5 things to know today: Flood meeting, Permit denial, Book ban, Gun restrictions, Finding families

033023.N.FF.FLOODMEETING.Tronnes — Oscar Tronnes watches a presentation Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Kindred High School of the flood outlook for the area. A meeting will also be held from 7-8 p.m. Thursday in the Harwood Community Center, 210 Freedland Dr., Harwood.

By Forum staff

March 30, 2023 at 7:00 AM

1. Rising flood risk heightens tension in rural Cass County

Piles of late-season snow and persistent cold weather have increased the flood risk in the Red River Valley , leaving rural communities in Cass County in a vulnerable spot.

Cass County Engineer Jason Benson told The Forum those rural areas could experience a flood impact similar to 2019.

“They should expect major flooding,” he said.

Nearby residents gathered in Kindred High School on Wednesday, March 29, to learn the scope of what homeowners could be facing in just a few weeks.

Rural communities risk becoming surrounded by rising flood waters and being cut off as roads wash out, Benson said.

2. Permit denial would threaten ND’s biggest power plant with shutting down for three years, officials said

An aerial view of Great River Energy's Coal Creek Station near Underwood, N.D. (Photo provided)

North Dakota’s largest power plant faces the possibility of having to shut down for up to three years if a proposed denial of a federal permit involving the disposal of coal ash is upheld.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given notice that it proposes to deny a permit for a liner for Rainbow Energy Center, an 1,151-megawatt power plant near Underwood.

North Dakota officials have said denial of the permit could mean the plant would have to shut down for three years to allow construction of a new disposal system for coal ash.

If that were to happen, the Midwest power grid would lose the 8 million megawatts of electricity the plant generates each year, according to John Weeda, director of the North Dakota Transmission Authority.

Together with other plants that are slated to go offline, the shutdown of Rainbow Energy Center would mean the Midwest power grid would have to depend on intermittent wind and solar power to meet peak demand by 2026, he told members of the North Dakota Industrial Commission on Tuesday, March 28.

“It’s a very significant part of that power supply,” Weeda told the three commissioners, Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

"Coal Creek Station has been depended on through thick and thin," and has and provided reliable power even during bad winter storms, when electricity is urgently needed, Weeda said.

3. North Dakota book ban bills advance

030123.N.FF.BOOKBANS — Carts display books Feb. 28, 2023, in the Fargo Public Library that may be banned by the North Dakota Legislature.

From the Bismarck Tribune via Forum News Service

North Dakota lawmakers on Wednesday moved bills targeting books with sexual content further along, with one bill nearing final passage.

The Senate adopted amendments and in a veto-proof 39-7 vote passed House Bill 1205 by House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson.

The bill goes back to the House of Representatives for concurrence on Senate amendments. If the House doesn't concur, a conference committee of representatives and senators will reconcile differences.

The House Judiciary Committee advanced Senate Bill 2360 by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, giving it a 10-3 "do pass" recommendation. House budget writers would review the bill's estimated costs if it passes the House.

Supporters say the bills would protect children from pornography. Opponents say they are censorship.

The bills have prompted library displays of books that might be banned, as well as "read-in" protests and libraries' informational sessions about their policies.

The 701 Library Advocacy Taskforce has planned a "silent read-in" from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Friday on the steps of the state Capitol.

Much of the bills' support is linked to visual nudity in drawings in the book "Let's Talk About It."

4. Minnesota lawmakers advance universal background checks on gun sales, 'red flag' bill

In the wake of a deadly school shooting this week in Nashville, new gun restrictions are moving forward in the Minnesota Legislature after years of stalling under a divided government.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers now in control of the Senate and House are advancing a proposal to create universal background checks for firearms sales and want to create a “red-flag” law to temporarily remove guns from people deemed a threat to themselves or others. Supporters say they'll help keep guns out of dangerous people's hands.

Those are just two gun control measures DFLers introduced this legislative session. But as committees prepare their major policy package bills, known as omnibus bills, those proposals appear to be gaining the most momentum, with both the Senate and the House moving them through committees.

Gov. Tim Walz in his public safety budget recommendations called on lawmakers to pass several gun control policies, including a red flag law, universal background checks, magazine capacity limits, and restrictions on semiautomatic rifle sales to anyone under 21. Walz said he wants to do more to regulate firearms, but on Wednesday said the two measures gaining the most momentum were important steps in a better direction.

“These two are proven, measurable things,” he told reporters. “As a lawful gun owner myself, neither of those things infringe on my Second Amendment rights.”

5. Genealogist working to find the families of unclaimed veterans

03292606_IDENTIFYmdtzVO.Still001.jpg — Samuel Force's casket at the Fargo National Cemetery.

Many braved the cold morning to honor an unclaimed veteran at the Fargo National Cemetery Wednesday, March 29.

Samuel Force was a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Navy from 1977 to 1983. He was originally from Philadelphia but moved to Fargo in the 1990s.

Don Herrly, a former state commander of the North Dakota American Legion, said all who served deserve to be honored.

"(They) offered their sacrifice for our country, and no matter what the weather is, it's important for us to come out and show our support for that person," Herrly said.