Latest news with #GrandForksHerald
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four newspapers in northwest Minnesota have closed
Four newspapers in northwest Minnesota have closed originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Wednesday was a sad day for news in Minnesota, as four papers in the northwest of the state issued their final editions. The Leader Record, Grygla Eagle, Red Lake County Herald, and McIntosh Times have all gone dark. The papers are run by Richards Publishing, founded in 1972 by Dick and Corrine Richards, who will continue the commercial printing arm of the company. "After months of thoughtful conversation, difficult number-crunching and heartfelt discussions, we've come to a decision that was very difficult to make," Grygla Eagle editor Kari Sundburg wrote to readers and business partners. "Richards Publishing will be closing its four newspapers." Commercial printing makes up 80% of the company's revenue, with a decline in subscriptions and advertising putting the newspapers at just 20%. However, the newspapers, which were issued weekly, account for more than 20% of the costs, Richards told the Grand Forks Herald. Between the four papers, they had roughly 25,000 subscribers, per the Star Tribune. "Like so many small, hometown newspapers across the country, we've faced growing financial challenges over the past several years," Sundburg wrote. "Advertising dollars, which have always been the backbone of keeping a paper alive, have declined significantly in today's digital age. While we explored all possible avenues, including the idea of going fully digital to cut printing and postage costs, the numbers simply couldn't support the path forward." Richards told the Grand Forks Herald that the troubles likely go back to Walmart entering the rural communities, closing down grocery stores and other local businesses. That impact was heightened during the pandemic, when advertising dollars dried up. Afterward, advertisers didn't come back, opting instead to stick with digital ad options. Sign up for our daily BRING ME THE NEWSLETTERS The closures are part of a troubling trend as more and more communities, especially in rural areas, become news deserts. A University of Minnesota study, released in 2024, found that 12% of Minnesota's local news outlets have closed since 2018, "a pace of more than 11 per year." Those closures have largely been print publications and in rural areas, like the four issued by Richards Publishing. According to a project on news deserts from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, these closures leave just one paper in Clearwater County, three in Marshall County, two in Red Lake County, and a handful in Polk County, where these papers were located. "Yes, emotions ran high. Yes, this feels heavy. But it is not a failure," Sundburg wrote. "It's the closing of a remarkable, successful chapter. For over five decades, these papers have been a trusted voice in our communities, covering everything from town festivals and meetings to high school sports, community events, hometown heroes, elections and everything in between." While their closures will limit coverage of local news and politics in the region, Sundburg has announced she is launching a "100% digital news source" called The Northern Neighbor in mid-June. "Thank you for reading," Sundburg's letter concludes. "Thank you for believing in local news. And thank you for allowing us to be part of your stories."This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Grand Forks Herald wins four special awards at North Dakota Newspaper Association event
May 13—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Herald won four of the seven special awards in the North Dakota Newspaper Association's Better Newspapers Contest. The results were announced Friday evening at the NDNA's annual convention, this year held at the Avalon in Fargo. The convention capped an eventful spring for Herald staff members, many of whom were entered in other contests as well. The Herald took first for public notice journalism, First Amendment reporting and community service, as well as the General Excellence Award, determined by judging news, sports and feature coverage, editing, opinion pages, advertising, photography, design and "overall product," according to the contest guidelines. The Herald's "focus on community was evident throughout the pages," wrote the General Excellence judge, representing the West Virginia Newspaper Association. