CSi Weather…

.REST OF TODAY..Mostly sunny.  scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.

 

.TONIGHT… Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of rain showers

after midnight. Lows in the mid 50s. West winds 10 to 20 mph.

.TUESDAY…Increasing clouds. A 40 percent chance of rain showers in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area. Windy. Highs in the lower 60s. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph increasing to around 30 mph in the afternoon.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain

showers in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows

around 50. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around

40 mph.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs around 70. Northwest winds 10 to

20 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Clear. Lows in the lower 50s.

.THURSDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 40s.

.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 50.

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.

 

There is a chance of isolated thunderstorms Monday. The threat for
severe weather is low.

Very windy conditions expected Tuesday. A wind advisory may be
issued…on Tuesday.

Wednesday through next weekend a dry and cool period, with highs in the upper 60s and 70s and lows in the 40s and lower 50s.

 

Jamestown  (INFORUM) — A man and a woman have been airlifted to a hospital in Fargo after a motorcycle crash Saturday night.

KVLY reports, 64-year-old Dennis Barton and 62-year-old Darlene Barton of Jamestown were headed south on Highway 20 around 9 p.m. Saturday when they hit the deer causing them to crash.

Darlene  was unconscious when officers arrived and was immediately airlifted to a hospital in Fargo.  Dennis was taken by ambulance to Jamestown Regional Medical Center, but was later airlifted to a Fargo hospital.

Authorities could not say whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

The crash remains under investigation.

 

Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Police warns Jamestown Residents that a new convicted sex offender is living in Jamestown.

Jesse Owens Johnson, resides at 1530 6th Avenue, Southwest, Room 22, Buffalo Motel, Jamestown, ND

He presently has no vehicle.

Johnson is a 36 year old white male six feet three inches tall weighing 286 pounds, with blue eyes and blond 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: Possession of material, with 11 files on his computer containing child pornography, and chatting with another person where they were exchanging sexual images of young children.

Conviction: April 2017 in Stutsman County District Court.

Disposition: Four years, with 256 days credit, concurrent.

Offense: Gross Sexual Imposition, sexually touching a five year old girl under her clothing.

Conviction Date: April 2017 in Stutsman County District Court.

Disposition: Four years, 256 days credit, concurrent.

Johnson is currently on GPS Monitoring.

Johnson is not wanted by police at this time 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 Jesse Owens Johnson 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

 

Valley City (CSi)  Monday, August 26, 2019, Central Avenue will be closed between 6th Street North and 9th Street North,  as the  concrete pavement repair improvement project continues in Valley City continues along Central Avenue North. Monday, August 26, 2019, Central Avenue will be closed between 6th St N and 9th St N. The intersections at 6th St N and 9th St N will remain open at this time.

The, on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, Central Avenue will be closed to traffic from the entrance to Hanna Field north to 12th Street North. Access to the Sheyenne Care Center and Hanna Field Parking lot will be from the south.

Access to the residential area north of 12th Street, including Central Avenue, 14th Street Norhwest and Courts A, B & C will be  to the north and on 3rd Avenue Northwest.

Traffic on 12th Street North will be limited to one lane and will be controlled by traffic signals during this time.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The City of Jamestown informs motorists, that Beginning Monday, August 26th through August 30th the block from 4th St SE to 5th St SE on 2nd Ave SE will be closed, in conjunction with underground utility improvements.

Motorist’s should use extreme caution in this area.  Please use alternate routes. 

 

ARNEGARD, N.D. (AP) — The driver of an off-road utility vehicle has died in a crash in McKenzie County.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says the 27-year-old man from Philadelphia, Mississippi was driving on a private road near Arnegard Sunday about 5 p.m., crested a hill and lost control of the vehicle, striking a barbed wire fence.

The patrol says the vehicle overturned several times and pinned the victim underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A 44-year-old passenger was not injured.

Valley City    The Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday held the final drawing in the StreetScape,  Construction Cash Drawings, for $1,000 in Chamber Bucks.

The Chamber’s Event Coordinator, Mikayla Gustafson said all the entrants names were from the 15 weekly drawings, for $100 in Chamber Bucks.

The promotion was designed to help attract patrons to Downtown Valley City Businesses  during street construction.

