CSi Weather…

.TONIGHT…Cloudy. Rain and snow in the evening.   Snow accumulation up to 1 inch in the Valley City area.  Lows in the upper 20s. East winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the west after midnight. Chance of precipitation 60 percent in the Jamestown area, 70 percent in the Valley City area.

.THURSDAY…Cloudy. Highs in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 5 to

15 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT…Cloudy. Chance of snow possibly mixed with rain

and freezing rain in the evening, then chance of snow after

midnight. Patchy blowing and drifting snow after midnight. Lows in the mid 20s. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent in the Jamestown area, 70 percent in the Valley City area.

.FRIDAY…Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow in the morning in the Jamestown area, 40 percent in the Valley City area. Windy with blowing and drifting snow after midnight. Highs in the lower 30s. North winds 20 to 30 mph.

 

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows 15 to 20.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 15.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows 15 to 20.

.MONDAY…Sunny. Highs around 40.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the mid 20s.

.TUESDAY…Partly sunny. A 30 percent chance of rain in the

afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s.

 

Wednesday night snow accumulations of around one inch are likely across far north central North Dakota, and the James River Valley.

A period of light freezing rain is possible Wednesday evening from the
Turtle Mountains south into Jamestown.

A larger storm system to take shape to our south Friday and Saturday

with the northern edge of the snow shield reaching far southern

North Dakota and parts of west central Minnesota. Main snow risk

is south of a Valley City to Fargo to Park Rapids line.

 

 

Jamestown (Cassie DuBray) – South Central Homeless Coalition Collected and Packaged over 400 Blessing Bags, on Wednesday.

 The South Central Homeless Coalition representing North Dakota’s Region VI, partnered with Jamestown Ministerial Association, Triumph Inc, and Edgewood Senior Living to assemble “Blessing Bags” of donated essential care items for people experiencing homelessness and or other hardships.

 

This third annual event established “Mercy Box” locations where individuals and organizations donated travel sized personal care items such as facial tissues, wet wipes, nail clippers, lip balm, hygiene products, nonperishable snacks, socks, small first aid kits, and feminine hygiene products. The South Central Homeless Coalition received donations from individuals and organizations.

 

Members of the Homeless Coalition board, Edgewood Senior Living staff and residents, Triumph Inc. staff and clients, and Region VI community members assembled 436 blessing bags on April 11, 2018. Many thanks to the community for the donations and for all the volunteers who helped with the assembling.

 

Blessing bags will be shared with various organizations within Region VI such as South Central Human Service Center, Community Action, Freedom Resources, James River Correctional Center, Veteran Services, local churches, and Public Schools for distribution to individuals who are experiencing homelessness or extreme need.

 

The need to actively care for people experiencing homelessness is growing. Per the annual Point in Time Survey in January 2017, there were 1,089 persons documented as experiencing homelessness with 178 being under the age of 18.  There were 331 out of that total which were considered unsheltered.

 

The purpose of the South Central Homeless Coalition’s purpose shall be to advocate, coordinate, and optimize services for homeless men, women and children within Region 6 of the South Central Human Service Center. For more information contact coalition President Pastor Susan Haukaas at Trinity Lutheran Church (701) 252-2841.

 

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The report released by Jamestown Police shows an increase in final calls for service in 2017, compared to calendar year 2016.

The report indicates that police  responded to 17,432 calls, from 16,456 in 2016, an increase of 5.8%.

Large increases in calls involved gross sexual imposition calls and suspicious person and activity calls.

Drug possession, calls in 2017 increased along with delivery or sales of drugs, terrorizing, traffic stops, and warrant arrests.

 

Update…

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Republican state Sen. Tom Campbell said Wednesday that he will end his campaign for the state’s lone U.S. House seat.Campbell made the announcement at a luncheon in Fargo, which was attended by state Republican Party Chairman Rick Berg and state Sen. Kelly Armstrong, who won the party endorsement over Campbell at last weekend’s state convention.”In this political environment, it’s critical for Republicans to be united and focused on victory in November,” Campbell said in a statement. “We need to make sure Republicans keep North Dakota’s congressional seat, and I’m confident Kelly will fight for conservative values in Washington.”Campbell said told The Associated Press that he feared “an ugly primary fight” with Armstrong that would only benefit Mac Schneider, the Democrats’ endorsed House candidate.”I just didn’t want that,” he said.Campbell filed a petition Monday to run in the June 12 primary despite losing the endorsement, but party officials had been seeking to get him to step aside. Tiffany Abentroth and Paul Schaffner, who also competed for the GOP endorsement, also are continuing to the primary, filings show.Armstrong was got a first-ballot endorsement from delegates with an 847-480 vote over Campbell, a state senator and wealthy potato farmer from Grafton.Armstrong said Campbell called him Tuesday night to say he was pulling out of the race.

“It’s a tough decision for anyone to make,” Armstrong said. “I think Tom did put the people of North Dakota above himself.”

Armstrong said Campbell’s withdrawal will allow his campaign to “focus our energy on winning in November.”

Campbell raised about $1 million — three-quarters of it from his own pocket — on a Senate campaign starting last summer, only to be effectively forced out when GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer announced he would challenge incumbent Democrat Heidi Heitkamp. The race is seen as critical for control of the closely divided Senate.

Campbell then campaigned for the state’s lone congressional seat, only to be challenged by Armstrong, who stepped down as the state GOP party chairman to run.

