CSi Weather…

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO 7 PM
CDT WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES INCLUDES JAMESTOWN & VALLEY CITY AREAS.

The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

* WIND…West to northwest winds sustained up to 35 mph, with
gusts to 50 mph.

 

Forecast…

.TONIGHT…Clear. Lows in the mid 30s. Southwest winds 5 to

15 mph.

.THURSDAY…Sunny, warmer. Highs in the upper 70s. Temperatures

falling into the mid 60s in the afternoon. South winds 5 to

10 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s. South

winds around 10 mph.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs around 80. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of rain showers in

the morning. Highs in the upper 50s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Slight chance of rain in the

evening. Lows in the upper 30s.

.SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s.

Lows in the upper 30s.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain. Highs in

the upper 50s.

.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY…Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.

Highs in the mid 50s.

 

A cold front will sweep through Friday night, producing a chance of showers, then another chance for showers Saturday. Windy Saturday and much cooler with highs in the 50s.

 

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES INCLUDES JAMESTOWN & VALLEY CITY AREAS.

The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

* WIND…West to northwest winds sustained up to 35 mph, with
gusts to 50 mph.

* HUMIDITY…Around 20 percent.

* TEMPERATURES…Highs in the 50s.

* IMPACTS…Any fires that develop may spread rapidly. Refer to
your county or tribal emergency management or law enforcement
for fire restrictions.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now….or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds and low relative humidity can contribute to extreme
fire behavior.

 

Jamestown (CSi)  On Wednesday October 18, 2017 the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning which includes Stutsman County.  The Warning is effective from 1:00 PM until 7:00 pm.

Stutsman County Emergency Manager, Jerry Bergquist says, “Because of the recently adopted Stutsman County Burn Ordinance (May 2nd, 2017) specific prohibitions on open burning will be in effect.

When a Red Flag Warning has been issued, NO open burning is permitted within Stutsman County.  This includes starting, conducting, allowing, maintaining, or soliciting any open burning activities.

Violations of Stutsman County Burn Ordinance will be enforced.  This is a class B misdemeanor, for which a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail, a fine of $1500.00, or both may be imposed.”

He goes on to say that residents should be sure to verify the current Fire Danger Rating and local burning restrictions BEFORE conducting any open burns or fires outdoors.

For a full version of Stutsman County Burn Ordinance, go to:  www.co.stutsman.nd.us, under Departments choose Zoning, and then click on Burn Ban Ordinance on the right hand side of the page.

 

 

Jamestown (CSi)  The Jamestown City Fire Department was called to a pick up fire about 9:18 a.m., Wednesday at the north parking lot on the west side of  a garage at the Deer Ridge Apartments, in Northeast Jamestown.

Lt. Sheldon Mohr says there was no chemical exposure stemming from pesticides in the pick up box.

No damage to adjacent structures.

No injuries reported, with the cause listed as an unknown electrical malfunction, as the vehicle was totaled.

Four City fire units and 26 firefighters were on the scene about 25 minutes.

 

Jamestown (CSi)  The Jamestown City Street Department reports that due to the annual street maintenance project, please be advised that the following area WILL BE TEMPORARILY CLOSED beginning Thursday, October 19, 2017 through approximately Monday, October 24, 2017: 

The north/south alley way between 3rd Ave SE & 4th Ave SE along the 900 Block.

Motorists and other traffic should use extreme caution when entering these construction maintenance areas. The public should consider alternate routes.

The road construction/maintenance activities are contingent on changing weather conditions.

 

Jamestown  (CSi) The North Dakota Farmers Union says, efforts to expand livestock development in North Dakota received a setback this week, when the Trump Administration withdrew rules that would have protected family farmers and ranchers from anti-competitive practices and unfair conditions in heavily concentrated ag markets.

NDFU President Mark Watne, says, “Farmers Union is working hard to find new markets for the crops we produce.  Growing our livestock sector to utilize our commodities makes sense, but the withdrawal of these rules is a setback.”

On Tuesday, the United States Department of Agriculture withdrew Farmer Fair Practices rules that were set to go into effect this week. If implemented, the rules would have leveled the playing field between contract farmers and companies, making it easier for poultry and livestock producers to bargain or take legal action over unfair treatment.

Watne adds, “The rules would have guaranteed equitable treatment and encouraged growth in the livestock industry. This is a missed opportunity to make greater use of the commodities we grow.”

Four giant meatpacking companies currently control 85 percent of the beef market, 65 percent of the pork market, and more than half of the poultry market in the U.S.

He points out that, with just a handful of companies controlling livestock markets, producers become price takers and have virtually no control over the prices they are paid or, in many cases, the way they raise their animals.

Watne says, “We’ve tried to implement these rules for years as part of the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, to protect farmers and consumers from unfair and monopolistic practices in the meatpacking industry,” he said. “We were so close in making this happen. The good news is we’re not giving up even with this setback.”