As the project moved along the city blocks, affected businesses had the drawing boxes available to submit names to win the weekly $100 drawing.

Chamber, Executive, Kay Vinje said there were about 12,000 total entries.

The winner is Christine Marshall of Valley City.

 

Valley City   (CSi)  Representatives with the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame will be in Valley City on Tuesday, August 27, at 6pm in the Valley City Eagles Club.

Residents are welcome to attend and here more promoting getting more trustees in  eastern North Dakota.

 

Bismarck  (CSi)  The North Dakota Highway Patrol, in conjunction with the Minnesota State Patrol and Wisconsin State Patrol, will be conducting a Border-to-Border enforcement saturation effort on Interstate 94, Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 leading up to the Labor Day holiday.

The focus of the saturation effort will be on aggressive driving behaviors.

Troopers will be watching for excessive speed; following too close; lane change violations; hands-free violations; failure to signal; and other aggressive driving behaviors.

Lt. Steve Fischer, SW Regional NDHP Commander, stated, “This doesn’t mean writing more tickets—it means saving more lives. Through our enforcement efforts of focusing on aggressive behaviors, we remind drivers to share the road, be courteous, patient, and focus on safe driving practices.”

Capt. Bryan Niewind, SE Regional NDHP Commander, commented on the combined
efforts of neighboring states noting, “Border to Border initiatives allow our law enforcement agencies to work together and bring focus to high priority driving concerns that pose a risk to everyone on the road.”

All drivers are encouraged to team up with NDHP, the ND Department of Health and ND Department of Transportation as we all work together to achieve Vision Zero: zero motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries on North Dakota roads.

 

Bismarck   (CSi)  Law enforcement across the state will have extra patrols to enforce the law on distracted driving for the U Drive. U Text. U Pay. enforcement period September 4-30.

Distracted driving is dangerous and often deadly. During April’s enforcement period, 174 citations were issued for distracted driving. Distracted driving takes on many forms; however, texting is one of the most common across the nation and is illegal in North Dakota.

“If you are a passenger in a vehicle, speak up and volunteer to handle the electronics, including cell phones, so the driver can focus on the road,” says Jamestown Police Chief Scott Edinger. “If you’re driving by yourself, put your phone in the back seat, glove box, or trunk to avoid distraction. These are all ways take responsibility on the road.”

This campaign is part of the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate motor vehicle crash fatalities and serious injuries on North Dakota roads.

 

STANTON, N.D. (AP) — Generations ago, it wasn’t unusual to hear the native languages of Hidatsa and Arikara spoken in North Dakota.

But experts estimate fewer than 65 people in the world today are fluent in Hidatsa and Arikara. After the last fluent Mandan speaker passed away in 2016, tribal elders are now educating future generations to keep what’s left of the languages alive.

KFRY-TV reports that some remaining speakers of those northern plains tribal languages gathered at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in Stanton at a native language summit on Saturday.

The site’s culture resource program manager, Alisha Deegan, says it was a “pretty powerful and wonderful experience.”

The historic site is open year-round.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Fargo authorities are looking to replace an 8-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty that was stolen last month.

Mayor Tim Mahoney tells KFGO that authorities haven’t had any luck finding the statue and he doesn’t think it will be recovered.

The statue had about 300 pounds of metal that Mahoney thinks could have been chopped up and scrapped. He says the city is focused on finding a replacement.

The statue was presented to the city nearly 70 years ago by the Lions Club.

 

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin continues to top the nation in family farm bankruptcies.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says that July 2018 through June 2019, Wisconsin farmers filed 45 Chapter 12 bankruptcies. Data show the total was five fewer than the previous 12-month period but still No. 1 in the nation.

In Minnesota, bankruptcy filings increased by 11, to 31.

North Dakota had nine filings, up one from the previous period. South Dakota increased by 12, to 13.

The Journal Sentinel reports that with depressed milk prices besetting Wisconsin’s thousands of dairy operations, the state has led the country in farm bankruptcies in recent years.

Ronald Wirtz, regional outreach director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, also has pointed to Wisconsin’s smaller average farm size as a factor.

 

From July 2018 through June 2019, Wisconsin farmers filed 45 bankruptcies under Chapter 12, a section of the U.S. bankruptcy code that provides financially troubled family farmers with a streamlined path to repay all or part of their debts.

