Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Feb 16

CSi Weather…

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST WEDNESDAY…BARNES COUNTY

Forecast

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow after midnight. Lows 10 below. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings  25 below in the Jamestown area, 27 below to 32 below zero in the Valley City area.

.WEDNESDAY…Mostly cloudy. Chance of flurries in the morning.

Highs 5 to 10. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Lowest wind chill

readings 25 below zero in the morning.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows 5 to 10 below.

.THURSDAY…Partly sunny. Highs 10 to 15.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows 5 to 10 below.

.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs 10 to 15.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 above.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 20s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows 10 to 15.

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs 30 to 35.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear in the evening then mostly cloudy.

Lows 20 to 25.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs 40 to 45.

Rolling Blackout update…

Valley City Administrator, Gwen Crawford said at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting that the Power Emergency level has been reduced from Level 3 to Level 1, which indicates  the chance of rolling black outs continuing is lessening.

Fergus Falls, MN  (OTPC) Cold temperatures in our region and throughout the nation are causing high demand for electricity. Some electric utility customers are experiencing rolling outages as a result. Otter Tail Power Company, serving approximately 70,000 square miles in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, is still producing and delivering energy to its more than 130,000 customers.

Otter Tail Power Company is a member of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regional transmission organization. This is an independent not-for-profit organization that ensures safe, cost-effective power across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO is not requesting planned rolling outages from its member utilities at this time.

The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional transmission organization, which serves in a similar capacity for 17 U.S. states, has ordered rolling outages for its member utilities in an effort to not exceed what current energy generation and transmission can supply.

MISO and SPP overlap in much of Otter Tail Power Company’s service area, especially throughout North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as western Minnesota.

We encourage you to be prepared in case of an emergency, and we’ll be sure to provide updates as soon as we can if the situation changes.

(Insider.com )– A major power-grid manager that operates in states from North Dakota to Texas has ordered rolling blackouts amid an extreme cold blast that has hit much of the US.

Southwest Power Pool, which is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, ordered the rolling blackouts Monday, declaring an energy emergency. Extreme weather had already taken out power for millions of homes in Texas, where temperatures hit record lows.

Tuesday morning, rolling blackouts hit Valley City, ND residents.   For now the blackouts could last 30 to 60 minutes.   Valley City Public Works said it is likely to have more,  with little notice.   Other cities in ND are reporting short black-outs.

According to The New York Times, the organization manages the electric grid used in all of Oklahoma and Kansas and parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico.

The grid operator said in a statement on Twitter that this was the first time it had ordered mass rolling blackouts and that it was doing so to prevent further uncontrolled power failures.

Jamestown  (CSi) Due to  power grid interruptions nationwide, on Tuesday afternoon, Great Plains Housing Authority in Jamestown was without access to receive external email or have a web presence.

It was reported that as of Tuesdy afternoon, the phone lines are working. Anyone needing to contact the housing authority are asked to call the main phone line at 701-252-1098 for assistance.

Great Plains Housing Authority will continue to administer Section 8 Housing Assistance in Dickey, Foster, Logan, Sargent, Stutsman and Wells counties as well as administer the HOME deposit assistance across Region VI.

It is the continued mission of Great Plains Housing Authority provide safe, affordable housing opportunities for persons with low and moderate income and to promote economic self-sufficiency of families.

Valley City  (VCPS)  On Tuesday morning, VC Public School Supt Josh Johnson issued a statement, regarding rolling blackouts.

“We’ve learned that short power outages may continue throughout the day (Tuesday) here in Valley City. We are planning to continue the school day as scheduled knowing that our students and staff are resourceful, flexible, and up for any challenge (heck we’ve operated school during a pandemic).

Thank you for your patience and understanding that school will be different today, but we are committed to providing a warm and safe school environment for our students. If this plan does change for any reason, we will communicate with students, staff, and parents via our phone system, email, and social media.”

Josh Johnson

Superintendent

Valley City Public Schools

701-845- 0483

Also on Tuesday,  stemming from rolling electrical blackouts, the Valley City Public Works Department is asking residents to limit water usage until further notice.

The rolling blackouts were reported to be occurring in North Dakota and other parts of the country. The electrical outage, cuts power to the sewage lift stations.

The City of Valley City is informing residents that some areas are without power stemming from mandatory rolling electrical blackouts.

The city reports extreme cold throughout the state and country has made the state of North Dakota implement mandatory rolling blackouts. Each blackout is expected to last between 30 minutes.

City officials are not notified when the blackout will occur.

