CSi Weather…

TONIGHT…Clear. Lows in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

.THURSDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. West winds around

5 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.

.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 90s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s.

.SUNDAY…Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. A 20 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s.

.MONDAY…Partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and

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

 

Thursday into Friday, a warming trend through Friday when many

locations are forecast to see temperatures climb above 90 F. Chances

for thunderstorms will increase.  Severe storms may be possible with this

system. A more active pattern with a cooling trend appears favored

this weekend into early next week.

 

 

Bismarck  (CSi)  Governor Doug Burgum held his weekly news briefing Tuesday afternoon at the state capital in Bismarck.  He was joined by North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler to discuss plans for K-12 education in the fall.

Burgum said being North Dakota Smart will continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state, while many other states continue to climb with positive cases.  He said the state is on the right track to slow the spread, and enabling the state to continue to keep business open, including increasing testing.

He pointed out fewer positive cases in long-term care facilities, leading to expanded visitation.

 

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

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

  • Woman in her 80s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.

 

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TODAY

  • Bottineau County – 2
  • Burleigh County – 7
  • Cass County – 11
  • Cavalier County – 1
  • Dunn County – 1
  • Emmons County – 1
  • Golden Valley County – 1
  • Grand Forks County – 3
  • McKenzie County – 1
  • McLean County – 1
  • Morton County – 4
  • Mountrail County – 3
  • Pembina County – 1
  • Sioux County – 1
  • Stutsman County – 1
  • Stutsman County Total 69
  • Recovered 62
  • Walsh County – 1
  • Williams County – 15


BY THE NUMBERS

235,497 – Total Number of Tests Completed* (+2,427 total tests from yesterday)

 

125,033 – Total Unique Individuals Tested* (+1,155 unique individuals from yesterday)

120,540 – Total Negative (+1,104 unique individuals from yesterday)

4,493 – Total Positive (+55 unique individuals from yesterday)

Four previously reported cases involved in a quality control check were inadvertently left in the system when the data was pulled. All the cases were previously reported under Burleigh County. 

2.3% – Daily Positivity Rate**

280 – Total Hospitalized (+3 individual from yesterday)

42 – Currently Hospitalized (-1 individuals from yesterday)

3,685 – Total Recovered (+32 individuals from yesterday)

88 – Total Deaths*** (+1 individual from yesterday)

* Note that this does not include individuals from out of state and has been updated to reflect the most recent information discovered after cases were investigated.

**Because the serial tests completed and added to the total number of tests completed can result in new individuals who test positive, the daily positivity rate will be calculated using the total positives for the day by the daily number of tests completed instead of the daily number of unique individuals tested.

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.

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.

Burgum said planning to hold activities outdoors this summer and early fall keeps gathering away from indoors, where the virus is easier spread in confined in closed in spaces.  He again urged social distancing whether indoors or outdoors and wear face masks, and use good hygiene practices.

 

With K-12 public education, he said the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to challenge education in North Dakota.  He said distance learning was successful, and now reviewing that time, officials are looking back to determine what went well and what didn’t, including transitioning from classroom instruction.

Burgum said reopening K-12 requires North Dakota Smart guidelines while providing education, and addressing public health concerns.

He said collaboration between educators and health officials is imperative in reopening guidelines, along with congregation issues within school buildings, and rethinking how to handle the issue.

Local virus condition will determine if education is face to face in the classroom, or if distance learning will be still be needed.   He added that local school boards will be of great importance in making those determinations, consulting with public health officials,under health and safety plans. Included in the Smart ReOpening, is  improved distance learning plans, and health and safety plans, within  classroom guidelines.

State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler also said K-12 reopening plans will rely on school board decisions keeping in mind public safety health issues, along with education issues, creating written plans that must be included in the public schools web site.  A COVID-19 coordinator will be assigned, and a plan to identify positive cases, and action to be taken.

Distance learning plans will also be adjusted with improvements to existing distance learning.

School districts will review the plans and school district improvements, with the school calendar to be set by each school district.

With immunizations, Burgum said requirements for school-agers will remain in place, under state law and accomplished before school starts this upcoming school year.

With child care, state Humane Service officials will work with school districts in determining needs for each school district, including federal funding needs.