The Wisconsin total was five fewer than the previous 12-month period, according to the Farm Bureau, which used U.S. Courts data to compile the report.

Kansas, meanwhile, saw Chapter 12 filings increase by 13, to 39. In Minnesota, filings increased by 11, to 31.

With depressed milk prices besetting Wisconsin’s thousands of dairy operations, the state has led the country in farm bankruptcies in recent years. Ronald Wirtz, regional outreach director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, also has pointed to Wisconsin’s smaller average farm size as a factor.

Wisconsin also has lots of farms — the 11th highest total in the nation, data from the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture shows. Even accounting for the relatively large number of farms here, however, Wisconsin’s farm bankruptcy rate is among the highest in the country.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Critics of new abortion restrictions in Missouri are headed to court to try to block them from taking effect this week.

Attorneys for Planned Parenthood will argue Monday that the law set to take effect Wednesday should be temporarily blocked until the lawsuit is decided. They argue the law is unconstitutional and goes against the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

The new law bans abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy. There are exceptions for medical emergencies for the mother, but there are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Similar laws have been struck down in North Dakota and Iowa.

U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs has two days to decide whether to allow the law to be implemented as scheduled on Wednesday.

 

In sports…

UJ Women’s Volleyball…

Southern Oregon Raider Invitational

At Ashland, Ore.

Friday

(20) University of Jamestown 3, Lewis-Clark State College 2

Saturday

(20) Jamestown 3, (18) Vanguard 1

(20) Jamestown 3, (6) Southern Oregon 1

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s pronghorn hunting license lottery has been held, and all 1,335 licenses that were made available in 12 units were issued.

Hunters who went after pronghorn in North Dakota last year largely enjoyed success.

The state Game and Fish Department says 81 percent of 976 hunters bagged an animal last year. Most were bucks.

The agency last year made 1,075 licenses available more than doubling the number of pronghorn licenses from the previous year, due to a rebound in the population of the animals that resemble the African antelope.

A string of harsh winters that decimated pronghorn numbers led to hunting being banned from 2010 through 2013 to allow the animals to recover.

 

 

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION…

Winnipeg 7, Fargo-Moorhead 5

WNBA…

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier and Danielle Robinson scored 23 points each and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Las Vegas Aces 98-77 on Sunday.

Sylvia Fowles added 14 points for the Lynx (15-15), who shot 59 percent from the field and reduced their playoff-clinching magic number to one with four games to go.

Minnesota took the lead for good late in the second half and opened the third quarter with a 20-4 run to build a 65-47 lead.

Sylvia Fowles added 14 points, Damiris Dantas scored 11 points and Odyssey Sims had 10 for the Lynx.

Jackie Young had 14 points to lead the Aces (19-11). Liz Cambage added 12 points, and Sugar Rodgers and A’ja Wilson had 11 points each.

Las Vegas entered the game 1½ games out of the top two spots in the WNBA standings and missed an opportunity to close ground on the Connecticut Sun, who also lost on Sunday.

Tiffany Hayes scored 23 points to help Atlanta hold off the Dallas Wings 77-73 on Sunday for the Dream’s first back-to-back road wins of the season.

 

MLB..

UNDATED (AP) _ It was a good weekend for the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals as both clubs padded their division leads on Sunday. The Twins have regained a 3 ½-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, while the Cardinals moved 2 ½ games in front of the Chicago Cubs.

C.J. Cron (krohn) belted a three-run homer and Jonathan Schoop (skohp) added a two-run blast as the Twins downed the Tigers, 7-4 to take the rubber match of the three-game set. Both round-trippers put the Twins ahead by five runs and give the team a major league-leading 253 home runs this season.

Martín (mahr-TEEN’) Pérez allowed two runs and five hits for his first win since July 5.

The Indians erased a four-run deficit in the ninth before falling to the Royals, 9-8 in 10 innings on Ryan O’Hearn’s second solo homer of the game. O’Hearn hit a 2-2 pitch from Nick Goody to end Kansas City’s four-game skid.

Francisco Lindor (lihn-DOHR’) ignited Cleveland’s ninth-inning rally with a solo homer before Franmil (FRAHN’-meel) Reyes unloaded a three-run bomb with two out.

