CSi Weather…

.TONIGHT…Clear. Lows in the upper 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

.SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. West winds around 5 mph.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy in the evening, then mostly

cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms

after midnight in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area. Lows in the mid 60s. South winds around 5 mph.

.SUNDAY…Decreasing clouds. Chance of showers and slight chance

of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. West winds 5 to 15 mph.

Chance of precipitation 40 percent in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

.MONDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 50s.

.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of rain showers and

thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.

Rain in the forecast Saturday night. The rain chances linger into Sunday, with the best chances shifting into eastern parts of the state.

Cooler temps on Monday behind the cold front, with highs only in the 70s

before a warming trend on Tuesday. Intermittent chances of thunderstorms,

increasing by midweek.

 

Valley City  (NDDOT)  A maintenance project will begin on Monday, July 29, on I-94 southwest Exit 290 near Valley City. The project will consist of grading and ditch cleaning.

During the project:

  • Speeds will be reduced to 65 mph during ditch cleaning
  • The I-94 ramp shoulder may be closed to traffic when personnel are working close to the roadway
  • A 14 ft. width restriction will be in place on the off ramp during the ditch cleaning

The project is expected to be complete in early September.

The NDDOT would like to remind motorists to slow down and use caution throughout the work zone. For more information about construction projects and road conditions throughout North Dakota, call 511 from any type of phone or visit the Travel Information Map on the NDDOT website at  http://www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info-v2/

 

Bismarck  (NDDOT)  Construction has started on a project on US Hwy 281 from the Jct of ND 46 to the Jct of ND 13 at Edgeley. Construction consists of asphalt milling and paving.

During construction:

  • Speeds will be reduced to 45 mph in the work zone
  • A width restriction of 18 feet will be in place
  • Flaggers and pilot car will be present for portions of the project

The project is expected to be completed this fall.

 

Bismarck  (NDDOT) Construction begins Monday, July 29 on westbound I-94 at Valley City Exit 290. The project consists of reconstruction work.

During the project:

  • Westbound I-94 will be reduced to one lane during the project (1st phase will have a closure in the passing lane and 2nd phase will have a closure in the driving lane)
  • A width restriction of 11 feet will be in place
  • Speeds will be reduced
  • Flaggers may be present
  • Motorists may experience brief delays
  • Motorists should be aware that there is another reconstruction project approximately 2 miles west of this location, where traffic will be reduced to one lane again for approximately 13 miles.

The project is expected to be completed this fall.

 

Jamestown  (JPD)   The Jamestown Police Department reminds residents to lock their vehicle and keep valuables out of sight.

In the news release, Police  Lt. Sid Mann says, “These individuals generally rely on their ability to access a large number of vehicles while circulating through the neighborhood and therefore rarely force entry for fear of making noise and risking detection.  These incidents typically occur during the overnight hours and are not reported until the next morning when the owner recognizes property missing or out of place.”

Because of this, the Jamestown Police Department is encouraging everyone to lock their vehicles when unattended and to not leave anything of value in vehicles, especially items visible to potential perpetrators.

Things of value include money, electronics, prescription medication and firearms. JPD also advises the community to park in garages and driveways whenever possible. Motion lights and outdoor surveillance systems often prevent theft.

He adds, “Lock your vehicles, remove valuables from view, do not leave any prescription medications in your vehicle, and especially do not leave firearms or other weapons in an unlocked vehicle.”

Report any suspicious behavior to the Jamestown Police Department by calling 911 or 701-252-1000. Report any incident where you believe someone entered your vehicle without permission.

 

Jamestown  (Chamber)  The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee is pleased to announce the 9th winner of the Yard of the Week Program for 2019.  Bette Silva of 1407 15th St. SW in Jamestown have received this award for week nine.  Join us in congratulating her on her beautiful yard and thank her for her efforts to help beautify Jamestown.  Congratulations, Bette for a job well done!

The Yard of the Week program has been established to recognize those within the community that take pride in the appearance of their yard and do their part to beautify the community. The program began June 1st and ends August 31st. Yards will be selected each week from nominations received. Nominated yards must be visible from the street.

To nominate a yard for the Yard of the Week program, please contact the Chamber at 701-252-4830 or stop by our office at 120 2nd Street SE, Jamestown for a nomination form.  The completed forms require a valid phone number so we can contact the perspective winner. Forms are also available on our Facebook page or on our website at www.jamestownchamber.com.  Forms can be emailed to director@jamestownchamber.com.

All single family residences within Jamestown are eligible for the program.

 

Valley City  (CSi) The Valley City Public School District and the Valley City Education Association have reached a two year contract agreement, increasing the base salary to $36,300 for the 2019-2020 school year, and $36,600 the following school year.

Personal days individual may accumulate increased from seven to eight.

On the School Board  negotiating team, was school board President, Ryan Mathias, saying a compromise was reached adding that an agreement is in place over the next two academic years.

 

PERHAM, Minn. (AP) — A North Dakota woman has died after authorities say it appears she was dragged by a horse in western Minnesota.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office says deputies went to a home near Star Lake on Friday morning after a caller reported a woman had been dragged a long distance by a horse.

The 47-year-old Fargo woman died at the scene from her injuries. The sheriff’s office says a rope had been wrapped around her arm.

It appeared the woman had been walking with the horse using a lead rope, but it’s unclear why she was dragged.

