wbPM2CSi Weather…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY, WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY.

INCLUDES:

WELLS-FOSTER-KIDDER-STUTSMAN-EMMONS-LOGAN-LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-

DICKEY-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HARVEY, FESSENDEN, CARRINGTON, STEELE,

TAPPEN, JAMESTOWN, LINTON, STRASBURG, NAPOLEON, GACKLE, LAMOURE,

EDGELEY, KULM, WISHEK, ASHLEY, OAKES, AND ELLENDALE

DENSE FOG ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY AND FAR SOUTH

CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA WILL EXPAND WEST TONIGHT AND REMAIN IN

PLACE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

VISIBILITY…ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.

DRIVING WILL BE DIFFICULT. FOG DROPLETS MAY FREEZE ON

AREA ROADS AND SIDEWALKS…MAKING THEM SLICK.

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE

REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING…SLOW DOWN…

USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

 

Forecast….

TONIGHT…INCREASING CLOUDS. AREAS OF FOG. LOWS IN THE MID 20S.

SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH.

.FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING. SLIGHT

CHANCE OF DRIZZLE, LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SLEET IN THE

MORNING, THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF DRIZZLE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN

THE MID 30S. SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF DRIZZLE AND LIGHT FREEZING

DRIZZLE IN THE EVENING, THEN CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE

AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO

10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA, 20 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.

.SATURDAY…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE

MORNING, THEN CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND DRIZZLE IN THE

AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE

OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE

EVENING, THEN CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SNOW AFTER

MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.

CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA, 40 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.

.SUNDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN THE

LOWER 30S.

.SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE

LOWER 20S. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S.

.TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT

CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S. LOWS AROUND 20.

.WEDNESDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN

THE UPPER 20S.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 15.

.THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE

AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S.

 

AREAS OF FOG OVER THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD WEST TOWARD THE HIGHWAY 83 CORRIDOR THURSDAY NIGHT. VISIBILITIES DOWN TO A QUARTER MILE AT TIMES ARE POSSIBLE.

LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SNOW ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

 

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The James River Valley Library System, Director Joe Rector reports, that the new bookmobile is slated to be in town on  January 30th.

He adds, when the new bookmobile arrives, the Stutsman County Library will be closed for a day so the staff can train driving it.

Rector has gotten permission to park the present bookmobile at the Buffalo City Diesel location until it can be sold.

Rector says the total bookmobile cost is $239,501, adding that five percent of the total bookmobile cost remains. The library receives a grant for $35,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture when the bookmobile arrives in Jamestown.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  When summer arrives, Jamestown Regional Airport will be undergoing improvement projects.

The Jamestown Regional Airport Authority has voted to approve the  taxi lane reconstruction project at the General Aviation hangar area on the west side.

Being revised is the 2017, wetlands project stemming from  input from outside agencies, and changes  needing approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On another note, Airport Authority Chairman Jim Boyd will be serving his final year on the Airport Authority Board, finishing out his five year term.

The airport’s runway use has been approved  for the Jamestown Drag Racing Association drags, to be held on July 15-16, 2017.

 

ROLLA, N.D. (AP) — Authorities say a sheriff’s deputy and a suspect are dead after a shootout in northern North Dakota that involved several officers firing weapons.

Rolette County Sheriff Gerald Medrud says 29-year-old Colt Allery had been with the department for three months after previously working for other area law agencies.  Link to WDAY TV video of Thursday morning news conference.

The incident began about 6:10 p.m. Wednesday when officers responded to a stolen vehicle call. Deputies pursued the vehicle for about 15 miles before a shootout began at a remote intersection south of Belcourt, a town near the Canadian border that’s about 60 miles from Devils Lake.

The suspect, who has not been identified, also was killed. Medrud says three other deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on standard administrative leave. North Dakota’s state crime bureau is investigating the case.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A judge says a woman accused of embezzling more than $2.8 million from a Williston heavy equipment company must serve nearly three years in federal prison.

Forty-four-year-old Daphney Harstad pleaded guilty in the fall to wire fraud for allegedly dipping into funds while working as an office manager and bookkeeper for Borsheim Crane.