 

The Nationals completed a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field as Anthony Rendon (rehn-DOHN’) went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and a tiebreaking single that led Washington to a 7-5, 11-inning win against the Cubs. Juan Soto added three hits and Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 over six innings, helping Washington finish off its first sweep of Chicago since September 2012.

Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell and Victor Caratini homered for Chicago, which had won five straight before Washington reached the Windy City.

The Cardinals polished off a four-game sweep of Colorado as Matt Carpenter broke out of a 4-for-29 skid with three hits, including a solo homer in an 11-4 thrashing of the Rockies. Dexter Fowler drove in three runs and Lane Thomas added a pinch-hit homer in the seventh as the Redbirds won for the 13th time in their last 16 games.

Ryan Helsley picked up his first career win with 2 1/3 innings of relief after Michael Wacha (WAH’-kah) was reached for three runs over 4 2/3s.

 

_ Domingo Germán (hehr-MAHN’) outdueled Clayton Kershaw and the Yankees belted three home runs in a 5-1 win against the Dodgers in the rubber match of the series. Germán picked up his major league-leading 17th win by allowing one run and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge and pinch-hitter Mike Ford went deep for the Yankees, who have won their last 11 games started by Germán.

 

Elsewhere on major league diamonds:

_ Josh Donaldson homered twice and Dallas Keuchel (KY’-kul) worked seven shutout innings as the Braves beat the Mets, 2-1 to wrap up a three-game sweep and retain a six-game lead over the Nats atop the NL East. Keuchel scattered four hits and struck out seven to help Atlanta earn its eighth consecutive win. Atlanta relievers had gone a team-record 25 innings without allowing a run until Todd Frazier hit an RBI single in the ninth, but the Mets stayed two games out of an NL wild-card berth.

 

_ The Marlins erased a 2-0 deficit with a three-run sixth and improved to 9-7 versus the Phillies this season with a 3-2 victory. Aaron Nola had a shutout going before Jon Berti (BUR’-tee) hit an RBI single and scored on Starlin Castro’s two-run double. Winning pitcher Elieser Hernandez gave up two runs over six innings, including Rhys Hoskins’ 25th homer of the year.

_ Robbie Ray returned from the injured list and gave up three hits over five scoreless innings to send the Diamondbacks past the Brewers, 5-2. Eduardo Escobar and Christian Walker each homered for Arizona, which avoided a season sweep and kept the Brewers two games out of an NL wild-card spot. Milwaukee hurler Zach Davies has dropped his last five starts.

_ The Pirates completed a three-game sweep by torching Travor Bauer for eight runs in just three innings of a 9-8 victory against the Reds. Bryan Reynolds hit a bases-loaded triple in the second inning to put the Pirates ahead for good at 5-3. Pittsburgh leadoff hitter Kevin Newman went 4 for 4, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases in helping the Bucs send Cincinnati to its sixth straight road loss.

_ The Orioles salvaged a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay as Anthony Santander and Renato Núñez carried Baltimore’s offense in an 8-3 romp over the Rays. Santander went 5-for-5 with a homer and Núñez drove in three runs in the Birds’ second straight win. Rays reliever Jalen Beeks was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits over five innings.

_ Oakland’s 5-4 loss to the Giants keeps the Athletics a half-game behind the Rays for the second AL wild card. Evan Longoria homered early and hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning as San Francisco gained a two-game sweep. Donovan Solano added four hits and an RBI for the Giants in Bruce Bochy’s (BOH’-cheez) 4,000th game as a major league manager.

_ Framber Valdez gave up a run and only two hits over six innings before the Astros erupted in an 11-2 drubbing of the Angels. Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) homered to cap a seven-run eighth that put the game out of reach. Josh Reddick had three RBIs and Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 18 games as Houston stretched its lead in the AL West to 9 ½ games over Oakland.

_ Manny Machado’s two-run homer was the eventual difference as the Padres downed the Red Sox, 3-1 to avoid a three-game sweep. Manuel Margot (mahn-WEHL’ mahr-GOH’) hit a leadoff double and scored on Francisco Mejia’s (meh-HEE’-uhz) single before Machado unloaded his first home run in more than three weeks. Joey Lucchesi (loo-KAY’-see) allowed one run and three hits in five innings to get to 9-7.

