– Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Apr 14

Jamestown (CVHD) Another COVID-19 Public Health Joint Briefing for City of Jamestown and Stutsman County, was on Tuesday April 14, 2020 at 2:30-p.m. The meeting was shown live and replays on CSi TV 10 -The Replay Channel & CSi 67. To view the briefing online, go to the CSi LiveStream at Facebook.

Central Valley Health District, Administrator, Robin Iszler said there have been 213 tests for the COVID-19 virus in Stutsman County, with one positive. In Barnes County two positives, one positive in Foster County and one positive in McIntosh County.

She said CVHD is collecting donated homemade facemasks. Call the office for more information at 701-252-8130.

Jamestown Regional Medical Center:

Hospital President, and CEO Mike Delfs said JRMC follows CDC Guidelines including protective gear, and equipment.

He said as of Tuesday JRMC has conducted 66 coronavirus tests, with zero positives.

He added that JRMC has a policy of one visitor per patient during the pandemic.

He said JRMC is in good financial condition, as many small rural hospitals are struggling financially, due to a downturn in patients.

He said general appointments are still be accepted such as for mammograms, and ultrasounds and the like.

University of Jamestown:

Vice President of Student Affairs, Dustin Jensen said, currently 15 percent of the student population remain living on campus as several out of state students feel safer at here than returning home, right now.

He said summer classes are still planned, but it’s not know if they will be on site, or online.

Activities continue to be pushed off awaiting how long the pandemic’s social distancing and other mandates remain in effect.

Student international travel is cancelled such as band trips and others. All athletic competitions, and related activities are cancelled. Athletes will have another year of eligibility to compete in sports next academic year if they so choose.

Commencement has been postponed until Oct 10, 2020 in conjunction with homecoming activities. The Annual Dine and bid dinner and auction has also been postponed.

More information on line at uj.edu.

North Dakota State Hospital:

Administrator, Tanya Perkins said the State Hospital has been and is prepared to handle those patients testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, while continue to care for patients following its mission, maintaining specialized inpatient and residential care to individuals with severe, complex and persistent mental illnesses and substance use disorders. New patients are screened when admitted for the virus.

She said the hospital’s emergency management team is also collaborating regularly with state and local partners on COVID-19 emergency preparedness planning.

She said there is no visitors allowed on the State Hospital Campus during the pandemic emergency.

SAFE Shelter:

Director, Lynne Talley passed along a statement, read by Robin Iszler, that home can be a dangerous place during the pandemic, domestic abuse can be on the rise. She said SAFE Shelter is still staffed and working from home. Those needing assistance, call the 24 hour hotline is 701-251-2300.

She pointed out that SAFE Shelter continues to provide a temporary safe home for those being abused. If a person doesn’t feel secure in calling, have a friend or someone else call. And DO NOT use a computer the abuser has access to.

In an emergency call 9-1-1.

The meeting was shown live and replays on CSi TV 10 -The Replay Channel & CSi 67. To view the briefing online, go to the CSi LiveStream at Facebook.

The next Stutsman County COVID-19 briefing is scheduled for Friday April 17, 2020, at 2:30-p.m.

Bismarck (CSi) Governor Doug Burgum held his daily COVID-19 News Briefing on Tuesday afternoon at the State Capital in Bismarck. He provided an update on North Dakota’s COVID-19 pandemic and discussed its hospital surge plan. He was joined by ND Indian Affairs Commission (NDIAC) Executive Director Scott Davis.

He passed along the latest numbers, which he said showed lagging results, due to the Easter Holiday weekend.

NDDoH

April 14, 2020 11-a.m.

Positive COVID-19 Test Results
Results listed are from the previous day.

POSITIVE TEST RESULTS

Man in his 40s from Burleigh County, close contact
Man in his 30s from Cass County, close contact
Man in his 80s from Cass County, community spread
Woman in her 40s from Cass County, under investigation
Woman in her 20s from Cass County, under investigation
Woman in her 30s from Cass County, under investigation
Man in his 40s from Cass County, under investigation
Woman in her 70s from Cass County, under investigation
Woman in her 30s from Grand Forks County, under investigation
Man in his 50s from Morton County, close contact

Categories: Travel, Possible Travel, Community Spread, Close Contact, Household Contact, Under Investigation

INDIVIDUAL WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

Man in his 80s from Morton County who was a close contact to someone who tested positive to COVID-19. He had underlying health conditions.

