The Links of North Dakota Receives Multiple Prestigious Awards, Cementing Its Status as a Top Golf Destination
CITY OF WILLISTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Links of North Dakota, perched above the stunning Lake Sakakawea, has once again proven its position as the premier golf course in North Dakota and one of the best in the United States by earning several prestigious accolades in late 2024 and early 2025.
During the 2025 Golf Busi-
Year award recognizes excellence in course management, quality and community contributions. The Links’ achievement firmly places it among the best golf courses in the country.
The award was accepted by owner Tom Powers, his wife Cheryl and The Links’ general manager and head golf professional, Zach McArthur, PGA. Powers expressed his pride in the course’s success.
“We are incredibly proud of
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Stolen Vehicle Recovered, Three Arrested in Williston
The Williston Police Department recovered a stolen vehicle
Sunday evening and arrested three individuals in connection with an investigation involving multiple active warrants.
At about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, officers were attempting to locate 26-year-old Jurtavious Ravion Ferguson, who faced several outstanding warrants. Arriving at a location believed to be Ferguson’s residence, officers requested dispatch to run a Texas license plate on a vehicle parked in a hotel lot on the 1600 Block of 2nd Ave. W. Dispatch confirmed that the vehicle had been reported stolen.
Officers then surveilled the area and observed two individuals entering the vehicle. A traffic stop was quickly conducted in the hotel parking lot. The driver was identified as 26-year-old Mary Elizabeth Prine, who initially provided a false name, and the passenger was identified as 28-year-old Julia Synclaire Woods. Once detained, both individuals confirmed that Ferguson
was inside one of the hotel rooms.
Responding officers approached the room, where Ferguson surrendered without incident.
Subsequent arrests were made.
Prine was taken into custody on charges of possession of stolen property – a Class C felony, and false information to law enforcement – a misdemeanor. She was also served a City of Williston Municipal Court warrant for contempt of court – fines.
Woods was arrested on misdemeanor charges for possession of a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine and for possession of drug paraphernalia related
to methamphetamine. She was additionally served a City of Tioga Municipal Court warrant for shoplifting.
Ferguson was served a City of Williston Municipal Court warrant for contempt of court – fines, along with two Williams County District Court warrants for charges including corruption of a minor and criminal trespass, terrorizing and criminal mischief.
The Williston Police Department expressed its appreciation to the Williams County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance. No further information is being released at this time.
John Bisbee Named 2025 Allegro Award Recipient
John Bisbee, director of bands and orchestras at Williston High School, has been selected as the 2025 Allegro Award recipient by the North Dakota Band Directors Association. The award recognizes North Dakota band directors with five to ten years of teaching experience who have demonstrated consistent and outstanding progress in developing their band programs.
Bisbee, who has served at Williston High School for eight years, is credited with inspiring students through his dedication and leadership in music education. In his role at the school, he directs instrumental ensembles and leads the pit orchestra for drama productions, which have included shows such as “The Music Man, Shrek,” “Mary Pop-
pins” and “Frozen.”
Beyond his responsibilities at Williston High School, Bisbee also serves as the director of the Williston City Band and as co-director of the Williston Wind Ensemble. He holds the position of president-elect with the North Dakota Music Educators Association, reflecting his active involvement in advancing music education throughout the state.
The award will be formally presented at the North Dakota Band Directors Association Conference in March. The 2025 Allegro Award expounds the importance of strong leadership in music education and recognizes the role dedicated educators play in enriching both the school environment and the broader community.
Williston Police Department to Host Citizens Academy
CITY OF WILLISTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Williston Police Department will be hosting the 2025 Citizens Police Academy on mostly Friday nights (except for Thursday, April 17) from 7-9 p.m., starting on April 4 and ending on June 27.
The Williston Police Department Citizens Police Academy is a free 13-week program exposing citizens to our officers’ daily challenges. The Citizens Police Academy is designed to increase the understanding between citizens and police through training. Students can participate in various training and demonstrations, such as crime scene processing, defensive tactics, narcotic investigation, firearms training, SWAT and more.
Members of the Williston Po-
lice Department know that education is one of the most effective ways to gain understanding and support. This continuing program is designed to open the communication line between the citizens of our community and law enforcement. By allowing citizens a firsthand look into the rules, regulations and policies that police follow, some of the misunderstandings can be eliminated. Our goal is to produce well informed citizens.
To register for the Citizens Police Academy, follow the link at police.cityofwilliston.com/citizens_academy.php.
The application deadline is March 14. Registration does not guarantee acceptance into the program and applicants must be 18 years old to apply. Applicants will be notified by March 26 if they have been accepted to attend the Citizens Police Academy.
THE LINKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
many years to come.”
