The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

FARGO — Welcome to college athletics, 2026 edition, where quarterbacks in the big-boy leagues can make millions — legally, unlike the good old days of the Southwestern Conference — and schools can sell space on the bodies of their athletes for a seven-figure sum.

Congratulations to Team Norway and their entire country! They set a wonderful example of a country enthusiastically united and proud of their amazing accomplishments and gained millions of fans across the world. Perhaps many like me paid little attention to professional soccer, but the Norwegians' enthusiasm and pride is contagious and we were eager to join in the fun. Thanks for this exciting and historic run, Team Norway! Heia Norge! Skál! Mike Williams is a former Fargo city commissioner.

MINOT — While a strange coalition of anti-data center hysterics — made up of Democratic-NPL candidates, far-left socialists and far-right anti-vaccine kooks — attempts to use that issue to drive a wedge in North Dakota's center-right electorate, a county at the center of the data center debate approved a building permit for a major new project. The Oliver County Commission voted 2-1 to approve a building permit for a project to be constructed by Applied Digital in their jurisdiction.

ST. PAUL — The federal government has shared "all of the evidence" for investigations into three Operation Metro Surge shootings — six months after the shootings, state prosecutors announced Monday.

FARGO — North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen opened a 10 a.m. press conference Monday saying the last six months have been a “whirlwind” in Bison athletics. Make that a tornado. The latest swath measures all of 4 inches by 4 inches. That’s the size of a Gate City Bank jersey patch that will adorn game uniforms for all sports programs, the result of the NCAA Division I Cabinet in January approving corporate patches for college programs.

Hot Mic: Landon Koenig on going from Portland, North Dakota to being drafted by the New York Mets Landon Koenig joins Hot Mic with Dom Izzo on July 13, 2026 We see that you have javascript disabled. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801.

Oct. 09, 1943 - Jul. 06, 2026 FARGO, N.D. - Joanne Evelyn Nelson, 82, Moorhead, Minn. died Monday, Jul. 6, in Sanford Hospital. Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Moorhead, MN. Visitation will start at 1:00 PM Tuesday. Her cremains will be placed in the niche next to Russel at Riverside Cemetery, Fargo, ND. Arrangements by Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service, Moorhead, Minn.

Nearly one in 10 approved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications in North Dakota in 2025 had some kind of error. Under a federal law passed last year, that means the state may have to pay 10% of its residents’ benefits — or nearly $13 million — every fiscal year unless it can bring its error rate below 6%. A SNAP payment error occurs when a household receives more or fewer benefits than it’s entitled to because of a mistake in the process. It’s not a measure of fraud.

Editor's note: The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. Call or text 988 to reach local and confidential support 24/7. Those experience domestic violence can call Sollera, formerly known as the Fargo Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, at 701-293-7273 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for help.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. — Counties in northeastern Minnesota are on notice for critical fire weather conditions following several days of wildfires in the northernmost region of the state. Early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties. Much of the region faces significant heat risks, with temperatures of 100 degrees possible, according to the weather service.