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CSi Weather….
The National Weather Service in Bismarck has issued a
* Flood Warning for…
Snowmelt in…
LaMoure County North Dakota…
Dickey County North Dakota…
Kidder County North Dakota…
Logan County North Dakota…
McIntosh County North Dakota…
Emmons County North Dakota…
Stutsman County North Dakota…
* Until 1230 PM CDT Friday.
* Runoff from snowmelt has increased and is expected to accelerate this week. Thus, overland flooding and high water along small streams will expand across much of south central North Dakota, between the Missouri River and the James River Valley. This includes the Beaver Creek tributaries in Emmons County, the tributaries of the James and Maple Rivers in
Stutsman, LaMoure, and Dickey Counties, as well as the Prairie
Pothole region of Kidder, Logan and McIntosh counties.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are
potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded
roads. Find an alternate route.
In Dickey County, Fullerton has been isolated by the Maple River.
James River level through Jamestown.
Sheyenne River Level Though Valley City
Water amounts in the snow pack
Forecast…
REST OF TODAY…Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs in the
upper 30s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
.TONIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the upper 20s. West winds
10 to 15 mph.
.TUESDAY…Partly sunny. Scattered snow showers in the morning in the Valley City area.
Highs 35 to 40. Breezy. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of
snow 50 percent. Highs around 40. Northwest winds 10 to
20 mph.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 20s. Northwest
winds 5 to 15 mph.
.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs around 40. West winds around 5 mph
shifting to the southeast in the afternoon.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the mid 20s.
.THURSDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 40s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. Lows in the mid 30s.
.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.
.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain.
Lows around 40.
.SUNDAY…Partly sunny. A 30 percent chance of rain in the
morning. Highs in the upper 50s.
Wednesday night-Thursday the beginning of an extended period of warming temperatures that lasts through the weekend.
Various chances of showers. The threat of thunder over the south Saturday.
Jamestown (CSi) The City of Jamestown informs residents that effective Monday, April 1, 2019, the City Sanitation crews and the ND Recycling Center crews will no longer be collecting carts in the residential alleys as the changing weather temperatures are causing extremely muddy conditions in the alleyways.
On April 1st, until further notice, please place garbage and recycling carts on the boulevard no further than 3 feet from the curb on your scheduled pick up day.
Please place collection carts out for pick up by 7:00 a.m. Trucks will not return to the area after the scheduled collection routes are completed.
Carts should be placed out for pick up by 7:00 a.m. each morning.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Public works informs residents, that due to City utility repairs along 12th Avenue SE from 11th Street to 12th Street, there will be temporary water outages throughout the day Tuesday, April 02, 2019.
12th Avenue SE will also be closed from 11th Street to 12th Street, detours will be set up from 6:00 a.m. on April 2, 2019 until work is completed. Please proceed with caution and use alternate routes as available.
PLEASE NOTE:
The above schedule is contingent upon changing weather conditions.
PLEASE CALL THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT AT 252-5131 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Update
From North Dakota Highway Patrol
Tower City (NDHP) The North Dakota Highway Patrol has released the names of those involved in Friday evening’s triple fatal crash near Tower City, about 11:38-p.m.
16 year old Sophia Weshnevski, from Buffalo, N.D., was driving east on Cass County Road 10 when her SUV, a 2005 Lincoln Aviator, crossed into the westbound lane,.
The SUV struck a 2011 Ford Econoline van head-on, occupied by five people, three, died from their injuries.
A short time after the initial crash, 37 YOA John Wurtz, Utica, SD, crashed his 2003 F150 into the Aviator. Wurtz was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence and Possession of Marijuana. He was uninjured.
Those killed were: The van driver, 40-year-old Matthew Wipf of Tower City, along with passengers 43 year old Kathy Wipf, 43, of Tower City, and 46 year old Dorothy Decker, of Ipswich, South Dakota.
The two van passengers who survived were 35 year old Heidi Hoffer, and 50 year old Henry Decker,both from Ipswich. They were taken to a Fargo hospital for treatment of their injuries.
The 16-year-old was flown to a Fargo hospital with serious injuries.
Hoffer was listed in good condition at Sanford Medical Center on Sunday evening. The conditions of the other survivors were not available.
Both crashes remain under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
Jamestown (CSi) Just about all the numbers have been tabulated in the 2019 Runnin O’ The Green fundraiser held in Jamestown on March 23rd.
Organizer Larry Knoblich says as of Friday, the total dollars raised were between $35,000 and $40,000 as about four more bars are yet to report their numbers. He adds, that one expected large donation is still forthcoming.