Additionally, The Links of North Dakota was presented with the National Player Development Award for its exceptional commitment to growing the game of golf, particularly through its award-winning Junior Golf Program. The Junior Golf Program, a cornerstone of the community, provides young players with opportunities to learn, compete and develop their skills in a welcoming environment. Powers shared his enthusiasm for the program’s growth.
“We’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in junior golf in Northwest North Dakota,” Powers said. “Our Junior Golf Program continues to thrive, and these accolades reinforce the importance of developing the next generation of golfers.”
“We are so grateful to superintendent Gustavo Rodriquez and his staff for their tireless work,” said Cheryl Powers. “They so often go unrecognized as the backbone of the entire operation. Their success in keeping the course open even during the irrigation installation was due to the Herculean efforts of Gus and his amazing staff Alan, Alfonso, Samuel, Jack and Josue.”
The Links of North Dakota outperformed other top courses in the state in Golf’s rankings,
In December 2024, The Links was also named Golf’s #1 Golf Course in North Dakota. After facing challenges due to an aging irrigation system, the Powers family and team invested millions of dollars to replace and upgrade the entire system from 2023-2024. By summer 2024, the course was back in prime condition. Receiving the #1 ranking in the state was a gratifying achievement primarily due to the massive efforts by Superintendent Gustavo Rodriquez and his staff.
including Hawktree Golf Club in Bismarck and Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora. The victory, however, was bittersweet as Tom and Cheryl were mourning the passing of their long-time business partner and friend, John Kasmer.
“Cheryl, Zach and I would like to recognize John Kasmer, who was very instrumental in growing The Links – especially regarding his work at organizing amazing charitable events that raised over $4 million for local charities and causes over the past few years,” Powers said.
As the golf season approaches, The Links of North Dakota is ready for another successful year with high expectations for both course quality and player development.
For more information about The Links of North Dakota, including booking tee times or learning more about the Junior Golf Program, please visit www.linksofnorthdakota.com.
North Dakota
Proposed North Dakota Resolution Raises Constitutional Concerns
Anewly introduced resolution in the North Dakota Legislature, urging the state to acknowledge the "Kingship of Jesus Christ," has raised questions about its constitutionality and the separation of church and state.
House Concurrent Resolution 3020, sponsored by a group of Republican lawmakers, cites multiple biblical references as justification for recognizing Jesus Christ as the ruler over the state. The resolution argues that such recognition would bring "real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony" to North Dakota. Copies of the resolution are set to be forwarded to the President of the United States, the Governor of North Dakota, and the state's congressional delegation.
Legal experts point to clear constitutional issues with the resolution. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from establishing a religion, commonly referred to as the Establishment Clause. Additionally, Article VI of the Constitution states that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualifi-
cation to any office or public trust under the United States." These provisions ensure that the government remains neutral in matters of faith and does not promote one religion over another.
Legal analysts argue that adopting HCR 3020 could invite legal challenges on the basis of religious favoritism. North Dakota’s own constitution also underscores religious neutrality. Although it acknowledges a general gratitude to "Almighty God," it does not assign governmental authority to any religious figure.
The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled against government actions that explicitly promote religion. In cases such as Engel v. Vitale (1962), which struck down state-sponsored prayer in schools, and Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), which established the "Lemon Test" for determining violations of the Establishment Clause, the Court has reaffirmed that government must avoid entanglement with religious doctrine.
If passed, the resolution would likely be subject to legal scrutiny and potential court challenges. The precedent set by previous Supreme
Court rulings suggests that government-sponsored religious declarations conflict with constitutional principles.
Reaction to the resolution has been mixed. Some supporters argue that acknowledging Jesus Christ aligns with the state’s historical values and founding principles, pointing to references to God in historical documents. However, opponents see it as a clear overreach of government authority into religious territory.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the government is prohibited from endorsing or imposing any religious beliefs. Freedom of religion includes the freedom to not have the government impose religious doctrine on its citizens.
As the resolution moves through the legislative process, legal experts anticipate debate over its implications and potential constitutional conflicts. While unlikely to carry the force of law, its passage could set a precedent for further religiously motivated legislation and potential legal battles.
Job Listings & Classifieds
The Housing Authority Of the City of Williston The Housing Authority of the City of Williston is now accepting applications for 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, and 4 bedroom units. *Income, eligibility, and admission preferences apply. Applications are available at The Housing Authority of the City of Williston located at 1801 8th Ave West Williston, ND 58801 Monday-Friday 9am - 4pm (701) 572-2006
Through a Lutheran Lens
MUSIC: WHEN WORDS FAIL
PASTOR ZACH HARRIS FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH
So, a couple of weeks ago, I was going through my newsletter sent out by the Chamber of Commerce and caught an ad that led me to order a new T-Shirt. The saying on the shirt struck me as being oh so true: “Music speaks when words fail.” I thought it was something that had a greater resonance than simply the implication that I had waxed on about a few weeks ago equating the very notes of music with a language of their own (though to be honest such is probably more the intent— that an honest melody can bring one to exhilaration just as easily as tears in the sweeping soundtrack of life). I am blessed to work at a church which has very skilled musicians and lay people who create music on various instruments on an almost daily basis somewhere in the background. And I’m pretty sure most people can relate to the difference in mood one can achieve just by the musical score which is enhancing one’s activities.