With long-term care visitations, Burgum said 13 facilities are nearing completion of the phased in approach, and visitation will be closely monitored as to positive testing results.

 

The North Dakota Department of Commerce Tuesday announced that the application window for the ND Smart Restart Technical Skill Training Grant is anticipated to open on July 20.

Commerce was approved $1 million during a Budget Section meeting on June 25 to administer the ND Smart Restart Technical Skills Training Grant, which is designed to support accelerated, skills-based and hands-on workforce training programs for displaced workers seeking to develop the technical skills necessary to make a career change and remain gainfully employed in North Dakota.

Although a wide range of programs may qualify, Commerce anticipates that skilled trades and labor training programs are well-suited to develop accelerated programming or expand capacity in existing programs.

New programs and existing programs that began after March 1, 2020, may qualify for this grant to support operating expenses and scholarships for current participants.

Updates about the ND Smart Restart Technical Skills Training Grant will be posted on Commerce’s website as more information becomes available.

With behavior health, Burgum said, Sanford Health is developing ways to engage and provide recovery  support to health care practitioners, as a result of COVID-19.

Jamestown (CSi) Tuesday morning the sky to the west was filled with black smoke. The source of the fire is a control burn at Helena Chemical on the Hwy 281 bypass west of Jamestown. CSiNewsNow contacted Helena Chemical and they confirmed it is a control burn by them.

Jamestown (CSi)  Jamestown Regional Medical Center Welcomes Urologist, Dr. Christopher Cost to the Urology Department.

He joins Urologist, Dr. Robert Bates in the department.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, Dr. Cost said he’s been on board at JRMC for two weeks now, mostly recently from the Veterans Administration Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado.

He studied at Xavier University, and medical school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then additional training in Richmond, Virginia, and then on to his staff position in Colorado.

He said his patients are sometimes referred by primary healthcare providers, or individuals are welcome to make an appointment at JRMC by calling 701-952-4878.

Dr. Cost specializes in such areas as incontinence, prostate issues with men, along with both women being diagnosed and treated in kidney stones, urinary difficulties, and more.

He said the hospital’s web site, jrmcnd.com has more information.

Jamestown   (NDFU) – Farmers Union leaders from across the state has adopted a series of policy priorities  to address market challenges North Dakota cattle producers face in today’s heavily concentrated beef industry. An ad hoc livestock committee of active cattle producers developed solutions based on existing Farmers Union policy, calling for fair markets, truth in labeling, and increased local and regional slaughter capacity.

North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) President Mark Watne, says, “When more than 80% of the beef packing industry is controlled by just four firms, producers are pretty much guaranteed a lower price for their cattle due to the lack of competition in the marketplace.  The challenges are immense. Change needs to happen now.”

As an example, Watne referenced the difference between boxed beef and live cattle prices that jumped to a record $378.21 in May. “That’s clear evidence of price fixing by meatpackers. Ranchers are being taken to the woodshed, along with consumers and even retailers,” he said. “We need a competitive market, and that won’t happen until we break up the packers, enforce our antitrust laws, and increase transparency in cattle pricing.”

Other policy recommendations include reinstatement of country-of-origin labeling. Shelly Ziesch, a rancher from Pettibone who chaired the committee, “Consumers shouldn’t be kept in the dark any longer. They have a right to know where their beef comes from and we, as ranchers, should be compensated for the high quality beef we produce.  All we’re asking for is to differentiate our beef from foreign products and let the consumer decide.”

Another top priority of the group is a re-envisioned meat supply chain that moves away from national suppliers to more regional and local slaughter facilities. North Dakota is home to roughly 1.83 million beef cattle and calves, but only slaughters 8,800 head a year, according to Watne.  He adds, “We need to increase our state’s slaughter capacity, especially through the establishment of cooperative facilities.”

Other policy highlights in the report included action to:

  • Provide cost-share to help custom-exempt slaughter facilities achieve state inspection standards;
  • Allow state-inspected meat to be marketed across state lines;
  • Break up multinational companies and incentivize local and regional processor development; and
  • Prevent harmful vertical integration in the cattle and beef packing industries.

For the full report on Farmers Union’s policy priorities, go to ndfu.org.

