NDSU President Dean Bresciani is facing allegations that he deleted over 45,000 emails the same day he received a records request for emails from the state legislature, a breech of public record laws that could be as serious as a felony. Yesterday, a spokeswoman told the Fargo Forum that those emails weren’t deleted by Bresciani…
With Carbon Emissions Already Dropping, Why Do We Need "Sweeping Action" On Climate Change?
“Obama to take sweeping action on climate,” reports the Washington Post. “President Obama will announce his intention to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, increase appliance efficiency standards and promote renewable energy development on public lands in a speech Tuesday outlining his plan to use executive powers to address climate change.” In other…
Attorney General Finds University System Foundation Violated Open Records Laws
Way back in January I requested information pertaining to the revenues and expenditures of the North Dakota University System Foundation. The NDUS denied my request, saying that the foundation is a private entity. I filed an open records complaint with Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, and today he issued an opinion finding that because the foundation…
Hoeven Immigration Plan Myth Vs. Fact
I haven’t been paying nearly as much attention as I should to the national debate over immigration reform which North Dakota’s Senator John Hoeven has been a major part of. I’m of two minds on immigration reform. On one hand, much like the “war on drugs,” I think the “war on illegal immigration” is something…
Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Oversight Of Elections
The Voting Rights Act, in part, gave the federal government authority over state elections in some jurisdictions, mostly in the south but also in states like Alaska and parts of New York too. The law was intended to stop discrimination against minority voters, and when it was challenged in the 1960’s the Supreme Court upheld…
Kevin Cramer: We Have To Pass A Farm Bill Because The Free Market Is Scary
Back during campaign season I did an interview with Rep. Kevin Cramer, and we talked about the farm bill. Then, as now, the legislation was stuck in the midst of partisan bickering and I asked Cramer if there was really a lot of urgency to pass a farm bill (I quoted a NDSU farm management…
Attorney General Won't Address Criminal Allegations Against NDSU President Dean Bresciani
North Dakota Legislative Council has requested a legal opinion from Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem regarding whether or not North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani broke open records laws, and possibly some criminal statues, when complying (or not complying, depending on your view) with a request for emails. A letter sent to LC Attorney John…
NDSU President Dean Besciani Denies Deleting Emails To Avoid Open Records Request
The Fargo-area media is catching up to a story we broke here on SAB this weekend which has Legislative Council questioning whether or not NDSU President Dean Bresciani broke open records law by deleting over 45,000 emails from his account the day a request for them was made. If he did, he is potentially guilty…
North Dakota Legislative Trip Paid For By Controversial Islamic Group
I recently wrote a post about a trip to Turkey taken by a number of North Dakota legislators paid for by a group called the Turkish American Federation of the Midwest. In speaking with some legislators who didn’t take they trip, they told me that it was organized through what some described as an odd…
Legislature Questions Whether NDSU President Broke The Law When Destroying Records
If you thought the drama in higher education was over after the hurried-up departure of Chancellor Hamid Shirvani, think again. The North Dakota University System, and North Dakota State University in particular, have an atrocious track record when it comes to transparency. And it appears as though the hostility toward transparency which permeates the system…