Latest news with #Gjovig
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Department of Air Force, Olive Ann Hotel, GrandSky among latest to cut ties with Bruce Gjovig
Apr. 30—GRAND FORKS — Entities ranging from local businesses to the Department of the Air Force have cut ties with Bruce Gjovig since a Friday report documenting the entrepreneur's email exchanges with convicted former state Sen. Ray Holmberg. A Department of the Air Force spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that Gjovig is no longer an Air and Space Force Civic Leader. Civic Leaders are community members selected by the Air Force Chief of Staff who serve as unpaid advisers and liaisons between the Air Force and communities with a significant military presence. Gjovig, who was appointed to the role in 2016 and most recently held emeritus status with the program, is no longer affiliated with the Civic Leader program as of Monday, the spokesperson said. Gjovig was honored with the department's Distinguished Public Service Award last year. Grand Forks' convention center, its principal health care provider, the nearby aviation park and the operators of the Olive Ann Hotel are also among the entities that have ended their association with Gjovig in the past few days. Gjovig told Mayor Brandon Bochenski he is stepping down from the city's Base Retention and Investment Committee, the mayor shared with the Herald on Wednesday. On Friday, a report from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead detailed email exchanges between Gjovig and Holmberg in 2009 and 2011 where Holmberg boasted of his sexual exploits and at one point stated "no one is ever (too) young," a phrase referenced by prosecutors during the senator's sentencing hearing. Holmberg, who represented Grand Forks as a Republican in the North Dakota Senate from 1977 until his resignation in 2022, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for traveling to Prague multiple times between 2011 and 2016 with plans to sexually abuse children. GrandSky Engagement Director Scott Meyer said Tuesday the aviation park is cutting ties with Gjovig in light of The Forum's report. Gjovig was closely associated with efforts to develop the city's unmanned aerial systems industry and served as an unpaid "strategic adviser" for the aviation park. "The abuse of children is appalling, which makes the recent release of Bruce Gjovig's correspondence so disheartening," Meyer said. "We believe it's best to end any relationship with him in light of these revelations." Gjovig has said through his attorney, Cash Aaland, that he was unaware of the "criminal nature" of Holmberg's sexual activity and was "appalled" to learn of the former state senator's conduct. "As a gay man and a Republican, Mr. Gjovig has been an easy mark for political and media attacks," read a Sunday statement from Aaland. "Holmberg created the biggest political scandal in recent North Dakota history. Mr. Gjovig condemns Holmberg's conduct. However, there are always those who, with rumor and innuendo, attempt to exploit scandals for sensational and political reasons." Since the publication of the Forum story, several Grand Forks businesses that displayed artwork from Gjovig's personal collection have taken down the art or removed public references to their display. Landon Bahl, vice president of 322 Hospitality Group, said that Gjovig's artwork is no longer being displayed at the Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea in the Olive Ann Hotel as of Saturday. "Due to recent news, we decided to make that decision," Bahl said. Sweetwaters previously displayed four pieces of original artwork used in Cream of Wheat advertisements between 1913 and 1924. Wheat millers first manufactured the porridge mix in Grand Forks in the late 1800s. 322 Hospitality Group owns and operates the downtown hotel. Altru Health System spokesperson Ken Hanson wrote in a text message to the Herald that the health care provider had begun the process of returning Gjovig's art "in light of recent, very concerning developments." Art from Gjovig's collection had previously been displayed at the Altru Professional Center at 4440 S Washington St. "Altru is committed to fostering a space of healing and respect for all," Hanson wrote. The Alerus Center, the city-owned event and convention facility, has taken down its webpage promoting the Bruce Gjovig Collection, a gallery of Gjovig's private collection and a rotating gallery of works from local artists displayed at the Alerus Center's conference center. General Manager Anna Rosberg wrote in an email to the Herald that the Alerus Center had an agreement with the Public Arts Commission to display the art and did not have a formal relationship with Gjovig. She said the gallery had previously been scheduled for removal this week in advance of a remodel of the conference center and "the future of the public art gallery will be assessed post-renovation." The Public Arts Commission wrote in a Tuesday evening email to the Herald that Gjovig's art had been removed from the Alerus Center as of that day. It said Gjovig had not served on the commission's board for several years and had not provided financial support since then, "nor has any association with the Public Arts Commission." The commission released a public statement late Wednesday afternoon saying it is working to remove art from Gjovig's collection from its permanent galleries. University of North Dakota President Andy Armacost told UND community members in a Tuesday email that he was "sickened" by Holmberg's actions and "the inaction of those who had direct information about his misdeeds." "Information shared in these recent reports mentions several former UND employees connected to Holmberg," Armacost said. "While they have not been accused of criminal action, we will ensure that they have no connection to our university community." Gjovig founded UND's Center for Innovation in 1984 