CSi Weather…

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM  CST THURSDAY…INCLUDES STUTSMAN  AND BARNES COUNTIES

Wind chill values are expected to fall into the 20s to near 30 below zero once more Wednesday night into Thursday morning.   Wind chill values in the 20s to near 30 below zero remain in place through mid-morning Thursday.

Forecast…

.REST OF TODAY…Sunny. Highs 5 to 10 above. Northwest winds 5 to

10 mph.

.TONIGHT…Clear. Lows around 10 below. Southwest winds 5 to

10 mph. Wind chills around 25 below.

.THURSDAY…Sunny. Not as cold. Highs in the lower 20s. Southwest

winds 10 to 15 mph. Lowest wind chills around 20 below in the

morning.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Clear. Not as cold. Lows around 15. Southwest

winds 10 to 15 mph.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 30s. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows 15 to 20.

.SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Clear. Lows 15 to 20.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 30s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows 15 to 20.

.MONDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs around 30.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow.

Lows 15 to 20.

.TUESDAY…Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow possibly mixed

with freezing rain. Highs in the mid 20s.

 

On Thursday the warm-up really begins with highs climbing into the

30s southwest and 20s east. Lows Friday through Sunday will be

mainly 10 to 20 above zero, with highs in the 30s north and east

to lower and maybe mid 40s southwest.

Increased precipitation chances on Monday and Tuesday.

 

Jamestown  (Chamber)  Members of the chamber Young Professionals of Jamestown and the Chamber Ambassadors recently presented the Business of the Month Award to Lloyds Toyota for their outstanding customer service and continued commitment to the community.

The nomination stated, “They took it (customer’s vehicle) in that day and got it fixed and had it ready for us by the time I got off of work. We are so thankful to have a local maintenance garage that cares as much as they do and to go the extra mile for their customers! They are definitely one of a kind when it comes to customer service! Thank you for all you do for me and others alike. It doesn’t go unnoticed!”

The Young Professionals of Jamestown honor businesses that provide superior customer service, exhibit community spirit and provide a positive economic impact to the community.  This award provides recognition throughout the month with a plaque and a recognition banner for the month. Monthly award winners will be considered for the Business of the Year to be awarded at the Chamber’s Annual Banquet in January of 2021.  Business of the Month award nomination forms are available at the Chamber office and online at www.jamestownchamber.com .  Call 701-252-4830 for more information.

 

Jamestown  (JRMC)   —   JRMC President & CEO Mike Delfs has announced that for the seventh year in a row, Jamestown Regional Medical Center is a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country.

 

iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health named JRMC one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the country every year since 2014. iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX® uses publicly available quality data to determine the results of the annual award. The INDEX assesses performance across eight pillars of performance that span market-, value- and finance-based categories. Hospitals recognized as a Top 100 facility had one of the 100 highest overall scores among all Critical Access Hospitals nationally.

 

Delf says, It’s also a validation of the work we do. JRMC received this award and many others because the board and employees exceed expectations and are THE difference in the lives of those we serve.”

 

In addition to receiving the iVantage Top 100 award, Modern Healthcare named JRMC a Best Place to Work in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Prairie Business Magazine also named JRMC a Best Place to Work in 2018 and 2019.

 

National Leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, Michael Topchik says, “The Top 100 Critical Access Hospital award program reminds us that rural providers haven’t lost touch with their mission and are committed to delivering better quality, better outcomes and better patient satisfaction.”

 

Across the United States, more than 1,300 hospitals qualify as a Critical Access Hospital (CHA), a designation Congress created in 1997 to improve healthcare access in rural areas. JRMC has maintained its critical access designation since 2009. Of the 100 hospitals that received the award this year, only JRMC and 18 others have received it for seven years or more, said Billy Balfour of The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

 

Delfs adds, JRMC works to exceed industry standards, and one example of that is exceptional patient care.

