5 things to know today: Valley City man found, Insulin plans, Sanford president, Fargo judge, Data breach

recovery of Davies.jpg — Crews work to recover the body of Mark Davies, which was found in a vehicle in the Sheyenne River about 1 mile north of Kathryn. Photo courtesy of NewsDakota.com

By InForum and Eric Bolin

September 27, 2019 at 6:00 AM

1. Body of Valley City man found

After weeks of searching, authorities on Thursday, Sept. 26, recovered the body of a missing 40-year-old Valley City man found in a vehicle submerged in the Sheyenne River.

Mark Davies' vehicle was located in the river near a bridge about 1 mile north of Kathryn at about 9 a.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the Barnes County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the SUV appeared to have been traveling south on Highway 21 when it left the roadway and entered the Sheyenne River.

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2. Minn. lawmakers split on emergency insulin plans

092719.N.FNS.MNINSULIN — State Rep. Michael Howard, D-Richfield, on Thursday, Sept. 26, held up a vial of insulin at a news conference in St. Paul. Howard has put forth legislation aimed at providing an emergency supply of insulin to Minnesotans who can't afford the drug. Dana Ferguson / Forum News Service

Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives on Thursday, Sept. 26, put forward changes to a plan they said would help diabetics access insulin in situations of emergency.

The move tees up a potential compromise between Democrats and Republicans, who've put forth different plans to make insulin more readily available to Minnesotans who can't afford it. Both would require drug manufacturers to foot the bill for state programs that would help low-income people access insulin.

That was a key sticking point as lawmakers weighed the proposal earlier this year. House Democrats said the drug companies should be held accountable for putting the drug out of reach for many, while Republicans said the state should foot part or all of the bill to avoid a lawsuit.

3. Sanford Health gets new Fargo president

Bryan Nermoe Sanford.jpg — Bryan Nermoe, president of Sanford's Bemidji (Minn.) region, will become president of Sanford's Fargo region in management changes that will take effect Jan. 1. Special to The Forum

A management reshuffle taking effect Jan. 1 will send Nate White, the president of Sanford Health in Fargo, to Sioux Falls where he will return in a "corporate leadership role" in the health system's headquarters.

White, who became president of Sanford Fargo in 2017 when the new medical center opened, maintained his role of chief operating officer along with his duties as Sanford's top executive in Fargo.

Replacing White as president of Sanford Fargo will be Bryan Nermoe, president of Sanford Bemidji (Minn.), who joined Sanford in 2008. White joined Sanford in 2006 as associate general counsel and was appointed chief operating officer of the Sioux Falls region health services division in 2012.

Once the change is effective, White will focus his attention on Sanford hospitals and clinics in a corporate leadership role. Opening the new Fargo Medical Center was a highlight during his time here, White said.

4. Fargo native rules on US Court of International Trade, at 92

092719.N.FF.JUDGEGOLDBERG.01.jpg — Judge Richard Goldberg, 92, reminisces about interesting cases from his legal career from his home in Detroit Lakes, Minn. He is the oldest sitting judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade, one of three national courts in the country. David Samson / The Forum

The average person would hope to be long into retirement by age 92, but not Judge Richard Goldberg.

The Fargo native who sits on the U.S. Court of International Trade has been going strong in the position for 29 years, ruling on cases that impact trade across the U.S. and around the world. He has handed down decisions on federal cases for appellate and trial courts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Dakota.

His most memorable cases have included a North Dakota inmate who sued the state after being hogtied and left naked, and a "Christmas Grinch" who scammed children out of thousands of dollars with the promise of a fake holiday extravaganza in Miami.

Goldberg is the oldest sitting judge on the international trade bench, the third from North Dakota to be appointed to that particular court and, as far as he knows, the only active federal judge who has served in all three branches of government and the private sector, he said.

5. Moorhead schools affected by August data breach

School data breach — Moorhead Area Public Schools has sent letters to parents informing them a platform used in its classrooms was targeted in a nationwide data breach

It has been determined that a nationwide data breach impacting more than 13,000 schools and universities in the United States also affects students in Moorhead.

In August, it was announced that Fargo and West Fargo public schools were affected by a breach in a version of a data management platform called AIMSweb, which is owned by Pearson Clinical Assessment.

Since then, it has been determined that Moorhead schools were also affected by the breach, according to a letter sent to parents of Moorhead students by Dan Markert, executive director of information systems and instructional support for Moorhead Area Public Schools.

In the letter, Markert said Pearson has indicated there is no evidence any data accessed by the breach has been misused.