Wayne Byers Show – Morning – Jul 2

CSi Weather…

.REST OF TODAY…Sunny. Highs 90 to 95. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

.TONIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 60s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 90s. South winds 15 to 20 mph. Heat index 95 to 100.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. A 40 percent chance of

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Southwest winds

5 to 15 mph.

.INDEPENDENCE DAY…Sunny.   A 20 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms in the afternoon.  Highs in the mid 90s. Northwest winds

5 to 15 mph.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers in the

afternoon. Highs around 90.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

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

thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70s.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s.

.WEDNESDAY…Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

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

thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 90s.

 

Fire Rating

 

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats 10:45 a.m.

Thurs. Jul 1, 2021

Barnes

New Positives  0

Total Positives 1423

Active: 0

Recovered: 1393

 

Stutsman

New Positives 1

Total Positives 3436

Active 1

Recovered 3464

 

 

(CCHD)  City/County Health reports, that testing continues to be important. If you have any symptoms, it is important to be tested. If you have symptoms and need to be tested at other times contact your clinic.

Administrator Theresa Will says testing will move inside City County Health, starting Friday July 2  at the CCHD location.  415 2nd Ave NE, from 12:30-p.m., to 1:30-p.m, with  t he Quick test will be administered by staff members inside their offices in Valley City.

Also starting soon testing will be available on Mondays during the same time, with the exemption of Monday July 5.

Call 845-8518 to make an appointment.

Pre-register for all clinics.

 

 

Valley City  (VCPD)  The Valley City Police Department reports, that police along with the Barnes County Sheriff’s Office and the Stutsman County Narcotics Task Force took down a marijuana  growing operation in Valley City.

The News Release says, on June 30, 2021 Valley City Police received information of a possible marijuana  growing operation in the 600 block of 11^th Avenue Southwest in Valley City.  As officers investigated they discovered a vent leaving the apartment which smelled of raw marijuana.  A search warrant was obtained for the residence and subsequently  several items associated with growing and manufacturing operations, as well as several live marijuana plants seized.

The police report says 32 year old Douglas Krall, of Valley City, has been arrested for Possession with intent to Manufacture/Deliver a Controlled Substance, a Class B-Felony.  The report says, more charges are expected to be brought forth, at a later time.

VCPD, and BCSD collaborate  with SCNTF for these types of investigations.  The SCNTF covers a five county region including, Barnes, Stutsman, LaMoure, Eddy, and Foster Counties and the Cities of Jamestown, Valley City and Carrington.

 

 

Valley City  (CSi)  – Starting July 2nd, 2021, the temporary stop signs at the intersections of 2nd Street SW and 6th Avenue SW, 3rd Street SW and 6th Avenue SW, and 3rd Street SW and 7th Avenue SW will be removed. The intersections then return to uncontrolled.

Maps for all road closures and updated sign layouts will be posted on the City of Valley City’s webpage http://www.valleycity.us/engineers/ when they are taking affect. If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact KLJ at (701)-845-4980.

 

Carrington  (Sen. Hoeven’s Office)   – Senator John Hoeven, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee,  Thursday  hosted senior officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at meetings in Carrington and Argusville to assess drought conditions and gather input from agriculture producers. Hoeven invited Risk Management Agency (RMA) Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux to the state to provide USDA with firsthand knowledge of the situation and to help inform farmers and ranchers of the resources available. The senator started his drought review yesterday with producer meetings in Mandan and Minot.

 

Hoeven, Flournoy and Ducheneaux discussed the following assistance and flexibilities that are available to assist producers, to date:

 

Available Emergency Assistance

 

• Emergency Grazing – Producers in 50 North Dakota counties are currently eligible for emergency grazing of CRP acres at limited capacity.
• Livestock Forage Program – Provides payments to livestock owners for feed costs, up to 60 percent of the total monthly cost. Producers in 50 North Dakota counties are currently eligible.
• Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) – Provides assistance to livestock producers for losses not covered by other disaster programs, including assistance for the cost of hauling water to livestock.

 

Further, Hoeven outlined efforts to secure additional disaster assistance, including:

 

• Urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to allow both emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in North Dakota before August 1.
  • CRP acres in 50 North Dakota counties are currently eligible to be grazed at limited capacity, they are not eligible to be hayed.
  • In a recent letter to Vilsack, Hoeven led the delegation in stressing the risk of poor forage conditions if producers wait until the required date to hay.
• Pressing RMA to work with approved insurance providers to ensure quick and fair crop adjustments and payments.

 

Hoeven said, “Our producers are facing historic drought conditions, which impact every corner of the state, with the majority of counties in the extreme drought category or worse.  It is critical that Administrators Flournoy and Ducheneaux are here in North Dakota to hear about these challenges directly from our producers. This is not only an opportunity to ensure farmers and ranchers can access the available assistance, but also helps inform our continued efforts to strengthen the federal emergency response and provide support when it is needed most.”

 

As Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has worked to provide strong support for programs in annual funding legislation to ensure assistance is available to producers when needed most.

 

 

WHIP+ & QLA

 

This week’s meetings follow Hoeven’s efforts to finalize the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) program and the Wildfire, Hurricane and Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). The senator is urging USDA to send out the recently-announced payments to producers as soon as possible, which will cover their full QLA payments and additional WHIP+ payments covering 90% of 2019 indemnities as a result.