(Facebook)  Northern Plains Electric Cooperative (NPEC) experienced several substation outages throughout the service territory this morning (Feb. 16th) due to required load shedding from one of our power suppliers. The regional transmission operator Southwest Power Pool (SPP) (spp.org) issued an emergency request to our Power Supplier, Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), to start shedding load. The request from SPP was due to extreme temperatures throughout the central region of the nation which has caused a strain on the region’s electrical system. This request resulted in the deliberate shutdown of electric power at NPEC substations across our service territory to mitigate further strain of the electrical system. Members experienced outages that lasted between 45 to 60 minutes.

It is possible that the rolling outages may continue tonight (Feb. 16th) and tomorrow (Feb. 17th) morning. If this does occur, we expect similar outage durations of 45 to 60 minutes.

SPP operates the electrical transmission system across parts of 14 states, including North Dakota. SPP works with power suppliers to implement emergency outages if they reach a critical energy supply level. NPEC has no control over which service areas have power interrupted, nor do we know precisely when it will occur.

NPEC will provide further updates when more information becomes available.

Sioux Falls,  SD (MRES) – Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) was notified that the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) declared an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Level 3 on February 16th at 6:15 a.m. The emergency alert means that electric generation in the region is not sufficient to meet the extreme and widespread demand for electricity. SPP began temporarily shutting down power, otherwise known as rolling blackouts, which will reduce demand on the system. MRES had hoped to provide advance notice to its members but SPP was unable to notify us in time.

The shortage of electricity was caused by record low temperatures throughout the country, including those regions typically not impacted by winter weather. SPP has called for the curtailment of 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity throughout the region, of which 2,700 MW is load interruptions to utilities in the SPP footprint.

SPP is a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) that oversees the bulk electric grid and wholesale power market on behalf of a diverse group of utilities and transmission companies in 17 states. Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and MRES are both transmission owners in SPP and both serve the power supply needs of MRES members. MRES members located in the SPP footprint may be affected by this event.

Upon instructions by the Reliability Coordinator of SPP, WAPA began to curtail power to substations within the MRES membership, causing power outages in those communities. MRES was notified at about 10:50 a.m. that WAPA is in the process of restoring curtailed load. MRES has no control over, and does not make any decisions regarding when and if these rolling blackouts are required.

All MRES-operated generation resources have been operating to the fullest extent during this extreme weather event and are performing well. Those include Laramie River Station in Wheatland, Wyoming, the Exira Station near Atlantic, Iowa, and the Watertown Power Plant in Watertown, South Dakota. Many MRES members with local generating units in their communities are also running those units to support power supply in the region.

SPP remains in an Emergency Alert Level 3 because they are still operating below required minimum reserves. Therefore, MRES asks that its member municipal utilities do whatever they can to reduce power usage in their communities, such as requesting that customers voluntarily reduce electric usage by delaying running the dishwasher and clothes washer, turning down the heat, and shutting off lights.

When necessary, the call for rolling blackouts is made by the SPP operator and reliability coordinators. While we all hope this is never needed, the temporary outages help protect the grid from longer, more sustained outages. MRES will continue to provide updates on our website at www.mrenergy.com/news as they are available.

MRES is a joint-action agency made up of 61 member municipalities in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. MRES provides its members with wholesale electricity along with a host of energy-related services.

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats

Tues. Feb. 16, 2021

Barnes:

New Positives  0

Total Positives 1288

Active 6

Recovered 1243

Stutsman

New Positives  1

Total Positives 3276

Active 23

Recovered 3165

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.

* 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.

Notice:  Due to rolling power blackouts, the schedule of testing may be changed.

Valley CCHD  Free COVID-19 testing events for the VCSU and Valley City communities will be held this week:   Wednesday Feb. 17 and Friday Feb 19  from 1-2 p.m. at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse, “The Bubble”.Rapid testing events will be held.  Each day request if you would either the BiNax Rapid testing or the PCR test.

These are WALK-IN testing events. Colder temperatures have moved operations indoors. If you wish to be tested, please park your vehicle and enter through the west entrance. Handicap parking spaces and access are available at the east entrance. Preregistration at testreg.nd.gov is encouraged; one only needs to register once.

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Commission met in Regular Session, Tuesday evening virtually via the Zoom platform.

All members were present.

Discussion was held on the Valley City Mask Plan.   Mayor Carlsrud said, the commission had three options, on the Mask Mandate that expires on Friday February 19, 2021.  Options included ending the mask mandate in place, ending at the meeting date, or extending the mandate.

Commissioner Magnuson moved to end the mask mandate, only, in the Emergency Order.

Mayor Carlsrud agreed  to end the mask mandate, which can be reimposed at a later date, with City Commission approval.  The Commissioners voted unanimously to repeal the mask mandate.  Masking up in Valley City public buildings by employees is still encouraged, if social distancing is not being observed, with a specific plan to be developed.

APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

1. ApproveD Electrician, Plumber and/or Mechanical Contractor License(s) for the following businesses:
2. Bakkegard & Schell, Inc.
3. Peterson Mechanical Inc.
4. Kohn Electric LLC
5. Enterprise Electric, Inc
6. Keith’s Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating, Inc.

1. Hi-Line Electric, Inc. Master Electricians License Contingient Pending

1. Bentson Electric
2. Dakota Electric Construction
3. Hope Electric
4. Scott’s Electric
5. BDT Mechanical

1. Approve Raffle Permit for the following:
2. Dakota Plans Ag
3. Valley City Music Boosters
4. District 24 Republicans

Public Comments  No one spoke

ORDINANCE

Approved the first reading of Ordinance 1073 an Ordinance enacting new section of Valley City Municipal Code related to demonstrations and assemblies. City Attorney Martineck said based on activities over the past nine months, the Ordinance regulates appropriate activities, and restricts times and places to set up pickets and protests, and to notify police prior.  Bull Horns are limited for use during certain hours.  Violators will be guilty of an infraction with no jail time, and a fine up to $1,000, handled in municipal court.

NEW BUSINESS

Approved the VCBCDC request for $16,254.  Director, Jennifer Feist said, the dollars will be used for small project funding, with reimbursements to the taxing authority.

Approved changing the April 20th Commission meeting to Monday, April 19th to allow for NDLC training. Finance Director Richter  said the conference will be held in Bismarck and the change in date will allow those interest to attend.

Approved to move forward with 2021 Main Street Seal Coat Project. City Administrator Crawford said the approval includes specifics with elements of the project approved.

Approved a  Recommendation from Renaissance Zone Authority Board to approve application by Valley Bridges Properties, LLC at 753 8 ½ Ave NW for the 5 year property tax and 5 year income tax exemption up to $300,000 for construction of new home, contingent on their Certificate of Good Standing, and designate it as VC-127. Avis Richter said, certificate in good standing has been approved by the state.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:

Gwen Crawford said, the Chamber Bucks promotion is going well, adding that the Chamber will adjust purchasing hours if needed on a case by case basis.    She said water tower changes will continue to be addressed at future meetings with those involved.   She thanked department employees for working outside, during the brutally cold temperatures.

She was notified during the meeting that the Power Emergency level has been reduced from Level 3 to Level 1, which indicates  the chance of rolling black outs continuing is lessening.

 CITY UPDATES &COMMISSION REPORTS

City Attorney Martineck said the wireless communications items are being addressed, with the topic coming up for review in March.

Avis Richter said it’s possible that beginning in March the City Commission meetings are likely to return to City Hall.

Fire Chief Scott Magnuson reminds residents to keep sewer and furnace vents clear of ice, change furnace filters regularly and make sure floor drains have water in them to eliminate sewer gas in buildings.

Commission Gulmon said there remains $150,000 in the Chamber Bucks Love of Local funding.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 68 followed by replays.

Valley City  (Chamber  (2-16-21)   Valley City Mayor, Dave Carlsrud has issued a new message to residents.”

“February has seemed like the month where we begin crawling out of winter. I have always felt once we hit February, we would have cold snaps, but they are shorter, so much for that theory. Oh well, patience, there is some warmer weather in the forecasts.

Be friendly spread some happiness. Say “Hi” to people you don’t know, wave to people walking and driving.  “Reach out and touch someone” you haven’t visited in a while with a phone call.

“LOVE OF LOCAL” has a good start. Remember to buy Chamber Bucks in the Rosebud Center at a discount and redeem them in Valley City businesses at full face value. Chamber Bucks cannot be deposited in your bank. IT’S A GOOD DEAL!!

COVID VACCINATIONS, visit the City-County Health District website, citycountyhealth.org or call 845-8518.

The mitigations, washing hands, social distancing and masking when we can’t social distance, have put our area in a good position in the battle with COVID. Please continue mitigating and with more vaccinations, we’ll have a chance! Thank you for your efforts.

Gosh this has been a long pull, about a year now and I have some “COVID Fatigue”. This afternoon I was “short” in a statement to my wife, I don’t normally do that and she didn’t deserve it. That said, I searched “behavior health” and found 1. Getting enough sleep. 2. Healthy eating. 3. Exercise can all help us feel better about life and ourselves.  4. Practice gratitude, when I am thinking about all for which I have to be grateful, stress is greatly diminished.

“Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how.”

(Henry James)

Blessings, Pray, Be Safe and Be Kind,

Dave

Bismarck  (ND Aeronautics Commission)  North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports posted a total of 42,238 airline passenger boardings during the month of January, 2021. This is a 57% decline of the passengers that the state experienced during the same month last year which was pre COVID-19 pandemic.

