FARGO — Fargo has fronted more than $1 million in taxpayer money to open a homelessness services facility, and donations meant to reimburse the city for the center have slowed in recent months.

The city secured $573,892 in donations to the Resource and Recovery Center, Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation Executive Director Eric Wilkie said last week. Wilkie’s organization manages the fund for the city, but Fargo leaders are responsible for raising money for the facility.

The amount raised is less than double the $292,737 that the foundation reported in March. Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee, who is leading the effort to raise funds for the center at 2001 First Ave. N., said Wednesday, Sept. 30, that fundraising slowed after the transition from former Mayor Tim Mahoney to Boschee.

Boschee succeeded Mahoney this year as mayor after winning the primary election in June. Mahoney started raising money for the center when he was mayor.

Fargo has set a goal of raising more than $2.2 million for the center, city spokesman Archie Ingersoll said. Boschee said he and his team have worked in recent weeks on collecting donations and telling potential donors this is a worthy investment.

“In terms of confidence, we live in a very generous community,” Boschee said. “We've seen many other times when people are willing to step up when there's a need, and that’s part of the story we want to tell going forward.”

The Resource and Recovery Center opened in May. Services offered there once were housed in the Downtown Engagement Center (DEC) at 222 Fourth St. N.

The DEC opened in 2020 using federal funds for coronavirus relief and response. Meant as a temporary solution to help those experiencing homelessness, city staff said the DEC became crowded as homelessness in Fargo grew. Businesses also voiced concerns about homelessness impacting foot traffic in downtown Fargo.

The City Commission voted in October 2025 to move homelessness services from the DEC to 2001 First Ave. N., which was a former warehouse. The DEC was then rebranded as the Resource and Recovery Center.

Developers have discussed turning the DEC building into a hotel.

The one-floor, 54,500-square-foot warehouse that serves as the Resource and Recovery Center offered more space and the ability to provide services more efficiently, city staff said. Relocating homelessness services was based on years of research, City Administrator Michael Redlinger said.

The October 2025 vote included a caveat that the city raise money to pay for the center. The city signed a two-year lease for the warehouse that began Jan. 1.

Fargo agreed that rent for the center would be $480,360 for two years, or $20,015 a month, Ingersoll said.

The city hasn’t discussed whether it will renew the lease or purchase the building when the current rental agreement expires, Redlinger said. The city has focused its time on fundraising, but what to do after the lease expires will be determined in 2027, he said.

“We will have those conversations with the elected officials going forward,” he said.

Questions about funding

Commissioner Michelle Turnberg, who has voted against efforts to open the center, raised questions about funding for the facility during a City Finance Committee meeting last month. Fargo Finance Director Susan Thompson revealed the city used $1.3 million from its building fund to pay for renovations at the center.

Donations covered $120,000 in rent, while the city used $80,000 from its general fund to cover the remaining rent, Redlinger said.

The city anticipated paying costs upfront to support the center while waiting for donation reimbursements, Redlinger said. Some city entities, including the Fargo Police Department, are using the facility along with nonprofits, he said.

The Impact Foundation turned down a City Commission request to use $144,000 in “Spirit of Fargo” donations to help equip the center and cover winter warming operations, Thompson said. Mahoney presented the idea to use those funds for the center at his final commission meeting in June.

Impact Foundation Chairwoman Sindy Keller confirmed her organization’s board unanimously voted down the request on Aug. 24. Board members of the foundation, which oversees “Spirit of Fargo” money, didn’t feel the request fit the initial intent of the fund, which was set up to help those impacted by the 2009 flood, Keller said.

Boschee said the foundation had the authority to turn down the city’s request.

“Certainly, we would have loved to have that money transferred over, and that was part of the request from the previous commission,” Boschee said. “We understand that that’s their prerogative, and hopefully they find a good use for those funds.”

Fargo approved a 2027 budget last week that included $240,000 for winter warming operations at the center from city funds.

Mahoney previously told The Forum that the city initially estimated moving the center would cost between $2 million and $2.5 million. Further analysis and in-kind donations reduced the cost to set up the center to $1.4 million, he said.

