The Extra Newspaper

01/17/2026

Former MPD Chief Questions ICE Shooting in Minneapolis

By Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Former Moorhead Police Chief David Ebinger, a veteran of 40 years in law enforcement, watched in horror as videos of the killing of a Minneapolis woman by ICE were shared on the internet.

Like so many others, he watched an armed agent of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fire three point-blank shots into Renee Good’s car. And, like countless others who viewed the digital records, he had urgent questions.

“I saw the same videos as everybody else,” the retired lawman told the FM Extra Monday, “but I’ve got 40 years of experiences. You don’t make up your mind until all the evidence is in.

“In those 40 years, I have never seen public officials come forward like that. When I heard [Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem’s statement two hours later, I was gobsmacked. She was totally inappropriate. It’s never your job to decide who’s innocent or guilty before all the evidence has been collected and reviewed.”

Ebinger emphasized that he was not speaking in his current role as a Clay County commissioner, but strictly as a private citizen. But he feels called to share his observations. “Right now, those of us with a voice and something to contribute need to be part of this conversation.”

The former police chief came to Moorhead after spending 28 years with the Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Department. There, he served in a series of leadership roles, including detective commander in the investigative division and, finally, internal affairs. His division investigated six or seven incidents of the use of deadly force every year.

Ebinger has concerns about two different elements of the incident – the elimination of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the FBI investigation, and the competence of many of the 2,500 ICE agents who have been deployed to Minnesota.

Read more of Dave Ebinger's comments in the Jan. 15 edition of the FM Extra, on newsstands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/former-chief-raises-questions-about-ice-shooting/

01/17/2026

State of the Cities: 'This Is Going To Be a Blue-Ribbon Year'

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

It’s going to be a year of ribbon-cuttings, Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson proclaimed at the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Cities event on Jan. 8.

Five major projects whose construction has spanned several years will be completed in coming months, the mayor told the 700 F-M business, nonprofit and government leaders assembled for the annual update at the Delta by Marriott. She showed off a 2-foot scissors given her by the city staff, noting that it’ll come in handy for all the ceremonies that lie ahead.

Five major projects’ completion will be celebrated in the months ahead. Among them:

• The Loop, the new library/community center in the final phase of construction at Center Avenue and Fifth Street;

• The 11th Street underpass beneath the BNSF tracks;

• The re-imagined and remodeled City Hall, along with additional blocks of downtown streets;

• Romkey Park, with its new municipal swimming pool and recreational features; and

• The new covered grandstand, press box and other improvements at Matson Field.

Read more about Mayor Carlson's address at State of the Cities in the Feb. 15 edition of the FM Extra, on newsstands now, and at https://www.thefmextra.com/state-of-the-city/

01/17/2026

Hawley Businessman Announces State Senate Run

Hawley businessman Austin Peterson has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to run for the District 4 senate seat in the Minnesota Legislature. The seat is currently held by Rob Kupec of Moorhead, who is running for a second term.

Peterson owns a small business in Hawley and serves on the Hawley School Board. He and his family have lived in the District 4, which encompasses Moorhead and most of Clay and Becker counties, for almost ten years. The district also includes Barnesville, Detroit Lakes, Dilworth, Glyndon, Hawley and the surrounding area.

In his announcement, he is described as a “self-made entrepreneur, investor and community leader grounded in faith, family and responsibility.”

Announcing his candidacy, Peterson said, “Minnesota families are footing the bill from reckless spending, rampant fraud and partisan politics in St. Paul after single-party control. It is because of the decisions made by the Legislature that businesses are fleeing the state and lives have become less affordable.”

He added, “Living in a border district, the evidence of harmful party politics couldn’t be more clear. That stops when I am elected to the Senate. I will put the people of Becker and Clay counties first and not the wishes of big city party leaders. I am a proud Minnesotan and I have hope for a brighter future for our state and our communities.”

Peterson was elected to the Hawley School Board in 2024. He has served as president of his church council and a member of the board of Just One More, a Midwestern nonprofit that uses technology to combat human trafficking.

