Dakota Download Governor Burgum's Weekly Update - December 3, 2023

Governor, First Lady help ‘Light the Way’ at annual State Christmas Tree lighting ceremony

Gov. Doug Burgum and First Lady Kathryn Burgum joined attendees at the 42nd annual North Dakota State Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Monday. The tree will be lit through Dec. 28 in Memorial Hall and can be seen from the Capitol loop each evening.

The theme of this year’s Christmas tree is “Lighting the Way,” in connection with the first lady’s platform of inspiring people to know that recovery from the disease of addiction is possible. The theme also broadly applies to the notion that every person can be a light for others during the holiday season.

This year’s ceremony featured performances from the St. Mary’s Central High School Jazz ensemble “St. Mary’s Blues,” Miss North Dakota 2023 Sydney Helgeson and pianist Michael Land.

Miller visits Fargo, Grand Forks for energy summit and EERC tour

Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller visited Fargo and Grand Forks this week for a panel discussion and a tour of the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC).

Miller moderated an energy panel at the Midwest Energy Summit discussing supply chains and energy uses in transportation with Jeff Davidman from Delta Air Lines, Mike Swaney from BNSF and Denver Tolliver from Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.

At the EERC, Miller toured the facility at the University of North Dakota with CEO Charlie Gorecki, hearing how the facility is developing new technologies and applications.

Burgum appoints LaMoure County State’s Attorney James Shockman to Southeast District judgeship

Gov. Burgum has appointed LaMoure County State’s Attorney James Shockman to an open judgeship in the Southeast Judicial District.

Shockman has served as LaMoure County state’s attorney since January 2019 and has owned and operated a private law firm in LaMoure since 2015, practicing and litigating in general civil matters. As state’s attorney, he is the LaMoure County’s lead prosecutor and also serves as legal counsel and advisor to the county and its boards and commissions. Shockman previously was in private practice in Bismarck and Phoenix. He also has worked as a law clerk for the Hennepin County (Minn.) Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis and the Minnesota Attorney General.

Shockman grew up in Berlin, N.D., where he continues to manage field operations for his family’s farm, and is a board member and owner of Larson Grain Co. in LaMoure. He also serves as an advisor and volunteer for JakeStar Inc., an organization he cofounded in 2012 to enrich the lives of children through quality entertainment and creative community involvement.

Shockman earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., and his law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.

The Southeast Judicial District opening was created by the appointment of Judge Cherie Clark to a judgeship in the East Central Judicial District. Three attorneys were named as finalists for the Southeast Judicial District judgeship, which is chambered in Jamestown. The Southeast Judicial District consists of 14 counties: Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stutsman and Wells.

Job Service ND hosting webinar exploring labor market data and analysis

In alignment with their strategic plan to provide innovative workforce solutions through collaboration and education, Job Service North Dakota kicked off 2023 by planning a series of webinars to educate employers, community stakeholders and others.

Job Service North Dakota will host its final webinar for 2023, “The Labor Market Information Playbook: How to Get in the Game by Exploring Fundamentals and Strategies,” from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Dec. 12.

This webinar invites those who work in the private, public and nonprofit sectors to get in the game and join the webinar to hear from subject matter experts as they dive into the data and materials and give a play-by-play of how information can be turned into insights for optimal decision making. Through this webinar, you can discover the fundamentals of labor market information, how you can leverage labor market information to set policy and provide support, and how you can engage labor market professionals to enhance your experience. This webinar is free to attend and you can register here.

North Dakota is leading the nation with the lowest unemployment rate at 1.4% and is second in labor force participation at 69.1%. Of the 1,340 individuals on unemployment, 53% are job attached, leaving only 630 individuals actively seeking work, according to Job Service.

Previous webinars from Job Service can be found here.