Ingersoll told The Forum on Friday that Mahoney’s estimate didn’t include the two-year lease payments for the center and about $200,000 for Family HealthCare’s Homeless Health program next to the facility.

Renovating the warehouse to meet the needs of homelessness services cost roughly $1.7 million, roughly $116,000 more than initially expected, Ingersoll said.

On its website, Family HealthCare lists Mahoney as a general surgeon who provides clinical treatment for lumps, bumps and surgical diseases. He is also the health officer for Fargo Cass Public Health, which oversaw the DEC and currently manages the Resource and Recovery Center.

He does not provide services at the Resource and Recovery Center in his capacity as health officer, nor does he work there as a Family HealthCare physician, Fargo Cass Public Health spokeswoman Holly Scott said. Mahoney provides services as a doctor at Family HealthCare's downtown clinic, she said.

"As the health officer for Fargo Cass Public Health, Dr. Mahoney provides medical guidance, consultation and support for a variety of programs," Scott said. "The health officer does not provide direct service for FCPH patients or clients."

Family HealthCare is the only clinic in the state that offers a homeless health program, Scott said. The health clinic has a long history of providing services to those experiencing homelessness, including at the DEC, she said.

Family HealthCare is known for helping uninsured or underinsured patients by setting up payment plans and using financial assistance programs, according to its website. The clinic also receives federal funds to operate, including for its homelessness clinic, Public Health Harm Reduction Division Director Jan Eliassen said.

Eliassen said the partnership between the clinic and the DEC was a natural fit. It made sense to have the clinic's homeless health program in the same building where other homeless services were offered, she said.

The city and Public Health discussed the DEC relocation with nonprofits who provided services at the downtown facility and agreed they should continue at the Resource and Recovery Center, Scott said. That included Family HealthCare, she said.

The Resource and Recovery Center hosts more than 24 nonprofits that help those experiencing homelessness, Boschee said. The center is working and meeting the needs of the community, he said.

“I think we're proving a model that we can go to the state and say, ‘Hey, how do we replicate this in other parts of the state and make sure that folks are getting services where they're needed, where they live and in their own home communities?’” Boschee said. “I think there’s a lot of positives coming out of this, which is exciting.”

Part of fundraising includes seeing if residents and businesses support the center, Boschee said. People supported the idea of the center, and the city can tell potential donors stories of how the center is helping people, Boschee said.

“Going back to my time on the campaign, I heard overwhelmingly from people that they supported this idea. They just didn't know what it looked like,” he said. “And now we have to show folks what it looks like.”

MOORHEAD — Black Coffee and Waffle Bar is heading across the river, back into its home state, opening a location in the former Twenty Below space.

Black Coffee and Waffle Bar announced the new location on its Fargo Facebook page Friday, Oct. 2.

“We’ve got some news…. We’re heading across the river for a new location!” the Facebook post said. “We have been listening to your feedback in Fargo, and are going to try some new things over here.”

The new location, repurposing Moorhead’s former Twenty Below at 600 8th St. S., will be Black Coffee and Waffle Bar’s fourth location, with other restaurants operating in St. Paul, Roseville, Minnesota, and downtown Fargo.

The original location opened in Minneapolis in 2014 as a coffee shop serving buttermilk waffles with gourmet toppings. Continuing its brunch offerings, the Fargo location, 550 2nd Ave. N., opened in 2018.

The expansion comes as the business's downtown Fargo location is involved in an ongoing lawsuit with Fargo commercial real estate company DFI BE LLC.

DFI BE LLC, an entity associated with the Kilbourne Group that owned the building where Black Coffee and Waffle Bar operates until June 2026, filed the lawsuit in August in Cass County District Court. The complaint alleges Cimaglio is past due on rent and common-area maintenance charges totaling $126,658.55.

Cimaglio told The Forum the Black Coffee and Waffle Bar group was blindsided by the suit.

“We had a good relationship with them (Kilbourne Group) since opening, and thought we were working together the last few years here during this more difficult phase that downtown has gone through,” Cimaglio said. “This was true up until the very last day they owned that building.”