01/17/2026

Mayor Pro Tem Slot Stirs Up Council Meeting

By Nancy Edmonds Hanson

A routine appointment on the Moorhead City Council’s agenda stirred up a storm Monday when two members of the board objected to the mayor’s choice for mayor pro tem – a decision over which the city attorney said they had no authority.

Mayor Shelly Carlson planned to appoint council member Lisa Borgen to serve as mayor pro tem. She would serve as acting mayor only during Carlson’s infrequent absences, as suggested by the term’s meaning: “for the time being.”

The same resolution also authorized the mayor to serve on nine intergovernmental boards and committees, including the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board and finance and planning committees, as well as the Moorhead Clay County Joint Powers and Red River Regional Dispatch Center Authority boards, the Board of Appeals and Equalization, the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Committee, the Legislative Workgroup, and the Red River Basin Commission. Passage requires a unanimous vote of the council.

Council member Deb White immediately objected to Borgen’s appointment. “I am deeply concerned about Lisa Borgen,” she said. “In the past, this appointment has been based on seniority.” Elected in 2019, White’s seniority is second only to Chuck Hendrickson, who has served on the council since 2014. (The mayor herself was elected as a councilor in 2018.)

White added, “She and the mayor are best friends. This smacks of cronyism.”

Read about what happened next in the Jan. 15 edition of the FM Extra, on newsstands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/mayor-pro-tem-slot-stirs-up-meeting/

Carlson said that Borgen was her choice because, unlike Hendrickson and other councilors, she’s retired and has time to fill in during the mayor’s rare absences, unlike others with full-time jobs. She also noted the Ward 3 member’s experience as Moorhead city attorney and 7th District judge. “She has sufficient time and an excellent background in running meetings as well as a courtroom.”

01/17/2026

MetroCOG to County Commission: FM Area Has 2nd Lowest Unemployment Rate in Nation

By Daniel Haglund

With a 2.2 percent unemployment rate, the Fargo-Moorhead greater metropolitan area ranks second in the nation for the second straight year.

Those are the final 2024 numbers reported by the Fargo Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments in its 2025 Metro Profile report on Tuesday to the Clay County Board of Commissioners in Moorhead.

Sioux Falls, S.D., leads the nation with the lowest unemployment rate at 1.8 percent. Burlington, Vt., tied Fargo-Moorhead with a 2.2 percent rate. The national average was 4.6 percent.

Metro COG’s Karissa Pavek, Geographical Information Systems coordinator, and Aiden Jung, assistant planner, presented the robust economic numbers.

Jung began with an overview of six separate areas of conditions and trends study within the greater metropolitan area of Fargo-Moorhead.

The first portion, the community profile, finds that this metro’s population growth outpaces the rest of the country.

Jung said in 2024, there were 5,173 new residents added to the metro area, which represents a nearly 2 percent bump. Moorhead saw a 1 percent change over that year, Dilworth grew 0.6 percent, and rural Clay County dipped very slightly.

Get the rest of the story in the Jan. 15 edition of the FM Extra, on newsstands now, and online at

With a 2.2 percent unemployment rate, the Fargo-Moorhead greater metropolitan area ranks second in the nation for the second straight year.

01/16/2026

‼️ UPDATE: January 17, 2026‼️

As the MPD continued working on this investigation, detectives discovered a package that had an additional 10 pounds of methamphetamine that was  prepared to be distributed.

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The Moorhead Police Department, in coordination with the Cass County Drug Task Force, Clay County Sheriff's Office, and the local DEA Office, executed multiple search warrants this week as part of a months-long narcotics investigation, resulting in two arrests.

On Thursday, January 15, Harold Bowen, Jr. (49-year-old) of Saint Cloud, Florida, and Malcolm Parker (34-year-old) of Chicago, Illinois, were arrested on felony charges of Controlled Substance Crime in the First Degree and Ineligible Person in Possession of a Firearm. Bowen and Parker were transported to the Clay County Jail.

