CSi Weather…

.TONIGHT…Decreasing clouds. Lows in the upper 20s. North winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the west after midnight.

.THURSDAY…Sunny. Highs around 50. Southwest winds around 5 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s. South

winds around 5 mph.

.FRIDAY…Partly sunny. Highs around 50. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of rain in the

evening. Lows in the mid 30s.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. Lows in the upper 30s.

.SUNDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.

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

afternoon. Highs in the mid 50s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of rain in the

evening, then slight chance of rain and snow after midnight. Lows

in the mid 30s. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.

 

 

Slow but steady snowmelt will continue through midweek with high

temperatures in the 40s dropping back below the freezing mark

overnight. However, temperatures will finally begin to increase

towards the end of the week with highs expected to reach into the

50s with lows near or above freezing by the weekend. The warmer

conditions will accelerate the snowmelt for locations that have

any lingering snow cover. Ponding of water in low lying areas can

be expected as water begins to make its way to the local river

system.

 

 

Bismarck  (Prairie Public Radio) – North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says he’s disappointed in Cargill’s decision to close its Spiritwood malting plant.

Prairie Public Radio reports that Goehring says he’s concerned about how this will affect North Dakota barley growers.

The report also says that Goehring doesn’t want to see the Spiritwood plant mothballed. He says it’s a very good facility.

Cargill still has facilities in West Fargo and Wahpeton.

 

 

Valley City  (CSi)  Valley City has announced that Citywide Cleanup Week is set for May 7-11.

The free pickup and disposal is for residential waste only.

Valley City residents are encouraged to clean up, clean off, and clean out their properties.  On your regular garbage pickup day, put all your garbage, including the extra, out in your regular pick up spot by 7:00 AM, and Valley City Public Works will pick it up.  There is no limit on the number of bags, cans, boxes, etc., and no extra charge.

We will pick up general household garbage, couches, chairs, furniture, branches and wood DO NOT BAG OR BOX BRANCHES.  Paints and liquids can be disposed of in a dry, hardened form.  Cat litter, floor dry or sawdust can be used to absorb the liquid.  Empty cans can be left out with garbage. LEFTOVER PAINT WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE LANDFILL DURING CLEAN UP WEEK BUT MUST BE DRIED.

Residents may take their appliances to Truck and Auto Salvage or Valley Recycling Center. There may be a fee for refrigeration or freezing units with Freon.

The following items WILL NOT be picked up:

  • Leaves and grass need to be taken to the collection site at the landfill at no charge.
  • Tires must be taken to the transfer station. The disposal fee cannot be charged, cash only.
  • Batteries may be taken to the salvage yards or Valley Recycling Center.
  • Scrap metal may be taken to Valley Recycling Center.
  • Grass, leaves, yard waste

Help the garbage crews by putting the garbage into boxes, bags or cans not to exceed 32 gallons or 50 lbs.

Note:  Free disposal of grass, leaves, branches, trees, used motor oil and metal can be disposed of at the Transfer Station all year long.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Calling for a leaner and more efficient state government, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told agency directors Wednesday to identify substantial spending cuts when they begin preparing their plans for the next two-year budget.The first-term Republican governor, who ran on a message of controlling “runaway spending,” told agency heads to “identify those things we can do without, as opposed to starting with justifying everything we already have.”Burgum said agencies must slash budgets 5 percent or 10 percent, with the larger ones responsible for the bigger cuts.
He called for agencies to identify an additional 3 percent reduction as a cushion against commodity price swings.Additionally, Burgum called for a 5 percent reduction in agency staffing, the savings of which could be applied to overall agency cuts. Burgum’s directive excludes cuts to K-12 education and Medicaid programs.”More than ever before, it’s essential that agencies conduct a rigorous self-examination,” Burgum said during his half-hour address at the state Capitol.
The governor will use the blueprints to draft his own spending recommendations for the Legislature when lawmakers meet in January.The state’s current two-year budget including federal aid is $13.6 billion. It includes $4.3 billion in state general fund spending, or $1.7 billion less than the 2015 budget that had more than doubled since 2009 with the rise of oil activity in the state.The general fund portion of the budget is spent on an assortment of programs, including education and human services. It is funded largely by state taxes on income, sales and energy.Burgum took office amid a sharp downturn in tax revenues due to prolonged slumps in oil and agriculture prices. The state’s budget was balanced last year through layoffs, and raids on state savings.Burgum said his budget instructions did not indicate a belief that North Dakota’s economic growth is slowing. He said North Dakota has more than 14,000 unfilled jobs and “oil activity is more robust than anticipated.” But while oil activity has rebounded to near record levels in recent months, he warned against counting on the increased revenue to balance budgets.”As we know from recent experience, it is very risky to make spending decisions based on market forces beyond our control,” Burgum said.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The board of a small North Dakota high school where hazing allegations led to charges against five boys is forming a task force to address concerns in an independent report by a Minneapolis law firm.

