CSi Weather….

.TODAY…Decreasing clouds. Highs in the lower 30s. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph.

.TONIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s. North winds around 5 mph shifting to the southeast after midnight.

.FRIDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 30s. Southeast winds

10 to 15 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Cloudy. Chance of snow possibly mixed with

freezing rain in the evening, then snow likely possibly mixed

with freezing rain after midnight. Lows in the mid 20s. Southeast

winds around 10 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.

Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of light snow in

the morning. Highs in the lower 30s. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph.

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

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 20s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 10.

.MONDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 20s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows 10 to 15.

.CHRISTMAS DAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 20s.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow after

midnight. Lows around 10.

.WEDNESDAY…Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow.

Highs in the lower 20s.

 

Snow chances Friday night and Saturday; quiet and dry weather Sunday

through Christmas Day; a then chances of snow after Christmas.

Northwest winds to increase to at least 20-25 mph

with gusts to 35 mph over all of western and much of central ND.

Light snow chances continue Friday night for all of central and

parts of western ND, with the possibility of some mixing with light

freezing rain. Daytime Saturday should bring only lingering light

snow chances in the Turtle Mountains.

Snow totals should be fairly light, with only a dusting in western

ND, less than an inch for most of central ND, with 1-2 inches from

north of Jamestown to the Turtle Mountains. Friday night and

Saturday will be windy with rain and snow chances. Lows Friday night

in the 20s and highs Saturday from the mid 20s north to lower 30s

south.

Sunday, Christmas Eve Monday, and Christmas Day Tuesday

mainly dry weather, with highs from the teens in the

Turtle Mountains to the lower and middle 30s southwest…and lows in

the single digits and teens above zero.

 

A storm system is forming, and may arrive after Christmas.

The tract of the storm is undetermined at this time. Those traveling then should stay up to date on the latest forecasts.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  Jamestown Police is warning Jamestown residents regarding a convicted sex offender who has changed his Jamestown address.

Nelson Whitetail, Sr. now resides at 518 9th Avenue, SE, Jamestown, ND

His vehicle is a 1979 Chevrolet Scottsdale, with North Dakota License Plate:  147BZR

Whitetail Sr. is a 62 year old American Indian male,  five feet  eleven inches tall, weighing 238 pounds with brown eyes and gray hair.

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

Offense: Gross sexual imposition, involving two girls ages 11 and 13.

Conviction Date: March 1997 in Mercer County, North Dakota, District Court.

Disposition:   10 years.

Offense: Gross sexual imposition

Conviction Date: September 1988 in Burleigh County, ND, District Court.

Disposition:  Five years, two years suspended.

Whitetail is not wanted by police 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 Nelson Whitetail, Sr,  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

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two Fargo lawmakers say the time is ripe to repeal Sunday business restrictions in North Dakota that have been in place since statehood and rooted in religious tradition.

Democratic Rep. Pam Anderson and Republican Rep. Shannon Roers Jones are sponsoring nearly identical legislation aimed at stripping the nation’s strictest so-called blue laws from the books.

“The time has come,” said Anderson, whose bipartisan measure was defeated by a handful of votes in the Senate last year. Three of the Republican senators who voted against the repeal are no longer in the Legislature.

“We were close last time and I think a couple of others, we can flip,” Roers Jones said. Her father, Fargo GOP Sen. Jim Roers, voted against the repeal last time and is expected to do the same this session, she said.

“We argue about it all the time,” she said.

Blue laws have existed since North Dakota became a state in 1889, stemming from fears that visiting a retail store on Sunday morning would compete with church and erode family values, leaving little time for rest.

Critics say Sunday shopping will not keep people from the pews and they hurt businesses, which must now compete with online shopping. The National Conference of State Legislatures says North Dakota is the only state that prohibits shopping on Sunday morning.