BY THE NUMBERS

10,916 – Total Tested (+135 individuals from yesterday)

10,575 – Negative (+125 individuals from yesterday)

341 – Positive (+10 individuals from yesterday)

42 – Hospitalized (+2 individuals from yesterday)

13 – Currently Hospitalized (+0 individuals from yesterday)

138 – Recovered (+11 individuals from yesterday)

9 – Death (+1 individual from yesterday)

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

For the most updated and timely information and updates related to COVID-19, visit the NDDoH website at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

He said North Dakota officials are looking at the number of border states, that have individuals coming to North Dakota for healthcare. He said the North Dakota positive numbers can stay low, if residents continue to change their lifestyles, practicing such things a social distancing good hygiene, and limiting travel and staying safe when they visit stores.

He said hospital bed capacity in the state remains good, using less than one percent of the current bed capacity.

Tammy Miller, the Unified Command Center Co-Leader talked about the surge plan with hospitals and the National Guard and other agencies.

The goal of the surge plan is to protect residents, and ensure hospitals and communities have resources, with 50 hospitals in the state identified, with “tiers” indicated concerning bed capacity. As hospital beds, at Tier one become full, the next Tier is identified, with additional bed capacity. Tier Three is crisis status, which calls for providing several more beds to be utilized. At Tier 3 7500 beds become available, including utilizing the University of Mary Fieldhouse, and the Fargodome. Jamestown is identified as a Minimal Care Facility at the University of Jamestown’s Newman Center, and The Larson Center, with JRMC the lead Hospital. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has been assisting with identifying potential hospital bed locations.

The State Health Department helps monitor the bed capacity.

Burgum said the state shares plans with the state’s Indian Tribal Nations. He was joined by ND Indian Affairs Commission (NDIAC) Executive Director Scott Davis.

Davis said the Tribal Nations have declared a pandemic emergency with the State of North Dakota, which he says the Nation is grateful for. Tribal leaders have issue Executive Orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19 across the state, such as good hygiene, social distancing and other messages. He said testing has been well received by residents, in cooperation with the State of North Dakota. He said the Tribal Nations are working well with the State Department of Public Instruction, along with the Secretary of State’s office with this year’s elections.

Burgum said the state, federal, and Tribal Nations are working together including the Tribal Leaders.

With behavior health, Burgum added that that form of health needs to be thought of on an equal footing with physical health. He said the State Hospital in Jamestown continues to follow CDC guidelines concerning patient care concerning challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burgum said 17,000 people have downloaded the CARE – 19 tracing app, through the Apple App Store.

The ND commerce Department continues to hold regular virtual briefing with the latest and updates and information. The meeting schedule can be found at NDResponse.gov and where other links to business loans and other information can be found.

With unemployment, 49,716, claims, have been filed, with a total of 9,826 pandemic related jobless claims filed.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Gov. Doug Burgum stopped short of mandating that all polling places close during North Dakota’s primary election, despite being urged by county auditors to do so out of public health concerns amid the coronavirus outbreak. A Burgum spokesman says the governor wanted to give counties the option of having open polling places. Conducting elections safely amidst the coronavirus has become an issue nationwide, most notably last week in Wisconsin, where Republicans insisted on holding in-person voting despite widespread health fear’s. North Dakota’s top two Republicans say they think the decision should be left to counties.

Bismarck (Sen. Cramer’s Office) – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced Tuesday the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded funds to North Dakota airports as a part of their $10 billion nation-wide allocation to commercial and general aviation airports through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Airport Grant Program.

Jamestown Regional Airport received $1,061,538, and the Barnes County Aiport received $30,000.

This funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The total available amount for each recipient is based on funding appropriated under the CARES Act, a bill crafted in the Senate which Senator Cramer helped pass. This effort is providing unprecedented and immediate relief to American families, workers, and businesses.

Click here for more details and the list of grantees.

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation (JSDC) Board, Monday, voted to tentatively to approve a $215,000 loan for the Eagles Flat home housing project planned for downtown Jamestown. Following approval by the Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission, the loan repayment would begin in 15 years after the initial mortgage of the project is retired.

Commonwealth, is the Wisconsin company developing the project

The project is planned for the former Eagles building that would be demolished for the 33-unit housing complex.

Maximum rents for the apartments, based on the median annual income of Stutsman County.

The Jamestown City Council has approved a Payment in Lieu of Tax incentive as Eagle Flats would pay the city of Jamestown $35,000 per year for 15 years rather than property taxes based on the value of the building, estimate to save Commonwealth about $40,000 per year.

The JSDC loan is contingent from the Bank of North Dakota, Housing Flex Pace program, granting Commonwealth $550,000 reducing interest costs on the initial mortgage.

The bank requires local participation such as from the JSDC, in the form of a grant or loan to approve the project.

Jamestown (CSi) The Annual Runnin O’ The Green has been postponed again.

