Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Sept 19

CSi Weather…

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS AROUND 50. SOUTHWEST WINDS AROUND

5 MPH.

.TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY.

A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE

MORNING IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.

HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. SOUTH WINDS AROUND

5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE EAST IN THE AFTERNOON.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN

SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA. LOWS IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTHEAST WINDS

5 TO 10 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND

THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. HIGHS IN THE MID 60S. NORTHEAST

WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S.

NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH.

.THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY.  A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND

THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE MID 60S.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS IN THE

EVENING…THEN CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF

THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

.FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND SLIGHT

CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 60S. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF

THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE LOWER 50S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION

60 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND SLIGHT

CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE MID 60S. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN

SHOWERS. LOWS AROUND 50.

.SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS.

HIGHS IN THE MID 60S.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN

SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S.

.MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S.

 

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH TUESDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND.

 

 

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Public Works Department is asking residents to hold off on washing clothes, along with the running of dishwashers, and taking showers beginning on Tuesday September 20^,  2016 at 6-p.m., for a 12 hour period until 6-a.m.  September 21^st.

The Master Sewage Lift Station will be cleaned during that time, and sewage will be hauled, and curtailing the usage will all crews time to finish the project.

Public Works reminds  motorists that traffic on Viking Drive and 6th Ave. Southwest,  will be restricted due to the loading of the de-watering truck at the Master Lift station.

Questions should be directed to Valley City  Public Works at 845-0380.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  On Tuesday October 11, 2016, the Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum to include candidates for  Barnes County Commission and District 24 State Legislative candidates.  The public is encouraged to attend.

The forum will be at 7-p.m. at Valley City High School’s Hi-Liner Activity Center.

Invited candidates for Barnes County commissioner include: Incumbents Cindy Schwehr (District 1) and John Froelich (District 5), and challengers LeRoy Triebold (District 1) and Robert Drake (District 5).

North Dakota District 24 legislative candidates invited to the forum include:  Incumbents Senator Larry Robinson and Representatives Dwight Kiefert and Naomi Muscha, as well as senate challenger Eldred Knutson and house challengers Sharon Buhr and Daniel Johnston.

The Barnes County Commission candidates will participate in the first half, and the North Dakota District 24 legislative candidates participating in the second half.

Questions for the candidates should be submitted to the Valley City Are Chamber of Commerce by email at vcchamberforum@gmail.com or phone at 845-1891.

 

(CSi)  Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation CEO, Connie Ova, and Valley City Barnes County Development  Corporation Director, Jennifer Feist have issued a statement, concerning the updated Housing Study from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency.

They point out that the study singled out Region 6 including  Jamestown and Valley City as the only area in the state that will not grow in the next 13 years.

The study shows losses when the rest of the state is growing by 21% during the study period of 2016-2029.  ND Housing Finance officials cited a lack of employment opportunities in those areas, as well as baby boomers moving to urban areas to access services.  As economic development professionals, we take exception to this.

HIGER PAYING JOBS:  In Stutsman County, economic development projects at SEPA (Spiritwood) include biomass, value added agricultural processing and barley processing; total employment is expected to be 100 permanent, full-time positions with approximately 200 construction jobs.

In Barnes County, the PSC received an application for a 300 megawatt farm, Glacier Ridge Wind Farm, consisting of about 90+ turbines located on over 34,000 acres of land northeast of Valley City.  This is the largest wind farm request in North Dakota’s history.  Construction could start as early as November.  The project would bring construction and permanent, full-time higher paying jobs and benefits.

Healthy Food Ingredients, LLC reached an agreement to purchase Heartland Flax based in Valley City.  Brad Hennrich, President, said the Valley City location will become the company’s flagship manufacturing plant.  More projects are in the pipeline in both communities.  Primary sector growth is driving investments in service and retail business development, housing, childcare, lodging and more.  The results are visible. Our focus is creating higher paying jobs.

BUILDING PERMITS:  Valley City issued $31 Million in building permits in 2016 and are on track to exceed 2015, which totaled $35 Million ($50 Million throughout Barnes County).  Jamestown’s building permits totaled $46 Million for 2016; and $28 Million in 2015 ($30 Million throughout Stutsman County).

