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Golden Valley News
April 1 , 2021
Legislature removes ACT requirement
By Alexandra Kautzman
NDNA Education Foundation
BISMARCK —— High school jun-
iors in North Dakota will not be re—
quired to take the ACT college
entrance exam due to legislation
adopted by the Legislature.
Senate Bill 2141, introduced by
Sen. Donald Schaible, R-Mott,
passed with a unanimous vote in the
Senate and an 88-3 vote in the
House.
Sen. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo,
said the bill gives more options for
students when applying for schools
and scholarships. “We’re just trying
to give schools more flexibility,”
Davison said.
Stanley Schauer, director of as-
sessment of the Department of Pub-
lic Instruction, said removing the
mandate opens pathways for stu—
dents, including those who want to
enter the workforce right after grad-
uation. For a majority of juniors,
testing will look the same as in pre-
vious years.
North Dakota schools use an ac-
countability system that measures
students’ academic progress. Dis-
tricts have the option to use the
ACT instead of the North Dakota
State Assessment in high school.
Students from districts that utilize
the NDSA as the accountability tool
had to take both assessments by
law. '
Students from ACT districts
would take the test as normal.
The DPI reports that in the 2020-
12021 school year, 59 districts chose
to use the ACT for their accounta-
bility tool. This equated to 67% of
juniors in the state. Schauer said
this number has been on the rise:
Beulah Public Schools Superin-
tendent Travis Jordan said he would
“We’re using this as an opportunity to sort
of study how students did with or without
ACT scores and asking if our standardized,
test scores are still necessary. There’s actu-
ally a national movement of stepping away
from the requirement.”
Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor for
academic and student affairs in the NDUS
like to see less emphasis on college
entrance exams overall. He said
there should be more focus on the
student as an individual.
“I think we put too many eggs in
our test score basket when our kids
are trying to get into college, espe-
cially when they have so many tal-
ents, abilities and passions that
aren’t measured by a test,” Jordan
said. “I think kids are more than a
test score.”
Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor for
academic and student affairs in the
NDUS, said it is still too early to
tell how the bill could affect higher
education. Since ACT testing was
canceled last March due to the pan-
demic, universities have temporar-
ily waived their score requirement
for admissions through summer
2022.
“We’re using this as an opportu-
nity to sort of study how students
did with or without ACT scores and
asking if our standardized test
scores are still necessary,” Johnson
said. “There’s actually a national
movement of stepping away from
the requirement. We’re certainly
exploring that but also just using
this as a period of study to examine
what we might want to do as a pol—
icy going forward.”
The bill received mixed reviews.
One concern is families not being
able to afford the test. While the
state would still cover tests that are
used for accountability, students
whose school uses the NDSA
would have to pay $70 if they
wanted to take the full ACT.
Schauer said cost shouldn’t be a
problem since the test has a fee
waiver process for low-income
families. According to the ACT
website, students who meet one or
more indicators of economic need,
like being enrolled in a reduced-
price lunch program, are eligible.
“We have heard that from some
schools but I don't think cost is
going to be a huge issue,” Schauer
said. “I think sharing more about
the program could alleviate some of
those concerns.”
While it is no longer required by
law, Johnson still encourages stu~
dents to take the ACT if it is avail-
able. She said the test score goes
beyond admissions and is utilized
for class placement and scholarship
eligibility.
“At present, so many scholarship
opportunities are tied to ACT scores
that I just wouldn’t want a student
to inadvertently place themselves at
a disadvantage,” Johnson said.
North Dakota Senate ashes out recreational marijuana bill
By Richard Volesky
Editor/Reporter
BISMARCK — The North
Dakota Senate has overwhelmingly
voted against House Bill 1420,
which would have legalized recre-
ational marijuana in North Dakota.
Vocal opposition to the bill and
against marijuana in general pre-
ceded the 37—10 rejection on March
25. Sen. Diane Larson, R-Bismarck,
said she has seen negative effects on
the brain from marijuana use and be—
lieves it is Wrong for North Dakota.
“It's a wrong thing to pass some-
thing that we don’t like, just so that
we don’t get something we don’t
hate,” she said, reflecting the general
expectation that no legislative provi-
sion for recreational marijuana likely
would invite a new initiated measure
that could open the door to marijuana
even wider.
North Dakota voters surprised
lawmakers in 2016 by approving
medical marijuana.
