BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Here are the top stories that dominated the news during the past week, curated by the KX News digital staff: 1: Nichole Rice found not guilty in Anita Knutson murder. After roughly five and a half hours of deliberation over two days, the jury in the Nichole Rice murder tr ial Wednesday has returned a verdict of not guilty. Rice sat down in tears, surrounded by her defense team, when the verdict was read around 10:15 a.m. Audible gasps, along with cheerful cries and shocked outbursts, could be heard among those in attendance. You can access the Nichole Rice trial video archives here. 2: Ward County couple charged with sexual crimes involving adults with cognitive impairments. A couple from Ward County has been charged in connection with sex crimes involving adults with cognitive impairments, which allegedly took place at a facility in Minot between April and December 2024. 3: Woman avoids jail time, pleads guilty to sex crime in Williston. A woman who was facing trial for acting inappropriately around teen boys in Williston has instead pleaded guilty. She was arrested last summer after police were told that she showed up to a party uninvited and had made sexual comments to two teen boys in the home. Investigators say she snuck alcoholic drinks to the boys and had touched one of the boys. 4: Holmberg sentenced to 10 years for sex crimes. Former North Dakota senator Ray Holmberg, who was convicted of child sex crimes after serving as a state lawmaker for nearly 50 years, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, and 10 years of supervised release after that. He will also have to register as a sex offender. Holmberg, 81, will be 91 when he is released from prison. He has 14 days to appeal the sentence. 5: Killer in Blue Part 1: Fentanyl’s impact on families in North Dakota. "He worked at Scotty's and he worked the closing. And he told us that when he went to work, he was going to be late because they were shorthanded and stuff like that. It immediately made us suspicious," Tom Seitz said. That was the night Seitz's son, Brody, came home from work and it would be the last time Tom would see his son alive. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less