wbam1CSi Weather…

REST OF TODAY…SUNNY…THEN PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 10 TO 15. SOUTH WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.

.TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 10 TO 15. SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO

20 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 25 TO 30. WEST WINDS 15 TO

25 MPH.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. WINDY. LOWS 15 TO 20.

.THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. WINDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 5 TO 10.

.FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 5 TO 10.

.SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 5 TO 10.

.NEW YEARS DAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 20 TO 25.

SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF  SNOW. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. HIGHS AROUND 15.

 

Update….NDDOT…

9:00 AM:  I-94 OPEN border to border; US 83 OPEN from Bismarck to Canada Border.

ND 5 OPEN from Langdon to MN; HWY 52 OPEN from Portal to Brooks Junction

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol have Other highways that are now OPEN include ND 5 from Langdon to Minnesota and HWY 52 from Portal to Brooks Junction.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol have OPENED HWY 52 from Minot to Carrington and HWY 2 from Minot to Leeds.

Other highways were OPENED including I-94, US 83, ND 5 and HWY 52 from Portal to Brooks Junction.

A No Travel Advisory has been LIFTED for the Williston, Dickinson, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Minot, Bismarck/Mandan, Jamestown, Valley City, and surrounding areas.

Motorists still  may encounter areas of challenging winter weather driving conditions on roadways and should allow extra time to reach their destination and be alert to conditions that may make travel difficult, change rapidly, or cause travel delays.

 

Jamestown  (CSi) No one was hurt,  after a seven hour standoff, that started Monday evening, and a 34 year old Jamestown man is in custody at the Stutsman County Correctional facility.

Police Chief Scott Edinger says the call Monday evening was to Northland Estates where Troy Elhard had barricaded himself in a mobile home, with weapons.  The call coming from a female in the home.

The James Valley Special Operations team was brought in to assist.

Elhard was reportedly not afraid to die in the standoff.

Attempts to contact or negotiate with him were unsuccessful, and the standoff ended at 4-a.m., Tuesday after teargas was fired into the mobile home.

Authorities used an armored vehicle to breakdown the door.

He come out of  a few minutes later and surrendered without any weapons exchange.

He was charged with terrorizing and domestic assault stemming from the incident.

The Red Cross provided shelter to neighbors who were evacuated during the time of the standoff, and the area was sealed off.

 

Jamestown (CSi)  The Christmas weekend blizzard of 2016 led to changes in travel plans, as a Christmas Day ice storm followed by a blizzard with heavy snow and high winds, was in effect most of the weekend.

The National Weather Service cancelled the Blizzard Warning about 5-p.m. Monday, however a large section of I-94 remained closed,reopening between Jamestown and Fargo late Monday afternoon.  I-29 between Grand Forks and Canada reopened, Monday afternoon.

The NDDOT continued travel alerts, and no travel advisories as roadways remained blocked and ice covered.

On line go to CSiNewsNow.com for road report updates.

Power outages were numerous, from a half inch of freezing rain that coated power lines, and tree branches that had fallen on power lines that started Christmas afternoon  and continued overnight mixed with rain, sleet, and then all snow as temperatures dropped.

The Jamestown City Fire Department was called out about 5-p.m., Christmas evening to a fire caused by a tree limb coming down bringing down a power line.

Power outages were reported Christmas evening in Northeast and Southeast Jamestown.  Power was restored in Northeast Jamestown after about an hour outage.  A section of Southeast Jamestown was without power between 4:27-p.m., and 6:58 -p.m.

300-plus electric customers of Cass county Electric were without power Christmas evening in Barnes County.  Most of the customers without power were in the Rogers, and Lake Ashtabula areas.

On Tuesday morning, Cass County Electric reported that  around 80 customers are still without power in Barnes County.

By Monday, power in Nortonville and Jud was back on, however, power around Leal, Rogers, Dazey and part of Sanborn that had been  without electricity since Sunday night, continued with outages Monday, and it was unknown when the power would be restored as  power lines causing the outages were not easily accessible.

On Monday, Otter Tail  crews continued repairing lines between Valley City and Litchville. Isolated outages remained near Montpelier and Eldridge.

The National Weather Service reported the ice storm/blizzard in Jamestown dumped 1.43 inches of moisture, with eight inches of snow.

The peak blizzard wind gust early Monday morning was 51 MPH.

Jamestown city street crews were removing snow on arterials and Emergency Snow Route beginning a 4-a.m., Monday followed by residential snow clearing, and the clearing snow in the business district downtown late Monday night and overnight.

In Valley City, full snow removal operations  start Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at midnight.

Public Works Director Jeff Differding says crews have cleared and sanded  emergency routes.