The report by the Langevin Lentz firm for the Richland 44 School Board released earlier this month found issues with school policies, training and supervision.

WDAY-TV reports the task force will comprise faculty, parents and students. Board members hope it will help the school district heal.

Authorities in mid-February referred five boys to juvenile court, accusing them of felonious restraint, terrorizing, hazing and sexual assault.

Coaches at the school have started an initiative to bring about what they call a “cultural overhaul” at the school, to help heal and improve the school’s public image.

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Police want to question a 33-year-old woman in a shooting in Minot.

Authorities say the 54-year-old man was shot in the leg Tuesday. He was taken to Trinity Hospital, treated and released.

Police say they are looking for a 33-year-old woman as a person of interest in the case.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators hope some amended rules will further limit natural gas that’s being burned off at well sites and wasted as a byproduct of crude production.

The state Industrial Commission led by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum unanimously approved the changes Tuesday.

The rules that went into effect in 2014 allow regulators to set production limits on oil companies if the targets aren’t met.

The rules also required oil companies to submit a gas capturing plan with their drilling permits. But the new rules lessen that requirement for companies meeting targets.

The rules require companies to capture 88 percent of the gas by November, which is up 3 percentage points.

North Dakota Petroleum Council vice president Kari Cutting says the industry is committed to meeting that goal.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota officials will dedicate about $1.6 million this year to stabilize collapsing underground coal mines in the central and western parts of the state.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission funds come from the Abandoned Mine Land program, which is funded through a federal tax on coal, The Bismarck Tribune reported. The program aims to eliminate public hazards from mining-affected areas.

The federal dollars pay for staff positions at the Public Service Commission to run the program, contractors and temporary inspectors hired to oversee projects.

But the program’s long-term future is uncertain with the tax’s authorization set to expire after 2021.

Commission Chairman Randy Christmann said the state received $2.8 million this year to keep up with reclaiming hazardous abandoned mines. That amount is less than the $3 million the state expected due to sequestration.

 

In sports…

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The mayor of San Juan says Wednesday night’s Cleveland-Minnesota game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium will be played as scheduled, despite an island-wide blackout that hit Puerto Rico. Carmen Yulin Cruz says extra generators have been brought to the stadium, and there will be an additional police presence. About 19,000 fans have tickets for the game, the finale of a two-game series in San Juan between the Indians and Twins.

The game will be shown on CSi 14 ESPN starting at 6-pm CDT

 

 

In world and national news…

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban officials have selected 57-year-old First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba. It’s the centerpiece of an effort to ensure that the country’s single-party system outlasts the aging revolutionaries who created it. The National Assembly is set to install someone from outside the Castro family in the country’s highest government office for the first time in nearly six decades.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Texas rancher says he and a Texas firefighter pulled a woman back into a plane after a window was damaged following an engine failure. Tim McGinty told reporters late Tuesday that he helped his wife and a friend put on their oxygen masks before he realized the woman sitting in the row in front of him was in trouble on the Southwest Airlines plane from New York to Dallas that made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials have cleared up some confusion over when CIA Director Mike Pompeo traveled to North Korea for a meeting with Kim Jong Un. President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that the meeting took place “last week,” as preparations are underway for what would be a historic summit. Two White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive discussions, confirmed that the trip took place over Easter weekend, and not last week as Trump had tweeted.

BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations says its special envoy for Syria is undertaking intensive high-level consultations with senior officials in key countries on options for “a meaningful relaunch” of U.N.-facilitated political negotiations.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The star defense witness in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial is getting ready to take the witness stand. Cosby’s lawyers say Marguerite Jackson will testify Wednesday afternoon. Jackson says Cosby’s chief accuser talked about framing a “high-profile person” so she could file a lawsuit. Accuser Andrea Constand has testified that she did not “recall ever having a conversation with” Jackson. Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting Constand. He says their encounter was consensual.