CSi Weather…

Jamestown Area…

TODAY…CLOUDY. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN THE
MORNING. ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING…THEN SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGHS
AROUND 20. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW
20 PERCENT.

.TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. SOUTHWEST WINDS
10 TO 15 MPH.
.TUESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S. WEST WINDS 10 TO
15 MPH.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 15 TO 20. WEST WINDS 10 TO
15 MPH.
.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW AND
SLEET. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. WEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF
SNOW. LOWS 15 TO 20.
.THURSDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS 15 TO
20.
.THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS NEAR
ZERO. HIGHS AROUND 10.
.SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
HIGHS 15 TO 20.

 

 Valley City Area….

 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY…
.TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE
MORNING. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN THE MORNING. HIGHS
15 TO 20. WINDY. NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 25 MPH DECREASING TO
AROUND 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
.TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 5 TO 10. SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO
15 MPH.
.TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 25 TO 30. WEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 15 TO 20.
.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT
SNOW. HIGHS 30 TO 35.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. LOWS 15 TO 20.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. HIGHS
15 TO 20.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 10 TO 15.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 BELOW.
.SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News Feb 11, 2013) — The Jamestown City Engineer’s Office reports on Monday, that city crews will continue to monitor and plow the snow Emergency Routes as necessary.

Snow plowing in the residential areas began on Monday, Feb 11, 2013, and will continue until completed.

City crews will begin snow removal in the

DOWNTOWN area beginning approximately at 11:00 p.m. tonight, Monday, February 11, 2013, and continue during the night.

Downtown merchants and all public/private schools are asked to have their sidewalks shoveled by 9 p.m. tonight.

PLEASE NOTE:

The above schedule is contingent upon changing weather conditions and snow accumulation totals.

 

Monday Morning Road Report…

I94 Closed, Jamestown to Alexandria.   I29 Closed Grand Forks to Sioux Falls SD.  

Click on the REGIONAL ROAD REPORT   link to the upper right…and select your state.

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – Jamestown to Spiritwood Exit 269 (MP: 258.055 to 269.000)
CLOSED

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – Spiritwood Exit to Valley City Exit 292 (MP: 269.000 to 292.000)
CLOSED

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – Valley City Exit 292 to Buffalo Exit (MP: 292.000 to 314.863)
CLOSED

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – Buffalo Exit to Casselton (MP: 314.860 to 331.230)
CLOSED

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – Casselton to West Fargo Int (MP: 331.000 to 346.000)
CLOSED

I 94 E
Hwy 94 – W Fargo Intrchgn to Minnesota Line (MP: 346.000 to 352.000)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – Jamestown to Spiritwood Exit 269 (MP: 258.055 to 269.000)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – Spiritwood Exit to Valley City Exit 292 (MP: 269.000 to 292.000)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – Valley City Exit 292 to Buffalo Exit (MP: 292.000 to 314.863)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – Buffalo Exit to Casselton (MP: 314.860 to 331.230)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – Casselton to West Fargo Int (MP: 331.000 to 346.000)
CLOSED

I 94 W
Hwy 94 – W Fargo Intrchgn to Minnesota Line (MP: 346.000 to 352.000)
CLOSED

ND 13 E
Hwy 13 – Jct I-29 to Wahpeton (MP: 379.303 to 391.615)
CLOSED

ND 13 W
Hwy 13 – Jct I-29 to Wahpeton (MP: 379.303 to 391.615)
CLOSED

I-94 Closed Fargo- Alexandria

I-29 closed Grand Forks to Sioux Falls SD

STATEWIDE ROAD INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE BY DIALING 511.

