CSi Weather…

.TONIGHT…Cloudy with a 20 percent chance of light freezing rain.  Lows in the upper 20s. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph.

.TUESDAY…Cloudy in the morning then clearing. Highs in the mid 30s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the northwest around 15 mph in the afternoon.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows 15 to 20. Northwest winds

5 to 10 mph.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. South winds 5 to

15 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s.

.THANKSGIVING DAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 20s.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s.

.SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s.

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

 

Freezing drizzle Monday night in the James River
Valley. A light glaze of ice  could make roadways
slick. Areas of fog developing overnight may also contribute to
hazardous travel. Use caution!

Jamestown  (CVHD)  Due to Thanksgiving Holiday, Central Valley Health District says next Covid testing will be:

Tues Nov 24, 10am to noon

at the Jamestown Civic Center.   There will not be testing on Friday Nov 27.

Testing events at the Civic Center have been extremely busy over the past couple weeks with over 400 people participating each week. The North Dakota National Guard has been assisting local public health departments across North Dakota with testing events. Each region has been assigned a group of guard members who assist with various activities during the testing process.

CVHD Unit Administrator, Robin Iszler states that Central Valley Health Could not hold an event such as this, without the assistance of the National Guard. “We greatly appreciate their assistance,” stated Iszler.

Iszler also recognized that funding for the guard may change in December when the Federal FEMA dollars end and Central Valley is uncertain what that change will mean for future testing events.  Central Valley Health reminds the public to watch for other holiday changes in December.

ND COVID-19 Stats

Mon. Nov. 23,  2020

10-am

Barnes

 

Barnes County

New Positives: 12

Total Positives:  915

Active: 192

Recovered: 714

 

Stutsman County

New Positives: 19

Total Positives: 2423

Active: 424

Recovered: 1960

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


BY THE NUMBERS

7,091 – Total Tests from Yesterday*

1,084,813 – Total tests completed since the pandemic began

710 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

73,397 – Total positive individuals since the pandemic began

11.00% – Daily Positivity Rate**

 

9,854 – Total Active Cases

-390 Individuals from Yesterday

1,098 – Individuals Recovered from Yesterday (892 with a recovery date of yesterday****)

62,697 – Total recovered since the pandemic began

314 – Currently Hospitalized

-1 – Individuals from yesterday

 

6 – New Deaths*** (846 total deaths since the pandemic began) 

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

  • Man in his 90s from Burleigh County.
  • Woman in her 70s from Burleigh County.
  • Woman in her 60s from Burleigh County.
  • Man in his 60s from Cass County.
  • Man in his 70s from Grand Forks County.
  • Man in his 70s from Ward County.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED MONDAY

  • Barnes County – 12
  • Benson County – 3
  • Bottineau County – 2
  • Burke County – 1
  • Burleigh County – 103
  • Cass County – 194
  • Cavalier County – 7
  • Dickey County – 2
  • Dunn County – 2
  • Eddy County – 3
  • Foster County – 6
  • Golden Valley County – 1
  • Grand Forks County – 66
  • Griggs County – 11
  • Hettinger County – 2
  • Kidder County – 2
  • LaMoure County – 7
  • McIntosh County – 1
  • McKenzie County – 11
  • McLean County – 3
  • Morton County – 45
  • Mountrail County – 5
  • Nelson County – 6
  • Oliver County – 2
  • Pembina County – 8
  • Pierce County – 1
  • Ramsey County – 20
  • Ransom County – 5
  • Renville County – 6
  • Richland County – 13
  • Rolette County – 17
  • Sargent County – 5
  • Stark County – 39
  • Steele County – 2
  • Stutsman County – 19
  • Traill County – 8
  • Walsh County – 15
  • Ward County – 25
  • Williams County – 30

 

* 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. There is a lag in the time deaths are reported to the NDDoH.

**** 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.

 

Valley City  (CCHD)  City County Health District in Valley City is advising all across the U.S. to be safe and stay home this Thanksgiving.

The News Release states:

North Dakota’s COVID-19 mortality rate is one of the worst in the world according to the CDC. Making matters worse, the state is also experiencing a shortage of nurses—and has only recently received aid from the U.S. Air Force who will be sending some nurses to ND. We may not have enough health care workers to care for all the people in ND who are getting COVID-19.

Now is the time to avoid activities that will spread the virus in order to save lives and help our economy get back on track. Many COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or mild, which is a reason to be more cautious, not less. Even if you feel fine, you could pass the virus to more vulnerable individuals who might suffer severe symptoms and complications.

Quality time with loved ones is precious, especially time spent with elderly members of the family, but gatherings during this time put them at high risk when they are already more susceptible to the virus. Across the country we’ve seen that large indoor family gatherings (funerals/weddings) can easily become super-spreading events.

