North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple on Tuesday signed a measure giving the state the most restrictive abortion law in the United States, a bill banning the procedure in most cases once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.
Dalrymple also said the constitutionality of the measure was an open question and said state lawmakers should appropriate money to a litigation fund for the state attorney general to defend against any possible challenges to the law.
“Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade,” Dalrymple said in a statement.
Considering many women don’t even receive confirmation that they’re pregnant until four to six weeks after conception, the decision essentially gives women roughly fourteen days (if they’re lucky) to decide whether or not they’d like to be a mother. Because forcing people to rush important decisions, like whether or not somebody wants to be a parent, is always a good idea, right?
The lede says it all, really: ”The mayor of the southwest North Dakota tourist town of Medora is seeking permission for a hanging, and he is sticking his neck out by volunteering to be the one to go to the gallows.” In perhaps the greatest individual story in Associated Press history, a North Dakota mayor wants to convince us that he’s not crazy when he wants to hold a fake hanging for tourists. This story has quotes to die for. A few samples:
All in all, it is the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks. It attracts visitors from out of town as well as people who live here.85-year-old Grand Forks Herald EatBeat columnist Marilyn Hagerty • Writing about Olive Garden. This review has gone viral for obvious reasons, to which Hagerty reacted: “I don’t get it. I’ve been doing this for 30-40 years. Why all of a sudden now?” The article has been a major traffic boon for her newspaper, drawing over 100,000 page views. We totally understand, Marilyn; our 87-year-old grandpa (who lives in Grand Rapids, which is like Grand Forks with a river) is on a first-name basis with the staff of the Olive Garden he goes to. It’s a great place.
The waters are rising: The scene in Minot is looking pretty bad at this stage, and the forecast is not heartening — flooding unprecedented for the region is prompting the government to issue evacuation notices, as officials will deliberately release more waters from the Lake Darling Dam to mitigate the crisis (the dam is near Minot as well as other towns). The expected drainage will be three times what Minot could handle, all but assuring the damage and destruction of countless homes. Our thoughts are with these victims, and we hope people will prioritize their own safety. source
After months of consideration, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2012.Senator Kent Conrad • The moderate Democrat announced his pending retirement this morning. He’s been in the Senate since 1987, representing North Dakota, a fairly conservative state. With his announcement, the Democratic Party is likely feeling some angst that a new window of congressional opportunity may be opening for their Republican counterparts. Conrad scoffed at the notion he feared losing a potential reelection bid, insisting his age was his primary motivator (Conrad is 62). source (via • follow)
Protip: Don’t drive your car in North Dakota today: We heard a rumor about there being a 100-car pile-up somewhere in this mess in North Dakota, but we can’t seem to make it out. Too much freaking snow. source
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