_ Reynaldo López pitched five no-hit innings before leaving with dehydration and flu-like symptoms in the White Sox’s 2-0 shutout of the Rangers. Shin-Soo Choo ended Chicago’s no-hit bid with a leadoff single off Aaron Bummer in the sixth. José Abreu (ah-BRAY’-oo) drove in both White Sox runs to reach 100 RBIs for the fifth time in six seasons.

_ Marco Gonzales has a career-high 14 wins this season after tossing three-hit ball over seven innings of the Mariners’ 3-1 verdict over the Blue Jays. Gonzales is 5-0 in his last six home starts, going at least six innings and allowing two or fewer runs each time. Dylan Moore belted a solo homer and Kyle Seager added an RBI double in Seattle’s sixth victory in eight games.

MLB-NEWS

Indians’ Ramirez out with broken hand

UNDATED (AP) _ The Indians’ playoff push was dealt a blow when the team had to place slugging third baseman José Ramírez on the injured list with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand.

Ramirez was removed from Saturday’s game in the first inning after swinging at a pitch. There is no immediate timetable for the return of Ramirez, who is hitting .254 with 20 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .788 OPS this year.

In other baseball news:

_ Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was kept out of Sunday’s starting lineup due to back tightness that also took him out of Saturday’s game. Rizzo has a history of back issues, but manager Joe Maddon says the current tightness is in a different spot. Chicago also placed reliever Derek Holland on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left wrist and recalled infielder David Bote (BOH’-tee) from Triple-A Iowa.

BASEBALL- LITTLE LEAGE WORLD SERIES

Louisiana wins LLWS

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) _ Louisiana has claimed its first Little League World Series title.

Marshall Louque hit a pair of doubles and drove in three runs to back Egan Prather in Louisiana’s 8-0 rout of Curacao. Prather threw a two-hitter for the team from River Ridge near New Orleans, capping a tournament in which he won two games and struck out 19 over 14 1/3 innings.

Louisiana took the title after falling into the loser’s bracket with an opening-game loss to Hawaii.

GOLF-TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

McIlroy takes FedEx bonus

ATLANTA (AP) _Rory McIlroy has captured the biggest cash payout in golf history by surging past Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) in the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake to win the FedEx Cup and its $15 million prize.

One shot behind, McIlroy took the lead with a three-shot swing on No. 7 and never let Koepka or Xander Schauffele (ZAN’-dur SHAWF’-lee) catch him. McIlroy closed with a 4-under 66, a score that would have won the Tour Championship in any scoring format. He finished four shots ahead of Schauffele.

McIlroy joined Tiger Woods as the only players to win the FedEx Cup twice since it began in 2007.

Meanwhile, Atlanta police say six people injured by debris from a lightning strike at the Tour Championship on Saturday have been treated and released. A powerful bolt struck a 60-foot pine near the 16th fairway about 30 minutes after the third round was suspended because of storms in the area.

LPGA-CP CHAMPIONSHIP

Ko takes LPGA event

AURORA, Ontario (AP) _ Top-ranked Jin Young Ko closed with an 8-under 64 to win the CP Women’s Open by five shots over Nicole Broch Larsen.

The South Korean pulled away with six birdies on the back nine to finish the tournament at 26-under.

Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada finished in a third-place tie with American Lizette Salas, who fired a 64.

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS-BOEING CLASSIC

Jobe storms back to win Boeing Classic

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (AP) _ Brandt Jobe (johb) rallied from seven strokes down to win the Boeing Classic for his second PGA Tour Champions title.

Jobe fired a final-round 9-under 63 and finished at 18 under, three shots ahead of Tom Pernice Jr.

Jobe’s come-from-behind victory spoiled a bid by Fred Couples to win his hometown tournament. Couples held a five-shot lead going into the final round before struggling on Sunday.

TENNIS-US OPEN-BARTHEL

Barthel out, Flipkens in US Open

NEW YORK (AP) _ Mona Barthel (MOH’-nuh BAHR’-tehl) has pulled out of the U.S. Open because of an injured right foot, allowing 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens to get into the field.

Flipkens lost in qualifying at Flushing Meadows but now will participate in the main draw for the 11th time.