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead won the Sweepstakes Award, given to the newspaper that accumulates the most award points throughout the day, while former Herald intern Maeve Hushman, a UND graduate, won the NDNA's Rookie of the Year Award. She won the award while writing for the Bismarck Tribune. Also, Herald reporter Sav Kelly finished second in a new special category that focused on investigative journalism. Her entry included continued coverage of a shooting death in rural East Grand Forks. The Community Service Award was given to the Herald team of Kelly, Matthew Voigt and Korrie Wenzel for the newspaper's coverage of a deadly traffic crash on Highway 2 west of town, and continued coverage about the safety of that intersection. It also included a number of letters to the editor that the Herald encouraged readers to submit, providing their opinions on what should be done about the intersection. The Public Notice Journalism Award went to the team of Joshua Irvine and Wenzel, while the First Amendment Reporting Award went to the team of Delaney Otto, Kelly and Wenzel. In addition to the NDNA special awards, Herald staff members and teams earned 18 first-place awards and finished with 55 awards overall. The individual awards were handed out during lunch-time ceremonies, while the major awards were announced during a banquet-style event at the end of the day. "Well, this has been quite a day," said Wenzel, the Herald's publisher. "I thought we did very well in the afternoon for the individual awards, but then to see this kind of success at the end of the day — and in the really coveted categories — was very special." Eric Hylden won three first-place awards in photography, while other individual first-place winners included Chuck Haga (serious column), Abby Sharpe (sports feature), Brad Schlossman (sports series), Irvine (spot news) and Wenzel (government reporting). The Herald's advertising department earned 16 awards, including seven first-place finishes and nine seconds. All of the advertising awards were team efforts and thus generally attributed to "staff." Also in recent weeks, the Herald also won sports-related awards in contests sponsored by two other associations. In late April, Hylden won first place nationally in the Associated Press Sports Editors Association Division D for a feature photo he took at Kings Walk Golf Course. Also, Schlossman earned three Top 10 awards, finishing second in both explanatory writing and for his beat coverage of the UND hockey team. He also finished in the Top 10 in column writing. Sharpe placed fifth nationally in two APSE categories, including breaking news coverage and feature reporting. Herald Sports Editor Tom Miller was named the 2024 North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Sportswriter of the Year. Miller received the honor for the third time in the last seven years. And on May 9, Pamela Knudson, a features reporter for the Herald, had seven first-place finishes, eight second-place finishes, a third-place finish and an honorable mention at the North Dakota Professional Communicators spring conference and awards ceremony . Following are the Herald's individual news awards from the NDNA contest, announced Friday in Fargo: General Excellence: First place. Public notice journalism: First place, team of Joshua Irvine and Korrie Wenzel. First Amendment reporting: First place, team of Sav Kelly, Delaney Otto and Korrie Wenzel. Community service: First place, Herald staff. Investigative journalism: Second place, Sav Kelly. News reporting: Sav Kelly, third place; Joshua Irvine, honorable mention. News series: Sav Kelly, second place. Feature reporting: Herald staff, honorable mention. Feature series: Delaney Otto, third place; Herald staff, honorable mention. Government reporting: Korrie Wenzel, first place; Sav Kelly, honorable mention. Government reporting series: Delaney Otto, honorable mention. Spot news: Joshua Irvine, first place; Delaney Otto, honorable mention. Sports section: Grand Forks Herald sports staff, first place. Sports reporting: Brad Schlossman, third place. Sports series: Brad Schlossman, first place; Tom Miller/Abby Sharpe, second place. Sports feature: Abby Sharpe, first place. Sports column: Brad Schlossman, third place. Editorial writing: Korrie Wenzel, third place. Editorial page: Korrie Wenzel, third place. Ag coverage: Sav Kelly, honorable mention. Column, serious: Chuck Haga, first place; Brad Dokken, second place; honorable mention, Korrie Wenzel. Column, humorous: Chuck Haga, second place. Special section: Brad Schlossman, second place. Best headline: Hannah Shirley, third place; Joshua Irvine, honorable mention. Info graphic: Matthew Voigt, third place. Best website: Herald staff, third place. Online coverage: Sav Kelly, third place. Overall design: Herald, first place. News photo: Eric Hylden, third place. Spot news photo: Eric Hylden, third place. Feature photo: Korrie Wenzel, honorable mention. Sports photo: Eric Hylden, second place. Picture story: Eric Hylden, first place. Portrait photo: Eric Hylden, first place. Outdoor recreation photo: Eric Hylden, first place.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Kelly Armstrong: Tech firms' 'ideology will change real quick' for North Dakota energy