Anderson and Roers Jones point to the Legislature’s willingness to relax alcohol sales on Sunday, allowing restaurants and bars to begin serving alcohol at 11 a.m. on Sundays, instead of noon.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for selling heroin that led to three overdoses, including one fatality, in the Fargo-Moorhead area.Twenty-eight-year-old Jovan Harris of Milwaukee was sentenced this week on multiple federal drug charges, including possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury.Authorities say Harris was indicted after an investigation into a spike in heroin overdose deaths in the Fargo-Moorhead area between September 2015 and April 2016. Harris was specifically charged in the September 2015 overdose death of one man in Moorhead, Minnesota, and the non-fatal overdoses of two people in Fargo.Authorities say the heroin Harris distributed came from Milwaukee.As part of his sentence, Harris was also ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution for funeral expenses.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau says North Dakota’s population has grown to an all-time high.The agency says that as of July 1, North Dakota’s population was estimated at 760,077 residents. That’s up 4,900 from an estimate the same time a year ago.North Dakota’s estimated population has grown since the 2010 Census pegged it at more at 672,000. The state’s population grew as the Bakken oil boom peaked.The state lost population from 2015 to 2017 due to a slowdown in the state’s oil patch caused by depressed crude prices.North Dakota is the 47th most populous state, leading only Alaska, Wyoming and Vermont.

Washington (Rep Cramer’s Office) – The Senate Republican Conference announced North Dakota Senator-elect Kevin Cramer has been named to the following five committees: Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Veterans Affairs, and Budget.

Senator-Elect Cramer says, “I am grateful to Leader McConnell and his team for accommodating my committee requests. My goal was to join committees that will compliment Senator Hoeven’s assignments and maximize our collaborative influence for North Dakota, and we certainly accomplished that.”

Each of these committees gives Senator-elect Cramer the opportunity to deliver for North Dakota.  A seat on the Environment and Public Works Committee will allow Cramer to represent North Dakota agriculture, energy, and environmental industries on issues that greatly impact them.

Serving on the Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees will give a voice to our air force bases in Minot and Grand Forks as well as the Air National Guard base in Fargo and to all the military service-members and veterans across our state.

On the Budget and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees, Cramer will help ensure our communities, big and small, continue to grow and our country can once again focus on getting its fiscal matters in order.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Cramer most recently served on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Farmers packed a two-day conference in Fargo to learn about innovative ways to keep their fields healthy, as a new focus in the soil health movement encourages farmers to stop tilling the soil and plant cover crops after harvest.Most Minnesota farmers still till their fields, but University of Minnesota Extension educator Jodi DeJong-Hughes said a growing number of farmers recognize that tilling isn’t sustainable and they are talking about planting cover crops.DeJong-Hughes, who has helped organize conservation conferences for 14 years, told Minnesota Public Radio News that this year’s conference, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, was so popular that she had to turn away people. She said this shows the growing interest in changing farming practices.

 

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration miscalculated potential damages from train derailments when it canceled an Obama-era rule requiring the installation of more advanced brakes by railroads hauling explosive fuels, The Associated Press has found.

A government analysis used by the administration to justify the cancellation omitted up to $117 million in estimated future damages that could be avoided by using electronic brakes, and the error could stoke renewed criticism from supporters of the rule who say the analysis was biased.

Department of Transportation officials acknowledged the mistake after it was discovered by the AP during a review of federal documents, but said it doesn’t change their decision not to install the brakes.

Safety advocates, transportation union leaders and Democratic lawmakers oppose the administration’s decision to kill the brake rule, which was included in a package of rail safety measures enacted in 2015 under President Barack Obama following dozens of accidents by trains hauling oil and ethanol in the U.S. and Canada.

 

In sports…

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Rocky Kreuser scored 16 points, Deng Geu had 16 points and 13 rebounds and North Dakota State beat Division III Northland College 90-43 on Wednesday night.Kreuser made 4 of 5 field goals and was 8-of-8 shooting at the free-throw line. Geu was 7 of 9 from the floor and collected his first career double-double. Tyson Ward added 12 points and Vinnie Shahid had 11 for North Dakota State (5-8), which shot 52 percent from the floor and made 19 of 20 free throws.Ben Arqueros Jr. scored 13 points, Modesta Britten chipped in 10 points and Ethan Rycenga had nine for Northland. The trio made 14 of Northland’s 16 field goals.Geu hit back-to-back dunks and the Bison had a double-digit lead four minutes into the game. It was 51-16 at the break. 

NDASSA Class A Basketball Polls

(First-place votes in parenthesis)

Third poll

Boys

Team Rec. Pts.