North Dakota Aeronautics Commission  Kyle Wanner says, “The negative impacts that COVID-19 has had on airline passenger demand is continuing into 2021. It is however, encouraging to see COVID-19 cases in North Dakota and throughout the country trending lower which can have a direct impact on an individual’s decision to travel. We also remain optimistic that further passenger growth will occur as Spring approaches and penned up travel demand may help to jumpstart the recovery.”

January 2021 Jamestown airline boardings were 389 compared to 823 in January of 2020.

Update…

Sanborn  (CSi)  The City of Sanborn announces that the water service will be shut off on Thursday February 18, 2021, starting at 8-a.m, to repair the water leak.

Sanborn residents continue to be asked to limit their water usage until further notice as crews plan to repair a water leak that has persisted since Thursday, February 11th.

City spokeswoman Julie Franklin says the repair work will take several hours to complete possibly more than 24 hours. Store water or obtain water from a different source until the repair is completed.

She adds, that residents should refrain from showering and washing clothes until further notice. Your cooperation and patience are greatly appreciated.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Legislature is set to continue a committee that’s studying ways to spend earnings from North Dakota’s voter-approved oil tax savings account. The Legacy Fund Earnings Committee got the approval by the House and is poised to get the OK in the Senate. The 11-member committee includes Senate and House majority and minority leaders. The committee was formed two years ago and has held several meetings around the state but has not yet developed a plan for Legacy Fund earnings. The fund has hold about $8 billion and is expected to earn about $500 million in the next budget cycle.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Senate has killed a bill seeking to ban companies such as Apple and Google from requiring app developers to exclusively use their app store and payment system. Only 11 of the chamber’s 47 senators voted in favor of the bill Wednesday. Republican Sen. Kyle Davison, of Fargo, said his bill sought to “level the playing field” against companies he called monopolies. Fessenden GOP Sen. Jerry Kline and other opponents of the bill argued it interferes with the free market and could put people’s security and privacy at risk.

In sports….

Jamestown   (UJ)  The University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team swept this week’s edition of the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Volleyball Player of the Week awards, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Attacker – Zack Meyer, University of Jamestown (Outside)

Zack Meyer of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Attacker-of-the-Week. Meyer, a junior, from Wheaton, Illinois, had 26 kills and hit .512 in helping seventh ranked Jamestown to a pair of conference wins last week. He had 17 kills in a 3-1 win at No. 15 Ottawa. He made just one error with nine kills in 14 attempts in UJ’s 3-0 win at Morningside.

Setter- Derek Correa, University of Jamestown

Derek Correa of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Setter-of-the-Week. Correa, a freshman, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, averaged 6.14 assists per set in helping seventh ranked Jamestown (N.D.) to a pair of wins last week. He piled up 26 assists in a 3-1 win at #17 Ottawa.

Defender – Austin Jacob, University of Jamestown (Middle Blocker)

Austin Jacob of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Volleyball Defender-of-the-Week. Jacob, a freshman, from Houston, Texas, had nine total blocks in a pair of wins for seventh ranked Jamestown last week. He currently ranks 12th in the NAIA in blocks per set.

The Jimmies, 4-1 overall and ranked seventh in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll, host Dordt (Iowa) University Tuesday at 7 p.m.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Homeland Security chairman has sued Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. Democrat Bennie Thompson alleges that Trump conspired with members of far-right extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election results. The federal court lawsuit is part of an expected wave of litigation over the riot and is believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress. It was filed under a Reconstruction-era law known as the Ku Klux Klan Act and comes days after Trump was acquitted in an impeachment trial. The suit seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. A Trump adviser says Trump “did not incite” any violence at the Capitol.

(AP) Hospitals still ration medical N95 masks as stockpiles swell

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of N95 masks are pouring out of U.S. factories and heading into storage. Yet there still aren’t nearly enough going to hospitals. An Associated Press investigation finds that this logistical breakdown is due to federal failures over the past year to coordinate supply chains. Internal emails also show there were deliberate decisions to withhold vital information about new mask manufacturers and availability. Exclusive trade data and interviews with manufacturers, hospital associations and frontline medical workers reveal a deadly disconnect — and not an actual shortage — that is depriving doctors, nurses, paramedics and other people risking exposure to COVID-19 of first-rate protection.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) — A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather has claimed more lives. The dead include three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm. The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Wind-chill warnings extended from Canada into Mexico. At least 11 deaths were reported from other causes, including car crashes and carbon monoxide poisoning.

(AP)  Federal regulators say they are launching an “inquiry” into the operations of the bulk-power system during the severe winter storm that left millions without power in subfreezing temperatures in Texas and other states. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation announced the inquiry Tuesday. Officials said the immediate emphasis will remain on restoring power to customers and securing the reliability of the bulk-power system, but they will work with other federal agencies, states, regional entities and utilities to identify problems with the performance of the bulk-power system and identify solutions. FERC oversees interstate electricity transmission. NERC oversees reliability standards.