MONDAY MORNING…
TRAVEL INFORMATION:
     I-29 Closure extended from Fargo to Grand Forks; I-94 Closed from
     Jamestown to Fargo
    
     The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) along with
     the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) have closed I-94 from
     Jamestown to Fargo, and I-29 from Fargo to Grand Forks due to
     heavy snow, blowing snow and areas of near zero visibility
     creating hazardous driving conditions. In addition, Minnesota
     officials have closed I-94 from Moorhead to Alexandria. Motorists
     should not travel on closed roads as they may become blocked over
     night
    
     NDDOT has also expanded the Travel Alert to include the areas of
     Linton and Napoleon in south central North Dakota due to snow and
     blowing snow causing reduced visibility.
    
     Motorists are reminded of the following warnings that are in
     effect:
    
     • I-29 remains closed from Fargo to the North Dakota/South Dakota
     border, and ND Highway 13 from Wahpeton to I-29 due to heavy snow
     and blowing snow causing near zero visibility and dangerous
     driving conditions. In addition, I-29 in South Dakota is closed
     from ND/SD border south to Watertown.
    
     • No Travel Advisory remains in effect for areas in the southeast
     region of North Dakota including Jamestown, Ellendale, Edgeley,
     Oakes, Litchville, Valley City, Fargo, Wahpeton and surrounding
     areas. Motorists should be advised that roads in these areas may
     become blocked over night.
     • A Travel Alert remains in effect for Grand Forks, Drayton,
     Cavalier and surrounding areas

NDHP Regional Report…

February 10th, 7:15 pm:  A NDHP trooper and a NDDOT snow plow rescued a motorist in near zero visibility who became stranded on Hwy. 1 south of Verona in LaMoure County and had walked approximately 3 miles from his vehicle.

 February 10th, 7:45 pm:  NDHP troopers rescued a motorist on I-29 MM 79 in near zero

visibility.

 

Between February 9th and the evening of February 10th, the NDHP investigated 18 crashes with 5 crashes involving injuries.  In addition, approximately 50 other vehicles were assisted after becoming stranded after going in the ditch or because of the road conditions.

 

 FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Blizzard conditions in the eastern Dakotas have led to a major disruption in travel in the region.
 
     Interstate 29 remains closed between Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D. I-94 in North Dakota is closed between Fargo and Jamestown, and I-90 in South Dakota is closed between Sioux Falls and Wall. No travel is advised in other parts of the region.
 
     The storm that brought heavy snow and strong winds contributed to numerous accidents, including a seven-vehicle chain-reaction crash on I-94 in southeastern North Dakota. The Highway Patrol says there were only minor injuries.
 
     Patrol troopers and snowplow drivers rescued several stranded motorists in the region. Officials in the southeastern North Dakota town of Fairmount opened an emergency shelter for nearly three dozen stranded motorists.

 

 Jamestown Police  responded to two accidents Sunday afternoon.

The first accident  around 8:30 a.m. as a car slid into a stop sign at the intersection of Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue Northeast. The second accident  was a two-vehicle crash near mile marker 238 on westbound I-94. No one was injured in either accident.

 

  FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Heavy snow has caused part of the roof to sag at a West Fargo business.
 
     No one was inside Caterpillar Inc. early Monday when the roof sagged over an area about 300 square feet. Early shift workers were told to stay home.
 
     The sagging roof broke a sprinkler line, but officials say the water damage was not significant.

 

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News) — A ‘New Project Fund’ has been set up by Buffalo City Tourism in an effort to bring new and exciting programs, events and attractions to our area.

Buffalo City Tourism Executive Director, Searle Swedlund, says to qualify a group or organization must be an IRS registered non-profit entity or a municipal government entity. Eligible activities are varied and explained on the website or by stopping into the office for a copy of the application.

　

Grant applications are available for 2013 through Buffalo City Tourism. Application forms and guidelines can be found at

www.tourjamestown.com or by stopping into the office at 404 Louis L’Amour Lane between 9 am and 5 pm weekdays.

　

Details for this funding are also available upon request and will be available when the new website is up and running.

Buffalo City Tourism is interested in funding projects that enhance the impact of the tourism industry in the city and county.