1. Fargo Davies (17) 6-0 93

2. Jamestown (2) 4-0 76

3. West Fargo Sheyenne 7-0 59

4. Mandan 3-2 18

5. Bismarck Legacy 5-1 16

Others receiving votes: Minot (3-1), West Fargo (4-0), Bismarck High (4-2), Bismarck Century (4-2).

 

Girls

Team Rec. Pts.

1. Bismarck Century (19) 6-0 95

2. Devils Lake 5-0 70

3. Mandan 4-1 50

4. Bismarck Legacy 6-0 48

5. Fargo Shanley 5-1 20

Others receiving votes: Jamestown (3-1).

 

NBA…UNDATED (AP) — — Blake Griffin scored 34 points and Randy Bullock added a career-high 33 as the Pistons downed the Timberwolves, 129-123 in overtime. Reggie Jackson added 24 points and Andre Drummond had 16 points and 16 rebounds for Detroit, which trailed by 14 going into the fourth quarter.The Toronto Raptors were in danger of losing their third in a row on Wednesday until they erased a 17-point deficit against Indiana.Fred VanVleet hit a go-ahead, 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to send the Raptors to a 99-96 triumph over the Pacers. VanVleet scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter after the Pacers carried a 10-point lead into the period.Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard scored 28 points and Pascal Siakam (see-AH’-kam) had 17 to help Toronto improve to an NBA-best 24-9.Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE’-poh) scored 20 points for the Pacers, who have lost two straight since a seven-game winning streak.Checking out Wednesday’s other NBA finals:

— The Jazz picked up their fourth straight home win as Joe Ingles scored 20 points in a 108-103 win over the Warriors. Jae Crowder finished with 18 points and Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR’) added 17 with 15 rebounds to help Utah hand Golden State its second loss in eight games.

— The Rockets set an NBA record with 26 3-pointers and earned their fifth straight win by outscoring the Wizards, 136-118. James Harden nailed six treys while scoring 35 points, Chris Paul added five 3’s and Gerald Green and Eric Gordon made four apiece on a night Houston attempted 55.

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) had a strong game in the Bucks’ 123-115 win over the Pelicans, finishing with 25 points, eight assists and eight rebounds to help Milwaukee move to 21-9. The Pelicans played much of the game without star forward Anthony Davis, who scored 14 of his 27 points in the first period.

— Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) provided 24 points and 10 rebounds while the 76ers shot 53.4 percent from the field in a 131-109 laugher against the Knicks. Ben Simmons produced his second triple-double in three games by finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Philadelphia’s second win in five games.

— Damian Lillard contributed 15 of his 24 points in the third quarter of the Trail Blazers’ 99-92 victory against the Grizzlies. Portland’s bench outscored the Memphis reserves 44-14 for the team’s third straight win.

— The Nets continue to own the league’s longest current winning streak as Spencer Dinwiddie scored 27 points off the bench and made a critical defensive play in the final seconds of their seventh consecutive victory, 96-93. Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Brooklyn, which began its win streak on the heels of an eight-game skid.

— The Suns have their first four-game winning streak since March 2015 after Devin Booker’s 25 points and eight assists led a 111-103 decision over the Celtics. DeAndre Ayton added 23 points and 18 rebounds for Phoenix, which began its win streak after a 4-24 start.

— The Spurs crushed the Magic, 129-90 as LeMarcus Aldridge dropped in 20 points to lead five San Antonio players in double figures. The Spurs shot 12-for-19 from 3-point range and 65 percent from the field overall to win for the sixth time in seven games.

 

— Kemba Walker bounced back from his worst offensive performance of the season by contributing 30 points and six assists to the Hornets’ 110-99 victory over the Cavaliers. Jeremy Lamb added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Marvin Williams 18 points and 10 boards as Charlotte moved back to .500 at 15-15.

— Paul George scored 43 points and Russell Westbrook recorded his 112th carer triple-double with 19 points, 17 assists and 11 rebounds in the Thunder’s 132-113 rout of the Kings. Steven Adams grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds while adding 20 points to the victory.

 

NBA NEWS

Surgery for Dragic

UNDATED (AP) — Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic is expected to be out until around the NBA All-Star break after undergoing surgery Wednesday to clean out his right knee.