Apr. 17—GRAND FORKS — Gov. Kelly Armstrong says North Dakota's energy reserves gives it the power to push back against "liberal ideology" in the major tech firms that want to set up data centers in North Dakota. Tech demand for North Dakota energy means the state can change tech companies' attitudes toward fossil fuels, socially conscious investment and other issues that "started on Slack chats from employees in Silicon Valley," Armstrong told attendees at an event at the University of North Dakota. "We can help reset that narrative, because when they need you to make their next billion dollars in profits, their ideology will change real quick," Armstrong said to the Grand Forks Herald when asked to clarify his comments. Armstrong delivered a wide-ranging address to UND's Memorial Union on Wednesday night before answering questions from students and Grand Forks residents. He expressed concern about the decline of Americans' Fourth Amendment rights — protection from unreasonable searches and seizures — in the digital era and said people need to have more empathy and understanding for those who disagree with them. "I'm going to let you in on a little-held view," he said. "Fifty percent of the country isn't evil, and 50% of the country isn't stupid." Armstrong visited UND at the behest of the university's chapter of Turning Point USA. The group's national arm is well-known for its combative attitude against liberal or left-wing ideas, and advertises itself as empowering Americans to "rise up against the radical left." Asked about the group's politics, Armstrong said he believes in respectful debate and that many of his best friends are liberals. "I think it's OK to fight for your ideology. I think how you do it is important," he said. Armstrong returned to North Dakota's energy industry, particularly its oil and gas sector, throughout the evening, praising it for saving a "dying" western North Dakota. He praised lignite coal as "cheap" and "reliable" and alluded to long-considered plans to sue Minnesota for its law requiring its energy suppliers to be 100% carbon-free by 2040. "Right now, we're suing them," Armstrong said in his remarks. "They're telling us how to produce the energy they need to keep the lights on in Minneapolis. My response? Just say 'thank you, go produce your own.'" Armstrong spokesperson Mike Nowatzki later told the Herald in a text message that North Dakota had not filed a lawsuit against its eastern neighbor, but "have warned (Minnesota) that its carbon-free standard is unlawful." Energy demand posed by artificial intelligence data center projects the state hopes to attract is expected to exceed the state's entire production capacity, the Forum reported last year. Around 55% of North Dakota's energy generation comes from burning coal, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with 36% coming from its next-largest source, wind power. Armstrong has extensive ties to the oil and gas industry, ProPublica and the North Dakota Monitor reported last year, with the governor telling reporters that oil and gas was the source of almost all of his personal income. Attendees repeatedly raised questions of federal policy with the governor throughout the evening. Armstrong pointed out he has little sway over Congress or the executive branch as a state official, but weighed in on several issues. In response to one atmospheric sciences student's concerns about cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, Armstrong said "disruptions have to happen" for the U.S. to address its national debt. Armstrong said the state would fund three rural projects that had a combined $20 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency grants pulled as part of Trump administration cost-cutting. He characterized the projects as another example of government waste, though, saying that a federal agency "that was here to help Grand Forks in '97 after the flood now all of a sudden is handing out grants to build lagoons," referring to a proposed $1.9 million wastewater lagoon in Fessenden. He said North Dakota would "help in any capacity we can" to deport undocumented immigrants, but told another attendee he would support congressional efforts to keep humanitarian parolees from Ukraine in North Dakota from being deported. He said dismantling the U.S. Education Department was "a good thing for North Dakota," saying states would be better served by receiving federal education funding directly. Armstrong indicated, as he has previously, his support for school choice legislation in North Dakota but noted he has "two kids in public school and I think they do a fantastic job." He did not directly answer a question about whether he would sign a bill requiring school and public libraries to hide materials with "obscene" content from minors — legislation that some have characterized as censorship — but said he is a "free speech absolutist" and "fan of the First Amendment." "I don't pretend to know what the next literary masterpiece is, but I want it in a library," he said.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
In weekslong email exchange with state, fired Grand Forks jail administrator sought to fix 'misunderstanding'