and served as its CEO until stepping down in 2017. Dakota Venture Group, UND's student-run venture capital fund affiliated with the Center for Innovation, has scrubbed references to Gjovig from its website. Gjovig co-founded the venture capital fund in 2006 with investor Bart Holaday and served until recently on the fund's advisory board. Jim Poolman, a Fargo businessman and former Republican lawmaker, resigned his position as board chair of the UND Alumni Association and Foundation on Tuesday after acknowledging federal agents interviewed him about Holmberg in September 2023. Poolman, who has not been charged with a crime, said he has heard nothing from investigators since that interview. He said he resigned because he doesn't want to be a distraction. On Saturday morning, Grand Forks Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel ended the newspaper's relationship with Gjovig, who for years had served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's Herald Business Advisory Committee. The group meets quarterly to discuss business news and trends in the community and region. Gjovig resigned from the committee on Monday.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Higher ed leaders to conduct review after revelations in Holmberg sex case
Students walk through the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks on March 1, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) The North Dakota University System says it is reviewing records for violations of policy or law related to sex crimes committed by former state lawmaker Ray Holmberg. State Board of Higher Education Chair Tim Mihalick read a statement at the start of Wednesday's board meeting that said members learned at the same time as the public 'that individuals previously affiliated with our institutions or board, may have had a connection to the criminal investigation of former Sen. Holmberg.' A review began immediately, he said. The board also has urged anyone with information about a university system employee or board member who failed to report misconduct to file a report to the institution's Title IX office or the university system's Office of Compliance and Ethics. Holmberg represented Grand Forks, home to the University of North Dakota, in the Legislature for 45 years before resigning his seat as an investigation was underway. Holmberg, 81, was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison for traveling to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with underage boys. Holmberg served on the Legislature's interim Higher Education Committee for several years, including as past chair. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Holmberg held a key position to make funding decisions that affect state universities. He also served on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. A former University of North Dakota graduate student who became a cooperating witness in the case against Holmberg spoke at the sentencing hearing about Holmberg's abuse of power. UND President Andrew Armacost on Tuesday sent a letter to the UND community addressing recent media reports about Holmberg and investigative documents released Friday. 'What I read sickened me, both in the criminal actions of Holmberg and in the inaction of those who had direct information about his misdeeds,' Armacost wrote. Armacost acknowledged the documents mention several former UND employees connected to Holmberg. 'While they have not been accused of criminal action, we will ensure that they have no connection to our university community,' Armacost wrote. 'Furthermore, we have shared our concerns with external organizations that interface with UND to make certain these people no longer represent these organizations.' Investigation documents released Friday showed Holmberg sent emails about his visits to Prague in the Czech Republic to Bruce Gjovig, CEO of the University of North Dakota's Center of Innovation in Grand Forks. 'What think of my twink?' Holmberg asked Gjovig in one 2011 email, using a slang term that refers to young, slim men. 'Too young for me, but thanks,' Gjovig replied. 'No one is ever to young… remember Prague,' Holmberg wrote back. Gjovig's lawyer, Cash Aaland, said in a statement that Gjovig was not aware of Holmberg's crimes and believed his comments to be exaggerated 'locker room talk.' Gjovig retired from UND in 2017 and no longer has an official role with the university, said university spokesperson David Dodds. Holmberg in 2016 emailed a former state senator, Nick Hacker, about a sexual encounter he had with someone in Taiwan. At the time the email was sent, Hacker was a member of the State Board of Higher Education. Hacker said the email was unsolicited and that he did not reply. Hacker said he provided the message to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation in 2022. Jim Poolman, a former legislator from Grand Forks and state insurance commissioner, this week issued a public statement after social media posts linked him to Holmberg. 'Holmberg's behavior is indefensible, awful, and beyond comprehension. I never received any communications, electronic or otherwise, that would indicate that he was conducting himself in such a manner. He did not talk about his horrible crimes to me,' Poolman wrote. Poolman said that about 19 months ago, he was interviewed by Homeland Security about Holmberg. He said he fully cooperated with investigators and answered all their questions. 'Since then, I have heard nothing from federal law enforcement because I was not involved, knew nothing of his heinous activities and have done nothing illegal,' Poolman wrote. North Dakota Dems push for new mandatory reporting laws in response to Holmberg emails Poolman announced Tuesday that he was resigning as chair of the UND Alumni Association and Foundation board of directors and from the Forever UND fundraising campaign committee. His written statement said the resignation 'is in the best interest' of UND. 