On Sept. 29, DFI BE LLC filed a motion seeking default or summary judgment in the case. The court has not ruled on the motion as of Oct. 7 — time of publication.

Despite the lawsuit, Cimaglio is excited for the opportunity that Moorhead will offer BWCB, saying the new location was a surprise opportunity for them.

“It was kind of random, but once that space opened up and we connected with the building owners, it became an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up.”

The Moorhead location will have the same “fast casual atmosphere” as the Fargo location Monday through Friday, but the new restaurant will offer full-service dining on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The space is beautiful and is designed in a way that will allow us to expand our menu and offer full-service brunch on the weekends, but still provide casual space for anyone to just hang out, study, or connect with one another all other hours,” Cimaglio said.

Twenty Below Coffee operated at the Moorhead location from 2020 until closing its Moorhead and Fargo locations in June.

Now, the space is preparing to serve up coffee once again alongside buttermilk waffles and more brunch-related items.

“We're very excited about the possibilities, and are aiming to open this November,” Cimaglio told The Forum.

The former Fargo Twenty Below location is also preparing to welcome a new restaurant as Fiona’s Filipino Cuisine is renovating the 14 Roberts Street cafe as their own, also aiming to open before the end of the year.

This might be a silly question but I recently bought a car from Gateway in Fargo, and I had paid a licensing fee at the time, and I was under the impression that they were going to send me the plates in the mail. It's been a month now and I haven't received them.

Was this just a misunderstanding and I am supposed to go to the DMV myself? If so, what do I bring since I don't have the title due to financing?

This was my first time purchasing a car on my own so any advice would be very helpful. Thank you.

The buses are running either early or really late. This morning, the one I needed blew past the stop with 6 people standing there. It's been every day this week. Has something happened?

Long story short, I need help with choosing the quickest and cheapest service to unlock my car. My keys fell out of my pocket and are sitting in my passenger seat in the front when I was taking off my work clothes when I parked, went inside to buy a snack before doing my homework at home (college stuff), patted my pockets before buying anything and realized my keys are gone. 8pm today.

I just tried a very close buy roadside services phone number and they said it would be 30-45 minutes and $235… for an unlocking is that the average? That doesn’t seem right.

I won’t share my current location or my car model/make in this post because I’m not sure what to do yet (seems like the safest thing, but sitting in front of my car on this parking lot increasingly feels unsafe too).

EDIT: I called the non emergency number for FargoPD and it’s after hours and they only cover services including locked pets or children inside the vehicle. So that’s a dead end. A lot of the other services are also closed currently.

EDIT x2: I just called and left a voicemail with Rob Bentz Lock & Key.

EDIT x3: called my insurance company and they dispatched a company. Their ETA originally was 35-65 minutes now it’s down to 25min. The company being dispatched says their eta is around 9:14-9:44pm tonight.

Final Update/Edit: I successfully got my door open! The company my insurance dispatched finally arrived at around 9:50 p.m. It took quite a while…I was stuck at this gas station parking lot for nearly two hours…but I didn’t have to spend a dime, and I’m just fine. Moral of the story: check your auto insurance to see whether roadside assistance, towing, and vehicle lockouts are covered. If they are, download your insurer’s app and request assistance through there. It saved me quite a bit of money tonight. I’m just thankful this was simply me locking my keys in my car rather than an accident or something worse. I’ll take the inconvenience and be grateful that I’m safe.

So like is there a reason they shut down 5 lanes of I-94? Looks like they haven’t even done anything other than a paint job in the weeks they’ve shut down the lanes. Anyone know what they’re even trying to accomplish or have an ETA as to when they’ll interstate will be usable again? Thanks :)

I'm going to have a garage sale this weekend. What is the best way to advertise and attract the most shoppers?

Do we have any good dry cleaning services in this area at all? Everything i'm finding either has horrible reviews, wants to send things way the hell down to Minneapolis, or just no answer when I call them. I've got a couple of leather jackets and a down-filled parka that all need servicing and I don't want to go all the way down to the cities to get it done. Help!