Dragic has already missed 15 of Miami’s last 22 games, most of them because of right knee soreness. He played in two of the first three games on Miami’s recent six-game road trip, but swelling and pain issues persisted.

Dragic has averaged 15.3 points and a team-high 4.9 assists for the Heat this season.

In other NBA news:

— Bulls guard Zach LaVine (lah-VEEN’) will miss two to four weeks with a sprained left ankle sustained in last Thursday’s loss to the Magic in Mexico City. LaVine leads the team with 23.8 points and 4.8 assists per game.

 

T25 BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE

Wolfpack tops Auburn

UNDATED (AP) — North Carolina State could find itself back in the AP men’s basketball poll next Monday following a victory over top-10 team.

The Wolfpack are 10-1 after Markell Johnson and Devon Daniels led them to a 78-71 win over seventh-ranked Auburn. Johnson had career highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers for N.C. State, which shot 58 percent after halftime. Johnson delivered 19 of his points in the second half, and Daniels scored all 15 of his points after the break.

J’Von McCormick scored 14 points for the 9-2 Tigers, who shot 48 percent but committed a season-high 25 turnovers.

Looking at the rest of the top-25 slate:

— Third-ranked Tennessee was an 83-70 winner over Samford as Jordan Bone set career highs with 24 points and 11 assists. Admiral Schofield scored 18 points and Grant Williams registered 13 of his 16 points after halftime of the Vols’ fifth consecutive victory.

— Ty Jerome had a season-high 25 points and No. 5 Virginia moved to 10-0 with a 69-52 win at South Carolina. The Gamecocks pulled within four early in the second half before the Cavaliers used a 17-4 spurt to take control.

— Mfiondu Kabengele delivered a career-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help 11th-ranked Florida State earn a 95-81 win against North Florida. Terance Mann had 17 points and the Seminoles opened the second half on a 12-2 run to take a 58-41 lead.

— Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half of 13th-ranked Virginia Tech’s fifth straight win, 82-60 over North Carolina A&T. Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Hokies, who won the battle of the boards, 42-20.

— No. 17 Mississippi State earned its seventh straight victory as Lamar Peters and Aric Holman each accounted for 19 points in a 98-87 decision over Wofford. Quinndary Weatherspoon shot 14-for-15 from the line in scoring 18 points for the Bulldogs, who trailed by 12 early in the second half.

— Devonte Green scored 19 points and No. 22 Indiana improved to 10-2 by routing Central Arkansas, 86-53. Freshman Romeo Langford contributed 18 points, 11 boards and five assists to the Hoosiers’ fifth consecutive win.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

UNC gives hoops coach Williams an 8-year extension

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has given basketball coach Roy Williams an eight-year contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 season.

Williams’ deal headlined the list of 11 contracts or extensions for Tar Heels head coaches announced Wednesday by athletic director Bubba Cunningham.

Williams will be nearly 78 years old when his contract expires. The Hall of Fame coach has led North Carolina to three national championships and is 432-128 in his 16th season at his alma mater.

 

NHL…

Pens top Caps

UNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to cool off Alex Ovechkin (oh-VEHCH’-kihn) and the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Bryan Rust scored his sixth goal in five games to break a 1-1 deadlock late in the second period of the Pens’ 2-1 win at Washington. Sidney Crosby also scored and Matt Murray stopped 31 shots as the Penguins halted the Capitals’ five-game winning streak.

Pittsburgh also silenced Ovechkin, who ended a seven-game goal streak and a career-high 14-game point streak.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— Gabriel Landeskog (LAN’-dehs-kahg) scored the tiebreaking goal 35 seconds into the third period and Philipp Grubauer turned away 35 shots as the Avalanche nipped the Canadiens, 2-1. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist to give him an NHL-leading 58 points, while linemate Nathan McKinnon set up two scores to hike his point total to 55.

 

NFL NEWS

Panthers sitting Newton

UNDATED (AP) — The Carolina Panthers are shutting down quarterback Cam Newton for at least one game and possibly the remainder of the season due to a lingering right shoulder problem.

