Fargo lawmaker Jim Kasper hospitalized with brain bleed

Longtime Fargo Representative Jim Kasper, 79, has been hospitalized with a brain bleed in Bismarck, according to fellow District 46 Representative Desiree Morton. The news emerged during Wednesday’s House session when a chaplain prayed for Kasper’s recovery and legislators approved a motion to replace him on a House Transportation Conference Committee. A District 46 Republicans Facebook post confirmed Kasper is “surrounded by family and friends” in Bismarck. The Republican lawmaker, who represents parts of south Fargo along the Red River, was last seen on the House floor Tuesday. First elected in 2000, Kasper is the second-longest serving legislator from Fargo, behind only Democratic Representative Tim Mathern of District 11.