He says, with the current numbers, the Elks Camp Grassick will receive about $25,000, from this year’s event, and $10,000 is set aside for cancer patients, as 20 patients will have the opportunity to receive the dollars. As of Friday, four patients will receive about $500 each.
A few more dollars will likely be available when the final count is in.
He points out that if more cancer patients would like more information on getting donations from this year’s run to call Larry Knoblich at 701-269-0603.
He adds that 1,600 registered to participate in the 2019 run.
He says, he plans to hold the 2020 Runnin O’ The Green on Saturday March 22, the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day. He says this year the event was a week later than in the past due to the NAIA National Wrestling Tournament held at the University of Jamestown that brought a large number of participants and family to Jamestown.
In talking with officials with the wrestling tournament, Larry says, they plan to hold another national wrestling tournament in Jamestown during St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2020, so the Runnin O’ The Green will be held the following Saturday like this year.
Valley City (Chamber) Easter is just around the corner! Last year, the Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce did a fun family oriented event called the Bunny Hop and Shop. Businesses were given Easter Eggs, a poster to hang in their window indicating they are an event participant as well as $10 in
chamber bucks to be given out as they see fit. Each participating business was encouraged to do something fun for their customers.
For an example, last year Urban Couture, offered discounts ranging from 10% off to 50% off their purchase for adults and wrapped candy filled eggs for children. They mixed the chamber bucks in with the adult/discount eggs.
The chamber is hosting this event again this year! The Bunny Hop and Shop will run from April 17th thru April 20th, and 2019 and signage will be updated appropriately.
To Participate in this fun family event, please send the following information to
chamber@valleycitychamber.com (mailto:chamber@valleycitychamber.com) by Wednesday,
April 3rd.
1. Will your business be participating in the Bunny Hop and Shop this year?
2. If so, what is your sale/promotion your business will be doing?
3. Would you like your business sale/promotion featured on the Chamber Facebook page?
If you choose to participate, a chamber member will bring your necessary supplies (signage, egg’s and Chamber Bucks). We ask that you do NOT give out the egg’s as we do reuse them.
Bismarck (Gov. Burgum’s Office) – Gov. Doug Burgum Friday thanked Vietnam veterans and signed a proclamation declaring March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in North Dakota during a ceremony at the Capitol.
More than 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam, among them more than 15,000 North Dakotans, Burgum noted. More than 58,000 died, included 198 North Dakotans whose names were read aloud during today’s ceremony attended by dozens of veterans and their family members, state legislators and community members.
“Each of these young men and women left their homes faithfully and honorably to serve their nation. It’s our responsibility to make sure that their service and sacrifice is not forgotten,” Burgum said during the ceremony. “Today we honor and remember the surviving and departed Vietnam veterans, including those 198 and those veterans who were or are still missing in action or prisoners of war.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Day being celebrated as an official North Dakota state holiday. The 61st Legislative Assembly passed legislation in 2009 in honor and remembrance of all Vietnam veterans.
As governor, Burgum is committed to ensuring Vietnam veterans – and all veterans – are receiving the benefits and services they have earned for protecting our nation. Last October, the governor created a task force to assess the current system for supporting military veterans in North Dakota and comprehensively examine how the state’s current resources can be organized to serve veterans most effectively. His executive budget proposal for the 2019-21 biennium also recommends exempting military retirement pay from state income taxes, a proposal that continues to move through the Legislature.
DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — A farm aid nonprofit says nine trucks filled with donated hay will leave Dickinson Saturday bound for flood-stricken Nebraska.
Farm Rescue says it expects to deliver the hay to a drop off site in Fullerton on Sunday. The organization’s spokesman Dan Erdmann tells the Minot Daily News they delivered their first load of hay earlier this week to Nebraska.
The North Dakota-based Farm Rescue recently activated “Operation Hay Lift” to haul livestock feed to Nebraska ranchers affected by flooding, resurrecting a program first used nearly two years ago to help cattle producers facing drought conditions in the Upper Midwest..
The Nebraska Farm Bureau estimates that farm and ranch losses in that state could reach $1 billion.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new report says a March survey of business supply managers is signaling solid economic growth over the next three to six months for nine Midwest and Plains states.
The report issued Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit its highest level since August, 58.2, compared with 57.9 in February. The January figure was 56.0.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says even stronger growth was hampered by international trade disputes and the global economic slowdown.
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Conference committees will rule at the North Dakota state Capitol this week, as legislators will begin reconciling differing versions of bills endorsed in both chambers.
May 2 is the adjournment deadline this session. But lawmakers hope to finish five days earlier to give themselves a cushion if they need to react to state revenue declines or federal policy changes.
