CSi Weather…

.TONIGHT…Mostly clear. Not as cold. Lows near zero. Southwest winds around 10 mph. Wind chills around 20 below.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Not as cold. Highs in the lower 30s. West

winds 10 to 20 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Not as cold. Lows in the lower

20s. West winds around 15 mph.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s. West winds

10 to 15 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY…Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s.

Highs in the 30s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. Lows in the lower 20s.

.SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper

20s. Lows around 15.

.SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Highs 15 to 20. Lows

5 to 10 above.

.MONDAY…Partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of snow in the

afternoon. Highs around 15.

 

A warming trend Wednesday through Friday, then turning colder again Saturday through Monday.

Westerly winds gusting from 20 to 35 mph are expected Wednesday
afternoon through early Wednesday evening across western and
central North Dakota.

Snow that is not crusted over will drift freely across highways during the afternoon, melt as temperatures rise into the mid 30s, then refreeze late in the afternoon and evening as temperatures fall below freezing.

These conditions could create icy roads and possibly hazardous
travel. North to south orientated highways will be at greatest
risk, as westerly winds will maximize the amount of drifting snow.
Roads that become icy late Wednesday afternoon will likely remain
that way through Thursday morning.

Plan ahead and allow extra time for travel Wednesday afternoon
through Thursday morning.

 

Jamestown (CSi)  Jamestown Police is warning residents that a convicted high risk sex offender has changed addresses within the city.

29 year old Matthew Jacob Lee Graham now resides at 1218 7th Avenue, SE #4, Jamestown, ND

His vehicle is now a 2008 white Chevy ImpalaNorth Dakota license plate:  958 BOU

He is a white male 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 192 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.

Graham has been assigned a high risk assessment by the North Dakota risk level committee, of the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office.

Offense: Indecent Exposure involving a five year old male family friend.

Conviction Date: April 2004, Kidder County, ND

Disposition: Mesabi Academy treatment facility.

Graham is not wanted by police at this time and has served the sentence imposed by the court.

This notification is meant for public safety and not to increase fear in the community, nor should this information be used to threaten, assault, or intimidate the offender.

Any attempts to harass, intimidate or threaten these offenders, their families, landlords, or employers will be turned over for prosecution.

Printed handouts of the demographics of Graham are available at the Jamestown Police Department.

More information on registered sex offenders is available at the North Dakota Attorney General’s web site:  www.sexoffender.nd.gov

 

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Jamestown City Council met in Special Session  at 10 a.m. Tuesday, City Hall.

Council Member Buchanan was not present.

The agenda item was to take an official position on plans by the North Dakota Department of Transportation to temporarily close Exit 257 on Interstate 94, and US 281, and install traffic signals at the I-94 and U.S. Highway 281 South on-off ramps on Exit 258.

Mayor Andersen pointed out that the NDDOT public input meeting was held recently, as she pointed out the proposed plans.

The NDDOT proposes improvements to the US 281 and I-94 north and south ramp intersections, the north frontage road between I-94 Exits 256 and Exit 257, a temporary closure of I-94 Exit 257, and US 281 and I-94 bridge repair.                                                                                       

Proposed improvements consist of a mill and overlay of the north frontage road between I-94 Exits 256 and 257, temporary closing of I-94 Exit 257, and bridge deck repair of the US 281 and I-94 bridge in Jamestown.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Council Member Gumke said he favors keeping the left exit off  I-94 at Exit 257, eastbound open and intact. He favors installing the traffic signals at the I-94 and U.S. Highway 281 South on-off ramps on Exit 258.

Council Member Brubakken agreed, with keeping the exit open, pending costs, versus installing another ramp over the interstate.

Council Member Phillips now favors keeping open Exit 257, and pointed out congestion in traffic flows at Highway 281 and 25th Street Southwest, with traffic going to and from Walmart, Menards, and the Buffalo Mall.

Mayor Andersen questioned if closing the Exit 257 off ramp would also mean closing the on ramp.

Travis Dillman of Interstate Engineering said an overpass from 17th Street Southwest to JRMC is in the future plans.

Jason Babcock of Neighborhood Grocery and Gas favors keeping open Exit 257 concerning access to his business, including out of town traffic.

Colin Wegenast who owns a business near Exit 257 favors keeping the exit open.

The items voted on Tuesday by the City Council were to:

Support the on signaling and 281 and I-94.

Support keeping the on ramp at Exit 257 open.

Support keeping the off ramp on Exit 257 open, pending other options, Mayor Andersen voting in opposition.

The meeting was shown live on CSi 67 followed by replays.

 

 

Bismarck  (CSi) Jamestown airline boarding in December, 2017 reached 924 compared to 840 in December 2016, and increase of 10 percent.

For the year 2017 Jamestown boardings reached a total of 12,865, an increase of 15 and a half percent over 2016.