“Not every rural hospital can offer specialty care like urology, orthopedics, podiatry, ear, nose & throat advanced wound care, and now cancer care, however, we do. We are committed to continuing to offer legendary care to this community.”

 

About Jamestown Regional Medical Center

Jamestown Regional Medical Center is located at 2422 20th St. SW, Jamestown, N.D. and serves approximately 55,000 people in nine counties. For several years in a row, it was named a “Top 100 Critical Access Hospital” as well as a “Best Places to Work in Healthcare.”  For more information, visit www.jrmcnd.com or call (701) 952-1050.

 

Fargo  (The Village)   When the stresses of farming seem too great, don’t go it alone.
Caring, confidential counseling sessions through the Village, Agricultural Workforce Assistance (AWA) Program are available to farmers and ranchers, and their household members at Jamestown Regional Medical Center’s service area.

It includes, Stutsman, Foster, LaMoure, Logan, Barnes, Eddy Griggs, Kidder, and Wells Counties.

Services include up to three free sessions of counseling support and referral assistance if needed.

Call 1-800-627-8220, and ask for web-based counseling with The Village (AWA).

The Village staff will walk you through how to access the web-based service.

On line www.TheVillageFamily.org

 

MINOT, ND — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced Wednesday  that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded $4,678,890 to North Dakota airports.

For the Barnes County Airport, this $150,000 grant goes toward the project that performs pavement sealing to 360 feet of the existing Taxiway A to extend the pavement’s useful life.

There will also be pavement sealing to 600 square yards of the existing general aviation apron to extend the pavement’s useful life.

In addition, the  project performs pavement sealing to 600 feet of the existing hangar taxilane to extend the pavement’s useful life.

The FAA grants are as follows:

  • $2,066,154 to Minot International Airport
  • $661,500 to Rolla Municipal Airport
  • $455,000 to Tioga Municipal Airport
  • $454,488 to Ellendale Municipal Airport
  • $386,948 to Grand Forks International Airport
  • $342,000 to Washburn Municipal Airport
  • $150,000 to Barnes County Municipal Airport
  • $82,800 to Oakes Municipal Airport
  • $80,000 to Crosby Municipal Airport

BISMARCK, N.D. CSi)   An estimated 68,000 North Dakotans regularly provide unpaid care and support to loved ones with disabilities and special needs who range in age from the very young to the very old. A coalition of stakeholders dedicated to supporting these unpaid caregivers is meeting Thursday, Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to noon Central Time at the Legacy Center in Jamestown.

The North Dakota Lifespan Respite Care Coalition will discuss outreach and public relations opportunities and progress connecting unpaid family caregivers to resources and support through North Dakota’s Lifespan Respite Care grant.

Representatives from the North Dakota Department of Human Services will give a progress report on the federal grant utilization and the amount of funding that remains available to pay for in-home care and supervision so caregivers can have a short break. The $200,000, three-year federal grant is helping North Dakota to raise awareness about the needs of family members and friends who are unpaid caregivers, and to connect caregivers to support services, including respite care.

 

“Planned, unplanned and emergency situations happen where a caregiver needs someone else to step in short-term and continue caring for their loved one. This grant can help with those situations,” said Mary Weltz, program administrator with the department’s Aging Services Division.

The agenda for the public meeting is online at www.nd.gov/dhs/info/publicnotice/2020/2-27-lifespan-respite-grant-stakeholder-meeting-notice.pdf.

North Dakotans looking for services that can help individuals with disabilities maintain or improve their quality of life can explore options by contacting the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Link toll-free at 1-855-462-5465 or 711 (TTY), by email at CareChoice@nd.gov, or by searching resources online at https://carechoice.nd.assistguide.net.

AARP, which supports community-based services, is a partner with the department and facilitates the Lifespan Respite Grant stakeholder coalition.