The Legislature’s goal of banking some days will be a chore, with several contentious measures and unfinished budget bills still to work through.
Major issues still in play include developing rules to comply with a voter-approved constitutional amendment aimed at ethics reform. Lawmakers also are looking for agreement on whether to reimburse millions of dollars of oil tax money to shortchanged funds that benefit water projects and schools.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man who wants to preserve a portion of an historic bridge that is destined for demolition is planning to move the span hundreds of miles.
The Bismarck Tribune reports that the Long X Bridge near Watford City is set to be torn down in a project to widen U.S. Highway 85.
The bridge is also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation selected Paul Silbernagal’s proposal to reassemble around 250 feet of the bridge almost 250 miles away on his Linton-area ranch.
The department will pay for the disassembly, loading and up to 100 miles of trucking.
Silbernagel will be responsible for assembling and maintaining the bridge, one of only four Warren through truss bridges remaining in the state.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Business owners and their customers are applauding the repeal of North Dakota’s longstanding restrictions on Sunday sales.
Gov. Doug Burgum signed the “Blue Law” repeal on Monday, which reverses rules that require most retailers to close from midnight to noon on Sundays. The law was established during statehood and is entrenched in religious tradition.
KVRR-TV reports that the repeal officially takes effect Aug. 1. Starting Aug. 4, retailers can open up before noon.
Burgum says it gives local business a “more level playing field” to compete with online retailers and neighboring states South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana.
Boots & Heels owner Amber Sander says that loosening regulations on Sunday sales is huge because it helps local businesses that are trying to extend availability to customers.
In sports….
Friday…
High School Baseball…
Valley City 3 Bismarck High 1
Sunday…
Softball…
Played in Omaha – Jimmies Home Team
Game One
Jamestown 7 College of St. Mary 1
Game Two
Jamestown 5 College of St. Mary 0
The Jimmies in Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, April 5-6, play Concordia University (13-3, 2-0) and 21st-ranked Midland University (12-4, 2-0).
Home Opener at VCSU Football Turf Field..
Game One
VCSU 8 Dickinson State 0
Game Two
VCSU 5 Dickinson State 2
Baseball….
Game One…
Dakota Wesleyan 2 Jamestown 1
Game Two
Jamestown 7 Dakota Wesleyan 5
VCSU Baseball games were cancelled….
NCAA-WOMENS TOURNAMENT
Fighting Irish continue to dominate
UNDATED (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale scored a career-high 34 points, Jessica Shepard added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and defending national champion Notre Dame beat Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, 87-80 on Saturday.
Ogunbowale scored 12 in the final 6:45 to help the top-seeded Fighting Irish (33-3) advance to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years.
In other tournament action on the women’s bracket:
—Baylor reached the Elite Eight for the fifth time in six years with another dominant performance, 93-68 drubbing South Carolina in the Greensboro Regional semifinals. Didi Richards scored a career-high 25 points, and Lauren Cox added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the No. 1 overall seed. Kalani Brown had 18 points and 10 boards, and Juicy Landrum and Chloe Jackson each finished with 12 points for the Bears (34-1). Baylor will play second-seeded Iowa on Monday night with the winner advancing to the Final Four.
— Megan Gustafson had 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Iowa 79-61 past North Carolina State in the Greensboro Regional semifinals. Hannah Stewart added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Gustafson, who averages a Division I-best 28 points while also ranking second in rebounding, finished with her 33rd double-double to match the NCAA’s single-season record. She made 10 of her 13 shots.
— Alanna Smith and Stanford outlasted Missouri State 55-46, sending the cold-shooting Cardinal back to the Elite Eight for the third time in four years. Stanford shot a season-low 25 percent in one of its worst offensive performances of the season..
NBA SCHEDULE
Young’s buzzer-beating jumper lifts Hawks past Bucks in OT
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young grabbed a deflected inbounds pass and made a last-second jumper to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 136-135 overtime win over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Justin Anderson had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta, and John Collins finished with 23 points and 12 boards. Alex Len also scored 23 points.
Sterling Brown scored 27 points for Milwaukee, including a go-ahead layup with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime.
The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton due to injuries. Antetokounmpo, one of the favorites for the NBA MVP award, was held out due to right ankle sprain. Middleton has a sore groin.
In other NBA action:
— Danilo Gallinari had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Memphis Grizzlies 113-96 Sunday night for their league-leading 13th win in 15 games. The Clippers closed March with the NBA’s best record at 13-2, tying the highest winning percentage in the month in team history (13-2 in 2013-14).