The main draw begins play on Monday.

 

In world and national news…

BIARRITZ, France (AP) — President Donald Trump says there’s been no resolution on the fate of scores of Islamic State group fighters in U.S. custody.

Trump says he’s raising the issue as he meets with leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in France.

He commented during a one-on-one meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The president says it’s unfair for the U.S. to pay to keep these fighters. He says many of them came from Europe — including Germany — and he wants Europe to take them back.

Merkel says her country has already taken in many immigrant families but says the European Union is committed to solving the issue.

Trump also says he hopes not to have to impose tariffs on imports of European autos and auto parts as he has threatened.

 

 

 

 

BIARRITZ, France (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hailing what she describes as a “big step forward” on Iran at the Group of Seven summit.

G-7 leaders held what Merkel describes as a constructive discussion on Iran Saturday night, which was followed by a surprise visit Sunday by Iran’s foreign minister for discussions with the French hosts.

Merkel said Monday: “It is a big step forward that we not only don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but we also (want to) achieve the solution by political means.”

Merkel was pressed on what progress she saw exactly and on whether U.S. President Donald Trump was prepared to accommodate any move toward alleviating sanctions against Iran. She replied: “I can’t say that at the moment. There is an atmosphere here in which talks are welcomed, in which talks between the Europeans and Iran and particularly France and Iran are welcomed — this is happening in coordination with the United States of America, and that is already a lot.”

 

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who said he was shot in a station parking lot was lying.

Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon said at a news conference late Saturday that Wednesday’s “reported sniper assault was fabricated” by Angel Reinosa, a 21-year-old deputy.

A department statement on Thursday had said a round hit the top of Reinosa’s shoulder, damaging his uniform shirt but failing to penetrate his flesh.

But Sheriff’s Capt. Kent Wegener says no bullets were recovered from the scene and detectives saw “no visible injuries.” He says Reinosa eventually admitted making up the story and using a knife to cut the two holes in his shirt.

Reinosa has been relieved of his duties and will face a criminal investigation. Wegener says Reinosa didn’t explain a motive.

 

 

PORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, blacks and homosexuals, and even praised his country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship. Yet nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to fires raging in parts of the Amazon region.

The far-right populist leader initially dismissed the hundreds of blazes and then questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government, which has called for looser environmental regulations in the world’s largest rainforest to spur development.

In response, European leaders threatened to end a trade deal with Brazil and other South American nations. Thousands of people have demonstrated in cities across Brazil and outside Brazilian embassies around the world. #PrayforAmazonia became a worldwide trending topic.

 

MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters said Tropical Storm Dorian was gathering strength Monday while approaching islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, and could strike Puerto Rico and its neighbors as a minimal hurricane on Tuesday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch was issued for Grenada and Martinique.

As of 5 a.m. EDT Monday, the fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was centered about 225 miles (365 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados and moving west at 14 mph (23 kph). Maximum sustained winds are at 60 mph (85 kph).

 

 

HONG KONG (AP) — Lawmakers on each side of Hong Kong’s political divide say the other side bears responsibility after violence during anti-government protests over the weekend.

Pro-government members of the Legislative Council on Monday condemned the violence by protesters who blocked streets, threw gasoline bombs and assaulted police officers.

Pro-democracy legislators said the government and the police need to take responsibility, the former for introducing the extradition legislation that sparked the protests and the latter for selective enforcement of the law targeting government opponents.

Protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas to clear the streets on Saturday and Sunday. The protesters are demanding democratic elections and an independent inquiry into alleged police violence in breaking up demonstrations.

 

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America’s lobster exports to China have fallen off a cliff this year as new retaliatory tariffs shift seafood business north to Canada.

China, a huge and growing customer for the premium seafood item, placed heavy tariffs on U.S. lobsters last July amid rising trade hostilities between the two countries.

Data from the U.S. federal government show America has exported less than 2.2 million pounds (1 million kilograms) of lobster to China this year through June. The country exported nearly 12 million pounds during that period last year.

Meanwhile, business is booming in Canada, where cargo planes are coming to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick, to handle a bump in exports. Canadian fishermen catch the same species of lobster as American lobstermen, who are based mostly in Maine.