In debate over HB 1420, Sen.
Robert Fors, R-Larimore, kept his
comments short and to the point:
“Get off the pot and vote no.”
Proponents from the House and
Senate pushed for the bill as a way to
avoid legalizing recreational mari-
juana through a ballot measure.
Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, car—
ried the bill to the chamber and said
it would be a way to regulate and
make marijuana safe to use.
“I think that this is something
over which we can allow some con-
trol, and I think we were elected to
make responsible choices,” she said.
Sen. Kristin Roers, R—Fargo, said
this bill would have ensured mari-
juana for sale would not be laced
with other drugs or substances. “The
issues that come out of marijuana re-
ally have come from it being a
tainted product,” she said.
HB 1420 had passed through the
House by a vote of 56-38, with vocal
opposition from representatives
bringing up similar comments as
heard on the Senate floor.
Seat Belt
(Continued from Page 1)
People who opposed the bill said
that making seat belt use a primary
offense would infringe on the free—
dom for drivers to choose not to
wear one.
Rep. Bob Paulson, R-Minot,
asked the House what protections
would have to be made next. “Is it
the proper role of the government to
protect us from ourselves?” he
asked. “Perhaps motorcycle helmets
should be mandated.”
Rep. Jared Hagert, R-Emerado,
was the only representative to speak
in favor of the bill on the floor. “It
makes a lot of sense to have every—
body buckled up in that vehicle,” he
said.
SB 2121 joins two other failed
seat belt bills from the House, HB
1156 and HB 1257.
HB 1257 would have allowed-
those over 18 to be exempt from
wearing a seat belt, and HB 1156
would have allowed those making
deliveries to be exempt from wear-
ing a seat belt.
Current law makes failure to use a
seat belt law a secondary offense,
meaning you must be pulled over for
something else before you can be
fined for not wearing a seat belt.
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Golden Valley News are also
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Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck,
said he would vote against the bill
because he thought the people should
decide whether recreational mari-
juana should be legalized.
“I trust the people to make the
right decision,” he said. “If I could
offer an alternative to this bill ‘
How about we have a delayed con-
stitutional resolution that would just
put the idea on the ballot?”
Church converting restaurant
By Jane Cook
Reporter
A church will soon be opening in
a former restaurant in Beach.
The building, which last housed
a Chinese restaurant, was pur-
chased by the New Life United
Pentecostal Church, which is based
in Dickinson. The new church sub-
mitted an application for condi-
tional use at the location, and the
Beach Zoning Board will hold a
meeting on April 19 at 8:15 a.m. for
comment. The request is to condi-
tionally allow a church in commer-
cial-2 zoning.
Pastor Joseph Hostetter has been
holding Bible meetings in the
Beach Community Center for about
four years on Tuesday evenings.
Approximately 15-20 members cur-
rently attend the sessions.
Hostetter grew up in western
Pennsylvania before moving out
here in 2014. He lived in South
Heart for a year before moving to
Golva, where he resided for four
years. He then moved to Beach a
year ago. He met his wife in North
Dakota and the two have been mar-
ried for three years. He has been a
licensed pastor for two years.
The building was purchased in
November 2020, and remodeling
began the first of this year.
“We’re hoping to have it open
sometime in July, but at this time
we’re not exactly sure when,”
Hostetter said.
When it does open, he plans to
, have a Saturday service, inviting
members from Dickinson to it as
well as anyone who would like to
come and see what this new church
is about. Afterward, there will then
be a meal for everyone and time to
mingle with the members of the
congregation.
Farmers Union donates to food bank
JAMESTOWN — For a second
time in less than a year, Farmers
Union Enterprises (FUE) teamed up
with North Dakota Farmers Union
(N DFU) to donate 36,000 pounds of
pork ribs to the Great Plains Food
Bank in Fargo.
The donation is part of a giving
spree that saw a total of 180,000
pounds of ribs distributed to food
banks in South Dakota, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Montana and North
Dakota.
In May, Farmers Union delivered
150,000 pounds of pork ribs to food
banks in the five—state area.
The donated pork ribs are from
Redwood Farms, one of several busi-
nesses owned by FUE — the divi-
dends of which help fund Farmers
Union state organizations and Na—
tional Farmers Union. Redwood
Farms supplies premium pork prod-
ucts to high-end restaurants in New
York, Chicago and other cities across
the US.
