Hoeven presses corps to support continued operation of Dakota Access Pipeline
Alex Finken
Office of John Hoven
Senator John Hoeven this week pressed Brigadier General Peter Helmlinger, Commander of the Northwestern Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to help ensure the continued operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The senator stressed the impact a shutdown would have on the State of North Dakota and the Three Affiliated Tribes, which rely on DAPL for the safe and efficient transportation of Bakken crude to market.
Today’s conversation builds on Hoeven’s recent efforts to maintain the operation of DAPL. This includes the senator hand-delivering to President Biden letters from Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Mark Fox and North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, emphasizing the need to keep DAPL operational while the Army Corps of Engineers completes its court-ordered review. The senator has also repeatedly spoken with Army Corps Chief Lieutenan
Alleged axman accused of vandalizing GOP senator s Fargo office spouted left-wing views, charges say
Thomas Alexander Starks, 30, is under federal criminal investigation, a U.S. prosecutor said Tuesday, Dec. 29. He was booked on state felony criminal mischief charges on Dec. 24 and released this Monday after posting bond, according to court records. 7:11 pm, Dec. 29, 2020 ×
Thomas Starks
FARGO A Lisbon, N.D., man accused of taking an ax to a Republican U.S. senator’s office windows in Fargo last week was very vocal about his left-leaning political views, according to court records.
Thomas Alexander Starks, 30, is under federal criminal investigation, accused of smashing two glass windows and an intercom system next to the door of Sen. John Hoeven’s office, U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley told Forum News Service on Tuesday, Dec. 29. The federal prosecutor for North Dakota declined to say what federal charges Starks could face, if any.
The man who is accused of vandalizing North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven
Cass County charged Thomas Alexander Starks, claiming that he “willfully damaged tangible property of another, intentionally causing pecuniary loss in excess of two thousand dollars but not in excess of ten thousand dollars.”
Video of the attack on the office appears to show Starks walking up a set of stairs to a door carrying an ax and then smashing an office window before walking away.
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Prosecutors allege that Starks “willfully damaged office windows, a window frame, and an intercom system.”
Alex Finken, a spokesperson for Hoeven, told The Hill on Wednesday that staff discovered the vandalism on Monday morning.