— Stephen Curry scored 25 points with five 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors beat Charlotte 137-90 to clinch their fifth straight Pacific Division title and hand the Hornets their worst loss of the season. Curry has now made five or more 3s in a career-best eight straight games. He has 335 so far, his second-most in a season behind the NBA-record 402 he hit in 2015-16.
— Alex Caruso scored a career-high 23 points in just his 20th NBA game of the season and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 130-102. JaVale McGee had 23 points and 16 rebounds and former Pelican Rajon Rondo added 24 points and 12 assists for Los Angeles. Both teams were without their biggest stars. The Lakers LeBron James has been shut down for the season and the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis was scratched with back spasms.
— Tony Brown Jr. scored 24 points, Thomas Bryant and Jabari Parker each had 20, and the Washington Wizards held Denver to just 28 points in the second half in a 95-90 win over the Nuggets on Sunday Night. Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 14 rebounds for Denver.
— Buddy Hield scored 26 points and the Sacramento Kings snapped an 11-game skid in San Antonio, holding on in the fourth quarter and beating the Spurs 113-106 Sunday night. Willie Cauley-Stein added 17 points and all of Sacramento’s starters scored in double figures. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points off the bench.
— Russel Westbrook’s 30th triple-double wasn’t enough as Trey Burke had 25 points and eight assists and Dwight Powell scored the winning basket on a dunk with 21 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks, playing without star rookie Luka Doncic, stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-103 on Sunday afternoon. Jalen Brunson had 18 points, Devin Harris added 15 and Dirk Nowitzki – playing perhaps his final game in Oklahoma City – grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds to go with seven points.
MLB SCHEDULE
— Nelson Cruz hit his first homer with Minnesota, Michael Pineda was stellar in his first pitching appearance since 2017 and the Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 on Sunday. Pineda had Tommy John surgery after his previous start in July 5, 2017 while with the New York Yankees, and this was his first time back on a big league mound. Cruz, Byron Buxton and Willians Astudillo each drove in two runs for the Twins.
— Sandy Alcantara pitched eight crisp innings, Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs and the Miami Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 3-0 on Sunday. Alcantara allowed four hits, struck out six and walked none in his longest outing in 15 major league appearances.
— After being blanked in back-to-back losses in Toronto, the Detroit Tigers scored just enough runs to leave Canada on a winning note. Nicholas Castellanos singled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, Jeimer Candelario had five hits and the Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Sunday after blowing a late lead.
— Lucas Giolito took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in his first start of the season, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep in the season-opening series. Giolito (1-0) walked Whit Merrifield on four pitches to begin the game, but then retired 19 straight before Alex Gordon’s single with one out in the seventh.
— Trevor Williams pitched six effective innings and drove in two runs, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the sloppy Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Sunday. Williams picked up where he left off last season, when he was the only major leaguer to make 10 starts of at least six innings without allowing a run. The right-hander gave up three hits, struck out six and walked one.
— Trea Turner homered twice, including a game-ending solo shot in the ninth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 6-5 on Sunday for their first win of the season. Turner earlier hit a three-run homer and also scored in the fifth to put Washington up 4-1. The Nationals let a 5-2 lead evaporate in the eighth before Turner ended it with a drive off Justin Wilson (0-1) that landed in the second row of the left-field seats.
— Christian Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Ben Gamel led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and advanced on Lorenzo Cain’s infield single off reliever Jordan Hicks’ glove. Yelich then hit a liner into the gap in left-center, driving in Gamel and Cain.
NHL SCHEDULE:
— Darcy Kuemper made 36 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, Josh Archibald scored two goals and the Arizona Coyotes kept their playoff push going with a 4-0 victory over Minnesota. It was Kuemper’s second shutout in three games and the Coyotes moved within one point of Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with three games to play.
UNDATED (AP) — Alexandar Georgiev had all the answers against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Georgiev made 29 saves and Ryan Strome scored for the third consecutive game and the New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Sunday.
Pavel Buchnevich, and Brady Skjei also scored for the Rangers and Brett Howden had two assists.
Strome scored late in the first period to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead when he went top shelf on Flyers goalie Carter Hart, who had only one defenseman helping him defend an odd-man rush.
It was the Flyers’ first game since being eliminated from playoff contention.
In other Sunday ice action:
— The Calgary Flames scored three times in less than two minutes in the first period on their way to clinching the top spots in the Western Conference and Pacific Division with a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Sean Monahan, Mark Jankowski, Dalton Prout, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik all scored for Calgary, which won for the eighth time in 11 games. It’s the first time in 13 years that the Flames have won their division.
— Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 38 shots and the Columbus Blue Jackets won their fifth straight by beating the free-falling Buffalo Sabres 4-0. The Blue Jackets continued to close in on their third straight playoff berth while entering the final week of the season. With 94 points, they jumped into seventh-place in the Eastern Conference standings.
— Taro Hirose scored his first NHL goal early in the third period just eight seconds after Anthony Mantha had a hat trick for the first time in the league and the Detroit Red Wings went on to beat Boston Bruins 6-3. Mantha scored twice in the opening period to give Detroit a 2-0 lead and scored again 1:17 into the third period to tie the game.
— Matt Murray stopped 37 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins inched closer to a playoff berth with a 3-1 win over Carolina. Matt Cullen, at 42 the NHL’s oldest player, had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh. Garrett Wilson collected his first goal in nearly two months and Patric Hornqvist added his first even-strength score since early January. Murray did the rest while as the Penguins took a major step toward assuring itself of a spot in the postseason for the 13th consecutive year.
NASCAR TEXAS
Hamlin wins at Texas despite 2 penalties
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Denny Hamlin overcame two penalties on pit road and won the NASCAR Cup race at Texas, where Kyle Busch missed out on the chance for a tripleheader weekend sweep and polesitter Jimmie Johnson’s career-worst winless streak stretched to 66 races.
Hamlin led the final 12 laps, and 45 of the 334 overall at the 1 1/2-mile track Sunday. He also won the Daytona 500 in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It was Hamlin’s third win at Texas, his first since sweeping both races in 2010.
Gibbs drivers have won four of the seven races this season, and Team Penske won the other three. Clint Bowyer finished second, followed by Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Johnson.Johnson, whose last win was at Dover in June 2017, led 61 laps.
Busch finished 10th after leading six times for a race-high 66 laps before brushing the wall.
In world and national news…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday defended his interactions with women, saying he doesn’t believe he’s ever acted inappropriately.
But a Nevada politician’s assertion that Biden’s kiss on the back of her head made her feel uncomfortable prompted some Democrats to question whether the 76-year-old is too out of step with his own party to run a successful 2020 presidential campaign.
The episode, recounted by Democrat Lucy Flores, highlighted an aspect of Biden’s persona that has been publicly known for years: the affectionate whispers, hugs and shoulder squeezes he has long doled out to women, often on camera and at high-profile public events. In a moment of national reckoning over sexual harassment and the treatment of women by powerful men
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grammy-nominated and widely respected West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed outside his Los Angeles clothing store, Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted Sunday.
Police confirmed three men were shot Sunday and one of them killed outside Marathon Clothing, the store Hussle owns. All three men were taken to hospitals, where one of them was declared dead.
Police didn’t say that 33-year-old Hussle was the person who died. Representatives for the rapper didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking confirmation.
Police said the other two men were in stable condition. The gunman fled, and no arrests have been made.
Garcetti tweeted, “Our hearts are with the loved ones of Nipsey Hussle.”
Hussle released successful mixtapes and earned a Grammy nomination for his 2018 major-label debut album.
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AP) — Vietnam’s ambassador to Malaysia says he appreciates that a Vietnamese woman will be released soon after pleading guilty to a weapons charge in the killing of the North Korean leader’s half brother.
Ambassador Le Quy Quynh attended Monday’s court hearing and later thanked the Malaysian government and the attorney general for Doan Thi Huong’s swift release. Huong, who is expected to be freed by early May after finishing a three-year sentence, is the lone suspect in custody in Kim Jong Nam’s death from VX nerve agent in 2017.
She had faced a murder charge, but on Monday pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing injury by a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum 10 years in jail.
The ambassador said, “I am highly appreciative that she will be released very soon but I want to emphasize that she is a victim like the Indonesian, Siti Aisyah.”
Aisyah was unexpectedly freed in mid-March after the murder charge against her was dropped.
The murder charge had alleged the two women colluded with four North Korean suspects, but the women have said they thought they were taking part in a harmless prank for a TV show when they swiped their hands over Kim’s face at the airport. The four North Koreans fled the country.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Attorney Michael Avenatti faces a hearing in federal court in California on charges he fraudulently obtained $4 million in bank loans and pocketed $1.6 million that belonged to a client.
The brash lawyer known for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in legal battles against President Donald Trump is expected at a hearing Monday in the Orange County city of Santa Ana.
Avenatti has long faced allegations from a former client and a former partner that he was hiding money to avoid paying what he owed.
Now, federal authorities are adding their voices to that chorus, with the specter of a long prison sentence.
Avenatti is charged with wire and bank fraud. He was arrested last week in New York on unrelated extortion charges and released on $300,000 bail.
He says he expects to be exonerated.
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