During the investigation, detectives learned the suspects were renting multiple Airbnb properties in Moorhead and Fargo to distribute narcotics. Items seized during the searches included:

• Approximately 1.6 pounds of methamphetamine (estimated street value of $12,500)
• $14,000 in U.S. currency
• One 9 mm handgun
• 12 high-value bicycles and e-bikes
• A small amount of ma*****na in Fargo

“This operation is a great example of collaboration with our local partners to keep our communities safe,” said Investigations Lieutenant Mike Detloff. “We also encourage short-term rental property owners to be proactive — use identity verification tools, communicate with guests before approving reservations, and report suspicious activity to local police. Simple steps like these can help prevent criminal activity from entering our neighborhoods.”

01/14/2026

The City of Moorhead is proud to be a safe and welcoming place for all. We recognize the legitimate concerns Moorhead residents have regarding federal Immigration & Customs Enforcement operations and the impact those actions can have on people in our community.

At the same time, it’s important to understand the legal limits of municipal government: the City of Moorhead and the Moorhead Police Department do not have the legal authority to enforce civil immigration laws. These activities are conducted by federal agencies, not by local law enforcement.

Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and a city cannot prohibit ICE from operating, ban agents from the city, or block federal enforcement actions. We will continue to connect with affected community leaders and organizations to offer support, listen to concerns and share accurate information and resources.

No matter who you are or where you come from, you should never hesitate to call 911 if you witness or are a victim of a crime.

To everyone in our community, safety and wellbeing is always our focus and priority.

Frequently asked questions:
Q: Is ICE or Customs and Border Protections (CBP) obliged to let Police know after an action in Moorhead?
A: No, they are not obligated to provide an after-action report following a deployment in a city.

Q: If the City hears of an ICE or CBP action occurring in Moorhead, would Police Officers be dispatched to the scene to observe?
A: No, but the Moorhead Police Department would be responsive to any incoming 911 calls.

Q: Can the City Council prohibit ICE or CBP from wearing masks that obscure their faces and agency names?
A: No. Federal policy allows ICE officers to wear masks.

Q: Would any of these questions be answered differently if they were about the National Guard?
A: No.

01/14/2026

Congratulations, Kelly Murek! You've won two free beverages from Third Drop Coffee and the FM Extra!

Kelly says, "Here's to Our Morning Fixers... May the coffee never stop flowing, for we run on caffeine 🙂🙃🙂 Thankful. Grateful. Blessed."

01/14/2026

01/10/2026

Friendly Remi Keeps Spirits Up at MPD

By Nancy Edmonds Hanson

The most welcome visitor in Moorhead’s Law Enforcement Center has an enthusiastic smile, an appealing personality … plus four paws and a vigorously wagging tail.

“Remi is good at reading who likes having her around and who’s not interested,” owner Megan Landborg says. “Pretty much everyone likes her, except for a few who are allergic.”

The 8-year-old golden retriever isn’t the first canine to work with the Moorhead Police Department. Two hard-working Malinois-German shepherd K9s currently work with sworn officers. But Remi is literally a different breed. While Gimli and Dex are part of the department’s crime-fighting team, aloof from distracting pleasantries, the graceful golden is there for the officers and staff themselves – providing comfort, easing stress, and brightening moods simply by being there.

The presence of a trained therapy dog, Lundborg points out, is part of the focus on officers’ and staff wellness begun by former Chief Shannon Monroe. Aaron Suomala Folkerds had been serving as the department’s part-time mental health professional for four years when, at the end of 2024, she and the chief began considering how to add a canine.

Their interest was triggered by a new grant available through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety supporting the addition of therapy dogs for police and fire departments. Lundborg wrote and won the $10,000 grant supporting acquisition of an animal.

They didn’t need to look far. “I’ve had Remi since she was a puppy,” she reports. “She was already mostly trained for this work, so we didn’t have to look further.”

Read the rest of Remi's story in the Jan. 8 edition of the FM Extra, on newsstands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/friendly-remi-keeps-spirits-up-at-mpd/