UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person NESS, LARRY F 33 THIRD ST SE P O BOX 1318 HURON, SD 57350 USA 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol NORTHWESTERN CORPORATION NOR 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 4. Statement for Month/Year 5/2000 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| COMMON STOCK |# 5/3/20|BP | |~~233~~1,200 |A |23.~~2500~~3330 |18,~~458~~078 |DI |~~S401K~~SPOUSE | |00 | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Non-Qualified Stock Op|21.8750 |5/3/2|A |V|4,200 |A |! |5-3-2|COMMON STOCK|4,200 | |9,300 |D |` | tions | |000 | | | | | |010 | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

Explanation of Responses: ALL SHARE TRANSACTIONS AND TOTALS HAVE BEEN ROUNDED TO WHOLE SHARES !THE OPTION BECOMES EXERCISIBLE IN 3 EQUAL ANNUAL INSTALLMENTS BEGINNING 3 YEARS AFTER DATE OF ISSUE. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /S/ LARRY F. NESS DATE 6-5-2000

Filing Compare · NORTHWESTERN CORP