Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Apr 27

CSi  Weather…

.TONIGHT…Cloudy with chance of rain showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 40s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

.TUESDAY…Rain showers and chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the

lower 60s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the northwest

10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.   Chance of precipitation 90 percent.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the lower 40s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.  A  20 percent chance of rain in the Jamestown area, 30 percent in the Valley City area.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. Northwest winds 10 to

15 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs around 70.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows around 50.

.FRIDAY…Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of rain showers

and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Slight chance of rain showers and

thunderstorms in the evening, then slight chance of rain showers

after midnight. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation

20 percent.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of rain showers in

the morning. Highs in the upper 60s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s.

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

 

The combination of warm  temperatures, dry fuels, and low

relative humidity will lead to near critical fire weather

conditions  through late Tuesday afternoon. Winds

will be out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph with occasional gusts

to near 20 mph. Fires could become difficult to control at times.

Please follow any burn bans in place, (In Stutsman County Monday) and check with local officials before considering controlled burns.

On Monday…Barnes County is in the “high” category on the Fire index.

There is a slight chance of thunderstorms late this afternoon

through tonight. Severe weather is not expected.

 

Bismarck  (CSi)  North Dakota Governor, Doug Burgum’s Monday COVID-19 News Briefing was held at the State Capital in Bismarck.  Among the topics discussed was the state’s plan for a North Dakota Smart Restart.

NDDoH

Reported Mon. Apr. 27, 2020

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

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

• Man in his 80s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.
• Man in his 80s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.

 

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TODAY

• Cass County – 34
• Grand Forks County – 36
• Mountrail County – 1
• Ramsey County – 1
• Walsh County – 3

On Monday 1987 Tests were completed

BY THE NUMBERS

22,434 – Total Tested (+1,987 individuals from yesterday)

21,492 – Total Negative (+1,912 individuals from yesterday)

942 – Total Positive (+75 individuals from yesterday)

77 – Total Hospitalized (+6 individuals from yesterday)

23 – Currently Hospitalized (+5 individuals from yesterday)

350 – Total Recovered (+24 individuals from yesterday)

19 – Total Deaths (+2 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.

The latest stop for “Operation Drive-In” was on Saturday in Fargo.  Overall, 1,013 tests were collected. The State Health Department gives, “Special thanks to the ND National Guard, Fargo-Cass Public Health & the City of Fargo for another great day of testing.”

He said the goal is to test daily, 4,000/per day in May 6,000/per day in June.

Burgum said North Dakota still has adequate hospital bed capacity.

Burgum said he said 93 percent of businesses were not affected by the mandatory closures of North Dakota businesses.

With North Dakota Smart Restart he said eight protocols need to be met before reopening, those closed businesses.  Included are increasing the daily tests, growth in contact tracing, overall transmission rates declining, protections for vulnerable population, sufficient health care capacity, adequate Personal Protective Equipment capacity, standard operating procedures, being prepared for a resurgence in Coronavirus. Also included is testing numbers up, and positive tests, low.

Burgum said North Dakota is in a good position for a Smart Restart.

A recent survey showed about 98 percent of North Dakotans survey were observing safe practices.

He said the current closures of some businesses and  business restrictions for others, will expire on Thursday April 30, 2020.  He added on Friday May 1, 2020, executive orders will be implemented for new standard  operating procedures to be in place. This phase, includes, continuing with social distancing, wearing face masks, and hygiene practices.  He added that individual businesses may fully open according to their wishes, and observing the policy under the new executive orders.

Tuesday’s News Briefing will outline further information contained in the May 1, executive order.

A range of options will be studied with school districts, the Department of Public Instruction and state officials, concerning possible options of reopening schools, partial openings, or opening by certain grade levels

He said over the past weekend  2,336 new jobless claims were filed, bringing the total since March 16, 2020 to Monday to 63,929 jobless claims.

 

In other state news….

