Augus 2, 2021
.n . .. . -,.,..
. The Star
COMPLEMENT
Belcourt American Legion distributes Scholarships o deserving graduates
Page 9
Several seniors who graduated from Turtle Mountain Community High School
this spring received a scholarship from the Lilley-Dionne Post No. 262 of
Belcourt last week. They included, back row,
from left to right: Josiah Marcellais, Malorie Crissler, Kayleigh Vivier,
Avah Marion, Haidyn Poitra and; Latin Crissler. Also receiving a
scholarship but not pictured were Chase Jerome-Davis and James
Keplin. The scholarships, worth $250, were presented to the. students last
week and the event included a meal.
Members of the Lilley-Dionne Post at the event were, front row, left to
right: Joe Vega, Bill Peterson, Richard Marcellais, Howard Longie, Lancelot
Azure, Earl DeCoteau and Pat Hemmy.
l lb t C if
I I
off-highway trails
The North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department (NDPRD) an-
nounces seven trail projects across North Dakota that have re—
ceived grant funding from the Recreation Trails Program (RTP). NDPRD
received 18 applications totaling approximately $3,098,400 in grant fund
re-
quests during the last grant round. One preject selected for funding was
for
the Turtle Mountain Band of
Chippewa and its Turtle Mountain
OHV Trail Upgrades.
“The Recreation Trails Program
is a great opportunity to create,
maintain and update recreational
offerings across the state,” stated
Andrea Travnicek, North Dakota
Parks & Recreation Director. “Pro-
grams such as this‘provide commu—
nities with the resources to enhance
their citizen’s access to activities
that improve quality of life.”
The Recreational Trails Program
is an 80/20 matching grant program
that provides funding for both mo—
torized‘ and non—motorized recre-
ational trail projects. ‘
Examples of eligible projects in—
clude construction of new recre-
ation trails, restoration of existing
trails, development and rehabilita-
tion of trailside and trailhead facil- ‘
ities and trail linkages, purchase
and lease of recreational trail con-
struction and maintenance equip-
, “The Recreation
Trails Program is a
great opportunity to.
create, maintain and
update
recreational
offerings .acrossthe
state. Programs
as. this provide comm
munities with a the re-'
sources 'to' enhance
their citizen’s access
to activities that im-
prove qu’ality of life.” ,
Andrea Travnicek,
N;D. Parks and
Recreation Director
ment,1and acquisition/easements, and trail accessibility assessment.
The RTP is administered at the state level through the NDPRD, and fed-
erally through the Federal Highway Administration. Projects are evaluated
and ranked by the Recreation Trails Program Advisory Committee, whose
purpose is to assist in ranking projects seeking federal trail funds.
For further information,
please visit our website
at https://www.parkrec
.nd.gov/business/grants/recreational—trails—program or
contact Char Langehaug, Grants Coordinator at 701-328-5357.
Local bank’s
CEO wins
business magazine award
Starion Bank CEO Craig Larson
has been named a recipient of Prairie
Business magazine’s 2021 Leaders &
Legacies Award. The award recog-
nizes executives in the region for
their recent (Leaders) and lifetime
(Legacies) contributions in business.
Craig began his career with Star—
ion Bank as comptroller in 1985 and
was named president and CEO in
1997. Under Craig’s leadership, the
Bank has grown from approximately
$200 million in assets and five North
Dakota branches to $1.60 billion in
assets with 13 branches in North
Dakota and 3 branches in the Madi—
son, Wisconsin area.
Starion Bank’s values—driven,
family-owned organization consis-
tently receives the highest ranking
possible from BauerFinancial, an in—
dependent bank rating firm, and has
earned recognition among the na-
tion’s top performers by Independent
Banker magazine. Larson attributes
these honors to the Bank’s strong cul-
ture of giving back to the communi-
ties it serves.
N0 stranger to service, Larson en-
joys being active in both his local
community and the banking industry.
He recently served as the Advisory
Board Chair for the Prairie Family
Business Association, an organiza-
tion that builds relationships and of-
fers high-quality educational
programs promoting successful fam—
ily businesses. He and his wife, She]—
Larson
ley have also recently served as Co-
Chairs of the MSA United Way
Fundraising Campaign.
“We are honored to have an au-
thentic, innovative leader like Craig
guiding‘us in business, banking, and
in life, leading by example through
Starion’s values,” says Don Morgan,
President and CEO-Elect.
Larson is currently honored in the
July issue of Prairie Business maga-
zine and will receive his award in
person at a banquet this fall.
Earlier this year, the Larson fam-
ily also pledged to match up to
$100,000 in donations to the Rolla
Community Endowment Fund,
which offers grants to agencie
within the city. '
Jumping for the Joy of others ,
The Rolla Dance Center’s tiniest participants entertained at Park View
Assisted Living in Rolla on a sunny Thursday after-
noon. The performance brought some smiles along with efforts to match the
moves from the residents of Park View.
Man sentenced to 35 years for Shooting at officer
Acting United States Attorney
Nicholas W. Chase announced that
US. District Court Chief Judge Peter
D. Welte sentenced Ruben Joe Cruz,
age 38, Bottineau, ND, to 35 years in
federal prison for the charge of Con—
spiracy to Distribute a Controlled
Substance, Use of a Firearm During
and Relation to a Drug Trafficking
Crime, and being a Felon and Fugi-
tive Unlawfully in Possession of a
Firearm. Judge Welte also sentenced
l
Cruz to five years of supervised re—
leased, $59,113 in restitution and
$500 in special assessment fees,
On October 21, 2020, Cruz was
charged by Superseding Indictment
alleging that on August 14, 2020,
Cruz unlawfully possessed a firearm
. while he was under indiCtment out of
the District of South Dakota. While
serving the arrest warrant for the
South Dakota case, Cruz discharged
the firearm seriously injuring an Offi-
cer from the Grafton, North Dakota
Police Department. The Superseding
Indictment further alleged that from
August 2019 to August 2020, Cruz
conspired with others to distribute
500 grams or-more of methampheta-
mine ‘and that Cruz possessed
methamphetamine with intent to dis-
tribute at the time of the shooting.
On March 18, 2021 , co-defendant
Gilbert Garcia was sentenced to 78
months in federal prison for his role
3
in the drug conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the
North Dakota Bureau of Criminal In-
_ vestigation, Grand Forks Narcotics ‘
Task Force, Walsh County Sheriff’s
Office, Walsh County State’s Attor~
ney Office, Department of Homeland
Security Investigations, Alcohol, To—
bacco, Firearms and Explosives and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney
Chris Myers prosecuted the case.
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