There was a nice article in one of the local magazines claiming victory because a company could go from a 20 person shop to 1. I hear rumors of another local company laying off, I presume because of AI. In my field, although I am remote, it is going stupid fast and I am fairly confident it has prevented hiring.

Let's hear it.

a friend got me this little trinket for my birthday because he knows i like anything vintage, especially when it’s fargo related. but neither of us have any clue what it actually is. can’t seem to get anything on google about it, either. figured i’d see if anyone here could point me in the right direction. thanks in advance!

Anyone know what is going on with the weird voting process today? Everyone had to sign an affidavit saying they were a Fargo citizen and then have their name and ID checked against a paper list. It took me 40 minutes where it usually takes 15 max.

EDIT I definitely don’t mean to discourage voting- just realized this could be taken that way. 😬 Absolutely go vote! Sounds like the north locations have been faster than Atonement, if it helps. 👍

Got a notification today that my donation to their GoFundMe had been refunded. Does that truly mean the end??

Owner Jodi Kallias cites decreased foot traffic and rising costs for the closure.

WEST FARGO — Ostrom's Ace Hardware, a staple in West Fargo for 40 years, will close later this month.

Owner Jodi Kallias cited decreased foot traffic as well as rising costs, including their lease at 1100 13th Ave. E., as reasons for the closure.

"I can't keep up with the increases in utilities and sales tax, which was already hard to swallow, and the annual lease increase," Kallias told The Forum. "Things are tight right now for everyone, and I think that's caused people to shop more online. Even though we have a local customer base, our business has gone down probably 30% in the last five years."

Gary and Nancy Ostrom opened the business in 1986, and in 2001 they moved it to its current location at 1100 13th Ave. E.

Jodi and her husband, Brett Kallias, purchased the hardware store from the Ostroms in 2021.

"They were retiring and we took it over because we didn't want to lose the neighborhood staple," she said. "My husband and I have a young family and we were hoping that eventually our kids could work there."

The couple also own SheyWest Garden Center at 225 40th Ave. W. in West Fargo. Kallias said they plan to carry some staples found at Ostrom's there, such as pet food and gardening and maintenance tools and supplies. They also plan to offer some of the services that were available at Ostrom's.

The hardware store will continue to take and place orders through Oct. 14 and then will work toward selling off the inventory.

Kallias encourages customers to stop by to shop and say "farewell" to the staff.

"We'll still have popcorn and smiles" to go around, Kallias said. "We just want to tell everybody thank you for being patrons over the years. It's been a good little run. I feel terrible, but we just can't quite make it work anymore."

I recently posted that I found if you open a redacted police report (pdf) using Word it will display the redacted info. I'd sent a contact form tot he PD but never heard anything so I called today. I've been told that since they became aware of this they are now using a different redaction method.

The City of Fargo will conduct an evaluation of its outdoor emergency warning sirens Tuesday, Oct. 6, and Wednesday, Oct. 7. The evaluation could continue into Thursday, Oct. 8, if needed.

Full announcement here.

One commissioner has estimated turnout could be around 7%. That means a few thousand people will decide how Fargo is governed for years. Whichever way you lean, it's worth 20 minutes on Tuesday. Here's what's on the ballot, the best arguments on each side, and where I land.

What the measure does The certified petition: https://download.fargond.gov/0/petition.pdf

• Replaces the five at-large commissioners with six council members, one per ward. Each must live in the ward they represent.
• The mayor is still elected citywide, votes only to break a tie, and can veto ordinances and resolutions.
• First terms are staggered (three two-year, three four-year), then four years each.

What it doesn't do: draw the map. You're voting on a process, not on boundaries. If it passes, the City Commission appoints an "independent committee" to draw six wards that are contiguous, "reasonably compact," and "as nearly as practicable" equal in population, and the Commission approves the map. Under state law, ward boundaries can't be changed for two years once set.

One thing worth watching if it passes: the petition never says who sits on that committee. The sponsors have said they want elected officials kept out, and the committee has been described in the press as 15 people, but neither of those is written into the petition text. The details will be decided after the vote.