 

WATFORD CITY, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Highway Patrol says a toddler was struck and killed by a pickup truck in Watford City and a woman suffered life-threatening injuries when her car was hit by a sheriff’s deputy responding to the call. The patrol says a 50-year-old man got in his pickup truck parked on the street to back it into his driveway about 8 p.m. Monday. A 2-year-old boy walked in front of the truck and was struck. The vehicle ran over the child who was dragged about 15 feet. A McKenzie County sheriff’s deputy responding to the incident went through a red light with his siren and emergency lights activated and struck a car driven by a 34-year-old Fargo woman who was airlifted to a Minot hospital.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota U.S. Rep Kelly Armstrong says he won’t return campaign contributions from Fisher Industries, the company that has received the largest contract to build a section of President Donald Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. State Democrats called for Armstrong to return the campaign cash after Trump on Sunday criticized a privately built border wall in South Texas that’s showing signs of erosion months after going up. That wall was built by Fisher Industries. Armstrong says there’s “not a chance” he will return the $10,000 in campaign contributions from Fisher, which is based in Dickinson.

In world and national news…

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has added four more states to New York’s quarantine list as he seeks to contain the spread of COVID-19 from regions of the country where infection rates are growing. The addition of Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin to the list on Tuesday means that travelers from 22 states will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering New York. The list of states that meet New York’s travel advisory’s metrics has continued to grow each week as COVID-19 continues to spike nationwide. Cuomo has warned that New York’s dropping number of infections could be reversed.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — Florida surpassed its one day record for coronavirus deaths, amid rising fears of a resurgent pandemic. The 132 new deaths pushed the state’s seven-day average to more than double what it was two weeks ago. Britain and France announced Tuesday they will require people to wear face masks in public indoor spaces and an Australian state threatened to jail anyone caught violating quarantines, amid rising global fears about a resurgence of the pandemic. British officials announced the requirement after weeks of dismissing the value of masks, and said it will take effect July 24. In France, President Emmanuel Macron said masks will be required by Aug. 1, after recent rave parties and widespread backsliding on social distancing raised concerns about a rebound.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend has pleaded not guilty to charges that she recruited girls and women for the financier to sexually abuse more than two decades ago. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in a video court hearing Tuesday in Manhattan. Maxwell, 58, has been held without bail since her July 2 arrest at her million-dollar New Hampshire estate. She was charged with recruiting at least three girls, one as young as 14, for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 1997. An indictment alleged that she helped groom the victims to endure sexual abuse and was sometimes there when Epstein abused them. Epstein killed himself in August 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Three class-action lawsuits filed in Philadelphia on Tuesday accuse the city of using military-level force against peaceful demonstrators protesting racial inequality and police brutality. The suits say the excessive force injured protesters and bystanders alike. One lawsuit accuses Philadelphia police of lobbing tear gas and firing rubber bullets at protesters indiscriminately as they marched peacefully on a city highway. Another accuses the police of injuring people in or near their homes after they used tear gas in an African American business and residential district. Mayor Jim Kenney says he regrets the use of tear gas at either protest. The city’s managing director meanwhile announced his resignation Tuesday.

 

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The federal government has carried out its first execution in almost two decades. 47-year-old Daniel Lewis Lee was killed by lethal injection Tuesday before dawn at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was convicted of murdering an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest. His last words were to proclaim his innocence. Lee is the first death row inmate to be executed since 2003. His execution came over the objection of the victims’ family and following a series of delays and legal challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. Critics of the Trump administration argued the government was pushing capital punishment for political gain.

 

(AP)  A former staffer at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia is being charged with killing seven patients by giving them fatal doses of insulin. Court documents unsealed Tuesday show Reta Mays is being charged with second degree murder in the deaths of seven people. The former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia also is being charged with assault with the intent to commit murder of an eighth person. Mays’ attorney did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment. She has a plea hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

(AP) French President Emmanuel Macron says the government is aiming to reopen all schools for the new academic year that starts around Sept. 1 under as “normal” conditions as possible. France gradually reopened schools in May and June as the country emerged from virus lockdown, and most children returned to class. While new infections prompted a few schools to close again, the vast majority stayed open until the school year wrapped up earlier this month. Macron said Tuesday that the country “learned a lot” from that period and schools “developed a new way of teaching” to take the virus into account. However, there are lingering virus concerns among some parents and teachers about the new term .