Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Feb 3

CSi Weather…

A cold front will continue to move across western and central North Dakota this afternoon bringing snow, and possibly a brief period of mixed precipitation. Ahead of the front, areas of fog will remain over the far south central into the James River

Valley, with some patchy freezing drizzle possible. A brief period

of moderate snow behind the front could produce hazardous travel

due to slick roads and reduced visibilities. Snow accumulations

are expected to be mainly less than an inch. Those traveling or

outdoors should be prepared for the return of winter conditions.

The cold front will usher in very cold temperatures with dangerous

wind chills expected through the upcoming weekend.

Forecast…

WEDNESDAY  NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Snow likely and chance of light

freezing drizzle in the evening. Patchy blowing and drifting snow

through the night. Colder. Lows zero to 5 above. Northwest winds

15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph. Chance of precipitation

70 percent in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area.

.THURSDAY…Partly sunny. Patchy blowing and drifting snow.

Colder. Highs around 10. Northwest winds around 20 mph with gusts

to around 35 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Patchy blowing and drifting snow

in the evening. Lows near zero. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with

gusts to around 30 mph.

.FRIDAY…Partly sunny. Highs 5 to 10 above. Northwest winds

10 to 15 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows around 10 below.

.SATURDAY…Decreasing clouds. Highs around 5 below.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 20 below.

.SUNDAY…Partly sunny. Highs around 5 below.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 15 below.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs near zero.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 10 below.

.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs zero to 5 above.

Update…

Issued 1:10-p.m. Feb 3, 2021

The Silver Alert issued on February 1, 2021 has been cancelled. Thomas Allen Townson was located deceased, in Ramsey County by law enforcement officials.

Authorities found 76-year-old Townson at approximately 10:30 Wednesday morning, in a rural area near Starkweather, North Dakota,  north of Devils Lake. Authorities found his vehicle in the same location.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s office says it is still investigating the case. Officials say there doesn’t appear to be any danger to the public.

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats.

Wed. Feb. 3, 2021

Barnes:

New Positive 1

Total Positives 1278

Active 2

Recovered 1244

Stutsman

Positives 5

Total Positives 3248

Active 18

Recovered 3154

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

Please note that from now on the daily news release will be sent Monday – Friday. The NDDoH dashboard will continue to be updated daily.

BY THE NUMBERS

73,842 – Residents who received at least one dose of vaccine

111,059 – Total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered

7,231 – Total Tests from yesterday*

1,537,464 – Total tests completed since the pandemic began

140 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

80 – PCR Tests | 60 – Antigen Tests
97,936 – Total positive individuals since the pandemic began

2.38% – Daily Positivity Rate** 

913 – Total Active Cases

+28 - Individuals from yesterday.  

103 – with a recovery date of yesterday****

95,601 – Total recovered since the pandemic began

42 – Currently Hospitalized   

-3 – Individuals from yesterday.

0 – New Deaths*** (1,422 total deaths since the pandemic began)
COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED WEDNESDAY

• Adams County – 3
• Barnes County – 1
• Bottineau County – 3
• Bowman County – 3
• Burke County – 1
• Burleigh County – 23
• Cass County – 19
• Dickey County – 2 
• Divide County – 1
• Dunn County – 1
• Eddy County – 3
• Foster County – 1 
• Grand Forks County – 9
• Hettinger County – 1
• McHenry County – 3
• McKenzie County – 3
• McLean County – 6
• Mercer County – 2
• Morton County – 8
• Mountrail County – 1
• Pembina County – 1
• Ramsey County – 2
• Richland County – 1
• Rolette County – 6
• Stark County – 7
• Stutsman County – 5
• TraillCounty – 2    
• Walsh County – 1
• WardCounty – 14 
• Williams County – 7

* Note that this includes PCR and antigen; it does not include individuals from out of state. 

**Individuals (PCR or antigen) 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 with a PCR or antigen test and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19. Please remember that deaths are reported as they’re reported to us by the facility or through the official death record (up to 10-day delay). 

**** The actual date individuals are officially out of isolation and no longer contagious.

*****Daily positive numbers include people who tested with a PCR or antigen test. 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.

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Cleanup is underway after 21,000 gallons of crude oil spilled at a well east of Williston. State Oil and Gas Division officials say the release at the Equinor Energy LP well was due to a valve failure. Officials say the oil was contained on-site and all but about 400 gallons had been recovered as of Wednesday afternoon. A state inspector has been sent to the location and will monitor additional cleanup.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota House is considering bipartisan legislation that gives survivors of child sex abuse more time to sue their alleged perpetrators for crimes that could date back decades. The bill would provide a two-year window to suspend the statute of limitations to file claims against alleged abusers or institutions that protected them. Several adult victims of child sexual abuse appealed to lawmakers in emotional testimony Wednesday to back legislation. Under the legislation, abuse victims could file claims for two years after the bill’s enactment date of Aug. 1, regardless of how long ago the incident is alleged to have happened.

In sports…

(ESPN)  Designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Cruz, 40, has been a linchpin of the Bomba Squad Twins’ lineup. And he’ll be back right in the middle of it in 2021.