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A Fargo man accused of sexually assaulting an employee of a Mapleton convenience store has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Prosecutors recommended life in prison for 37-year-old Abdulrahman Ali (ab-duel-RAH’-man AH’-lee), who was convicted on five felony counts, including gross sexual imposition.

Authorities say the woman was punched and kicked during the attack in a restroom at Gordy’s Travel Plaza in Mapleton, which is west of the Fargo metropolitan area. Ali allegedly ripped the women’s clothes off and both of them were naked when deputies finally managed to break down the door.

Ali told the court that he’s mentally ill. His attorney asked for a 20-year sentence.

East Central District Judge Thomas Olson said he couldn’t find a reason to excuse Ali’s criminal conduct.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Gov. Doug Burgum says state health and law enforcement agencies are being trained to use medication that reverses effects of opioids like heroin and oxycodone.

Burgum says a $2 million federal grant will be used for the training.

Burgum last month signed an executive directed cabinet agencies to work with law enforcement and local and tribal governments to make naloxone available to first responders, community leaders and individual opioid users and their family members.

Burgum’s order says the United States is experiencing an “epidemic” of opioid addiction. He says North Dakota overdose deaths more than tripled between 2013 and 2015.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s wine industry has seen an unusually productive harvest despite severe drought conditions this summer.

Grapes grown in the state are cold-climate varieties, but heat allows the grapes to ripen faster.

Randy Albrecht is the operator of Wolf Creek Winery in Coleharbor. He says grapes that are used to create wine need to reach a certain sweetness and sugar level called brix. A brix level of 22.5 will make wine about 12 percent alcohol.

The state’s grapes are usually more acidic, but as the grapes ripened, the acid dropped and they became sweeter.

The state’s wine industry is expected to continue its rapid growth. That’s causing some concern that there isn’t enough fruit being grown commercially to meet demands in the future.

 

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — A fire has broken out at a huge Chevron oil refinery in the Los Angeles area.

Police say the fire erupted late Tuesday night at the Chevron El Segundo Refinery. The company’s website says the 1,000-acre refinery is the largest on the West Coast.

The fire sent smoke into surrounding residential neighborhoods, and police advised that people close their windows.

Dramatic flames could be seen soon after the blaze broke out, but firefighters smothered it with foam, and within about a half-hour there was little visible flame. No injuries have been reported.

Fires at such refineries have had implications for gas prices, though it wasn’t yet clear if this one would.

Chevron was fined nearly $1 million by the state of California for a major fire in 2012 at a refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

In sports….

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have told left-hander Glen Perkins they will decline their $6.5 million option on his contract for 2018 and pay him a $700,000 buyout.

The Twins announced the decision Wednesday, moving Perkins closer to retirement.

The 34-year-old three-time All-Star will become a free agent able to sign with any team, including the Twins, but he has said he’s not interested in pitching elsewhere. Perkins played at Stillwater High School outside the Twin Cities and the University of Minnesota before the Twins drafted him in the first round in 2004.

With 120 saves, Perkins is third on the franchise’s all-time list. He pitched in only 10 games the last two seasons because of shoulder trouble. Perkins returned in August from an arduous rehabilitation over a 16-month absence .

 

In world and national news….

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is continuing to reject a Florida congresswoman’s account that he told the widow of a soldier killed in an ambush in Niger that her husband “knew what he signed up for.” Trump says Wednesday before a meeting at the White House that he “didn’t say it at all.” He adds: “I had a very nice conversation with the woman, the wife, who sounded like a lovely woman.” The serviceman’s mother told The Associated Press Wednesday that the congresswoman’s account was correct.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Al Franken is accusing Attorney General Jeff Sessions of “moving the goalposts” in denying his interactions with the Russian ambassador. In a testy exchange, Franken confronted Sessions about his testimony in January, in which he said he had no communications with Russians. Sessions later had to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s investigation of Trump campaign ties to Russia after it was revealed he had conversations with the ambassador.

EDGEWOOD, Md. (AP) — A man wanted in the shooting of five people at his workplace in Maryland is now suspected in a shooting several hours later in Delaware. The Wilmington Police Department said in a news release Wednesday afternoon that officers are searching for Radee Labeeb Prince. Police say he’s wanted in both a multiple shooting early Wednesday in Edgewood, Maryland, and another shooting at mid-morning in Wilmington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — State attorneys general say they’ll immediately seek a court order to force the administration to keep paying health insurance subsidies that President Donald Trump has ordered stopped. The office of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said he and 18 counterparts will seek a temporary restraining order against the administration Wednesday in federal court in California.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Uncertainty and confusion are mounting as millions of Americans prepare to select health insurance policies when the new open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act begins on Nov. 1. The uncertainty is especially pronounced in Iowa, which is seeking last-minute approval from the federal government to revamp its insurance market. The experts are not sure what to tell callers who want to know what their insurance is going to look like.