Authorities say Harstad used the money to buy luxury jewelry and other merchandise from companies, including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Co. and Michael Kors. She’s accused of using fraudulent checks from the company to pay for merchandise she ordered online.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland sentenced Harstad to 33 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A group of about two dozen North Dakota landowners is suing the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline for alleged deceit and fraud in acquiring land easements.

The Morton County landowners are seeking more than $4 million in damages in the federal lawsuit filed this month against Dakota Access LLC, a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners.

The landowners maintain Dakota Access engaged in unfair tactics and fraud while negotiating to lay pipeline on private land, resulting in compensation that was as much as nine times lower than what other landowners got.

ETP spokeswoman Vicki Granado says the company believes the allegations are without merit. The company has until about the end of the month to file its response in court.

 

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Williams County officials have reinstated a fine against an oil transportation company for failing to pay fees and comply with zoning regulations while it was operating company housing several years ago.

County commissioners decided Tuesday to impose a $1.2 million fine against Western Petroleum LLC and its parent company, Pilot Logistics.

The total amount is a $1,000 fine for each day the company failed to pay fees for non-renewal of a conditional use permit, being out of compliance with zoning regulations and operating temporary housing.

A fine of $29.6 million was first issued to Western Petroleum in 2014 after officials discovered the lapses.

In response to the fines, the company has filed a suit in district court.

 

 

In sports…

Valley City  (CSi-VCSU)  Valley City State University fans and supporters are invited to Valley City Town & Country Club on Friday, January 27, 2017, for food and basketball talk. It is hosted by Viking athletics and the VCSU Booster Board.

The Viking athletics winter luncheon starts at noon and features VCSU student-athletes and basketball coaches Jill DeVries and Ryan Montgomery talking about their current seasons. In conjunction with the luncheon, the Country Club is offering a $10 buffet meal for attendees.

VCSU’s basketball teams will be hosting Mayville State that night in a conference doubleheader at 5:30/7:30 p.m.

 

In world and national news…

HOUSTON (AP) A spokesman says doctors are evaluating former President George H.W. Bush before they remove a breathing tube.

Spokesman Jim McGrath says Thursday that Bush remains in intensive care at Houston Methodist Hospital while he’s being treated for pneumonia after what McGrath says was a “good night’s rest.”

McGrath also says that former first lady Barbara Bush feels “1,000 percent better” after antibiotics and some rest. She’s being treated for bronchitis. She checked into the same hospital as her husband Wednesday after recent weeks of fatigue and coughing.

McGrath says doctors are hopeful the nation’s 41st president can be discharged from intensive care in a few days.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been a sometimes-contentious confirmation hearing Thursday for Steven Mnuchin (mih-NOO’-chin), Donald Trump’s pick to be Treasury secretary. He clashed with Democrats over his handling of thousands of mortgage foreclosures, and his initial failure to disclose to the committee $100 million in assets and interests in an offshore corporation. He says that was an oversight — but Democrats say it’s an example of serious ethics challenges among Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he prepares for his inauguration Friday, Donald Trump is looking to improve his ties with Republicans in Congress. He told a luncheon Thursday that he and House Speaker Paul Ryan are getting along wonderfully, even though Ryan sometimes wants him to hold his tongue. Trump said he’s “starting to really, really love Paul.” But the pair sometimes have different ideas about what to say to the media. Trump says Ryan called him several days ago to suggest they not talk publicly about taxes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s supporters won’t be the only ones in the streets of Washington Friday for his inauguration. Filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore will speak at an Inauguration Day protest downtown, after Trump is sworn in. Permit applications show about 20,000 people are expected to attend the rally. Moore was one of few prominent voices on the left to predict a Trump victory, saying his message resonated with working-class voters in Rust Belt states that Trump ultimately won. Protest organizers have vowed to “disrupt” Trump’s inauguration and risk arrest by interfering with security checkpoints.

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The top official at the World Trade Organization is worried that talk of a trade war between the U.S. and China could become self-fulfilling. At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland today, the WTO director-general said, “I think we should try not to talk ourselves into a trade war.” There have been a lot of concerns at this year’s gathering that Donald Trump’s presidency may usher in an era of protectionism.

PENNE, Italy (AP) — The risk of additional avalanches is slowing the search effort at a hotel in Italy that is buried under snow. An estimated 30 people were trapped inside — but so far, just two bodies have been recovered. Four powerful earthquakes struck the region Wednesday.