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Bottineau, N.D. (AP) North Dakota's Towner State Nursery has a new manager for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Jeff Smette (SMET'-ee) this summer succeeded Roy Laframboise, who died late last year of Lou Gehrig's disease. Laframboise had been the manager since 1972.

Smette is a native of Granville. He received his degree in urban forestry in 1985 from what was then Minot State University-Bottineau. The past 23 years he was been an assistant nursery manager and landscape designer at Lowe's Center in Minot.

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