 

CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — The American Indian tribe at the center of tumultuous protests against the Dakota Access pipeline plans to unveil a solar farm Friday that came about partly due to the tribe’s fierce opposition to the oil pipeline’s environmental impact.

Located just 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the pipeline, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s solar project is meant as a first step toward clean energy independence and a way to power all 12 of the reservation communities in North Dakota and South Dakota. It also shows that the protests that began in 2016 and ended in 2017 weren’t for naught, even though the pipeline began carrying oil more than two years ago, said Cody Two Bears, the project leader and executive director of Indigenized Energy, which promotes energy within the Sioux Nation.

Two Bears said the solar project “pays tribute to everyone who’s come to Standing Rock and all their hard work and tireless dedication toward protecting our people and land.”

Organizers invited actors Shailene Woodley and Mark Ruffalo, two vocal opponents of the pipeline, presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, and other public figures to a Friday evening kickoff event. Ruffalo, co-founder of The Solutions Project, a nonprofit that promotes clean and renewable energy, and Woodley visited the protest camp where thousands of people lived for months and sometimes clashed with law enforcement. More than 700 people were arrested during the protests.

Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes, an executive with the economic development entity of Nebraska’s Winnebago Tribe, which began dabbling in solar energy a decade ago, said the national interest around the protests should translate into promotion of renewable energy.

“Tribes have always been strong advocates and set the marker to where we need to be on,” Bledsoe Downes said. “If there’s any good from what happened at the DAPL protest, I hope that it was a catalyst to that.”

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is downplaying any differences with high-profile progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Pelosi says she had a “nice meeting” Friday with the social media dynamo who’s made some tart observations about the Democratic leadership team.

Pelosi told reporters that “I don’t think we have that many differences” despite some sharp words back and forth recently with “AOC,” as she’s referred to by her 4.9 million followers on Twitter.

Ocasio-Cortez recently criticized Pelosi, saying she felt Pelosi had been “outright disrespectful” by “singling out of newly elected women of color” for criticism. Pelosi had remarked that Ocasio-Cortez and a cohort of other progressives were just four votes in a large Democratic caucus.

Pelosi declined to respond to Ocasio-Cortez’ criticisms.

Ocasio-Cortez avoided reporters after the session.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — T-Mobile CEO John Legere says he’s hoping to engage with state attorneys general who have sued to block its $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint.

Legere says he believes the deal can close by the end of the year.

The Justice Department approved the deal on Friday, clearing a major hurdle for a deal set to transform the telecom industry. To win approval, T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to sell some prepaid businesses and airwave rights for wireless service to satellite-TV company Dish.

But many critics say that’s not good enough. Democratic attorneys general from 13 states have sued to stop the takeover, citing consumer harm. New York Attorney General Letitia James says having Dish as a smaller rival “will not address the merger’s harm to consumers, workers, and innovation.”

 

 

ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for election integrity advocates say Georgia election officials repeatedly and intentionally destroyed evidence they say could show unauthorized access to state election infrastructure and potential manipulation of election results.

They allege in a lawsuit that the voting machines Georgia has used since 2002 are unsecure and vulnerable to hacking. In a court filing Thursday, they said the state began destroying evidence within days of the suit’s filing in 2017 and has continued to do so as the case moved forward.

A lawyer representing state officials declined Friday to comment on the allegations.

The brief was filed as a hearing was underway on plaintiff requests that the judge order the state to immediately stop using its outdated voting machines and switch to hand-marked paper ballots. That hearing continues Friday.

 

 

LONDON (AP) — With Britain’s departure from the European Union due in less than 100 days, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a man in a hurry. But he’s not rushing off to Brussels.

The U.K. leader has no meetings scheduled with EU officials. Instead, he is in central England on Friday, talking about his promise to recruit 20,000 more police officers. In the coming days, he’ll speak on other aspects of a packed domestic agenda that looks suspiciously like an election platform.

Britain’s next scheduled election is three years away, but signs suggest Johnson may be preparing for a snap poll to break the Brexit impasse that defeated his predecessor, Theresa May.

Observers say there may be no other way Johnson can fulfill his pledge leave the EU by Oct. 31.

 

 

HELSINKI (AP) — Swedish authorities have released court documents in the assault case in which American rapper A$AP Rocky and two other men are charged, with prosecutors saying that the victim was punched and kicked while on the ground and attacked with a bottle.

The documents from the Stockholm District Court obtained by The Associated Press on Friday said that Rakim Mayers, the 30-year-old rapper’s real name, and two other suspects have “deliberately, together and in agreement” assaulted the victim in central Stockholm on June 30. The rapper has asserted that it was self-defense.

The case sparked an unusual diplomatic spat between the U.S. and Sweden, after President Donald Trump called for Rocky, a Grammy-nominated artist, to be released. Trump later tweeted “Treat Americans fairly!” and criticized Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — John Fogerty has pulled out of Woodstock 50 just weeks before the troubled anniversary event is supposed to take place.

A representative for the singer tells The Associated Press that Fogerty, who performed at the original 1969 festival with Creedence Clearwater Revival, will now only perform at a smaller anniversary event at Woodstock’s original site in Bethel, New York.

Fogerty appeared alongside the original festival’s co-founder, Michael Lang, in March to announce that Jay-Z, Dead & Company and the Killers would perform at Woodstock 50, set for Aug. 16-18. The anniversary event has faced a series of setbacks, including the loss of a financial partner and permit denials.

Fogerty will instead perform at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which is holding its event during the same three-day weekend.