The safest is to stay with the people in your ‘bubble’. Traveling and including out-of-town guests in gatherings substantially increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 across multiple communities.

Three different vaccines will shortly be available, so patience is called for. In the meantime, we feel gratitude for what we value: our family, friends, community and financial security. Take prudent steps—wear a mask with anyone outside of your bubble, do social distancing and hand washing to protect what we value.

For more information on COVID-19 go to www.health.nd.gov and click on coronavirus (more information) or call their hotline at 1-866-207-2880 or contact City County Health District about any concerns or needs that you may have (845-8518). If you or your family would need a cloth mask, they can be obtained at City County Health District.

Valley City (VCPS 11-23-20)  Valley City Public Schools Superintendent Josh Johnson, has issued a news release which states”

“This week we will be celebrating American Educators Week and sharing our “Thankfulness” for all of the educators at Valley City Public Schools. While we all continue to face many challenges related to COVID-19, we are very thankful for students, educators, parents, and community. Together, we truly believe that we are bridging health and education at VCPS!

COVID-19 Report
In the past 10 days we have experienced a small increase in positive cases within our school district. This has coincided with the increase within Barnes County during the same period. Despite this increase, our overall numbers are very low and when considered with our 1350 students and staff members, we have less than 1% of our population that is currently positive for COVID-19. (Noting: majority of our positive cases have been as a result of a household contact).
We know that our students, staff, parents, and families are making many sacrifices right now to allow us to continue with in-person learning and preventing the spread of COVID-19. Thank you for your sacrifices during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and helping us reach our goal of in-person learning thru Friday, December 18, 2020.

Potential Shortage of Staffing- Calling on Substitutes
We are currently addressing any potentials of staffing shortages related to COVID-19 within our school district. If you have at least 48 semester hours of college credit, can successfully complete a background screening, and love kids, we would be interested to hear from you and having you apply to become one of our ’emergency’ substitutes. Please contact Brenna Schroeder at brenna.schroeder@k12.nd.us or at 701.845.0483. VCPS is developing a plan to address any potential shortages and your support of this plan would be much appreciated.

Advisory Meetings- Elementary and Secondary Parents/Guardians
If you are a VCPS parent and would like to provide your feedback to our district on our District COVID-19 plan, please send an email with your interest to brenna.schroeder@k12.nd.us. We will be identifying a small group of parents from all of our schools that can provide us with feedback regarding our district plan and the successes and challenges from this school year. These meetings will be held virtually (via Zoom) at 7:00pm on Monday, November 30th and Tuesday, December 1st. While we do value all parents feedback, depending upon the number of requests, we may need to limit the total number of participants in these meetings.

Thank you all again so much for your continued support of our educators at Valley City Public Schools. Your kind words, positive messages, and overall support is helping so much to get us through these challenges. Without doubt, we are better together, bridging health and education.”

Josh Johnson

Superintendent

Valley City Public Schools

(701) 845-0483

 

Dave Carlsrud

Valley City (CSi-11-23-20)  Message from Valley City Mayor, Dave Carlsrud.

Greetings Everyone,

Good Samaritan: The other day I walked the Broken Road and on the west end by the picnic tables (wire reels), there is a nice bench. Thank you to our benefactor. “The easiest way to make an impact on your community is to just be kind”. (Joshua Williams, Menard’s Flier)

 

COVID is running rampant here and all over the world. For quite awhile we were spared the larger numbers of infections affecting areas around us. It was as though we were insulated, but no longer, we are in the middle of it. Practice the safety measures; you know them.

 

Friday Governor Burgum held a Press Briefing.  Superintendent Johnson shared procedures being utilized in the VCPS to slow the spread. Procedures being utilized by the “VCSU Team” are similar and are slowing the spread as well. I share that because the two institutions seem to have the lowest numbers of positives per capita in Valley City. That said our “community’ and its “households” are our worst spreaders. We who are outside the educational institutions would likely reduce the spread if we’d utilize the procedures schools are. People in schools Mask-UP religiously.

 

In an effort to help clarify, the Valley City Commission amended its Emergency Order to match the Governor’s Order. The orders are to protect us, let’s respect them versus challenging them.

 

Our City County Health Department has Mask-UP Kits with signage available for use in your building(s). Please call CCHD at 845-8518.

 

Happy Thanksgiving. In spite of the many difficulties, let’s be grateful for the many Blessings in our lives.

