West Fargo city commissioners met behind closed doors Monday, Nov. 20, to discuss a discrimination complaint filed by former City Administrator Tina Fisk against the city with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the agenda for Monday’s regular City Commission meeting, the commission entered into an executive session to discuss the matter of “Fisk v. City of West Fargo.” North Dakota Century Code allows a city commission to meet privately with an attorney if legal action has been filed or credibly threatened.

Commissioners made no comments regarding the executive session. The Forum requested a copy of the complaint and the city’s response Monday.

“This matter has been tendered to the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund, which has retained Attorney Howard Swanson to represent the City in this matter,” Communications Manager Rachel Richter Lordemann said in response to The Forum’s request.

Swanson could not be reached for comment late Monday.

Read more from The Forum’s Wendy Reuer

The West Fargo City Commission is pressing “pause” on a proposed roundabout at 52nd Avenue West and Ninth Street West, and instead will place a four-way stop at the intersection after residents on Monday, Nov. 20, protested the roundabout itself and the special assessments that would have been required to pay for it.

The project was initially proposed after the city received calls from officials at the nearby Legacy Elementary School asking for additional safety measures at the intersection. A 2021 traffic study also found that traffic volume continues to increase to the point that a controlled intersection is needed. The study concluded that a roundabout was warranted for the intersection.

In addition to the traffic numbers, about 100 pedestrians are estimated to use the intersection per day before and after school hours.

West Fargo Engineer Dan Hanson said the project was never precipitated due to an abundance of crashes, but instead due to the high number of vehicles that use the intersection.

Currently 52th Avenue is a through street that has the right of way, while those traveling north and south along Ninth Street West are greeted by stop signs. “Because of the number of vehicles that use the intersection, a roundabout was the best recommendation,” Hanson said.

Read more from The Forum’s Wendy Reuer

A former Fargo man faces charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Eric Zeis, 37, is a 2004 graduate of Fargo South High School who lives in Monument, Colorado.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Zeis was arrested on Monday, Nov. 13, in Denver.

Charges against Zeis include knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.

Court documents indicate Zeis, another Colorado man and others drove together from Colorado to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Donald Trump’s speech on Jan. 6.

They traveled in a van Zeis owned. Zeis was considered “the leader” of the group, documents indicated.

The day of the speech, members of the U.S. House and Senate were meeting separately in the Capitol to certify the electoral college vote count from the 2020 presidential election, a contest President Joe Biden won.

Read more from The Forum’s Robin Huebner

When Dave Ross and his business partners took over Bar Nine, they felt it “needed a fresh change.”

Just over a year later, the change at 1405 Prairie Parkway is complete.

The bar and grill is now The Local 701, and the rebranded Pioneer Place 21-and-over spot boasts a more open interior, a completely revamped kitchen, and 36 flat screen TVs, giving the neighborhood hangout a relaxed, sports bar vibe.

“We needed a fresh change and wanted people to come on in knowing it’s a new place, new food, new kitchen,” Ross said Thursday, Nov. 16. “We took down a wall, so you can see through the whole bar now.”

The ownership group is experienced. Ross, Matt Frisk and Dave Olstad also own Bar Code in West Fargo, near Costco. In addition, Ross and Frisk are partners in Hearing Solutions and MD Hearing Inc., both in Fargo.

At 4:30 p.m., the bar was starting to fill up for a “Thirsty Thursday” promotion. A couple customers played electronic pull tab machines, while the rest perched at the bar or relaxed around the room, enjoying some beer, conversation, and maybe waiting for something from the kitchen.

Read more from The Forum’s Helmut Schmidt

I confess. I like numbers and statistics. I believe spreadsheets are right up there with sliced bread, and I love analyzing what numbers mean.

That’s why I’m so excited about the results of the recently released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study. The national study, conducted by Americans for the Arts, measures the economic and social impact of the arts. The Arts Partnership coordinated our community’s response to the study, working with 41 of the more than 100 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.

The national results are more than impressive. America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry—one that supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.

The results for the Greater Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo’s nonprofit arts and culture industry are pretty darned impressive, too. The arts generated $55.4 million dollars in economic activity in our community in 2022 – dollars that support jobs (1,384) and generated $10.1 million in tax revenue, which then supports the services that benefit our community’s residents. And those are just the results from 40% of our nonprofit arts sector.

Read more from The Forum’s Tania Blanich

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.