Top priority will be given to those who can demonstrate a positive economic impact to our community and region though the use of this dedicated funding source. Questions will also be addressed by calling 251-9145 for more information.

 

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News Feb 7, 2013) — The Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for any information in the investigation of the discovered of a dog’s burned remains.

Detective Jason Falk says the large animal, possibly a mixed breed, was found January 30, 2013 near five mile corner, in the 8800 block of 30th Street, Southeast.

Authorities believe the animal was dead before it was set afire.

Charges could range from littering, to criminal mischief, if the dog was already dead.

Authorities say the presumably dead dog was put into a kennel with lumber and tires, and set on fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office at 701-252-9000.

　

WASHINGTON (Feb 8, 2013) – Senator John Hoeven and Great River Energy (GRE) Friday announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Renewable Fuel Standard-2 certification for the company’s Dakota Spirit AgEnergy facility in the Spiritwood Park near Jamestown.

Hoeven last summer pressed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to expedite the approval process.

Friday’s notice of certification clears the way for GRE to market next generation biofuels as part of a model energy complex.

Under the EPA’s revised Renewable Fuel Standard, cornstarch-based ethanol production facilities built after 2007 are required to produce fuels containing 20 percent less carbon intensity than conventional transportation fuels.

The EPA’s approval certifies that Dakota Spirit AgEnergy meets the low-carbon threshold.

The Dakota Spirit AgEnergy biorefinery, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Great River Energy, will be located adjacent to Great River Energy’s Spiritwood Station power plant near Jamestown and Spiritwood.

Most of the energy needed to operate the corn-based biorefinery will come in the form of waste steam provided by Great River Energy’s adjacent power plant.

The power plant will go online once the ethanol plant is completed.

To date, Dakota Spirit AgEnergy has completed business planning, engineering and now, RFS2 certification.

Greg Ridderbusch, president of Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, and vice president of business development and strategy, Great River Energy, says, “We are pleased we could bring the EPA regulatory review of our unique RFS2 pathway to a successful and collaborative conclusion.”

The company will work to complete financing by spring and plans to break ground in the summer of 2013.

Plans are for the power plant to also provide low-cost steam power to the nearby Cargill malt plant.

Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of GRE, will have a significant impact on the local economy, creating 36 direct jobs in the community.

The project will also create approximately 275 trade and construction jobs during the 18-month construction period.

The biorefinery will use 23 million bushels of No. 2 yellow corn to produce annually 65 million gallons of ethanol, as well as corn oil and distiller’s grains.

Future growth opportunities for the biorefinery are also being explored, including emerging technologies such as cellulosic feed stocks, and the production of isobutanol, an organic compound used primarily as a solvent.

The facility will also incorporate technology to meet the EPA’s revised Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires cornstarch-based ethanol production facilities built after 2007 to have lifecycle carbon emissions 20 percent lower than conventional motor fuels.

The Spiritwood Energy Park is a project that originated during Hoeven’s governorship under Empower North Dakota, the state’s first comprehensive energy plan, encompassing both traditional and renewable energy sources.

The energy complex includes Spiritwood Station, a coal-fired plant that produces both electricity and steam, and now the Dakota Spirit AgEnergy facility.

CHS, a Fortune 500 company owned by agricultural cooperatives and farmers and ranchers, is also planning to build a $1.4 billion fertilizer plant in the park to take advantage of shared resources and infrastructure.

Hoeven said the project will become a national example of how combined heat and power can be used to enhance industrial efficiencies and lower the carbon footprint of transportation motor fuels.

The North Dakota Industrial Commission provided a $500,000 grant for the project’s feasibility study.

Members of the Industrial Commission are Governor Dalrymple, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Governor Jack Dalrymple applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s long-awaited decision to approve a renewable fuels certification.