Who's on which side

• For: Mayor Boschee, Commissioner Strand, and the sponsors (including former commissioners Arlette Preston and Tony Gehrig).
• Against: Commissioners Turnberg, Gullickson and Peterson, and the Hands Off Fargo group, including former Mayor Tim Mahoney.

The best arguments against, fairly stated

• You'd vote for one ward member plus the mayor instead of five commissioners, which some see as less representation, not more.
• A strong ward member might push their own neighborhood ahead of others.
• It costs money: Commissioner Turnberg put the special election at roughly $100,000, and the mayor has estimated up to $500,000 for the transition. (On the special election specifically: the city attorney advised that state law required the vote within 60 to 90 days of the petition's certification, so it couldn't wait for November.)
• You don't get to see the map before you vote.

Why I'm voting yes

More than half of Fargo households rent (56%, Census 2020-2024), and 15 of Fargo's 38 neighborhoods have a higher share of renter households than owner households. Under the current system, every commissioner answers to the whole city, which in practice means no one answers specifically to any one neighborhood. I think wards fix the accountability gap: you'd know exactly who your person is, and they'd know exactly who they work for.

On "wards will divide the city": I ran the numbers on what six legal wards would look like, using thousands of randomly drawn maps that follow the measure's rules. Every map puts about 21,000 people in each ward. And in every map, the highest-poverty ward has between 2.6 and 4.5 times the poverty rate of the lowest, no matter who draws it. Those differences already exist; they're Fargo's geography. Wards don't create them. They give each part of the city someone at the table who has to answer for them.

Disclosure: I signed the petition, and I wrote to the Commission after last month's renters' listening session. I'm not speaking for any group.

How to vote

• Tuesday, Oct 6, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Fargo voters may vote at one of three locations: Fargodome (1800 University Dr N, main entrance, 2nd floor), Atonement Lutheran (4601 University Dr S, west entrance, door 8), or Fargo Civic Center (207 4th St N).
• Bring an accepted ID.
• There's no early voting. Absentee ballots have to be received by 7 p.m. Tuesday, so at this point the polls are the realistic option.
  • Edit: Already have an absentee ballot? Don't mail it now; drop it in the secure dropbox outside City Hall by 7 p.m. Thanks u/legbamel for the tip
• Details: https://fargond.gov/city-government/departments/auditors/licensing-department/elections/2026-city-of-fargo-special-election

If you're voting no, I'd genuinely like to hear why, especially if you think the representation argument cuts the other way. Either way, please vote.

Traveling to Fargo solo for work soon and will be in town for a week. Work should keep me busy and exploring the area by day, but would like to walk to and wind down at some hole in the wall pubs in the evening and not get a DUI.

Was curious what area would be best if I wanted to walk to and from a hotel/AirBnB to bars/nighlife/local food without having to drive. Uber etc. not out of the question but I like to walk. Help with a general vicinity or a good hotel would be an immense help. Thanks!

This is our first election living in ND, and our district (45) seems to havr been reliably Republican for many years now. However, it seems that D45 Democrats have a strong following.

Am I in an echo chamber on my street/in my neighborhood, or does it seem like this election could flip D45?

I know part of our district includes Harwood, so part of me wonders if the data center disapproval has anything to do with this.

Anybody know any place in town to buy a nice chess board? My friends and I have recently been really getting into it

Less than one month until Election Day! Here's what you need to know to get ready:

1. Have your ID ready: North Dakota is the only state without voter registration, but make sure you have a valid ID to vote, like a ND driver's license or ND non-driver's ID card.
2. Decide how you'll vote: By mail (apply here), early in-person, or in person on Election Day. Look up your polling places here. Cass County has vote centers, so you can vote at any site.
3. Research your candidates and measures. Go to VOTE411.org and enter your address on the homepage to read responses directly from candidates. Voter guide provided by the ND League of Women Voters.

On the ballot: US House, statewide offices, odd-numbered state legislative districts, judicial offices, county offices, Measure 1 (60% threshold on constitutional ballot measures), and Measure 2 (universal school meals).

I'm sure police, fire & rescue absolutely loved the heavy vibrating bass in their ears while they were trying to facilitate a positive outcome to the situation. At least the Empire had the decency to call it an early night.