BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Here are the top stories that dominated the news during the past week, curated by the KX News digital staff:

1: Williston man charged with 7th DUI in 12 years. A 43-year-old Williston man with six DUI convictions in the past 12 years is facing felony charges after his arrest Saturday on DUI charges. Since 2013, the driver has been convicted six times for Driving Under the Influence and nine times for driving on a suspended or revoked license.

2: Minot Air Force Base member charged with child sex crimes. An active member of the Air Force, who’s stationed at the Minot Air Force Base, is facing four charges involving child sex crimes. The airman is currently facing three charges of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Minor and one count of Gross Sexual Imposition.

3: Report details allegations against Minot Mayor Tom Ross. The report focuses on an incident on January 14, 2025, in which Ross apparently sent a text message with a video attached to a city employee. Ross uses his personal cellphone for city business. About three minutes after the message was sent, Ross called to ask the employee to delete the video and not watch it. According to the investigative report, Ross said he had made a “sexy video” for his girlfriend, to not view it and to keep the incident between the two of them.

4: Nichole Rice attorneys respond to complaints over verdict behavior. Sand Law, PPLC, which successfully defended Nichole Rice on murder charges and generated controversy over the way its lawyers reacted as the verdict in the case was read, issued a brief response on its Facebook page. When the verdict was announced, the defense attorneys shouted in jubilation and started hugging Rice family and friends in the courtroom audience while the rest of the verdict form was still being read, much to the dismay of Anita Knutson family and friends sitting nearby in the courtroom.

5: Man killed in officer-involved shooting near Watford City. One man is dead following an officer-involved shooting near Watford City. According to a post on the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Facebook page, deputies responded to a domestic call at a residence south of the city around 7:30 p.m. During the incident, a male suspect was shot by one of the deputies.

6: Williston students arrested for circulating ‘hit list’ targeting other students. Three students in Williston have been arrested and charged for allegedly putting out a “hit list” Tuesday, April 1, with the names of other students they were looking to harm. Williston police say the three students have been charged, but they wouldn’t say what those charges are because the case is still under investigation and it involves minors. The three are currently being held at a juvenile detention facility.

7: Lincoln police chief recognized for bringing calm to a chaotic situation. An emergency call April 2 brought Lincoln Police Chief Matt Giddings to a nine-year-old boy in distress. He had undergone surgery recently and was apparently suffering complications from the operation. In the chaos and uncertainty of the situation, the boy’s mother was trying to deal with the situation while managing her other older son who was also at home. She had called for emergency help. The situation was, in the mother’s words a “complete nightmare when you are by yourself.” In almost no time, Giddings walked into the house, bring help and an air of calm under distress.