DSU intends to hold .in-person
spring commencement
DICKINSON — Dickinson State
University intends to celebrate grad-
uates with an in—person spring 2021
commencement ceremony Saturday,
May 15.
Graduates and their families from
spring, summer, and fall of 2020, as
well as spring of 2021, are invited to
participate in the ceremony which
will be held outdoors at the Biesiot
Activities Center in Dickinson.
“Graduation is a time-honored ac-
ademic tradition that recognizes a
milestone accomplishment,” said
Debora Dragseth, provost and vice
president for academic affairs at
DSU. “The Office of Academic Af-
fairs is delighted to be able to host a
commencement ceremony that will
allow our graduates to gather out-
doors with their family and friends in
the beautiful Biesiot Activities Cen—
ter.”
More details regarding the cere—
mony and reception, ticketing for the
event, and live broadcast information
will be shared as soon as they are
made available.
—— I Guard
(Continued from Page 1)
administered traditional and later the
BinaxNOW COVID-l9 tests to in-
clude support at mobile testing sites
state—wide. Guard members have
conducted response planning and
deep cleaning at long—term and con-
gregate living facilities. Soldiers and
airmen have also trained civilians in
the use of BinaxNOW testing, as-
sisted in the administering of
COVID—19' vaccines, and aided in the
design of prediction models which
help guide response and assisted with
contact tracing. Guard members have
also aided in the transportation of test
specimens and provided other sup—
port to the state laboratory in Bis-
marck and administered vaccines to
its force in accordance with CDC
tiered COVID-l9 Vaccine rollout
recommendations. Also, Maj. Gen.
Al Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant
general, has co-led the state’s Unified
Command during state’s response to
the pandemic.
The North Dakota National
Guard’s other state and federal mis—
sions continue despite the pandemic.
The Guard recently conducted wild-
fire and flood response exercises,
welcomed airmen home from over-
seas duty, mobilized and deployed 70
soldiers to the national capital region,
as well as 150 soldiers in support of
the Presidential Inauguration.
About 988 individual North
Dakota soldiers and airmen have
served on COVID-l9 response duty.
About 240 remain on COVID-19
duty.
Drought —
(Continued from Page 1)
can see the bottom of.”
Kempenich said some timely
rains can change this, but as it starts
to warm up it is still concerning.
“N0 creeks in our area are run-
ning,” he said. “If you don’t have
water lines out in your pastures you
are going to be struggling this year.”
Kempenich said the water issues
and hard ground he has seen show
markers that it will be a tough farm-
ing year.
“Timing is everything in the (agri-
culture) business,” he said. “You get
a few timely rains and it might be a
normal year.”
NORTH DAKOTA OIL AND NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
2020 STATE
STATE
BUSINESS PRODUCT
.
3462*
BILLION
SHARE OF
STATE GBP"
'rr
* NDSU: 2019;Pexmieum"Industry's contribution to Norm
NDPEIROLEUMFOUNDAIION
STATE
EMPLOYMENT
59,100"
TOTAL JOBS
SHARE OF STATE 0;,
PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT"
..-a.-----..——.-.._----.-.-.
ué._-au-¢n-..---a---—--¢----n-.-.
Q'
7-.-
ADVANCING THE
STATE
WAGES PAID
$45
BILLION
SHARE
OF STATE?
What we've learned over the last decade is that the North Dakota oil
and
natural gas industry is incredibly resilient. Regardless of market
conditions,
it continues to be a major force in our state's economy.
“MSTATE 8: LOCAL
GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS
INDUSTRY.REPORT
‘IIIIII’
$38
BILLION
$22 BILLION PAID SINCE 2008
o
reiterate
sumsorsms »,
REVENUE“ 50
— Dean Bangsund, Research Scientist NDSU
NORTH DAKOTA
PETROLEUM
FOUNDATION
POSSlBlLlTlES
NDPETROIEUMFOUNDAIIONORG
@ $7.7 MILLION
FOR TRANSPORTATION
FOR'OUTDOOR
HERITAGE FUND
r [g $31.6:MILLI0N‘
IN'errrenrouE-TIME
FUNDING
“WDEA: 2020 Oil and Natural Gas Tax Revenue Report
@NDPEIROLEIJMFOUNDATION