North Dakota Ag- Commissioner, Doug Goehring says, “This is the state’s first advanced biofuels facility, a ‘hybrid’ of sorts.” Goehring.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, says, “Commissioner Goehring and I saw firsthand in Denmark how this renewable energy technology can be used to fuel our homes and industries in North Dakota and Minnesota.”

Congressman Kevin Cramer says, “Our dynamic economy serves as a leader for the rest of the nation. The Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol biorefineries expected creation of several hundred jobs certainly maintains this reputation.”

Senator Heidi Heitkamp, also applauded the announcement, saying, ” I applaud Dakota Spirit AgEnergy’s efforts on its progress, and I look forward to continued collaboration with Dakota Spirit and other North Dakota stakeholders to lead the nation in energy development. The increase in North Dakota production of biofuels is not only good for our state’s economy, but it will help us to alleviate our dependence on foreign oil.”

.

 FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison on federal weapons charges.
 
     Anthony Hayes Junior of Hankinson, pleaded guilty in August to possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of an unregistered firearm.
 
     Authorities say the 30-year-old Hayes possessed four firearms and assorted ammunition. One of the weapons was stolen, along with a silencer.
 
     Hayes previous was convicted of assault in Anoka County, Minnesota in July 2006.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota lawmakers will decide if they want closer oversight of themselves.
 
     House assistant Democratic leader Corey Mock of Grand Forks is pushing a measure that would create a nine-member commission to investigate alleged acts of wrongdoing by politicians.
 
     The bill is part of the so-called Sunshine Act that also includes a measure aimed at tightening campaign finance rules.
 
     Mock says North Dakota is one of the few states that does not have an ethics commission or committee. And he says it’s needed.
 
     North Dakota House Republican majority leader Al Carlson of Fargo has said an ethics commission isn’t needed.because the Legislature already follows high standards of conduct.
 
     The Legislature defeated an attempt to create an ethics commission in 2011.

  DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) – A Devils Lake man is out $50,000 after being caught up in a sweepstakes scam.
 
     Police say the man, who is in his 80s, reportedly made several payments in the last few months to the phony company. He was told he won a $48.5 million, but he had to pay fees in order to collect the money.
 
     Police say it’s a common scam. The scammers used a legitimate company name in this case, but had money sent to a different address.
    

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Federal figures show that businesses with fewer than 100 employees employed more than 40 percent of people in North Dakota.
 
     Figures from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s most recent report show there were 1,735 companies with 20 to 99 employees in 2010 in North Dakota.
 
     Dale Van Eckhout, SBA senior area manager,says people are moving to the state from all over the country with marketable skills. He says many people can also work out of their homes while raising their families.
 
     Greater North Dakota Chamber President Andy Peterson says the state economy has expanded 13 percent over the last year.
 
     He says the state can’t have that rate of expansion without growth in small, medium and large businesses. .

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota state treasurer’s office is the smallest state agency headed by an elected official. And now it needs more help.
 
     The agency has seven employees, including Kelly Schmidt, the state treasurer. The treasurer’s office manages cash for some North Dakota agencies and distributes tax collections to local governments.
 
     The amount of money the treasurer handles has swelled with North Dakota’s oil tax collections.
 
     Schmidt has requested another employee to help out with the workload. She says increased money coming into the state treasury also has increased the work.
 
     Schmidt says when she took office in 2005, her agency had 54 general fund CDs totaling $750 million. The office now manages more than 300 general fund CDs totaling more than $2.7 billion. 

 

 TIOGA, N.D. (AP) – A team made up of University of North Dakota professors, an archaeologist and a photographer are touring North Dakota’s booming oil patch to study the area’s man camps.
 
     The  researchers are visiting Tioga, Wheelock, Williston and Watford City to study the social and material conditions of workforce housing.
 
     The researchers are studying three types of camps: the large, organized crew camps; less formal RV parks and trailer courts with water and sewer hookups; and the camps that lack water and electricity.
 