 

“There are two ways of spreading light; be the candle or be the mirror that reflects it.”                (Edith Wharton)                                                  

 

Blessings, Pray and Be Safe,

Dave

Dave Carlsrud

 

Bismarck  (CSi) – The North Dakota Emergency Commission Monday approved the reallocation of approximately $35 million in turned-back federal funding to support the state’s COVID-19 response, including $15 million to support medical staffing and nearly $14 million to support economic recovery.

North Dakota received $1.25 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund as part of the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The roughly $35 million approved today was turned back from previously allocatedfederal funding, including $30 million turned back from the Bank of North Dakota and $5 million from North Dakota Information Technology.

Gov. Doug Burgum says,  “As hospitals and businesses continue to face increasing pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, these dollars are being refocused on areas where they can have the greatest impact to help save lives and livelihoods.”

The funding reallocated by the Emergency Commission today includes:

  • $15 million for hospital staffing to address the current shortage of nurses for COVID-19 beds in primary care and certain critical access hospitals. These funds are in addition to the $10 million allocated by the commission in October for hospital COVID-19 staffing support. Funding is based on the percentage of increased COVID-19 beds in each facility.

 

  • $8 million to the Department Commerce for expansion of the Hospitality Economic Resiliency Grant program to include the hotel and motel industry. Hotel and motel operators will be eligible for grants of up to $40,000 per location, with a maximum of $80,000 for applicants with multiple locations. Applicants must be a North Dakota business and demonstrate negative financial impact from the pandemic.

 

  • $6.1 million to cover payroll costs for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation correctional officers and medical staff who have been substantially dedicated to COVID-19 response and mitigation.

 

  • $2.65 million to Job Service North Dakota for reimbursable employers. This funding is meant to cover 50 percent of the unemployment insurance benefit costs that have been paid to the employees of reimbursable employers who experienced job loss or periods of layoff due to the pandemic. The federal government is already covering 50 percent of the costs through the CARES Act, and without the $2.65 million in this allocation, reimbursable employers are struggling to cover the remaining costs. Reimbursable employers are entities such as schools, hospitals, long-term care entities, other health care entities, providers of services and care for the disabled/developmental disabilities, nonprofit child care, state and local governments, and other nonprofit entities.

 

  • $2.5 million for a program to provide medical expense assistance for first responders and health care workers who are eligible for expanded worker’s compensation benefits under Executive Orders 2020-12 and 2020-12.2. The program applies to first responders and health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 and required medical treatment but were determined to be ineligible for worker’s compensation benefits because the job-related source of their COVID-19 infection could not be pinpointed. The Department of Commerce will review applications and administer the grant program.

 

  • $800,000 in grants for qualifying nonprofit organizations that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and are at risk of folding due to the inability to generate revenue through performance events and education programs. The North Dakota Council on the Arts expects more than 80 organizations to qualify for the grants to assist with salaries and operating expenses.

 

The six-member Emergency Commission consists of four legislative leaders – House Majority Leader Chet Pollert of Carrington, Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner of Dickinson, House Appropriations Chairman Jeff Delzer of Underwood and Senate Appropriations Chairman Ray Holmberg of Grand Forks – along with Secretary of State Al Jaeger and Burgum as chairman.

For more information on North Dakota’s COVID-19 response, visit www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus or www.ndresponse.gov.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Salvation Army Angel Tree program is now available.

The Angel Tree enables new clothing and toys to go to over one-million children and families in need every year nationwide. Jamestown Salvation Army, Major, Judy Lowder says the Angel Tree allows for the community to buy one or more gifts for as many children as they like, by removing Angel Tree Tags.

After  purchasing the  items, return them unwrapped along with the tag and gifts.

Jamestown Angel Tree Locations:

Premium Property Management, Unison, Better Homes Property Management, Century 21, Vivacious Salon, Stutsman Harley Davidson, Suite 140 Salon & Spa, Innovative, Ameriprise Financial, Jonny B’s Brickhouse, Sabir’s Buffalo Grill, BluFrog Realty, IRET The Meadows Appartments, and Deer Ridge Apartments.

Lowder adds that businesses may set up a location in their stores in Jamestown and Stutsman County, to help with the Kettle Campaign, with this year’s local goals of $151,000.

Call the Jamestown Salvation Army with any questions at 701-252-0290 or 701-269-3930.

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Road closures on 2nd St SW, including the intersections of 1st Ave S and 2nd Ave SW will remain closed through Wednesday, November 25, 2020 for utility work.
Motorists should use extreme caution in this area and use alternate routes as necessary.

