Tess Williams

Tess covers crime and courts for the Grand Forks Herald. She previously worked for the Associated Press, Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World-Herald and The Voice News. Reach her at (701) 780-1267, twilliams@gfherald.com or on Twitter @ByTessWilliams.

In an experiment to see how small towns keep public documents and also how they respond when asked to see them, the Herald reached out to 10 communities with fewer than 350 residents. Petersburg, N.D.; Edinburg, N.D.; Hoople, N.D.; Lake Bronson, Minn.; Grygla, Minn.; and Beltrami, Minn., all produced the documents. Two towns (Forest River, N.D., and Middle River, Minn.) never responded, while two others (Aneta, N.D., and Brooks, Minn.) simply declined.
Flooding continues throughout the Red River Valley but National Weather Service reports indicate that, in many spots, the worst is over.
A South Dakota semitrailer driver plans to go to trial on a manslaughter charge that alleges he was driving negligently when he crashed into a pickup in May. The fiery crash left a Minnesota man dead.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office released the names of two people who died in a car crash east of Crookston on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
A syringe service program is slated to open Friday, Oct. 18, in downtown Grand Forks.
A Grand Forks man is accused of helping a woman sell methamphetamine around the area, according to a criminal complaint.
A portion of DeMers Avenue closed for an hour Monday, Oct. 14, as Grand Forks police cleared a traffic crash.
A Warroad man will spend about six years in prison for stabbing another man in April.
Many waterways in the region are expected to reach moderate flood stage this week in the wake of an early October blizzard and the wettest September on record.
Grand Forks police are searching for a suspect who fled from them on South Washington Street on Sunday, Oct. 13, a press release said.