Ah, but having just come past the Christmas season, I am uncannily aware how much it is the Christmas story told through the music of Carols that is at the heart of even the most devout Christian’s telling of the story rather than the very slight biblical texts that exist. For surely, it
was on a “Silent Night,” when “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” that “the little Lord Jesus fell asleep on the hay” so that the shepherds could “Go Tell it on the Mountain.”
We get a lot more detail in those Christmas hymns than in the few verses Luke actually talks about the birth, let alone Matthew’s timeframe. But whatever you do, don’t go deconstructing those details down to the biblical roots. Leave my Christmas story alone!
Or, sort of the opposite side of this kind of thought is the amazing amount of detail that is held in a song’s story. Having been a Jimmy Buffett fan since the 70s, he’s my go to example of how the singer-storyteller can at times fill in a whole life story in three and a half minutes (that happens to be the length of “He Went to Paris” which tells the story of a man starting in his 20s and ending at age 86 including his occupation and retirement, wife and child as well as death of both and World War II). So numerous are the stories told in such a concise format, I once had it in mind to try to spin out in prose the vivid images of several of these songs in a tone I had already entitled, “Short Stories Told Long.”
Alas, another brilliant idea that I throw to the masses in hopes of one day finding the finished product upon some bookstore shelf.
Probably the best example that I can muster from an age-addled brain is “The
Can, can you do the Can, Can?
Of course you can!
Just bring two cans of food to the 91st Annual First Lutheran Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner! With your donation we can re-stock area food shelves and feed the hungry!
First Lutheran Church Lutefisk & Meatball Dinner Saturday, Feb. 22nd | 11am - 5pm
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH
Gambler” released by Kenny Rogers in 1978. There’s a certain mystique about this song in that the writer, Don Schlitz, said that it somehow had just come to him, maybe from his father who had died, like a gift. The story of the song takes place on a train with a gambler giving life advice to his travelling companion in the form of poker metaphors. Though that doesn’t sound like much of a story in and of itself, the song resulted in five movies with Kenny Rogers playing a character called the gambler (my recollection is that the quality of the movies might have ended up inversely proportional to the number of minutes of screentime). But again, at three and a half minutes (that must be the key length for a song story), an indelible image was forged.
Funny how this particular subject dovetails back into that emphasis on storytelling. But of a stranger coincidence was the convergence of inspirations for this week’s message, both being by those very same musical geniuses that create those wonderful musical notes at my church. The one happens to be the very way that I became a member of the Chamber to get the newsletter that started this article. And as it turns out, the very T-Shirt that inspired the content of this article was from an ad fundraising for Harmonic Creative World, a non-profit that promotes music amongst our community’s kids and who happens to have one of our other musicians as one of its founders.
That seems like fate or God or destiny was in cahoots about all this. All I know is someone should write a song about it. Just make sure it time-stamps at three minutes 30 seconds, and we know it’ll be great!
Pastor Zach Harris has been an ordained minister for 33 years and currently serves First Lutheran Church in Williston. His column, “Through a Lutheran Lens: A Pastor’s Perspective,” will appear regularly in the Williston Graphic.
CLUES ACROSS
1. Racquet sport group (abbr.)
4. Norse god of thunder
8. Russian industrial city
10. What's good for the __
11. Round-ish shape
12. Baltimore MLBer
13. French modernist painter
15. Burned with water
16. Intestinal issue
17. Take the lead
18. Prove oneself worthy
21. None
22. Tax collector
23. Swiss river
24. Gymnast Raisman
25. Baby's dining accessory
26. Canadian beer distributor
27. Iconic American tourist destination
34. More expansive
35. Alert
36. Popular boots Doc __
37. Showings
38. Conclusion
39. Share a common boundary
40. Shooting sport
41. Popular side dish
42. Global energy firm
43. Chronicles (abbr.)
CLUES DOWN
1. Type of bomb
2. Polynesian island country
3. Heavenly body
4. Hard workers
5. Covered
6. Johns Hopkins Hospital founder
7. Plant of the grass family
9. Island person of the Bering Sea
10. Storehouse
12. Scarlet-flowered desert shrub
14. A pituitary hormone
15. Female sibling
17. Monetary unit of Afghanistan
19. Empowering
20. Space station
23. Disorder
24. State of fuss
25. Footwear for babies
26. Nuclear reactor (abbr.)
27. Droves
28. Affirmative
29. Male parent
30. Utter obscenities
31. Type of verse
32. Unpleasant person
33. One who settles down
34. Founder of source-based history
36. A way to snarl
