A federal judge has thrown out the death sentence for a man convicted in the 2003 slaying of a North Dakota college student. Judge Ralph Erickson ruled that misleading testimony from a medical examiner and limitations on mental health evidence had violated Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.’s constitutional rights. He ordered a new sentencing phase be conducted. Rodriguez has been on death row at a federal prison for nearly two decades in the death of Dru Sjodin, a Minnesota woman who was abducted from a Grand Forks mall parking lot in November 2003. Rodriguez, a sex offender, was arrested the following month. Despite several massive searches, Sjodin’s body wasn’t found until the following April near Crookston, Minnesota.
Grand Forks Business Leaves with Unpaid Debt to City
(KNOX) - A Grand Forks tech company that owes the city thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and loans is leaving. Thread, previously known as Airtonomy, is leaving the HIVE business incubator after roughly five years. Thrive owes at least $4000 in unp...
Dec 11, 2025
North Dakota Cleared to Eliminate Some Foods from SNAP Eligibility
(North Dakota Monitor) - North Dakotans receiving federal food assistance will not be able to use those benefits to pay for candy, soda and some other foods, after the state implements changes approved by the Trump administration. The U.S. Department...
Dec 11, 2025
City Leaders Discuss Homeless Population During Winter Weather
(KNOX) - City leaders are discussing an apparent shift in the pattern of where homeless people dwell during the winter months. Leaders went over the issue at a meeting of several entities Wednesday, among them law enforcement and non-profit organizat...
Dec 11, 2025
East Grand Forks Lowers Property Tax Levy Target
(KNOX) - East Grand Forks has lowered it's request for a levy increase for it's 2026 budget. The previous estimated increase was 12%, but an agreement with a union has allowed the city to lower it's request to eight percent. The city council has bee...
Dec 11, 2025
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