CSi Weather…

TONIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. North winds10 to 15 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph shifting to the south after midnight.

.FRIDAY…Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of rain

showers after midnight. Lows in the upper 30s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of rain showers in

the morning. Highs in the upper 40s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Areas of frost.Lows in the upper 20s.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the upper 30s.

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

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

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

 

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats

Wed. Sept.30, 2020

Posted 11-a.m.

Barnes

New Positives  5

Total Positives 242

Active Cases 36

Recovered 206

 

Stutsman

New Positives  13

Total Positives  527

Active Cases 48

Recovered 476

 

Updated to add the death of a woman in her 90s from Mercer County with underlying health conditions. This changes the daily total to 8 deaths and the total number to 247.

COVID-19 Test Results
The results listed are from the previous day. Additional data can be found on the NDDoH website.

BY THE NUMBERS

5,340 – Total Tests from Yesterday*

636,374 – Total tests completed since the pandemic began

447 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

21,846 – Total positive individuals since the pandemic began

8.72% – Daily Positivity Rate**

 

3,662 Total Active Cases

+11 Individuals from yesterday

427 – Individuals Recovered from Yesterday (265 with a recovery date of yesterday****)

17,938 – Total recovered since the pandemic began

89 – Currently Hospitalized

-16 – Individuals from yesterday

8 – New Deaths*** (247 total deaths since the pandemic began)


INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

  • Man in his 80s from Burleigh County with underlying health conditions.
  • Woman in her 70s from Burleigh County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 90s from Burleigh County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 80s from Emmons County with underlying health conditions.
  • Woman in her 90s from McLean County with underlying health conditions.
  • Woman in her 90s from Mercer County with underlying health conditions.
  • Man in his 60s from Morton County with underlying health conditions.
  • Woman in her 90s from Morton County with underlying health conditions.


COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TODAY

  • Barnes County – 5
  • Benson County – 2
  • Bottineau County – 5
  • Bowman County – 1
  • Burleigh County – 84
  • Cass County – 82
  • Dickey County – 2
  • Dunn County – 5
  • Eddy County – 3
  • Emmons County – 3
  • Foster County – 1
  • Grand Forks County – 33
  • Grant County – 4
  • Hettinger County – 1
  • Kidder County – 3
  • LaMoure County – 2
  • Logan County – 5
  • McHenry County -1
  • McIntosh County – 6
  • McKenzie County – 8
  • McLean County – 12
  • Mercer County – 10
  • Morton County – 41
  • Mountrail County – 2
  • Nelson County – 4
  • Oliver County – 2
  • Pembina County – 4
  • Pierce County – 1
  • Ramsey County – 3
  • Ransom County – 1
  • Renville County – 1
  • Rolette County – 9
  • Sheridan County – 2
  • Sioux County – 3
  • Stark County – 6
  • Steele County – 1
  • Stutsman County – 13
  • Traill County – 2
  • Walsh County – 9
  • Ward County – 25
  • Williams County – 40

 

* 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.

**Individuals who tested positive divided by the total number of people tested who have not previously tested positive (susceptible encounters).

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.
**** The actual date individuals are officially out of isolation and no longer contagious.

******Totals may be adjusted as individuals are found to live out of state, in another county, or as other information is found during investigation.

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.

 

 

Jamestown  (City of Jamestown)  Friday, October 2nd, 2020, there will be road closures in the northeast part of town on 11th St NE, (between 4th Ave NE and 5th Ave NE). The closure will take place at approximately 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Construction signing will be put into place by the contractor.

Tuesday, October 6th, 2020, there will be alley closures in the northeast part of town on the alley west of 5th Ave NE, (between 9th St NE and 11th St NE). There will also be road closures on 10th St NE and 11th St NE, (between 4th Ave NE and 5th Ave NE).

The closures will take place at approximately at 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Construction signing will be put into place by the contractor.

Construction work will continue in the NE areas through October 17th, 2020, with intermittent lane closures and restrictions for the process.

Motorists should use extreme caution in this area.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Jamestown City Council met in Special Session on Tuesday at City Hall, at 5-p.m.  All members were present.  Council Member Buchanan joined by phone.

The City Council  approved and authorized the issuance of improvement warrants and exchange them for Refunding Improvement Bonds of 2020, Series AD (Project 19-41), and awarded the sale of Refunding Improvement Bonds.

The representative from Collier’s said, the Public Sale was held Tuesday and the low bidder of three bids, was Northland Securities at $2,050,000, for the Special Assessment bond over seven years.  The transaction will be effective October, 15, 2020.