The Run, originally scheduled in March, was pushed back to May 2 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Jamestown Mayor Dwaine Heinrich says that after talking with Run founder/organizer Larry Knoblich they determined the May 2 date is not a realistic date, to reschedule the Run.

The selection of a new date will be made when restrictions imposed by the pandemic become known, and then choose of a new date.

The new date will be planned so as not to conflict with other events or activities in Jamestown.

Click here for background information

Bismarck (CSi) – Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley Tuesday congratulated ten North Dakota students who received national recognition by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), as well as Valley City State University student Shane Hitch who was a top-five finisher in a Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition hosted by NICERC, the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center. The CTF was held in conjunction with the first-of-its-kind technology focused, multi-industry career expo, Dakota Strike, scheduled for April 8 at the Fargodome, which was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Ten high school ladies from four schools were recognized by NCWIT. Five girls won NCWIT’s Aspirations in Computing Award along with two runners-up, and three girls received Rising Star Awards. Recipients are from Cavalier, Century, Fairmount and Williston High Schools.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Regulators say daily oil production in North Dakota rose slightly in February. According to the Department of Mineral Resources, North Dakota produced an average of 1.45 million barrels of oil daily in February. That’s up 1% from 1.43 million barrels a day in January. Natural gas production in North Dakota slipped in February. The state produced nearly 90 billion cubic feet of natural gas in February, down from 93.6 billion cubic feet in January. But daily natural gas production of 3.1 billion cubic feet in February was a record. The February numbers are before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the U.S. oil industry.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government’s top infectious disease expert says the U.S. still lacks critical testing and other procedures needed to begin reopening the nation’s economy, adding a dose of caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House. Dr. Anthony Fauci told The Associated Press that easing off strict social-distancing rules would be on a “rolling” basis around the country. He says localities should be prepared to see new COVID-19 cases when that happens and act quickly to contain them. Asked about May 1, an increasingly discussed target date, Fauci called that possible but “a bit overly optimistic.”

(AP) The COVID-19 death toll in France has risen to 15,729 as the spreading of the coronavirus in the country appears to be stabilizing. National health agency chief Jerome Salomon says France registered 762 deaths over the past 24 hours in hospitals and nursing homes. The number of people admitted to a hospital every day is slowing down and the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units slightly dropped for the sixth straight day, he says. More than 6,700 patients are still in critical care.

LONDON (AP) — Leading British charities say the new coronavirus is causing “devastation” in the country’s nursing homes, as official statistics show that hundreds more people with COVID-19 have died than are recorded in the U.K. government’s daily tally. That includes a tide of deaths in nursing homes that staff say are being overlooked. The Office for National Statistics said Tuesday that 5,979 deaths in England up to April 3 involved COVID-19, 15% more than the 5,186 deaths announced by the National Health Service. Meanwhile, the government’s independent economic watchdog said the U.K. economy could shrink by a third between April and June if the lockdown, imposed March 23, lasts for three months.

‘

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Soon after the first coronavirus case hit the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, many of the staffers quit and a doctor just stopped making his rounds. Now that deaths have risen to 45, the lone doctor left to help dozens more infected patients calls the suburban Richmond facility a “virus’s dream” _ poor, chronically understaffed, with most of its residents on Medicaid funding to care for ailments from a lifetime of poverty. Such places are particularly vulnerable in COVID-19 outbreaks at the nation’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities that have so far claimed more than 4,000 lives.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House and Senate have pushed back their next meeting until at least May 4 to protect lawmakers from the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a change from their plan to convene in Washington next week to consider new legislation to prop up the hard-hit U.S. economy. The average age of lawmakers is right around 60, with many leaders decades older and part of a vulnerable age group. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the decision follows the advice of health experts who urge people to continue social distancing. The House made a similar announcement on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden in a video saying Biden has “all the qualities we need in a president right now.” That gives Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a boost from the party’s biggest fundraiser and one of its most popular figures. Obama and Biden are known to be close friends from their two terms in the White House, and Biden leaned heavily on his affiliation with Obama throughout the Democratic primary. Obama released a 12-minute video on Tuesday endorsing his former vice president. Obama is eager to take a more active public role in the campaign, aides say.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The death toll from a tornado outbreak that ravaged the South has risen to at least 34. Emergency managers in Mississippi confirmed a 12th death in the state on Tuesday. That increases the total across six states where people died on Sunday and Monday. National Weather Service forecasters say they’ve found evidence that at least 27 twisters struck the region. The strongest was an EF-4 tornado that devastated southeastern Mississippi with winds as fast as 170 mph. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, and heavy rains caused flooding in some areas. Damage was reported up the East Coast as storms left the South.