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation to participate in the meeting can contact Mary Weltz, North Dakota Department of Human Services’ Aging Services Division, at

701-328-4643, toll-free 855-462-5465, 711 (TTY) or mweltz@nd.gov.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators have unanimously approved expanded capacity for the Dakota Access pipeline. The Public Service Commission’s vote Wednesday came after it signaled last month that it was likely to give the OK for a permit for a pumping station to allow Energy Transfer to double the capacity of the pipeline. Energy Transfer says it’s needed to meet growing demand for oil shipments from North Dakota. Opponents say the expansion would increase the possibility of an oil spill. They argue the commission should have considered effects all along the line and not solely at the pump station location. Permits for pumping stations in Iowa and Illinois are still pending.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota transportation officials say the final number is in on traffic fatalities last year. The state Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol say a total of 100 people were killed on North Dakota roadways in 2019. That’s a decrease of five fatalities compared to 2018. Officials say it’s the lowest number of fatalities in 15 years. DOT Director Bill Panos says traffic deaths have been on a downward trend since 2012.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A power cooperative based in Bismarck plans to buy solar generation on a large scale for the first time. Basin Electric Power Cooperative announced a power purchase agreement with Geronimo Energy, which is the developer of the Wild Spring Solar Project. The farm with a capacity of 128 megawatts would be the largest in South Dakota once built. It still needs local and state approval. The solar farm east of Rapid City in Pennington County is scheduled to begin operating in 2022. The Bismarck Tribune says Geronimo is the same company proposing the 200-megawatt Harmony solar farm in Cass County.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says a Texas company and its subsidiaries will pay a $2.4 million penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act for a crude oil transloading facility the companies formerly owned and operated on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The EPA says the penalties are against US Development Group, LLC, and two subsidiaries. The agency says the companies constructed and operated the Van Hook Crude Terminal before receiving the necessary permit, a violation of the Clean Air Act. US Development Group later sold the terminal to another company.

In sports…

1pm UPDATE:  from FoxSports.com – Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center.

NASCAR.com reported Wednesday that  the team announced that Newman “continued to show great improvement.” According to Roush Fenway, Newman was joking with staff members, friends and family while playing with his two daughters.

Hours later, he was officially released.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamestown   (CSi)  The Jamestown Civic Center, hosts  the  Region-3,  2020 Girl’s Class B State  Basketball Tournament, February 24, 25, & 27, with eight teams participating.

Monday February 24

Game 1, 3-p.m. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion vs. Strausburg/Zeeland

Game 2, 20 minutes after first game, Medina-Pingree/Buchanan vs. Oakes

Game 3, 20 minutes after second game, Kidder County vs. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier

Game 4, 20 minutes after game 3, Carrington vs. Linton/HMB

 

Tuesday February 25

Game 5, 6-p.m.

Game 6, 20 minutes after game 5

 

Thursday February 27

Game 7 for 3rd place 6-p.m.

Game 8 Championship , 20 minutes after game 7

Admission:

Adults, $8

Students, $5.25

SIOUX CITY, Iowa  (uj.edu)  The Great Plains Athletic Conference announced Tuesday that it will be adding men’s volleyball will be an official conference sport beginning in 2020-21. In addition, Ottawa (Kan.) University will be joining the GPAC as an affiliate member for men’s volleyball.

Below is the official release from the conference office:

Beginning in 2020-21 the GPAC will have six members with the sport of Men’s Volleyball:
Briar Cliff University – Sioux City, Iowa
Dordt University – Sioux Center, Iowa
Hastings College – Hastings, Nebraska (new program in 2020-21)
Morningside College – Sioux City, Iowa
University of Jamestown – Jamestown, North Dakota
Ottawa University – Ottawa, Kansas (affiliate member)

The GPAC and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) require six schools in a conference to have it as a sport and receive an automatic berth to the NAIA National Volleyball Championship under conference direct qualification.  Currently GPAC schools and Ottawa are in an Unaffiliated Grouping for Men’s Volleyball.