'There are so many great things going on at UND and the last thing there needs to be is a distraction. I do not want to be that distraction,' Poolman wrote. On Wednesday, Poolman declined to comment beyond his statements. Armacost started as president at UND in June 2020, about two years before Holmberg resigned from office. Armacost in his letter to campus also provided a list of resources to those who have been impacted by Holmberg or have experienced trauma unrelated to this case 'If you witness such behaviors, please report them, and we will respond quickly to any allegations of abuse or mistreatment,' Armacost wrote. When asked earlier this week if UND planned to investigate whether employees knew about criminal activity, a UND spokesperson said, 'If a report is filed with the university, it would be investigated.' In his message to campus, Armacost said, 'The university will take action based upon facts from authoritative sources.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota Dems push for new mandatory reporting laws in response to Holmberg emails
Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, center, speaks during a press conference hosted by Democratic state lawmakers urging the statehouse to pass legislation to require legislators and higher ed officials to report child sexual abuse. Pictured from left are Rep. Zac Ista, Sen. Ryan Braunberger, Sen. Josh Boschee and Rep. Gretchen Dobervich. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A committee of lawmakers on Monday rejected a last-minute bill to make legislators and higher education officials mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse in light of new documents that show a University of North Dakota official may have known about sex crimes committed by former Sen. Ray Holmberg. Holmberg, who served in the statehouse for more than four decades, was sentenced to 10 years in prison late last month after he pleaded guilty to traveling abroad with the intent to have sex with adolescent boys. The records, which were released by the Attorney General's Office on Friday and number over 90 pages, show Holmberg emailed UND entrepreneur Bruce Gjovig in February 2011 about the former senator's preference for young men and boys. Gjovig founded the school's Center for Innovation, retiring in 2017. Gjovig also held other prominent roles in the community and the Republican Party. Call logs show Holmberg, former AG communicated amid federal sex crime investigation 'What think of my twink?' Holmberg asked Gjovig in the email, using a slang term that refers to young, slim men. Gjovig emailed back, 'too young for me, but thanks.' 'No one is ever to young… remember Prague,' Holmberg replied. Gjovig's attorney, Cash Aaland, said in a statement that Gjovig believed the comments were exaggerated, 'bawdry, locker room' talk. 'Although Mr. Gjovig knew Mr. Holmberg in a professional and personal capacity, Mr. Gjovig was unaware of the criminal nature of Mr. Holmberg's sexual conduct,' Aaland said in the statement. 'Mr. Gjovig condemns Holmberg's activities in the strongest terms possible.' Aaland said that Gjovig fully cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation into Holmberg, and that Gjovig is being painted as an accomplice without evidence. 'As a gay man and a Republican, Mr. Gjovig has been an easy mark for political and media attacks,' Aaland stated. The records also show that Holmberg emailed former state Sen. Nick Hacker in August 2016 about a sexual encounter Holmberg had with someone in Taiwan. Hacker was a State Board of Higher Education member at the time. Holmberg did not say in the email that the person in question was underage, or that it was commercial sex. Hacker, who served in the Senate from 2005 to 2008, said that the email was unsolicited and that he did not reply. 'I don't even recall getting that email,' he said. Hacker said he met with the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation in 2022 and cooperated with the agency's investigation of Holmberg, including giving investigators full access to his messages. 'Until I met with BCI in 2022, I was unaware that Mr. Holmberg was a predator of underage children,' Hacker said in a statement to the North Dakota Monitor. 'Individuals like him should be fully prosecuted under the law.' Others employed by the University of North Dakota also received emails from Holmberg, records show. Sen. Tim Mathern and other North Dakota Democratic lawmakers in a Monday morning press conference urged the Legislature to greenlight a delayed bill to make lawmakers and higher education employees mandatory reporters of child sex abuse. 'In the future, if this comes to your attention and mine, we will know that it's our responsibility. I think each one of us needs guardrails to help us make good decisions,' Mathern told other senators in a Senate Delayed Bills Committee hearing that afternoon. The committee voted 4-1 not to forward the proposal, arguing a mandatory reporting requirement is not necessary and that it is too late in the session to accept the bill. Mathern was the only no vote. North Dakota Senate kills mandated reporter bill spurred by Holmberg case Mathern's peers on the Senate Delayed Bills Committee said they did not feel the bill would make a difference because they did not know of Holmberg's crimes until he was charged. 'If we would have known something, we would have said something,' said Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden. Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, and Sen. Scott Meyer, R-Grand Forks, suggested taking up the proposal next legislative session. 