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced Monday the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $14,108,992 to 40 providers and health systems in North Dakota through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund as allocated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This is the first part of the second tranche of COVID-19 relief funds awarded by HHS. Health care providers in North Dakota have now received $105,173,571 through the CARES Act.

The funds come as part of a $200 billion nation-wide federal funding allocation to respond to COVID-19, with the a second wave totaling $50 billion being delivered Monday. Facilities and providers are allotted a portion of the $50 billion based on their share of 2018 net patient revenue. These are payments, not loans, to health care providers, and will not need to be repaid.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services wants state residents to know help is available if they are currently having trouble paying their heating bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in household income.

The federally-funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help qualifying households by paying a portion of their home heating costs. The regular heating assistance program, which ends on May 31, together with LIHEAP’s year-round emergency crisis program, can assist with ongoing heating costs and immediate needs.

The program also focuses on improving home heating efficiency by offering furnace and chimney inspections and cleanings, furnace repair and replacement, weatherization services like home insulation, weather stripping around doors and windows, and other energy-saving improvements to help lower heating costs for qualifying households.

Both homeowners and renters living in a permanent housing structure can apply for LIHEAP and weatherization services.

Households are encouraged to apply as soon as possible if they need financial help with heating bills, have received a shut-off notice or have been disconnected, are low on fuel or completely out of fuel, or are unable to pay for home heating fuel or services due to an unexpected economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency program can assist with unpaid heating costs incurred up to 90 days before the date a household applies for help.

 

Jamestown  (JPD)  Jamestown Police report that on Sunday, April 26, 2020, at approximately 10:48-p.m.  Assistant Police Chief, Major Justin Blinsky reported, police were dispatched to the 1600 block of 11 Ave NE, to investigate a report of a domestic assault which had just occurred. The female victim reported she had been cut by the female suspect with a knife, in her leg, and had also received death threats from her. The victim told dispatchers she had locked herself and her infant child in a bedroom at the residence and was currently unable to get out of the residence, as the suspect was also still inside.

 

Jamestown Police Officers arrived on the scene and made an immediate forced entry into the apartment. Officers were able to evacuate the 34-year-old victim and her infant child, after entry was made. The female victim and her child were provided medical aid and the victim was transported to Jamestown Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries from her knife wound. Officers determined the victim and suspect know one another and are currently in a domestic relationship.

 

The female suspect remained inside the apartment and had barricaded herself in a different portion of the apartment. The suspect began threatening self-harm with a knife. Officers continued to communicate with the female suspect, trying to get her to come out of the apartment safely. After receiving verification from the victim that no one else was inside the residence, officers set up a perimeter and continued to communicate with the female suspect through the breached apartment door.

At approximately 11:34-p.m., the female suspect walked toward Officers standing in the hallway, while holding the knife in her hand and she refused orders stop or to put the knife down. Officers were forced to use a less-lethal weapon to deploy a less-lethal bean bag projectile at her. The less-lethal projectile was effective as it struck the female suspect and it stopped her from further advancing toward officers. The suspect went back inside the apartment.

 

Crisis Negotiators from the James-Valley Special Operations Team were called to the scene and continued communications with the female suspect.

142-a.m. Monday after lengthy negotiations, the female suspect complied with lawful orders to put down the knife and to come out of the apartment. She was taken into custody without further incident.

 

The female suspect has been identified as 47-year-old Nicole Maree Bearking of Jamestown. Bearking was arrested on suspicion of Aggravated Assault and Terrorizing. She was initially transported to Jamestown Regional Medical Center for medical evaluation and then later transported to Stutsman County Corrections, to await formal charges.

 

The Jamestown Police Department was assisted by the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office and Jamestown Area Ambulance. This incident remains under investigation.

Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Public Works informs residents that city crews will begin flushing fire hydrants in the SE areas beginning Monday, APRIL 27, 2020 and will continue the work throughout the City during normal working hours until completed.

Please be aware of the possibility of lowered water pressure when flushing of hydrants occurs in the various areas.