The City Council approved the request from Knights of Columbus for a site authorization to conduct gaming at Jonny B’s Brickhouse for the period October 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

Considered was a Change Order No. 3, to Scherbenske Inc., for the 2020 Water Main Improvement District 20-61.

Ben Aaseth from Interstate Engineering said, the original plan was to line the pipe, located behind Haut Funeral Home.  However it was decided to “pipe burst,” the line instead due to changes necessitated in the project’s procedure.

The discount was eventually reduced to $37,500 in costs, from the original 50 percent additional project cost.

The completion date of October 18, 2020 is still doable.

Mayor Heinrich said, despite the increase in cost,  if the work is not completed this fall, there is a risk of the pipeline bursting this winter.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A Bismarck marketing agency is rolling out a campaign meant to help stem the tide of rising COVID-19 cases in central North Dakota as the state leads the nation in cases per capita. Agency MABU was hired by a governor’s task force in Burleigh and Morton counties that is nearly six weeks into its effort and frustrated by the lack of progress in the state’s virus hotspot. MABU has created messages designed to leverage North Dakotans’ strong sense of freedom. That’s the same thing that Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has said would make it difficult to impose a mask mandate.

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sanford Health is adding a unit at its Bismarck hospital with 14 more beds. Sanford says it’s not exclusively for coronavirus patients, but it could be used to treat them if the need arises. Six of the 14 beds in the new unit opening Wednesday are designated for intensive care patients. The expansion at Sanford Bismarck gives the hospital 242 beds. The new unit is on the main floor, where the adult physical, occupational and speech therapies were located. Sanford Health and CHI St. Alexius employees listed concerns about hospital capacity at the Burleigh-Morton COVID-19 Task Force meeting last week.

 

 

Bismarck  (CSi)  – A U.S. Army identification tag belonging to a soldier from North Dakota who lost the tag when he was wounded by a grenade in the Vietnam War more than 50 years ago was returned to the soldier’s widow Wednesday after the tag resurfaced in Russia.

Gov. Doug Burgum presented the tag to Ruth Hepper of Bismarck, whose husband, Ronald D. Hepper, died in 2007 at age 58.

Photo:

Gov. Doug Burgum presents Ron Hepper’s military ID tag to his widow, Ruth Hepper of Bismarck, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Capitol in Bismarck. Also pictured are (from left) Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, Hepper’s daughter Julie Hornbacher and her husband, Jim, and Ron Hepper’s brother Stanley Hepper and his wife, Kathleen.

Ron Hepper grew up on a ranch in Sioux County near Selfridge, N.D. After graduating from Selfridge High School in 1967, he volunteered for the draft and served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the Army’s 196th Light Infantry Brigade.

Nicknamed “Cowboy” by his fellow soldiers, Hepper had been in Vietnam just a few months when a blast from a hand grenade blew his boots off his body during combat on June 11, 1969. Hepper had kept a set of ID tags – commonly referred to as “dog tags” – in his boots, and he had loosened his boots before going to sleep that night, his wife said.

Hepper woke up in the hospital with no boots and no dog tags. He spent three months in an amputee ward, but doctors were able to save his shrapnel-filled legs. For his injuries suffered in combat, he received the Purple Heart. After his military service, he returned home to ranch near Isabel, S.D. He and his wife had moved to Bismarck to be closer to family a few months before his death in January 2007.

The dog tags ultimately were found by an American citizen traveling in Russia. The individual purchased the tags from a street vendor in Moscow and delivered them to the American Embassy in Moscow. From there they were forwarded to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., which contacted the North Dakota Governor’s Office.

Burgum said, “We are eternally grateful for the courageous service and sacrifices made by Ron Hepper and all North Dakotans who proudly served their country in the Vietnam War, as well as their families, especially those whose loved ones never came home.  While we wish we were able to return these tags to Ron himself, we are thankful for the opportunity and tremendous honor to present this keepsake to Ruth on behalf of a grateful state and nation.”

Ruth Hepper said her husband was a proud veteran who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and was helped by a PTSD treatment pilot program at Fort Meade, S.D.

Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, added “It speaks volumes about Ron, the fact that he was somebody that took advantage of services because he probably understood that he needed some help, and I’m guessing he helped a lot of other people along the way.”  Dohrmann attended Wednesday’s presentation with other Hepper family members and learned about the family’s extensive history of military service, saying  “We appreciate the entire family’s service.”