For more information on the road closure or work being done may contact Jamey Zenzen of Master Construction at 701-361-7365 or Connie Kassian of Century Link at Connie.Kassian@CenturyLink.com.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved one of the last remaining permits for Enbridge Energy’s planned Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota. Corps approval came Monday. All that remains now is for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to issue a storm water construction permit, and then for the Public Utilities Commission to give a final green light. The commission has approved the project several times. Opponents, including environmental and tribal groups, are still trying to block the project. But there are no injunctions to prevent Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge from beginning construction if it gets final approval from the PUC.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department says a limited fall survey indicates another year of good mule deer fawn production in the western part of the state. Biologists counted 2,116 mule deer in an aerial survey in October. That’s down slightly from last fall, but officials could survey only 18 of 24 study areas this year. This year’s ratio of 82 fawns per 100 does is similar to last year, and the ratio of 36 bucks per 100 does is considered healthy. Hunting of mule deer females was banned in North Dakota in 2012, to help the population recover. Restrictions have been lifted in phases since 2016.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is tapping Obama administration veterans for top national security positions. He’s signaling a shift from the Trump administration’s “America First” policies that disparaged international alliances. The six picks announced Monday mark a return to a more traditional approach to America’s relations with the rest of the world. Biden will nominate longtime adviser Antony Blinken to be secretary of state, lawyer Alejandro Mayorkas to be homeland security secretary and Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be ambassador to the United Nations. Former Secretary of State John Kerry will be Biden’s climate change envoy. Avril Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA, will be nominated as director of national intelligence.

 

ATLANTA (AP) — After the Trump campaign requested a recount of the presidential ballots in Georgia, state election officials were working to finalize the details of how and when that will be done. The election results certified last week showed Democrat Joe Biden beating Republican President Donald Trump by 12,670 votes out of about 5 million cast. That’s about 0.25%. Under state law, a candidate can request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5%. The Trump campaign on Saturday sent a formal request for a recount to the secretary of state’s office. A top state elections official said during a video news conference Monday that the secretary of state’s office planned to talk to county election officials before deciding on the specific starting and ending time for the recount.

 

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Charles Michel is inviting Joe Biden once he is U.S. president to meet up next and patch up trans-Atlantic relations that have suffered over the past four years under President Donald Trump. Michel said Monday after a call with the president-elect on Monday that “now is the time to join forces. In a changing world, our partnership will be more important than ever to protect our citizens, relaunch our economies, stop global warming and create a safer world.” The 27-nation bloc has often complained about a worsening relationship under Trump, and hope that with Biden, trans-Atlantic ties can be rekindled like they were under President Barack Obama.

 

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says it will no longer support the Trump administration in legal efforts to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards. CEO Mary Barra said in a letter Monday to environmental groups that GM will pull out of the lawsuit and it urges other automakers to do so. She said the company agrees with President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to expand electric-vehicle use. Last week the company said it is testing a new battery chemistry that will bring electric vehicle costs down to those of gas-powered vehicles within five years.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Public health officials are sounding alarms and urging Americans not to travel and limit gatherings this holiday season amid a new surge in coronavirus cases. But that isn’t stopping the White House from planning a host of festivities, including holiday parties, which kicked off Monday with the arrival of the White House Christmas tree. “Attending the parties will be a very personal choice,” said Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s spokeswoman and chief of staff. “It is a longstanding tradition for people to visit and enjoy the cheer and iconic décor of the annual White House Christmas celebrations.”

 

Despite emphatic warnings from public health authorities to stay home for Thanksgiving, millions of Americans are crowding the nation’s airports ahead of the holiday, many of them unwilling to miss out on seeing family and convinced they can do it safely. More than 3 million people were screened at U.S. airports on Friday and Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. That is the busiest stretch of air travel since mid-March. Still, the number of travelers crowding airports this weekend was down 57% from the same weekend last year. In 2019, a record 26 million passengers and crew passed through U.S. airport screening in the 11-day period around Thanksgiving.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Retail Federation expects that holiday sales could actually exceed growth of prior seasons despite the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. The nation’s largest retail trade group predicts that sales for the November and December period will increase between 3.6% and 5.2% over 2019 to a total between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion. That excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. It compares with 4% growth to $729.1 billion last year. Holiday sales have averaged gains of 3.5% over the past five years. The NRF delayed the release of its forecast by about a month, citing the uncertainty around the pandemic. Still, it warns any further shutdowns of stores as virus cases surge would derail sales.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — An aide to a firearms-toting congresswoman-elect says she has already asked Capitol Police about carrying her weapon on Capitol grounds once she’s sworn into office. The practice is allowed for members of Congress under decades-old congressional regulations. Republican Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert of Colorado is a conservative guns-rights advocate who made the inquiry recently. One of her future colleagues says other members of Congress already carry firearms. The public is barred from carrying guns in the Capitol and its grounds. Boebert’s office declined to make her available for an interview. An aide says her conversation with the Capitol Police was an inquiry about the rules.