5 things to know today: Agreement rejected, Chief investigation, Gattuso murder, Faith coalition, Senate responds

An ongoing feud between the Fargo Municipal Airport Authority and the Fargo City Commission came to a head Tuesday, Oct. 22, when the airport authority rejected a proposed memorandum of understanding with the city and instead voted to contract with a private company for a number of services it has been paying the city for, including human resources and payroll services.

In the process, a city commissioner serving as the commission's liaison to the authority abruptly walked out of the meeting, and Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney subsequently issued a written statement saying that it appeared to him the airport authority was ready to end a 50-year partnership with the city.

"I am profoundly disappointed with today’s votes by the MAA," Mahoney said in his letter.

"Instead of focusing on the vital issues facing Hector International Airport and working together to build a thriving and modern airport for our metro community, the MAA is clearly disinterested in continuing our 50-year partnership," Mahoney said, adding he would be meeting with fellow city commissioners soon "to discuss today’s disappointing votes of the MAA and chart our next step forward in this process.

More from The Forum's Dave Olson

A former police chief who was fired after just three months in his role is being investigated by the FBI and state authorities for what they say were multiple violations of the law during his time serving in a north-central North Dakota police department.

Matthew Anderson, who was sworn in as Rolla Police Chief in April and fired by the city in July after city leaders learned he was under investigation, faces a wide range of accusations from law enforcement colleagues and investigators. Among them are that he falsified a search warrant, used a stun gun on a pregnant woman and ordered forced catheterizations of people in police custody without proper justification.

The city of Rolla fired Anderson during an eight-minute emergency hearing after learning he was under investigation by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI for allegedly breaking the law on duty. In August, the North Dakota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board would strip Anderson of his law enforcement license.

The Rolette County State's Attorney Office and BCI ramped up their investigation after a Rolla police officer approached a BCI agent at training and asked if he knew that then-chief Anderson had wrecked two cruisers in crashes, BCI investigator Craig Zachmeier told the North Dakota POST Board at an Aug. 21 meeting.

Watch the story from WDAY's Matt Henson

Regan Williams makes a point to visit her father in prison three times a year — in February, May and October — most recently last weekend.

Gene Kirkpatrick, 73, is serving a life sentence with no chance for parole for his role in a Fargo murder-for-hire case 10 years ago this week, on Oct. 26, 2009. Williams brings as many family members as possible for the long drive from Oklahoma to the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, where Kirkpatrick is incarcerated.

Williams still believes, steadfastly, that her father is not guilty.

“He does not have what it takes to take someone’s life,” she said.

More from The Forum's Robin Huebner

Lutherans and others are launching a Faith and Farm Coalition to coordinate assistance for farmers, ranchers and rural communities besieged by low crop prices, trade wars and wet weather hampering the harvest.

Bishop Terry Brandt of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Eastern North Dakota Synod convened a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, to discuss ways Lutheran churches and others can work together to help those caught in the farm crisis caused by overlapping adverse conditions fueling severe financial strains.

“I cannot imagine the emotional strain and anxiety being (borne) by our farmers/ranchers and their families,” Brandt wrote in a recent letter announcing the coalition . “Depression will be a reality for many. Suicide rates could climb. Feelings of failure and anxiety about the future are rampant, especially when families are managing Century Farms. All these challenges, especially the current rain and snow, will put stress on our rural communities.”

More from The Forum's Patrick Springer and WDAY's Kevin Wallevand

North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, said Sen. Oley Larsen should issue a public apology and resign his position as interim president pro tempore after the Minot Republican called U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a terrorist and posted a mislabeled photo of her on his Facebook page.

Republican Gov. Doug Burgum said Tuesday he supports Wardner's actions, according to spokesman Mike Nowatzki.

"Sen. Larsen's comments are not the position of the Senate Republican Caucus or the Senate as a whole," Wardner told Forum News Service on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Read More from Forum News Service's Jeremy Turley