5 things to know today: Panel recommendation, Measure 3, Park protest, Convertible collection, Airport revenue

A 15-member panel of Fargo residents charged with recommending a new police chief selected David Zibolski for the job after a daylong interview process on Thursday, Aug. 20, at City Hall.

Zibolski, 54, has been the police chief of Beloit, Wisconsin, since 2015 and spent 27 years with the Milwaukee Police Department, attaining the rank of captain.

Zibolski's conditional offer will go to the Fargo City Commission in early September for a final decision after a more complete background check.

Read more from The Forum's Barry Amundson

In an online hearing Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20., the North Dakota Supreme Court heard arguments in the dispute over a controversial election reform measure slated to appear on November's ballot.

When Measure 3 was approved for the general election ballot by Secretary of State Al Jaeger earlier this month, it drew a legal challenge almost immediately. In a last-ditch attempt to bar the measure from appearing before voters, the conservative group Brighter Future Alliance argued Fargo-based North Dakota Voters First used illegal tactics during their petitioning process.

While Brighter Future Alliance and other critics of Measure 3 have argued NDVF used misleading tactics to drive signatures, their legal case hinges on a more narrow interpretation of a 1924 state Supreme Court case. Opponents argue that, according to the case Dyer v. Hall, any proposed constitutional amendment must appear alongside written versions of the affected statutes, disclosures they say NDVF petitioners did not provide.

Read more from The Forum's Adam Willis

Members of Bismarck's Native American community looked incredulously at one another at a tense Bismarck Park Board meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20, as they once again felt their opinions were not being heard.

For more than eight months, local Native Americans have pleaded with Bismarck city officials to rename Custer Park, a two-acre park in the middle of a neighborhood near the city's downtown. Demonstrators met before the Thursday Park Board meeting in front of Bismarck's City/County Building holding signs bearing phrases such as "listen to us" and "no pride in genocide."

Earlier this year, the Bismarck Park Board unanimously voted not to change the name of Custer Park and enacted a policy that states once the board has considered a petition to rename a park, it will not consider renaming the same park for 15 years.

Board President Julie Jeske told the audience multiple times that those who were not quiet would be forcibly removed from the meeting and at one point told those who were interrupting to remove their masks while speaking.

Read more from The Forum's Michelle Griffith

In rural Otter Tail County, one of the biggest collections of convertibles around will be auctioned off in a month, but the collection is about more than just a love of cars.

In a few weeks, New York Mills farmer Ron Windels and his wife Carol will auction off most of their two-dozen convertibles, such as his 1956 Bel Air.

"I have collected every car from Impala or Bel Air from 1955-1969," Ron Windels said.

A sharp yellow Chevy, and a classic 1957 is the heart of any collection. There are also Fords like his 1957 Ford Fairlane retractable.

Watch the story from WDAY's Kevin Wallevand

Aerial view of the West Fargo Municipal Airport, located at 1040 19th Ave. NW. The airport serves general aviation for small aircraft. David Samson / The Pioneer

Residents of the Fargo-Moorhead area might see a handful of planes overhead every day, but many don’t realize some of them aren’t flying to or from Fargo — some smaller ones are likely based at the West Fargo Municipal Airport.

The city’s airport, which is located just off 19th Avenue North, nestled against the city’s lagoon system, has been a staple of northern West Fargo since at least the early 1980s, according to airport officials. Prior to its most northern home, the airport initially landed near the “old high school” or the Lodoen Community Center and West Fargo Public Library.

Unlike Hector International Airport or the Jet Center in Fargo, the West Fargo Municipal Airport doesn’t serve commercial flights or large private planes. It’s 3,300-foot runway is used for general aviation, where small planes, mostly single-engine models, along with helicopters can take off.

Read more from The Forum's Wendy Reuer