“Today’s announcement speaks to the growth of NAIA Volleyball,” said GPAC Commissioner Corey Westra.  “We have had Men’s Volleyball on the radar for some time in the GPAC and today is an exciting day for the conference to have this come to be.  GPAC fans are going to really enjoy this sport and the fast-paced action it provides!”

The addition of Men’s Volleyball increases the number of Championship sports in the GPAC to 22.  Men’s Volleyball is the first sport added in the GPAC since Cheer and Dance became an official conference sport in  2016-17.  Prior to that Wrestling became an official conference sport in 2006-07.

About NAIA Volleyball:
Men’s Volleyball became an official NAIA Championship Sport in 2018-19, prior to that it was an Invitational Championship within the NAIA.  The NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship is currently held in Des Moines, Iowa, at Grand View University.  49 NAIA schools currently offer Men’s Volleyball in 2019-20.  The Men’s Volleyball season in the NAIA runs from late January through mid-April.  It is considered a spring sport in the NAIA and the GPAC.

About Ottawa University:
Ottawa University (OU) is a private Baptist liberal arts university located in Ottawa, Kansas,  that has grown to have a second residential campus in Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in several locations throughout the United States. OU was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.  Ottawa University (Braves) are a full-time member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).

In world and national news..

LONDON (AP) — A lawyer for Julian Assange says the WikiLeaks founder plans to claim during his extradition hearing that the Trump administration offered to pardon him if he agreed to say Russia wasn’t involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails. Assange is fighting extradition to the United States on spying charges. At a hearing in London on Wednesday, lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said there was evidence then-Congressman Dana Rohrabacher delivered the pardon offer on President Donald Trump’s instructions in 2017. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham called the claims “a complete fabrication and a total lie.” Grisham says Trump “barely knows” Rohrabacher and had “never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject.”

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon’s top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify releasing congressionally authorized aid. The Trump administration’s delay in releasing that aid was central to the president’s impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal. John Rood, the undersecretary of defense for policy, is the latest official to be purged.

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democratic presidential candidates are joining union members picketing outside a Las Vegas casino. Elizabeth Warren arrived first Wednesday at the Palms Casino Resort off the Strip. Warren wore red like the picketing workers of the powerful Culinary Union and marched with workers. Pete Buttigieg carried a Culinary sign saying “No contract, no peace” as union officials pushed through television cameras to clear a path for him along the picket line. Amy Klobuchar carried a sign for the Teamsters. Joe Biden wrapped an arm around Culinary leader Geoconda Argüello-Kline. Tom Steyer joined in chants of “No justice, no peace,” bobbing his head to the rhythm. Bernie Sanders didn’t participate.

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first major test of billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign is about to play out in Las Vegas. He’ll face questions and sharp elbows on a debate stage for the first time Wednesday night. The rival campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden started early, taking pre-debate shots at the former New York mayor. It all shows how seriously Democrats are taking Bloomberg, now that he’s rocketed to double-digit support in national polls and qualified for the next two debates. He’s built that support with $400 million in self-funded TV ads.

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor says the state should lower the legal bar for providing forced treatment to the mentally ill and building more homeless shelters. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday took the unusual step of devoting most of his second State of the State address to the intertwined issues of homelessness and housing. While homeless populations in most states have declined recently, California’s jumped 16% last year. Newsom proposed lowering the threshold for conservatorships for those with mental illnesses, particularly for those experiencing homelessness who turn down medical aid. He says California must act while still respecting civil liberties.

 

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America face an uncertain future after filing for bankruptcy to deal with a mountain of sex-abuse lawsuits. Some former Scouts are worried about the damage to the Boy Scouts’ wholesome reputation. The organization hopes to set up a victims’ compensation fund for potentially thousands of men who were molested as youngsters by Scout leaders. But battles lie ahead over such things as access to internal Scout files, the deadline for filing claims and whether local Scout councils can be forced to sell campgrounds or other assets.