DEMAND FOR HOUSING UNITS:  The study shows a projected increase in the number of housing units of approximately 2,900 by 2029 and all nine counties in Region 6 are expected to show growth.  The study uses two models to predict future housing needs.  Model 1 is based on historical data.  Model 2 is based on shifts in population and housing demand.  One model shows every county is expected to show some growth while the other model shows a loss.

If weakened housing demand is specific to low- and very low-income households, perhaps it’s because Jamestown and Valley City have made strides toward solving the overall housing problem.  The statewide problem is single family housing with challenges being two-fold; 1) cost of infrastructure and construction, and 2) student loan payments that compete with housing.  Again, we need higher paying jobs.

REGIONAL MAKE-UP/WEIGHTED NUMBERS:  The population of Region 6 (56,363) including Valley City and Jamestown is larger than Region 3 (40,672), which the study showed will see moderate growth.  Region 3 includes Devils Lake and Spirit Lake Indian Reservation; it consists of 6 counties.   Two key factors skew the statistics.  Region 6 consists of 9 counties but does not include a major population center or oil.  It does include the largest number of rural counties in the state in relationship to our size.  Population increased from 2010 to 2014 in its two major counties, Barnes and Stutsman.  Because Region 6 includes a greater number of rural counties in relationship to our size, the overall numbers become heavily weighted.  We have more rural counties than any of the other regions and they are seeing decreases.

GAINING GROUND:  Historically, Barnes and Stutsman Counties have shown population losses in 1990, 2000 and 2010; and population gains to 2014 and projected gains through 2019.  The relentless work of economic development professionals and organizations has stopped the losses; we have turned the corner and heading in the right direction.

Currently preliminary planning continues with negotiations between the city of Jamestown, the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority and the JSDC, for a new industrial park in Jamestown. The Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. Board of Directors had no opposition.

Further discussion involving moving toward a joint powers agreement outlining  how the project would proceed.

 

Bismarck  (CSi) The NDDOT informs motorist that the Crystal Springs Rest Area on eastbound I-94, approximately nine miles east of Medina will be temporarily closed Tuesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 21 for maintenance work.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — More than 40 members of the North Dakota Farmers Union are in Washington trying to raise awareness among members of Congress about the worsening farm economy.

North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne tells the Bismarck Tribune that the goal of the 275 people participating in the lobbying effort is to reach all members of Congress to talk about the drastic decline in farm income. He says farmers saw their incomes decline 63 percent from 2014 to 2015.

Watne says the union is getting “a lot of understanding about the issue,” but it is not “getting a real good set of solutions.”

Participants in this week’s effort plan to ask lawmakers to make sure that the Justice Department is adequately considering whether mergers among agricultural companies are producing monopolies.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An Underwood man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman he knew and threatening her with a gun.

Brady Blotske was sentenced Monday. He was found guilty by a jury in June of gross sexual imposition, felonious restraint and terrorizing.

The victim testified at trial that Blotske used electrical tape to bind her hands, raped her and threatened her with a firearm in the May 2015 incident.

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A former Minot State University quarterback is set to face trial Tuesday on an aggravated assault charge and other counts stemming from an incident at the state fairgrounds last year.

The Minot Daily News reports 22-year-old Bradley Hunt, of Burbank, California, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and refusing to halt.

Authorities accuse Hunt of striking Matthew Lohman during an altercation at the North Dakota State Fair Flickertail Gardens on July 24, 2015. Court records show Hunt cause Lohman to fall and hit his head on the concrete floor. Authorities say Hunt also kicked in the face another man who tried to check up on Lohman after he had fallen.

Hunt was seriously injured in a car crash two days after the incident and was allowed to return to California to recover.

 

In sports…

Bismarck   (CSi) North Dakota Game & Fish reminds residents, that  North Dakota’s two-day youth pheasant season is Oct. 1-2, 2016. Legally licensed residents and nonresidents ages 15 and younger may hunt roosters statewide.

Resident youth hunters, regardless of age, must possess a fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate and general game and habitat license. Nonresident youth hunters from states that provide a reciprocal licensing agreement for North Dakota residents qualify for North Dakota resident licenses. Otherwise, nonresident youth hunters must purchase a nonresident small game license.

Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Youth ages 12 and older need to have passed a certified hunter education course. The daily bag limit and all other regulations for the regular pheasant season apply.

An adult at least 18 years of age must accompany the youth hunter in the field. The adult may not carry a firearm.

See the 2016 North Dakota Small Game Hunting Guide for additional information

 

In world and national….