     One of the goals of the group is to document the living conditions of the oil boom so people in the future will know what it was like.
 

In sports…

 

 SISSETON, S.D. (AP) – The University of North Dakota hockey team spent yesterday stranded in South Dakota after a winter storm shut down a portion of Interstate 29. The team and many fans were on their way back from a weekend series in Nebraska when transportation officials closed the highway from Watertown to the North Dakota border.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s Game and Fish Department says hunting licenses are available for the spring light goose season.
 
     The season opens Feb. 16 and runs through May 5. Officials say huntable numbers of geese usually aren’t around until late March or early April but with this winter’s mild weather the birds could arrive earlier than normal. Game and Fish will provide migration updates once geese have entered the state.
 
     State residents can hunt during the spring season if they have last fall’s 2012-13 bird licenses. If they don’t, hunters need to purchase either a 2013-14 combination license; or a small game, and general game and habitat license. Nonresidents need a 2013 spring light goose season license.
 
     More information can be found on the Game and Fish website, at http://www.gf.nd.gov .

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota native is set to compete for the third time in the famed 993-mile Iditarod sled-dog race.
 
     Kelly Maixner is a Golfa native who now lives in Big Lake, Alaska, where he works as a pediatric dentist. He’s hoping to fare better than he has in past years, when he finished in 30th and 32nd place.
 
     This year’s race begins March 2 with a ceremonial start in Anchorage. Maixner moved to Alaska in 2007. He says  he began a kennel with two bred female Alaskan huskies. Now he has about 60 dogs.
 
     There are about 70 so-called mushers listed on the official Iditarod website. Maixner is the only North Dakotan on the roster.
 
     He says he hopes to finish in the top 20.

 

 NATIONAL  BASKETBALL  ASSOCIATION
 
   Final            L-A  Clippers      102    New  York            88
   Final            Miami                    107    L-A  Lakers        97
   Final  3OT    Boston                  118    Denver              114
   Final            Memphis                105    Minnesota          88
   Final            Toronto                102    New  Orleans      89
   Final            Orlando                110    Portland          104
   Final            Oklahoma  City      97    Phoenix              69
   Final            San  Antonio        111    Brooklyn            86
   Final            Sacramento          117    Houston            111
 
 
       NATIONAL  HOCKEY  LEAGUE
 
   Final    Detroit              3    Los  Angeles      2
   Final    Edmonton            3    Columbus            1
   Final    Boston                3    Buffalo              1
   Final    New  Jersey        3    Pittsburgh        1
   Final    N-Y  Rangers      5    Tampa  Bay          1
   Final    Chicago              3    Nashville          0
 
 
       TOP-25  COLLEGE  BASKETBALL
 
   Final    (  1)  Indiana            81    (10)  Ohio  St.                  68
   Final    (  4)  Duke                  62              Boston  College      61
   Final              California      77    (  7)  Arizona                    69
   Final    (  9)  Syracuse          77              St.  John’s              58
   Final              Illinois          57    (18)  Minnesota                53
 
 
       TOP-25  WOMEN’S  COLLEGE  BASKETBALL
 
   Final    (  3)  UConn                        91              DePaul                      44
   Final    (  4)  Stanford                  69              Arizona  St.            45
   Final    (  6)  California              91              Arizona                    86
   Final    (  8)  Penn  St.                  71              Michigan  St.          56
   Final              LSU                            62    (  9)  Georgia                    54
   Final    (10)  Kentucky                  75              Vanderbilt              53
   Final    (12)  Tennessee                97              Mississippi            68
   Final              Michigan                  67    (13)  Purdue                      56
   Final    (14)  Texas  A&M                50    (15)  South  Carolina      48
   Final    (16)  North  Carolina      60              Georgia  Tech          58
   Final    (17)  UCLA                          80              Washington  St.      65
   Final    (18)  Dayton                      68              Fordham                    57
   Final    (19)  Florida  St.            93              Miami                        78
   Final    (20)  Delaware                  71              James  Madison        64
   Final    (21)  Colorado                  84              Oregon                      59
   Final    (23)  Oklahoma                  80    (22)  Oklahoma  St.          61