His mission to help his hometown and other towns in the Dominican Republic led to him receiving the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2020 ESPYS.

The designated hitter played last season on a $12 million deal after swatting a team-high 41 home runs while reaching 108 RBIs in 2019, despite two stints on the injured list for a wrist problem. He has reached the 40-homer mark four times in his career; Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth hold the all-time mark with five seasons. Cruz also was the 57th player in major league history to reach 400 career home runs.

His .992 OPS in 2020 ranked fourth in the AL and was the fifth-best mark in MLB history by a player in his age-39 season or older, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. And he led all major leaguers with a 1.182 OPS on pitches in the strike zone over the past two seasons.

From 2014 to 2018, no player in the majors hit more home runs than Cruz (203). In 16 major league seasons, Cruz, a six-time All-Star who has three Silver Slugger Awards, has hit 417 home runs with 1,152 RBIs and a .278 batting average for the Twins, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers and Brewers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have paid tribute to slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in the building he died defending, promising his family and his fellow officers that they will never forget his sacrifice. Sicknick died after an insurrectionist mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, interrupting the electoral count after then-President Donald Trump urged them to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat. The 42-year-old officer was only the fifth person to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or military leaders. He is to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The two FBI agents slain in South Florida devoted their careers to capturing criminals who sexually abuse children. Agent Daniel Alfin gained international attention when he led a team that shutdown a major worldwide child pornography website. Agent Laura Schwartzenberger worked more anonymously, teaching children and adults how to avoid online sexual exploitation. The FBI released no new information Wednesday about the shooting in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise. It has not named the gunman, who apparently killed himself during Tuesday’s standoff that began after the agents were shot. Three other agents were wounded, with two of them hospitalized in stable condition. The third was treated at the scene.

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — A 25-year-old Oklahoma man has been charged in the fatal shootings of his brother and five young children. Court records show Jarron Deajon Pridgeon of Muskogee was charged Wednesday with six counts of first-degree murder and other felony counts. Muskogee police say they don’t yet know why Pridgeon fatally shot 24-year-old Javarion Lee or the children, the oldest of whom was 9. The children’s mother, Brittany Anderson, was also wounded in the shootings early Tuesday and was hospitalized in Tulsa. The youngest victim was 1. Court and jail records do not list an attorney who could speak on Pridgeon’s behalf.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is preparing to notify Congress and others that it will dramatically increase U.S. admissions of refugees. Officials and people familiar with the matter say Biden plans to announce this week that he will increase the cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States to more than eight times the level at which the Trump administration left it. Former President Donald Trump had drastically reduced that cap to only 15,000 before he left office. Biden’s plan, which will require congressional consultation, would raise that number to 125,000, an increase of 10,000 over the high ceiling set by former President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to requests from the Biden administration to put off arguments in two cases involving the U.S.-Mexico border wall and asylum-seekers because President Joe Biden has taken steps to change Trump administration policies that had been challenged in court. The court had been scheduled to hear arguments on Feb. 22 in a case over President Donald Trump’s decision to divert billions of dollars in taxpayer money to construction of portions of a wall along the border with Mexico. The court also put off arguments that were to take place on March 1 over the Trump policy that forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for U.S. court hearings.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan experts group is recommending the Biden administration urgently re-open talks with the Taliban to delay a full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan beyond the May deadline agreed to by the Trump administration. The group says that sticking to the deadline before violence abates and peace talks make meaningful progress could lead to a collapse of the Afghan state and a resumption of civil war. On the other hand, it noted the possibility that if the Taliban don’t accept a delay in the complete withdrawal of foreign troops beyond May, the militants might abandon the nascent peace process.

(AP) The United States has joined Russia in extending the last remaining nuclear-arms treaty between the two countries. The announcement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken comes two days before the pact limiting strategic nuclear weapons was due to expire. President Donald Trump had pulled out of two other nuclear arms treaties with Russia, as part of a general withdrawal from international agreements. The Biden administration’s move extends the New START treaty for five years. Blinken says the U.S. will use that time to try for more limits with both Russia and China on the world’s nuclear arsenals.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government has designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity. The government notes the Proud Boys played a “pivotal role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6” and a senior official says that contributed to the designation. The Proud Boys is a far-right, male chauvinist extremist group known for engaging in violent clashes at political rallies. The group has faced increased scrutiny after seizing on the former Trump administration’s policies and was a major agitator during earlier protests and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6

NEW YORK (AP) — David Fincher’s “Mank” has topped Golden Globe nominations with six nods, while Netflix dominated Wednesday’s announcement thanks to both its films and television series. The film about “Citizen Kane” co-writer Herman Mankiewicz, landed nominations for best film, drama; best actor for Gary Oldman; best director for Fincher, best supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried; best score; and best screenplay for Jack Fincher, the director’s father who penned the script before dying in 2003. In addition to “Mank,” the nominees for best motion picture drama are “The Father”; “Nomadland”; “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Promising Young Woman.” Netflix’s “The Crown” led all television nominees with six.