In a letter to Ruth Hepper, VA Assistant Secretary James E. Hutton stated, “VA records reflect that Mr. Hepper served with great distinction and sacrifice during the Vietnam War. The opportunity to return the tag is extremely meaningful as VA and the Department of Defense are currently honoring the heroes of Vietnam Era Veterans and their families.”

Bismarck  (CSi)   A production water release occurred from a pipeline operated by Enable Midstream Partners on Tuesday, Sept. 29, approximately 9.5 miles west of Mandaree.

The released amount is approximately 1,000 barrels of produced water. There is no known impact to water currently.

Personnel from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality have been on-site and are continuing to monitor the investigation and cleanup.

 

In sports…

Update

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota State football coach Matt Entz says the benefits of practicing for a one-game season outweighed the risks and frustration from dealing with the coronavirus. The Bison have been practicing for the last month ahead of Saturday’s home game against Central Arkansas. Entz says it has given the Bison time to evaluate players and get more experience amid concerns about the coronavirus. Star quarterback Trey Lance and left tackle Dillon Radunz also get a chance for an encore performance in front of a few family members on their home turf.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning for the Houston Astros, who produced another stifling pitching performance and swept Minnesota with a 3-1 victory. The Twins took their all-time record 18th straight postseason loss. Nine months after their sign-stealing system was revealed, the Astros advanced to the division series round beginning next week in Los Angeles. The Twins are 0-18 in the playoffs since Oct. 5, 2004, a total of seven rounds lost. Since that date, the Astros are 43-35 in postseason play, winning 10 of 15 rounds with three trips to the World Series.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats and Republicans are involved in hundreds of lawsuits across the country relating to the upcoming election. The lawsuits concern the core fundamentals of the American voting process, including how ballots are cast and counted. The cases are unfolding during an election made unique by the coronavirus pandemic and by a president who refuses to commit to accepting the results. The lawsuits are all the more important because President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of the election winding up before a Supreme Court that could have a decidedly Republican tilt if his latest nominee is confirmed.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s stark expectation that the Supreme Court will need to intervene in what he calls a “rigged” election casts new questions on the Senate’s rush to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett is on Capitol Hill for a second day meeting with senators ahead of confirmation hearings. The Senate is racing to confirm Trump’s pick before the Nov. 3 election. Lawmakers of both parties are bracing for the potential of a disputed presidential election that lands before the high court.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A religious organization tied to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee sought to erase all mentions and photos of her from its website before she meets with lawmakers and faces questions at her Senate confirmation hearings. Federal appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett has declined to publicly discuss her decades-long affiliation with People of Praise. It is a charismatic Christian organization that opposes abortion and holds that men are divinely ordained as the “head” of the family and faith. An analysis by The Associated Press shows that People of Praise erased numerous records from its website during 2017 and again last week.

 

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A conservative legal group has filed lawsuits challenging a new Virginia law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The lawsuits filed this week in state and federal court by Alliance Defending Freedom argue that the new law infringes on their clients’ religious freedom. In one case, a northern Virginia photographer filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alexandria alleging that the law will compel him to photograph same-sex weddings in violation of his religious beliefs. A spokeswoman for Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who is named as a defendant in both lawsuits, did not respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment.

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked a Tennessee law that required women undergoing drug-induced abortions be informed the procedure could be reversed. The statute was about to go into effect Wednesday after the GOP-dominant General Assembly advanced a sweeping anti-abortion measure earlier this year. The law included not only the so-called “abortion reversal” provision, but also a ban on abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected — about six weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant. Both portions of that statute are now blocked from being implemented as these legal cases make their way through court.

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge in Nevada has approved a total of $800 million in payouts from casino company MGM Resorts International and its insurers to more than 4,400 relatives and victims of the Las Vegas Strip shooting that was the deadliest in recent U.S. history. Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell on Wednesday signed off on the deal announced earlier this month that settles dozens of lawsuits on the eve of the third anniversary of the shooting that killed 58 people and injured more than 850 in a crowd of 22,000 at an open-air concert near the Mandalay Bay resort.

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California authorities say they have arrested a man in connection with the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies as they sat in their squad car. District Attorney Jackie Lacey on Wednesday says attempted murder charges have been filed against 36-year-old Deonte Lee Murray. He was arrested two weeks ago in connection with a separate carjacking. The deputies suffered critical wounds in the Sept. 12 shooting. It was recorded by surveillance video. They have since been released from the hospital and are recovering at their homes.