as $10.7 million. State funds also will be used.
   The total cost of acquiring the first 224 homes is $42.6 million. Officials hope to buy out another 48 homes through a separate federal program.
   Souris River flooding last spring damaged more than 4,000 homes and businesses in Minot. Officials are now working on plans to prevent that from happening again.

   RIVERDALE, N.D. (AP) _ Lake Sakakawea (suh-kah-kuh-WEE'-uh) has officially frozen over, at a record-late date.
   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota was declared frozen on Wednesday. The freeze-over date of January 18th is the latest in history. The previous record was January 16th, set in 2000.
   An unseasonably warm early winter led to the new record.

   DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) _ Federal, state and local officials are working on a plan to encircle Dickinson with a two-lane bypass.
   The goal is to get thousands of oil field vehicles out of the heart of the city and out to the perimeter on a fast-moving paved system. Consultant Rick Stoppelmoor says a bypass eventually could carry as many as 10,000 vehicles a day.
   State Transportation engineer Mike Johnson says officials hope to get a project going next year, after funding is found. He says similar projects are on the drawing board to help with traffic around Williston and New Town. A final version of the Dickinson plan could be released in the fall.
   More information can be found at http://www.dickinsonbypass.com

   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Minot State University's president says falling enrollment at the college may create a $4 million budget shortfall.
   David Fuller says student housing problems have made it more difficult to recruit students to campus.
   The flooding Souris River destroyed a great deal of low-income housing in Minot last summer.
   Last fall's enrollment fell 5.4 percent, and Fuller says the spring student numbers are also down.
   Fuller told the Board of Higher Education that Minot State also has had increased expenses because of the flood.
   North Dakota university system chancellor William Goetz says information is still needed about the scope of the shortfall.
   Goetz says a loan from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota may be needed until the Legislature meets again in 2013.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ The chairwoman of the North Dakota House's Education Committee says she's been hit with a $300,000 lien for unpaid income taxes.
   Mandan Republican Representative RaeAnn Kelsch says she's working to resolve the problem.
   Kelsch says the family didn't file federal or state tax returns from 2004 through 2009. She says her husband, Thomas D. Kelsch, handled the family finances. She says she wasn't aware the returns hadn't been filed.
   RaeAnn Kelsch says her husband has undergone treatment for cancer and depression.
   North Dakota Tax Department liens filed this month say RaeAnn Kelsch and her husband owe $303,816 in state income taxes, interest and penalties from 2004 through 2010.
   RaeAnn Kelsch previously announced she would run for re-election this year. She wouldn't comment Thursday on whether she still intends to run.

    
   SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Officials from Sanford Health say a fleet of three new helicopters will increase patient care and safety.
   Starting next month, patients will be taking off in a new EC145 helicopter.
   One will be used in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area, and the other two in the Fargo area.
   Sanford director of intensive air Mike Christianson says that instead of opening from the side, the new helicopter has a rear entrance. The stretcher also rolls out, rather than having to transfer patients to another bed.
   Christianson says that makes it easier to load in and out, and more comfortable for the patients.
   Pilots are already training.
   The new helicopters also have autopilot, which officials say is like having a second pilot in the aircraft.

        
   FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ A loss in federal funding has forced North Dakota State University to lay off 14 employees of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
   Vice president Phil Boudjouk tells The Forum that those affected are being notified Thursday that their jobs are being eliminated.
   Boudjouk says the departure dates for the employees varies from two weeks to three months, depending on their jobs and transition of projects.
   More than 40 researchers will continue working for the center.
   He says the staff reduction was necessary due to a loss of congressional earmark funding for research.
   NDSU has been awarded about $20 million to $30 million in annual earmarks in recent years. The center is working to replace those federal dollars with private funding.

        
   COOPERSTOWN, N.D. (AP) _ The lawyer for a Cooperstown man accused of killing a North Dakota State University researcher is arguing that evidence obtained through search warrants shouldn't be allowed at trial.
   Daniel Wacht is charged with murder in the death of Cooperstown-based NDSU researcher Kurt Johnson. Wacht pleaded not guilty and a trial is scheduled to start April 16th.
   His attorney, Steven Mottinger, says that because evidence seized during the search of a van led to two warranted searches of Wacht's home, all three should be thrown out.
   Court documents say that during the last of the three searches, authorities found Johnson's severed head in Wacht's basement with what appeared to be a bullet hole in the forehead.
   District Court Judge Thomas Merrick took the matter under advisement.

   WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) _ Williston Mayor Ward Koeser says an industrial park being built four miles north of the city will be a major truck hub in the western North Dakota oil patch.
   The project being put together by Wyoming-based Granite Peak Development will have a truck stop, a truck wash, a water truck depot and parking space for 400 trucks.
   The 650-acre Bakken Industrial Park off U.S. Highway 85 also will have electricity, wireless Internet and cable TV. City water and sewer service already has been installed. Officials say the park will include space for commercial, industrial and work force housing development.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ A proposed power line in western North Dakota will help export some of the region's wind energy to Minnesota.
   Allete (ah-LEET') Inc. wants to construct the line along the border between Oliver and Morton counties. It will stretch for about 11 miles and cost $10 million to build.
   North Dakota's Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing to take public comment about the proposal. It's being held at 10 a.m. March 5th at the Oliver County Courthouse in Center, North Dakota.
   Commissioners say the line will help transport energy from western North Dakota's new wind power projects to Minnesota customers.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ Governors and members of congressional delegations in the Dakotas are blasting President Barack Obama's rejection of an application for an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.
   Obama said Wednesday an arbitrary deadline set by Republican lawmakers gave his administration too little time for a full review of the $7 billion Keystone XL project.
   Democratic Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota says he believes the pipeline should be built and that it's in the national interest.
   Republican South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard (DOO'-gahrd) says the pipeline would create thousands of jobs and help strengthen the nation's economy and energy security.
   Republican North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple (DAHL'-rimp-ul) says oil companies in the state need the pipeline to help move the crude production out of North Dakota.

    
   BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota's Supreme Court has censured a state district judge in Minot for being tardy in handling his cases.
   The court's order on Wednesday says Judge Richard Hagar also has to pay $500 in investigation costs.
   Records show Hagar agreed to the penalty. He didn't respond right away to requests for comment.
   Hagar has been a judge since January 2007. The Supreme Court's ruling says Hagar had at least 10 cases that he took too long to decide. At one point the supervising judge quit assigning Hagar new cases to let him get caught up.
   In one case, Hagar presided over a trial and didn't issue a ruling for almost two years.
   The censure is a black mark against Hagar's record, but he's not suspended from his judgeship.