Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Apr 12

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Dakotas-based Sanford Health has renegotiated a contract with state and higher education officials to keep a nursing program open in Bismarck.

The action Wednesday comes after legislators introduced an amendment in the higher education budget that would not allow any state money or private funds to be spent on the program.

North Dakota Board of Higher Education three years ago approved a plan for North Dakota State University to take over the Sanford College of Nursing at Bismarck. Lawmakers have not been happy with the deal. It includes a provision that bumps NDSU’s rent from $1 a year to nearly $400,000 annually beginning in July.

The new deal keeps the $1 annual lease rate in place for the next two years. After that, the lease will be renegotiated.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge is allowing the developer of the Dakota Access pipeline to keep secret some but not all pipeline information the company believes could be useful to vandals and terrorists.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg says information such as spill risks at points along the pipeline should be shielded from public view but certain details relating to how a spill might be handled shouldn’t be.

American Indian tribes who oppose the pipeline had argued that the spill risk data could bolster their case for more environmental study.

Pipeline company spokeswoman Vicki Granado declined comment on the ruling. She cited the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes’ ongoing federal lawsuit over the $3.8 billion pipeline to move North Dakota oil to a distribution point 1,200 miles away in Illinois.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sentencing is set this summer for men from Texas and Montana who pleaded guilty in a North Dakota case of illegal oil field wastewater dumping.

Authorities say 43-year-old Jason Halek, of Southlake, Texas, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Bismarck to three counts of violating the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

His co-defendant, Nathan Garber, of Kalispell, Montana, pleaded guilty in September 2014 to multiple charges related to the illegal operation of a saltwater disposal well near Dickinson.

Saltwater is a byproduct of oil production and can harm the environment if not handled properly.

The criminal charges against Halek are connected to a state case against Halek Operating ND LLC, which was fined a state-record $1.5 million in 2013.

State Health Department Epidemiologist, Michelle Fieist says, “During this time of year, baby poultry are often displayed in stores or given as gifts. People can be exposed to Salmonella by holding, cuddling, or kissing baby birds or by touching areas where the birds live or roam.”

Anyone can get sick from Salmonella. Young children are especially at risk of salmonellosis because their immune systems are still developing and they are more likely to put their fingers, hands or other items into their mouths. In 2016, there were five cases of Salmonella infection in North Dakota associated with a multistate outbreak of salmonellosis linked to live poultry. Of those five cases, one was under the age of five.

Feist adds, “Even if chicks and ducklings appear healthy, they may have Salmonella in their droppings or on their bodies.  A bird that looks clean can still have germs on its feathers, beak and feet that can make a person sick.”

The risk of acquiring Salmonella infections from baby poultry can be reduced by following these guidelines:

Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available.

Do not allow children younger than five years of age, older adults or individuals with weakened immune systems to handle or touch live poultry.

Do not snuggle or kiss the birds, touch your mouth or eat or drink around live poultry.

Do not allow live poultry inside the house or in areas where food or drinks are prepared, served, or stored.

Do not give live baby poultry as gifts to young children.

Symptoms of infection with Salmonella can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, which usually begin within eight to 72 hours after exposure. The illness typically lasts four to seven days, and most healthy people recover without antibiotic treatment. Sometimes the infection can spread to other parts of the body, leading to severe and potentially life-threatening illness. Infants, young children, the elderly, and those who have impaired immune systems are at greater risk for severe Salmonella infections.

For more information, call Michelle Feist, NDDoH Division of Disease Control, at 701.328.2378 or visit www.ndhealth.gov/disease/GI/ .

DETROIT (AP) — Andrew Romine hit his first career grand slam, and the Detroit Tigers rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 on Wednesday.

The Tigers trailed 3-0 before scoring five runs in the fourth inning, with Romine delivering the key hit when his drive to right field easily cleared the wall to give Detroit the lead.

Michael Fulmer (1-0) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, walking one and striking out seven. Detroit’s maligned bullpen pitched three hitless innings, with Alex Wilson working the final two for his third career save and first this season. He walked two in the ninth but retired Eduardo Escobar on a flyball to end it.

Kyle Gibson (0-1) allowed five runs and four hits in four innings. Brian Dozier led off the game with a homer for Minnesota.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The city of St. Louis and that region’s sports authority are suing the National Football League over the Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in St. Louis Circuit Court also names the NFL’s 32 teams as defendants and seeks unspecified damages and restitution.

The lawsuit alleges the Rams failed to meet league relocation rules when leaving for Los Angeles before last season, constituting a contractual breach with St. Louis.

The NFL did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The lawsuit alleges that St. Louis has lost an estimated $1.85 million to $3.5 million each year in amusement and ticket tax collections, as well as roughly $7.5 million in property taxes. In total, the city will have lost more than $100 million in net proceeds.

MOSCOW (AP) — Striving to salvage ties amid a fierce dispute over Syria, the United States and Russia on Wednesday agreed to work together on an international investigation of a Syrian chemical weapons attack last week that prompted retaliatory American missile strikes. Washington blames Russia’s ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Moscow says Syrian rebels are responsible.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Records show a firm headed by Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, received more than $1.2 million in payments that match a Ukrainian ledger investigators say reflect off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party. The payments in 2007 and 2009 came before Manafort became involved in Trump’s campaign. Manafort said any payments made to his company were legitimate compensation for political consulting.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.N. peacekeepers have been accused of sexually assaulting people in countries where they were deployed,  and an Associated Press investigation suggests the crisis is much larger than was previously known. The AP has found nearly 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and other personnel – including more than 300 cases involving children. But only a fraction of the alleged perpetrators have served jail time _ and few nations will talk about the problem.

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago alderman says representatives from United Airlines and the city Aviation Department have been summoned by his committee to answer questions about a passenger who was dragged off a jet at O’Hare Airport. Alderman Mike Zalewski says he does not know who will represent the airline before the city council’s Aviation Committee. But the CEO of United’s parent company, Oscar Munoz, has been notified of the hearing scheduled for Thursday.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota legislators are close to enacting new protections for drug informants, more than three years after a 20-year-old college student working undercover was found dead in a river with a bullet in his head and backpack of rocks tied to his body. The bill, called “Andrew’s Law,” is named for Andrew Sadek, whose death raised questions about the recruitment of young, low-level offenders to go undercover.