Man convicted of manslaughter

GRAND FORKS (AP) - A Fort Totten man accused of killing another man with his fist has been convicted by a federal jury of voluntary manslaughter.

Porfirio Diaz Jr., 43, struck Brian Littleghost on July 14, fracturing the man's skull, U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said. Littleghost died later that day from the injury. The incident happened on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.

Diaz was convicted after a four-day trial. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 12.

Not guilty plea entered in shooting

A man accused in an apartment building gun-firing incident has pleaded not guilty to reckless endangerment.

Eric Talbacka, 20, of Bismarck, is accused of causing a rifle to discharge in his apartment Oct. 1 after a night of partying. Authorities say bullet fragments were found on the bed of a 4-year-old child in the apartment below.

The parents told police the child had gotten out of bed about 10 minutes before the incident happened.

Talbacka's attorney, Chad McCabe, said his client accidentally kicked over a gun that was propped against the wall in the dark, and the gun went off when he picked it up.

"The state has to show that there was at least a reckless mind, and I don't think kicking over a gun accidentally causes a reckless mind," McCabe said.

Assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney Cynthia Feland said people need to exercise extreme caution with weapons.

"It's not something where you can nonchalantly not worry about whether it's loaded, not loaded, and then have it laying against a wall in a room where it's not even properly secured," she said.

Associated Press

State rules for newspaper in dispute

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - The Moorhead Police Department unlawfully withheld public records from the Forum newspaper of Fargo, N.D., a state agency ruled.

The Department of Administration found that the newspaper was legally entitled to the transcript of a 911 call recorded after John Martin Francis told a dispatcher he killed another man at a Moorhead hotel.

Francis, 42, is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of Gary Stodieck, 63, with whom he was romantically involved, on Aug. 16 at the Grand Inn in Moorhead.

Haugen: Guard could use more recruits

The commander of the North Dakota National Guard says recruitment numbers are "healthy" but could be better.

"I would like to see us have about another 150 personnel in the Guard," Maj. Gen. Michael Haugen said. "We have vacancies there that can be filled, about another 150 out of our 4,300."

Haugen said bonus incentives developed by the Legislature are helping in the recruitment process.

But he said the Guard still has to contend with a declining population of young people, and global events that scare some people away from the military.

"A lot of families look at the war situation and think that that's stressful," he said. "I'm very proud of the fact that most of the individuals who come and enlist now are very patriotic."

Associated Press

EERC moves toward cleaner coal plant

GRAND FORKS (AP) - Officials at the University of North Dakota's Energy and Environmental Research Center say they have overcome technical hurdles that hindered development of a zero-emission, coal-fired power plant.

The EERC has created a series of patented technologies that officials say allow coal plants to capture 99.9 percent of the pollution sent up smoke stacks.

Center Director Gerald Groenewold said the technology is being tested at Otter Tail Power Co.'s Big Stone Power Plant in Milbank, S.D.

"This has been a goal of the EERC's for over 10 years," Groenewold said. "It is just a matter of time before the system economically becomes reality."

Hoeven to lobby on farm issues

Gov. John Hoeven and representatives of North Dakota farm groups are leading a delegation to Washington, D.C., to lobby on several issues.

They include disaster relief, fair trade and continued funding for farm programs in the face of international trade negotiations, Hoeven said.

"We are facing a range of issues critical to North Dakota farmers and ranchers, both immediate and long term," the governor said.

The group plans to meet with Bush administration officials and members of Congress on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Associated Press