The three communities of Jamestown, Bismarck,  and Devils Lake were also able to announce that they had each posted their highest airline passenger number count on record in calendar year 2017.

North Dakota’s commercial service airports finished calendar year 2017 with a statewide total of 1,030,639 passenger boardings. This is a 1.8% decrease from 2016’s airline passenger boarding count of 1,049,418. In 2017, the state also saw 1,033,531 passenger deplanements for a grand total of 2,082,949 passengers that have set foot inside the commercial service terminal buildings of North Dakota over the past year.

The eight commercial service airports in the state currently provide incredible value and opportunities to businesses and residents within each community. 10 non-stop destinations (of which two are seasonal) are currently available to connect North Dakota to the rest of the world. All eight of the commercial service airports also continue to provide their communities with reliable jet service. The state is currently averaging approximately 55 airline flight departures per day with an estimated 3,800 available daily seats.

The top destination airline passenger markets in 2017 for North Dakota travelers were as follows:
1. Phoenix / Mesa, AZ
2. Las Vegas. NV
3. Orlando / Sanford, FL
4. Denver, CO
5. Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN

Statewide airline passenger boardings have now declined for a third straight year following the record setting year of 2014 where over 1.2 million passengers flew on commercial flights originating in North Dakota. A resilient economy and high oil and agricultural commodity prices had led to this 2014 record after seven years of consecutive airline passenger growth that began in 2007.

“Over the last three years, the state’s airline boardings have been affected by the difficult challenges that the energy and agricultural industries in the state have been facing. Low commodity prices and the low value of the Canadian dollar have all factored into reasons that have resulted in the state’s airline passenger numbers decreasing for a third straight year. Regardless of these challenges, our commercial airline service throughout the state remains strong.

North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, Executive Director, Kyle Wanner  says, “This strength can be seen in the fact that the state’s long-term statewide airline passenger growth has been maintained as passenger numbers are 51% higher than they were ten years ago in 2008. I am hopeful to once again see year over year statewide growth to pick up in 2018 as North Dakota continues its economic recovery.”

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Oil production in North Dakota is increasing amid rebounding oil prices and technology advances. But officials say the infrastructure needed to capture the natural gas byproduct isn’t keeping up.

North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness says some oil drillers are cutting output to meet gas capture rules so they won’t be sanctioned by the state.

Ness says a task force is being convened to help speed up infrastructure development.

Officials say the state’s gas-gathering and processing capability is 2.1 billion cubic feet (0.06 billion cubic meters) daily at present. A record 2.09 billion cubic feet (0.06 billion cubic meters) of natural gas was produced daily in November.

North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad says three proposed gas processing would just “keep up” with expected production

 

 

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — A Powerball ticket sold in Dickinson is worth $100,000 in the latest drawing.

North Dakota lottery officials say the ticket matched four white balls and the Powerball in Saturday’s drawing to win the game’s $50,000 third prize, and an option that was purchased doubled the amount.

The winning numbers were 14, 25, 35, 58 and 69, and the Powerball was 24.

The odds of winning the third prize in Powerball are 1 in about 913,000. The winner has about six months to claim the prize.

Powerball is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The jackpot is at $62 million for the next drawing, on Wednesday.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham is blaming President Donald Trump’s staff for the president’s about-face on immigration that appeared to scuttle a compromise deal to protect from deportation young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. On Tuesday, Graham said Trump had reversed course, expressing openness on an immigration deal early Thursday, only to reject it hours later. Graham says, “I think somebody on his staff gave him really bad advice between 10 o’clock to 12 o’clock on Thursday.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says the agency will be working with states to follow proper protocols when issuing safety alerts so they can quickly retract incorrect alerts like Hawaii’s warning of a ballistic missile over the weekend. Nielsen told a Senate panel the department had been unaware that Hawaii officials did not have a mechanism in place to address false alarms and retract them.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — South Korea’s foreign minister says talks with North Korea are a “significant first step toward restoring inter-Korean relations.” But he says that despite the overtures, North Korea has yet to show any intention to fulfill its obligations on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean official told a meeting of U.S. allies in Vancouver that as long as North Korea continues down its current path, sanctions will remain in place.

PERRIS, Calif. (AP) — A sheriff’s official says the mother of 13 malnourished children and young adults was perplexed by the arrival of deputies at their Southern California home. Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Fellows says some of the children were chained to furniture and conditions were filthy. David and Louise Turpin are each being held in lieu of $9 million bail and could face charges of torture and child endangerment. The children are all being cared for in hospitals, where they are said to be friendly and cooperative.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Pope Francis is telling inmates at a Chilean women’s prison that they shouldn’t lose hope or their dignity just because they’ve lost their freedom. Francis told the women during the visit Tuesday that everyone’s a sinner, and that change is always possible. He says “No one can take away your dignity.” He called for prison sentences to not just serve as punishment, but to be a chance for inmates to learn new trades so they can re-enter society when they have completed their sentences.