Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Feb 2

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An oil industry group says Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Miss America Cara Mund, a Bismarck native, are among those who have been invited to speak at an energy conference that will be held May in North Dakota’s capital city.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council says 26th annual Williston Basin Petroleum Conference will feature dozens of speakers, from politicians to top oil company executives, and industry-specific seminars.

The conference is scheduled May 22-24 at the Bismarck Event Center.

Started in 1993 with just a handful of attendees, the event has alternated in recent years between locations in North Dakota and Canada.

President Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential hopeful, was the keynote speaker in 2016 at the conference in Bismarck. About 7,000 people heard Trump’s speech.

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A Minot man has been sentenced to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to shoplifting from a Hobby Lobby.

The Minot Daily News reports 22-year-old Dustin Finely Johnson was sentenced Thursday in North Central District Court.

Police say store officials reported a male shoplifter on Jan. 3. When officers arrived at the store they discovered a shopping cart with about $4,000 worth of merchandise in the parking lot.

Authorities say Johnson attempted to flee with the shopping cart, which became stuck in the snow and overturned.

Police say they found Johnson’s wallet at the scene containing identification. Officers then went to his home and arrested him.

FLAXTON, N.D. (AP) — A World War I memorial and community building in Flaxton has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The register is the federal government’s list of properties it considers worthy of preservation and recognition.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota says the Burke County World War Memorial Hall was dedicated in 1931. It’s one of only seven World War I memorial buildings in the state built for government offices, community groups and events that’s still used for those purposes.

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Trial has wrapped up in a yearslong dispute over whether a pioneer village museum can be evicted from the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot.

The Minot Daily News reports that arguments in the civil trial ended Wednesday, and Judge Rhonda Ehlis asked lawyers for each side to submit written arguments by March 9. She will rule sometime after that.

The State Fair Association wants to use the Pioneer Village Museum property for another purpose. The Ward County Historical Society defends the museum’s right to stay under a 1966 agreement.

The dispute began more than four years ago. The state Legislature earlier declined to intervene.

WARWICK, N.D. (AP) — Warwick Public Schools suspended three basketball coaches and disciplined some students amid an investigation into a possible sexual assault involving students.

WDAZ-TV and KVLY-TV report that the incident allegedly occurred Jan. 5 when the boys basketball team traveled to Bismarck. Some students allegedly left their hotel after an 11:30 p.m. bed check and engaged in inappropriate behavior.

Bismarck police confirm they’re investigating a reported sexual assault on Jan. 5, but it’s not clear if it’s related to the alleged incident. No criminal charges have been filed.

Warwick Superintendent Dean Dauphinais says the coaches were suspended for a few games for failing to properly supervise students. He says the students allegedly involved also have been disciplined but he declined to elaborate.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual midwinter waterfowl survey indicates about 135,000 Canada geese in the state.

That’s down from the record 222,890 in 2016, but up sharply from 26,400 in January 2017.

Migratory game bird biologist Andy Dinges says heavy snowfall last winter reduced access to waste grain and made wintering conditions “highly unfavorable.”

Dinges says this year’s count likely would have been higher if not for bitterly cold weather in late December that pushed birds south.

An estimated 110,800 Canada geese were observed on the Missouri River, and another 24,000 were scattered on Nelson Lake in Oliver County. No waterfowl were recorded on Lake Sakakawea, which had frozen over before the survey.

In addition, 16,400 mallard ducks were tallied statewide, most of them on Nelson Lake.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says a newly released GOP memo raises “serious concerns” about the Department of Justice and the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation. Press secretary Sarah Sanders sent out a statement saying, “The memorandum raises serious concerns about the integrity of decisions … to use the Government’s most intrusive surveillance tools against American citizens.” Trump allowed the memo to be released over the objections of the FBI and Justice Department.

CHARLOTTE, Mich. (AP) — A judge says there’s “no way” she’ll punish the father of three victims after he tried to attack former sports doctor Larry Nassar in a Michigan courtroom. Randall Margraves apologized Friday, a few hours after charged toward Nassar during a sentencing hearing in Eaton County, Michigan.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say flu season continues to get worse, and there are weeks of suffering ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that doctor visits for the flu and hospitalizations were up again. But CDC officials said illnesses seem to be easing a bit on the West Coast.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has announced it will continue much of the Obama administration’s nuclear weapons policy, but take a more aggressive stance toward Russia. It said Russia must be persuaded it would face “unacceptably dire costs” if it were to threaten even limited nuclear attack in Europe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a robust 200,000 jobs in January, and wages rose at the fastest pace in more than eight years. The pay gains suggest that employers are competing more fiercely for workers. Raises stemming from Republican tax cuts and minimum wage increases in 18 states also boosted pay.