Bismarck   (FEMA news release)  – Dickey and Emmons counties were added to the federal disaster declaration issued by President Trump on January 21, 2020 in response to North Dakota flooding from October 9 to October 26, 2019.

As a result of the declaration, federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by flooding. The federal cost share is no less that 75 percent, with the state and local applicant responsible for remaining costs.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and tribes within the state.

Areas already included in the disaster declaration were: Barnes, Eddy, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, Mountrail, Nelson, Sargent, Sheridan, Stutsman, Traill, Walsh, and Wells Counties.

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Minot police say a 39-year-old man was fatally shot after he allegedly entered another man’s home. According to police, a Minot resident called authorities early Saturday to say he had shot an unknown man who entered his home and threatened him. Officers arrived to find a dead man inside the residence. He was identified Monday as Christopher Lee Reader of Minot. Authorities are still investigating and say there is no presumed risk to the public.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is trying to put the coronavirus behind him and the nation, pivoting his focus to highlighting plans to reopen the country even as the virus continues to spread. As part of the effort, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be releasing new priorities for coronavirus testing Monday, including testing asymptomatic individuals who are in high-risk settings. Thee White House is set to unveil what it describes as a comprehensive overview of its efforts to make testing for COVID-19 more widely available, with the goal of having enough tests and supplies available for states to test at least 2.6% of their populations per month.

 

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is back at work after a bout with coronavirus and is strongly warning against easing the country’s lockdown, even as other nations and U.S. states begin lifting their restrictions to get their economies going again. Italy and New York are seeing encouraging signs in some of the latest figures on the outbreaks there. But New York has taken the unprecedented step of its canceling its Democratic presidential primary in June.

 

(AP) New York has canceled its Democratic presidential primary scheduled that was scheduled for June 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic members of the State’s Board of Elections voted Monday to nix the primary. New York will still hold its congressional and state-level primaries on June 23. The decision comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo said stay-at-home restrictions could be eased in mid-May for parts of the state where the coronavirus outbreak is less severe. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that New York City-run health clinics will soon use a procedure that lets people collect samples themselves at a health care worker’s direction. He said the “self-swab” tests would allow for more and easier testing, and make it safer for test-seekers and health care workers.

 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, consumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices. Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely been so stressed and that no one is sure about the future, even as they try to dispel concerns about shortages. On Sunday, the meat processing giant Tyson Foods ran a full-page advertisement in the New York Times and other newspapers outlining the difficulty of producing meat while keeping more than 100,000 workers safe and shutting some plants.

 

(AP)  Stocks are rising around the world as governments prepare to gradually lift restrictions they imposed on businesses to slow the sweep of the coronavirus pandemic. The S&P 500 added 1.3% in afternoon trading Monday at the start of a week chockablock with market-moving events. Several major central banks are meeting, including the Bank of Japan, which announced its latest stimulus measures to prop up markets. A slew of the biggest U.S. companies are also scheduled to report how much profit they made in the first three months of 2020. Bond yields rose and the price of oil fell.

 

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Police in Milwaukee are investigating a shooting that left five people dead. Chief Alfonso Morales said during a brief news conference that his department received a call around 10:30 a.m. Monday from a man who said his family was dead. Officers discovered five victims in the house on the city’s north side. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the victims were between the ages of 14 and 41. Morales said during his news conference that the person who called officers to the home was taken into custody, the chief said, and there is no threat to the public. He said investigators believe the shooter acted alone and they have recovered a weapon.

 

(AP)  Police documents say a man ambushed officers who wanted to interview him about a killing hours earlier, then stood over a dead officer’s body while continuing to shoot him. Police tell The Associated Press that a second officer remains in critical condition Monday, though alert and talking. On Monday, police released two statements filed Sunday for the arrest of 36-year-old Ronnie DeWayne Kato Jr., who was taken into custody after a standoff. He faces charges including murder, attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated battery.