Apr. 16—GRAND FORKS — Former Grand Forks County Correctional Center Administrator Bret Burkholder's recent termination was preceded by back-and-forth emails to and from the North Dakota attorney general's grant office about how a "Back the Blue" grant could be spent. The Grand Forks Herald obtained the emails between Burkholder and the grant office, sent between mid-February and March. They began on Feb. 18, when Burkholder asked if the grant's funds — set aside by the Legislature for recruitment and retention bonuses — could instead be used for employee incentive programs like personalized gift cards, and if so, how best to allocate funds within the framework of the grant. "We have purchased a number of items under the umbrella of 'retention' to make (staff members') life a bit better while working here, enhancing much of their breakroom with amenities they never had," Burkholder wrote in the Feb. 18 email. "Is this permissible under the grant? We sure hope so as we believe this idea is much better than simply purchasing them appreciation gifts now or providing a cash outlay to them and then have 20% leave within the year." On March 7, Grants and Contracts Officer Deanna Gierszewski replied to Burkholder saying that wasn't allowed, adding that the funds needed to be used by March 31 and within the 2023-2025 biennium. "What you are requesting to do with the funds does not match the purpose these funds were intended for," Gierszewski wrote. When Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider learned about the misapplied funds during his department's merger with the jail, he brought the issue to the Grand Forks County Commission on April 1 and explained measures he had taken to mitigate the issue. The roughly $38,000 that had already been spent from the $88,000 grant GFCCC received was to be covered out of other budgeted correctional center funds — such as office supply funds or general operations, depending on the expense — and the full $88,000 has now been given as a bonus to GFCCC employees, Schneider told commissioners at that time. However, the incident led the commission to recommend, in a 3-2 vote, that Schneider fire Burkholder. Schneider, who has sole authority to discipline and terminate in his department, terminated Burkholder's employment on April 8, saying that his service was no longer needed as GFCCC moves in a different direction. The "Back the Blue" grant was created by the Legislature in 2023 to aid the recruitment and retention of law enforcement and correctional officers. Funds were disbursed through the Attorney General's office to 106 law enforcement and correctional agencies across the state. The Grand Forks jail is the only recipient of the grant to use the funds incorrectly, according to Gierszewski. When grant agreements were signed in November 2023 to authorize the disbursement of the funds, Burkholder wrote in the grant acceptance letter that he intended to use the money for retention bonuses, length-of-service recognition garments, a recruitment bonus and other appreciation activities or materials. Later, that evolved into more of a focus on improving working conditions for employees at the correctional center, with the idea that those improvements would invest this grant into GFCCC and "make a perpetual impact," Burkholder wrote in his December 2024 update to the grant office. The philosophy, according to Burkholder, was this: Had the correctional center given out a flat monetary bonus, because of the department's high turnover, a quarter of the funds would have gone to people no longer employed by GFCCC. On March 18 — after Gierszewski informed him the jail's purchases did not match the grant's intent — Burkholder asked for clarification on how the grant could be used. "I apologize for the urgency of this request, but we are limited in time, and if this was a misunderstanding of uses of what the funds could be used for, I need to ensure that the cost of these things aren't applied to the grant and rather simply added to a one-time bonus," Burkholder wrote. Later that day, the Grand Forks County Commission voted to merge GFCCC into the sheriff's office and the sheriff became the head of the corrections center. Gierszewski replied on March 20 and said that an agreement had been signed and that an update would be needed to reflect how the grant funds were actually used. "After reviewing your application budget plan, I'd like to kindly remind you of the importance of adhering to the terms outlined in your original agreement," Gierszewski wrote. "While we understand that the funds may have been used differently than initially planned, the agreement itself remains unchanged." The bill and grant language does not explicitly define a bonus, but the attorney general's grant office said that the intent was for a monetary bonus given directly to employees. "When you go back and listen to the legislation that everyone was pushing for ... that is the route that they were intending to go down and that is what everyone in their (grant) statement said they were going to spend it," Gierszewski told the Herald.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brad Dokken: Americans bringing personal groceries into Canada won't have to pay tariffs after all