'Who knew or didn't know, even in the last 90-page report, is just hearsay,' Myrdal said. The other member of the committee was Sen. Cole Conley, R-Jamestown. The communications in the report were found on electronic devices seized by law enforcement belonging to Ray Holmberg and another subject, Nicholas Morgan-Derosier. Morgan-Derosier was an associate of Holmberg's who was sentenced in May to 40 years in prison on child pornography charges. Members of the committee also said that the higher education system may already have mandatory requirements in place. A spokesperson for the North Dakota University System said there is no blanket requirement for employees to report sexual abuse, though certain kinds of officeholders and staff have their own reporting mandates. For example, members of the higher education board and employees must report any suspected violations of laws or institutional policies to a designee within the University System. Statehouse Democrats said during the press conference it is unacceptable that some officials knew or may have known about Holmberg's conduct years before he was charged with a crime. They said that North Dakota law does not do enough to prevent officials from engaging in, or covering up, crimes against children. 'It's obvious that just trusting these people to do the right thing is not good enough,' Mathern said. 'We owe it to Holmberg's victims to do something about it.' The Senate previously defeated a resolution sponsored by Rep. Nico Rios, R-Williston, and the North Dakota Young Republicans that would have called on the 2027 Legislature to make lawmakers mandatory reporters. It's not yet clear whether the University of North Dakota has investigated or plans to investigate Holmberg. 'If a report is filed with the university, it would be investigated,' David Dodds, a university spokesperson, said in a statement to the Monitor. 'We are aware and deeply troubled by recent media reports regarding previously sealed federal court documents that were unavailable to the University and were used in the criminal conviction of Ray Holmberg,' Dodds said. 'We strongly condemn the actions of anyone who may have enabled Mr. Holmberg's criminal behavior.' The University System is drafting a child safety policy that would apply to minors participating in programs that take place on property regulated by the higher education board or are sponsored by the University System, spokesperson Billie Jo Lorius said in an email to the North Dakota Monitor. She said the policy has yet to be approved. Rep. Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, said during the press conference he hopes the state Legislature isn't the only body that implements reforms in response to the Holmberg case. 'I think this is a time for all individuals and institutions to carefully reflect on where their failures were in this process,' Ista said. Mathern also called on his colleagues to put more money in the North Dakota Ethics Commission's budget for the 2025-2027 fiscal year. He is chair of the conference committee tasked with workshopping final amendments to the budget, Senate Bill 2004. 'This would be a step forward toward justice as we continue to process Holmberg's vile crimes and uncover more information on what has become the most egregious scandal in our state's history,' Mathern said. The Senate initially set aside money for an additional full-time employee for the commission, which would have brought the board's number of staff up to four. The House cut the funding and also added a new 180-day deadline for the commission to process ethics complaints. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Northern Valley Democrats report record turnout as they elect new leaders
Mar. 3—GRAND FORKS — Area Democrats elected new leadership Saturday while reporting record turnout during the biennial meeting. The Northern Valley Democratic-NPL elected new party chairs for three of the five North Dakota districts represented by the group, chair Sarah Grossbauer told the Herald. More than 140 people attended Saturday's meeting, which Grossbauer said was the highest turnout for the meeting she'd seen in her time with the party. Attendance at "reorganization" meetings is usually closer to 80, she said. "People we've never engaged before were getting engaged," Grossbauer said. "It was really powerful to see that people are willing to step up and push back on what's going on in our state and nationally." In North Dakota, Democrats and Republicans are required by state law to hold party caucuses in each legislative district and elect leaders every two years. Democrats in five legislative districts in and around Grand Forks — districts 17, 18, 20, 42 and 43 — hold these reorganization meetings all at once, under the banner of the Northern Valley Democrats. Catherine Benton was elected as the Democratic chair of District 17, while Kyle Thorson was elected chair for District 18 and Mark Patterson was elected to chair District 43. District 20 Chair Phyllis Kadrmas and District 42 Chair Melissa Gjelltad retained their respective seats. Among the Northern Valley districts, Democrats currently hold one seat in the Legislature, the District 43 House seat occupied by Minority Leader Zac Ista. Grand Forks' GOP leadership does not appear to have scheduled reorganization meetings for their district parties yet. Unlike the Democrats, local Republicans hold their district caucuses separately, according to Bruce Gjovig, who chairs District 18 Republicans. Gjovig said his district party had not yet scheduled a meeting and he was unaware of any other GOP district leader scheduling their caucus. A review of public notices in the Herald and on the North Dakota Newspaper Association's public notice database did not turn up notices for caucuses issued by GOP district parties in the last two months. District parties are required by law to provide 10 days' public notice of a planned caucus in a local newspaper. Gjovig said his caucus is looking for a weekend in March or April to hold a reorganization meeting, "where all the legislators can be here" amid the legislative session. Legislative district parties must hold their caucus by May 15, under state law.