Coach Ron Rivera said Taylor Heinicke will make his first career start when Carolina hosts the Falcons on Sunday. Newton will be inactive.

Rivera said Wednesday the team hadn’t made a decision about Newton’s status for Week 17 at New Orleans.

In other NFL news:

— Falcons running back Devonta (deh-VAHN’-tay) Freeman is officially done for the year after missing 14 games the last two seasons with head, knee and groin injuries. Coach Dan Quinn waited until Atlanta was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs before ruling Freeman out for the final two games.

— Redskins safety Montae Nicholson has been placed on the NFL reserve/non-football injury list following his arrest early Tuesday morning. Nicholson was charged with assault and battery and being drunk in public stemming from a fight at a restaurant and retail complex near the team’s practice facility in Ashburn, Virginia.

— The Lions have put rookie running back Kerryon Johnson on injured reserve with a knee injury and activated returner Jamal Agnew from IR. Agnew has been out since Week 5 because of a knee injury.

— NFL interception co-leader Xavien Howard has returned to practice for the Dolphins after missing two games because of a left knee injury. Howard said he’s hopeful but uncertain whether he’ll be able to play Sunday against Jacksonville.

 

MLB NEWS

McCann, White Sox finalize deal

UNDATED (AP) —Catcher James McCann and the Chicago White Sox have finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract.

Chicago fills an opening created when it traded Omar Narvaez (nahr-VY’-ehz) to Seattle on Nov. 30 for reliever Alex Colome (KAH’-loh-may).

McCann hit .220 with eight homers and 39 RBIs in 118 games last season with Detroit.

 

In other MLB news:

— Indians right-hander Cody Anderson has avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract for just over $640,000. Anderson hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2016 and is trying to make a comeback from Tommy John surgery.

— Rays officials say they’re dropping a bid to build a stadium in Tampa and remain mum on the team’s future in St. Petersburg. The team sent a two-sentence letter to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman on Monday informing the city it won’t seek to extend an agreement that allowed the Rays to explore new stadium sites in Hillsborough County. The Tampa Bay Times reports the team also hasn’t signaled an interest in pursuing a new stadium in St. Petersburg.

— Major League Baseball, its players’ association and the Cuban Baseball Federation reached an agreement that will allow players from the island nation to sign big league contracts without defecting. The deal is an effort to eliminate the dangerous trafficking that had gone on for decades. The agreement runs through Oct. 31, 2021. It allows Cubans to sign under rules similar to those for players under contract to clubs in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

 

In world and national news..

WASHINGTON (AP) — Will President Donald Trump pull the plug on Iraq and Afghanistan now that he’s decided to pull U.S. troops out of Syria? Jennifer Cafarella of the Institute for the Study of War says that if Trump is willing to walk away from Syria, “I think we should be concerned about whether Afghanistan is next.” Kori Schake of the International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote on Atlantic.com that “The governments of Iraq and Afghanistan ought to be very, very worried.”BEIRUT (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Iran and Turkey will continue their efforts to bring peace to Syria, a day after President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the war-torn country. Rouhani spoke Thursday during a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Neither commented on the U.S. decision, which came after Trump declared victory over the Islamic State group.ROME (AP) — Two investigators on a quest to identify victims in the Mediterranean’s deadliest migrant shipwreck have made a horrifying discovery. The overloaded boat that sank off Libya on April 18, 2015, carried not 800 people, as initially believed, but as many as 1,000 or 1,100. The finding makes it even harder to keep Italy’s promise to name the dead, especially at a time when Europe has turned against migrants. That up to 300 dead could go uncounted for so long is a sign of migration’s hidden toll.WASHINGTON (AP) — Prospects are dimming for President Donald Trump to deliver on a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has backed away from his threat to partially shut down the government in his battle to secure $5 billion for the wall. And come 2020, that could have loyal supporters demanding he make good on his promise. Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina is calling on Trump to veto a temporary funding bill, warning that it would cause “major damage” to the president’s re-election effort. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Yemeni mother who was at the center of a yearlong legal battle for the right to give her dying son one last kiss has arrived in the United States. Shaima Swileh was greeted by a crowd of well-wishers as she arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday night. She was on her way to see her 2-year-old son Abdullah, who is on life-support at an Oakland hospital.