Apr. 4—Despite recent reports to the contrary, American tourists bringing food items into Canada for personal use won't have to pay tariffs on those groceries when they venture north for fishing, hunting or other outdoors adventures. That's good news. There had been numerous reports, both in traditional and social media, that Canada would impose a 25% tariff on food items brought into the country for personal use as a result of the tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump has placed on Canada. That is not the case, Laurie Marcil, executive director of the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association (NOTO) in North Bay, Ontario, said in an email to the Grand Forks Herald. Tariffs won't be applied to grocery items brought from the U.S. into Canada as a result of Trump's tariffs, Marcil said. "We have confirmed that the personal exemptions that are set out in regulation include any surtax (including tariffs, duties and taxes)," Marcil said. "And therefore, grocery items brought into Canada from U.S. travelers will not be subject to the 25% tariffs as long as the total amount brought in 'makes sense' or is appropriate for the amount of time the guests will be in Canada." Business as usual, in other words. According to Marcil, NOTO originally had heard from several border crossings that all groceries entering Canada would be subject to the tariffs. That would have required Americans bringing groceries into Canada to provide receipts for Canada Border Services Agency officers to determine how much duty would have to be paid. That likely would have resulted in long lines — and wait times — at the Canadian border, especially at busy crossings such as Fort Frances, Ontario. The other option, of course, would have been for U.S. tourists to buy their groceries in Canada to avoid paying duty at the border. Considering a U.S. dollar is worth about $1.43 Canadian — give or take a cent or two — the price difference is likely minimal. That being said, as a fisherman who has taken more than 25 DIY (do-it-yourself) Canadian fly-in fishing trips over the years, I can attest that buying groceries ahead of time — or in some cases, preparing dishes in advance to heat up later — makes planning and packing considerably easier. In that context, NOTO's confirmation that Canada is not requiring U.S. tourists to pay a surtax on groceries brought into the country for personal use is welcome news indeed. In her email, Marcil said colleagues from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada reached out to senior levels of CBSA for clarification on the rules. "We ... have since confirmed with the border crossings that the application of the tariffs at the crossings on visitors' grocery items will not happen," Marcil said. That applies to border crossings across Canada, she added. As always, food limits continue to apply for dairy and meat products being brought into Canada for personal use. For more information, check out the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) website at . Visitors entering Canada from the U.S. also are limited to no more than: * 1.5 liters (L) of wine, or 1.14 L of spirits, or 1.14 L of wine and spirits, or 8.5 L of beer or ale. * 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks. * 200 rounds of ammunition or, if they are for the use of that person at a meet held under the auspices of a recognized shooting or rifle association of Canada, 1,500 rounds of ammunition. As for me, I'll err on the side of caution when bringing groceries across the border and keep receipts handy — just in case. And as always, be aware — and declare. And now, from the "Better Late Than Never" department, there's this: Two weeks ago, while working on a story about the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the outdoors then and now, I reached out to Kristin Byram, the strategic communications chief for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, for numbers on state park visitations since 2020. I didn't hear back. While the deadline for the story — which appeared online Friday, March 21, and ran in print Saturday, March 22 — had long since passed, I circled back again this week to see if Byram could provide the numbers. She got back to me this time and apologized for the "delayed response." As I expected, the numbers followed a familiar trend: Record or near-record levels of participation in 2020, when the outdoors provided an important outlet for pandemic-weary people looking for something to do, followed by a slight decline in the ensuing years. Here, then, are North Dakota state park visitation numbers since 2020. * 2020: 1,296,508. * 2021: 1,292,896. * 2022: 1,135,538. * 2023: 1,236,527. * 2024: 1,195,907.