 

GOLF…

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Brandt Snedeker (SNEH’-deh-kur) is arguably the hottest golfer in the world right now. A runner-up to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the last two weeks on the PGA Tour, Snedeker fired a final round 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory over Chris Kirk in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

 

 PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Shane Lowry got into the Match Play Championship by the slimmest of margins, all because of a birdie putt thousands of miles away from his home in Ireland.
 
     Patrick Reed holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole Sunday at Pebble Beach for a two-way tie for seventh with Fredrik Jacobson (YAHK’-uhb-sihn). That meant Jacobson moved up only to No. 66 by 0.0002 points behind Lowry.
 
     Sunday was the final day to qualify for the 64-man field on Feb. 20-24 in Arizona. The top 65 are eligible because Phil Mickelson has said he would not be playing.

 

 BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) – First time’s the charm for Rocco Mediate (MEE’-dee-ayt), who won the Allianz Championship by two strokes in his Champions Tour debut.
 
     Mediate carded a 1-under-par 71 a day after firing a course-record 61, and ended up 17-under for the 54-hole tournament.
 
     Bernhard Langer carded a 68 and Tom Pernice (pur-NEES’) Jr. shot a 70 to tie for second place.
 

TENNIS…

 FED CUP… 
 
     RIMINI, Italy (AP) – The United States was eliminated in the first round of the Fed Cup, losing to Italy 3-2. The top-ranked doubles team of Sara Errani (ehr-RAH’-nee) and Roberta Vinci defeated Varvara Lepchenko and Liezel Huber (LEE’-zul HYOO’-bur) 6-2, 6-2 in the decisive doubles match.
 
     Lepchenko beat Errani 7-5, 6-2 in Sunday’s first reverse singles. But Vinci stopped Jamie Hampton 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to set up the crucial doubles in the best-of-five World Group series.
 
     The U.S. was without Serena and Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens because of injuries.
 

MLB…

 UNDATED  (AP) – Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka (DYS’-kay mat-soo-ZAH’-kah) and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a minor league contract.
 
     The 32-year-old will have a chance to win a spot in Cleveland’s starting rotation if he passes a physical.
 
     Dice-K has won 50 major league games since signing a $52 million, six-year contract with Boston as free agent in 2007. He is reuniting with new Indians skipper Terry Francona, who was his manager for most of his time with the Red Sox.

 

In world and national news…

 VATICAN CITY (AP) – It hasn’t happened in 600 years, but at the end of the month Pope Benedict will leave the papacy under his own power. The Vatican announced the pending resignation today. Reports quote the pope’s brother in Germany as saying Benedict’s doctor told him not to take transatlantic trips for health reasons.
 
     WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House and outside supporters of President Barack Obama plan to launch a triple-threat campaign around the State of the Union address involving social media, public outreach and fundraising. The wide-ranging effort reflects a decision by the president and his advisers to focus more on using public support to pressure Congress rather than getting bogged down in partisan fights with lawmakers.
 
     NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – Life is slowly moving toward normal in the Northeast, which got belted by as much as 3 feet of snow. Commuters are being urged to use caution and leave extra time today. Public transportation is starting to move and electricity is slowly being restored. Some schools and businesses in the region will remain closed today.
 
     NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Investigators in New Orleans are still using video and other information to try to find suspects in a weekend shooting that wounded four people on iconic Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras festivities Saturday. Police say they are looking for the three men and that they have identified one suspect.
 
     MOSCOW (AP) – Russian officials have added to the number of dead in a blast at a coal mine in northern Russia. Officials say 18 people died and 10 bodies have been recovered. There were 23 men in the mine at the time. The blast is blamed on a build-up of methane.