Campbell was criticized last month for paying convention registration fees for some delegates. The move is permitted by party rules, but some Republicans — and Armstrong — said it could be seen as vote-buying in an endorsement battle. Though Armstrong had covered a handful of registrations of family members, Campbell had covered far more.

The North Dakota Republican Party said 56 delegates reimbursed the party for registration fees so that their names would not be disclosed.

The party said 52 of the payments were attributed to Campbell and four came from Armstrong.

The state Senate seat for Armstrong is not up for election this year, unlike the state senate seat for Campbell, which is being contested by two Republicans. Campbell did not file to run for re-election to that seat but did not rule out a political office or appointment in the future.

“I’m just going to move on now,” Campbell said. “I will go back if anybody somewhere has an opportunity for me.”

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp says Donald Trump asked her to join the Republican Party shortly before he was sworn in as president.

Heitkamp, in an interview with The Washington Post Tuesday, said Trump “asked me to switch parties” during a December 2016 meeting at his Trump Tower in New York City.

A spokeswoman for Heitkamp confirmed the remarks Wednesday.

The newspaper said Trump made the request while he and Heitkamp were discussing deregulation and other areas where they have common interests.

Heitkamp says in a statement that Trump “has pointed out our similarities and ribbed me on my party affiliation.”

Heitkamp is North Dakota’s only Democratic statewide officeholder. She faces a tough re-election fight from GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer in a critical race for control of the Senate.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Results of a national assessment show reading and math scores of fourth- and eighth-grade students in North Dakota had little improvement since 2015.

The Bismarck Tribune reports that the study conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress is administered every two years.

The report shows that there was no change nationwide in the average fourth-grade reading or math scores. The national average reading scores for eighth-graders showed a 1-point increase.

North Dakota’s fourth- and eighth-grade math scores were above national average.

But state Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says more should be done to promote early learning and reading programs. She says other exam scores in the state, such as the North Dakota State Assessment, have remained flat.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released a statement Tuesday, saying “we must do better for America’s students.”

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Prosecutors want a child neglect charge dismissed against a 23-year-old Minot woman accused of leaving her 3-year-old son alone because she couldn’t afford child care.

The Minot Daily News reports a motion to dismiss the charge against Octavia Kavon Pilot was filed Tuesday.

Authorities say Pilot was charged with the felony after her 7-year-old daughter told a social worker at her school she was worried about her little brother.

Social workers went to Pilot’s apartment and found the boy home alone playing with toys. Pilot was arrested while at her job.

Ward County prosecutor Roza Larson says in court papers it “was a case of poverty” and that the mother “felt she was in a ‘no-choice’ situation.”

Authorities say she now has somebody assisting her to care for her children.

 

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A man accused of killing his girlfriend last fall on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation has pleaded not guilty.

Forty-two-year-old John Greywind is charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in the Nov. 13 killing of Jogenia Lopez Austin.

Greywind entered his pleas Tuesday. He’s being held pending trial, which wasn’t immediately scheduled.

 

 

 

RUGBY, N.D. (AP) — A Balta man who admitted illegally killing deer has been ordered to pay more than $2,800 in restitution and fees and had his hunting privileges suspended for two years.

The Minot Daily News reports that 62-year-old Daryl Klein also must forfeit a rifle and scope to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

The case began with a tip that led a game warden to discover about 20 dead deer around a Balta-area farmstead in January 2017.

Klein admitted he had shot and killed at least seven deer because he was frustrated with the deer eating his grain. The court put a $350 value on each deer he admitted killing.

 

 

 

In sports…

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Former University of North Dakota men’s hockey coach Dean Blais is being inducted into the school’s sports hall of fame.

Blais was head coach for a decade beginning with the 1994-95 season. He led the team to national championships in 1997 and 2000. He ranks second in program history in wins and win percentage. He was named national coach of the year twice.

The 1999-2000 national championship team also is being inducted into the UND Letterwinners Athletics Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony for the full 2018 hall of fame class is Sept. 21.

 

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan’s announcement that he won’t seek another term has made his wife happy _ and a little tearful. Janna Ryan was doing some shopping in downtown Janesville, Ryan’s hometown, Wednesday morning soon after Ryan discussed his decision at a Washington news conference. Janna Ryan says she’s looking forward to having more balance in the family’s life. She said Ryan has given “his all” to a job that’s more a lifestyle than a job.WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says users whose personal information was obtained by data-mining firm tied to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign started to get alerted earlier this week. Zuckerberg told a lawmaker during testimony Wednesday appearance that he believes the notices about Cambridge Analytica’s possession of their information began going out Monday. 

 

BEIRUT (AP) — Bolivia has asked for emergency consultations of the U.N. Security Council on “the threats of unilateral military action” against Syria. Bolivia’s U.N. Ambassador Sacha Llorentty Soliz, who has supported Russia on Syria in council votes, said he requested a briefing from a senior U.N. official during closed consultations for Thursday morning.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is insisting that all is “very calm and calculated” at the White House, even as he vents about the Russia probe and complains about Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Trump, who was so incensed by the FBI’s raid of his personal attorney’s office and hotel room that he’s privately pondered firing Rosenstein, unloaded on Twitter Wednesday.

 

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A tearful accuser has confronted Bill Cosby in court over allegations he knocked her out and molested her more than 30 years ago. One of Cosby’s lawyers asked for a mistrial Wednesday after Chelan Lasha said, “You remember, don’t you Mr. Cosby?” The judge denied the request. Lasha is the second of five additional accusers expected to testify at Cosby’s sexual assault retrial in suburban Philadelphia.