Crews will first clear snow in downtown Valley City and near  school’s  and begin to move snow in the southeast part of town then work clockwise to the southwest, northwest and finish in the northeast section of the city.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Commission met in Special Session, Tuesday morning at 7-O’Clock,  and acted upon a Memorandum of Understanding with Valley City Public School District concerning a School Resource Officer Program. All members were present.

Commissioners on Tuesday,  approved the memorandum.

City Administrator David Schelkoph said the agreement was in the works the past few weeks, and all legal aspects are in order.

Last week, the Valley City School Board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Valley City to hire a School Resource Officer.

Valley City police officer Sean Hagen takes on the position of  the new School Resource Officer in the Valley City School District on January 3, 2017.

Under the agreement, the school district will pay $30,000 per year toward the cost of Hagen’s salary and benefits, and that any party may cancel the memorandum of understanding without cause after giving a 90-day written notice.

The agreement will be reviewed annually to reflect cost-of-living salary adjustments.

Superintendent Josh Johnson says the position will have a positive impact on our schools and the community, and he looks forward to working with the city.

Also on the City Commission agenda was considering and acting upon an agreement with City Attorney Russell Myhre.

The agreement calls for Myhre to step down.

Myhre has served since 2011, and participated in grievances against city officials.

The agreement calls for a settlement of damages on behalf of the city.

Mayor Carlsrud said the Myhre law firm suffered economic hardships due to allegations of a hostile work environment.

The settlement includes a $150,000 pay out over two years.

Myhre will stay on as the City Attorney for six months, or until a new City Attorney is hired.

Myhre will  continue during a transition to a new City Attorney.

Myhre said it’s been “A rocky road,” serving as City Attorney.

He noted working with the city on Permanent Flood Protection, and Re-codifying the city’s code.

He said he enjoyed working with city officials.

He said while not retiring he is “winding down,” his career.

Commissioners voted to approve.

The meeting was recorded by CSi 68, with showings starting Tuesday morning.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  Results have been announced from the Valley City Public Schools, Salvation Army Kettle bell-ringing competition during held on December 21st.

Superintendent Josh Johnson said VCPS students, with community support and staff raised $3000 for the Barnes County Salvation Army.

Johnson said the Jr/Sr High School is the winner with the most donations in a close competition.

He said there will be an announcement made after school is back in session after the Christmas recess concerning the assembly and where the winner will get to “pie” their competitors.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce has announced winners in the Christmas in Valley Drawing, held Thursday evening.

The Grand Prize Winner is  Kay Kringlie of Valley City, winning  a night on the town donated by: City Lights Supper Club Sabir’s Dining & Lounge, Woodland Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Dutton’s Parlour, Bridges Bar & Grill, GrandStay Hotel & Suites and Miller Motors.

Other winners including Bonnie Weatherly winning $250 Chamber Bucks donated by the Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Jim Van Dyke won the Mall of America Fun Package donated by Ingstad Family Media.

Kathy Mosby wins an  5′x8′ area rug donated by Valley Flooring By Home Design Center.

One Night Stay donated by Americinn goes to Curt Sayler.

Winter Frost Canvas Wrap donated by Dutton’s Valley Gallery went to Scott Winkler.

Wooden Rocking Chair went to Brenda Bjork, donated by Empire Home Furnishings.

Rick Pfeifer who won a $100 Gift Card from Appliance City in Valley City.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A man has died after he was struck by a train in downtown Fargo.

The crash happened around 3 p.m. Sunday.

The man died of his injuries at a hospital.

The name of the victim has not been released.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Cattle prices have risen slightly since the beef market bottomed out in mid-October, but they’re expected to plateau for the rest of the marketing season.

North Dakota State University livestock economist Tim Petry tells The Bismarck Tribune that there’s been “a good spark,” but the rally isn’t likely to continue.

Petry says not many cattle have been sold yet, but that he expects to see that change this month and next. The price is expected to level off as calves are brought to the market.

Petry attributes the delay in sales to the nice fall weather, as a lot of forage and crop stubble kept cows grazing longer. He says market experts had recommended keeping the calves with the cows as long as possible since the added weight would give them more value than selling lighter calves.

 

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Zach Lavine (lah-VEEN’) hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points in Minnesota’s 104-90 triumph over Atlanta. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 11 boards for the Timberwolves, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 21 points on 4 of 6 shooting from 3-point range.

Final Washington 107 Milwaukee 102

Final Orlando 112 Memphis 102

Final Brooklyn 120 Charlotte 118

Final Detroit 106 Cleveland 90

Final Houston 131 Phoenix 115

Final Chicago 90 Indiana 85

Final New Orleans 111 Dallas 104

Final Toronto 95 Portland 91

Final Sacramento 102 Philadelphia 100

Final Denver 106 L.A. Clippers 102

 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Detroit Lions have led the NFC North for most of the season, but their playoff chances remain unclear after they became the Dallas Cowboys’ latest victims.

Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott led the Dallas offense in a 42-21 win over the Lions.

 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BOWLS

Bowl wins for Bulldogs, Eagles and Wolfpack

UNDATED (AP) — The first two bowl games of the day went down to the wire before Mississippi State and Boston College earned victories.

Nelson Adams blocked Nick Dowd’s 37-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left to preserve the Bulldogs’ 17-16 win over Miami of Ohio in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Dowd was trying to help the RedHawks end the season on a seven-game winning streak following an 0-6 start. He also had an extra point blocked in the first half.

Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald rushed for 142 yards and two scores as Mississippi State finished the season 6-7.

Boston College stopped Maryland on downs in the closing seconds and played stingy defense on the Terrapins’ last three possessions to complete a 36-30 victory in the Quick Lane Bowl at Detroit. Boston College was ahead 29-13 at halftime after Patrick Towles threw a 49-yard TD pass to Michael Walker. Towles threw for two TDs and grabbed a 20-yard scoring pass while the 7-6 Eagles were building a 23-point lead.

Maryland got near the goal line twice in the final 4:02 but came away with just one field goal to finish the year 6-7.

Monday’s final bowl game was a rout by North Carolina State as Jaylen Samuels caught three touchdown passes from Ryan Finley in a 41-17 throttling of Vanderbilt at the Independence Bowl. Nyheim Hines returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD to help the Wolfpack finish the year 7-6. Finley completed 19 of 30 passes for 235 yards.

 

T25 MENS’ BASKETBALL-POLL

UNDATED (AP) — Villanova again tops The Associated Press college basketball poll this week.

A light week of non-conference action saw very little movement in the poll from last week.

The 12-0 Wildcats got 56 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. UCLA stays second, followed by Kansas, Baylor and Duke.

Louisville jumped four spots to No. 6 after its three-point win over Bluegrass State rival Kentucky. Gonzaga is seventh, while Kentucky falls to eighth.

North Carolina and Creighton round out the top ten.

 

T25 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL-POLL

UNDATED (AP) — A stringe of 86 straight wins continues to earn UConn a unanimous vote as the No. 1 team in the week’s Associated Press women’s college basketball poll.

The 11-0 Huskies are four wins short of matching the NCAA record of 90 straight wins established by UConn from 2008-11.

The Huskies have a showdown with No. 4 Maryland on Thursday.

Notre Dame and Baylor are second and third this week and Mississippi State is ranked fifth.

 

HOCKEY-WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Americans open with win

TORONTO (AP) — The U.S. was a winner in its opening game at the world junior hockey championships in Canada.

Clayton Keller scored twice and the Americans dominated the last two periods to beat Latvia 6-1. Colin White snapped a 1-1 tie 6:29 into the second period for the United States, which faces Slovakia on Wednesday.

Canada also was victorious as Coyotes draft pick Dylan Strome (strohm) scored a pair of power-play goals in a 5-3 verdict over Russia.

 

AP-FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

UNDATED (AP) — Simone (sih-MOHN’) Biles has been named The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year after tying a women’s gymnastics Olympic record with four gold medals.

Biles picked up 31 of 59 votes from a panel of U.S. editors and news directors.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky finished second with 20 votes after a four-gold, one-silver performance in the pool in Brazil.

Wimbledon champ Serena Williams was third in the balloting, followed by women’s NCAA basketball player of the year Breanna Stewart.

 

In world and national news…

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Russia’s defense ministry says a flight recorder of the Russian military jet that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday will need to be cleaned before any attempt to retrieve data, but it does not appear to be seriously damaged. All 92 people aboard the Syria-bound plane are believed to have died when it crashed two minutes after taking off from the southern Russian city of Sochi on Sunday.

ISTANBUL (AP) — A trial is on in Turkey for 29 former police officers accused of aiding the failed military coup in July that led to some 270 deaths. It’s the first such trial over the coup attempt that involved renegade officers in Turkey’s military who used tanks, fighter jets and helicopters in their attempt to unseat the government. Turkey blamed it on a network of followers of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric.

BERLIN (AP) — Senior German politicians say they want to keep border controls in place beyond a mid-February expiration. The controls were imposed amid last year’s migrant influx. With a national election expected in September and German leaders seeking to draw lessons from last week’s attack on a Berlin Christmas market, there’s little appetite for dropping border checks.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh ah-bay) is in Hawaii for a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor which honors those killed in the 1941 attack which plunged the U.S. into World War II. He’ll be joined by President Barack Obama.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is dealing with a currency crisis that continues to erode the savings of people living in the Islamic republic. The currency has struck an all-time low this week, trading at 41,600 rials (REE’-alz) to $1. It does make Iranian exports more attractive to the world market. Meanwhile, concerns gather about what U.S. President-elect Donald Trump might mean for the nuclear deal.