 

Prior to this, Hoeven secured funding and eligibility for the programs, including:

 

• $1.5 billion for WHIP+, along with authorization to establish the QLA program, including coverage for excess moisture and D3 drought in FY2020.
• $1.5 billion for QLA and WHIP+ in FY 2021 Agriculture Appropriations to ensure program funding to meet the demand from producers who were impacted by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.

 

Producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019 were eligible to apply for QLA, which covers losses from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms, wildfires, drought and excessive moisture. Additional information on QLA and WHIP+ is available from USDA at www.farmers.gov.

 

Jamestown  (JDA)      The Jamestown Downtown Association announces that  Kids Bike Parade on Saturday July 3.  JDA President, Lynn Lambrecht says, “Due to road construction and open business traffic, we will use 2nd Avenue this year.”

Participants are asked to gather at 9:30 at the parking lot by the railroad tracks on 1st Street E, the Schuberts side. The parade will start at 10 am with a police escort to McElroy Park, ending with root beer floats in the Sertoma shelter.

Lynn adds, “Make sure all the kids get registered there for the boys and girls bikes we will give away at the end. Kids and families are encouraged to dress in their best red, white and blues as we will give away cash prizes to the top 3 costumes.”

45 Photos by Matt Sheppard for CSi are posted online at Facebook.   Like & Share.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  The Independence Day public fireworks display in Jamestown is planned for Sunday July 4, following the Sunday races at Jamestown Speedway, at the Stutsman County Fairgrounds.

RES Pyro, of Belle Plaine, Minnesota, will  begin the display  lasting approximately 15 to 20 minutes beginning at 10:30 p.m. from the north end of the track, taking a break in racing, if it’s still going on, and then return to racing after the fireworks.

Jamestown Speedway racing is Sunday July 4 starting at 7-p.m.

 

 

Sanborn  (CSi)  Sanborn Veterans Park will be dedicated on Saturday July 3, during the annual Fourth of July activities that will be held  on July 3 in Sanborn.

At 10-a.m., there will be a parade, followed by children’s races.

At Noon, the Sanborn Park Dedication.

At Dusk, the fireworks display will be held.

Sanborn Veterans Park is located at the intersection of Barnes County Road 11 and 5th Avenue, one block north of Main Street on the west side of Sanborn.

 

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A coalition of attorneys general from nearly three dozen states and nine pharmacy associations are supporting a North Dakota law aimed at regulating pharmacy benefit managers. A trade group representing pharmacy benefit managers filed a federal lawsuit in 2017 challenging the North Dakota law. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, negotiate with drug makers on behalf of health insurers, employers and unions that cover medications. A federal appeals court later ruled North Dakota law regulating pharmacy benefit managers is preempted by federal law. Now the case is headed back to the appeals court after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar Arkansas law late last year.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A group of ultraconservative North Dakota lawmakers and Republican Party leaders have proposed a ballot measure to place term limits on the governor and members of the Legislature. If Secretary of State Al Jaeger approves the petition, which he received Thursday, petitioners would have one year to gather 31,164 signatures to put the measure to voters next year. The initiative would add a new article to the state constitution, effective Jan. 1, 2023, imposing term limits of eight cumulative years each in the House and Senate. The governor could not be elected more than twice. More than 60 current lawmakers have served eight or more years. Two Republicans, Sen. Ray Holmberg, of Grand Forks, and Rep. Bob Martinson, of Bismarck, have each served more than 40 years.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An environmental group wary about the sale of North Dakota’s largest coal-fired power plant by a nonprofit Minnesota electric cooperative wants officials in that state to review the deal. The Sierra Club says ratepayers are being left in the dark. Bismarck-based Rainbow Energy Center LLC said it reached an agreement Wednesday to acquire the Coal Creek Station in west-central North Dakota from Maple Grove, Minnesota-based Great River Energy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Great River supplies electricity to 28 rural Minnesota cooperatives. It’s unclear if the cooperatives have signed off on the deal.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests the economy continues growing at a strong pace in nine Midwest and Plains states. The overall index for the region crept up to 73.5 in June from May’s already strong 72.3 reading. Any score above 50 suggests growth. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the region is expected to keep growing and return to pre-pandemic levels early next year. Business leaders said supply delays are causing problems in manufacturing and high inflation remains a concern. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

 

In sports…

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh), the Milwaukee Bucks leaned on a balanced attack to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Brook Lopez scored a playoff career-high 33 points as the Bucks dumped the Atlanta Hawks, 123-112. Lopez was among four Bucks to score over 20 points. Khris Middleton provided 26 points, Jrue (jroo) Holiday had 25 and Bobby Portis added 22. Middleton also had 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Holiday had 13 assists and six boards.

Milwaukee led 36-22 after a first quarter in which the Bucks outscored the Hawks 28-8 in the paint.

Each team was missing its biggest star as Antetokounmpo dealt with a hyperextended left knee and Atlanta’s Trae Young sat out a second straight game due to a bone bruise in his right foot.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Hawks with 28 points. Atlanta also got 19 points each from John Collins and Danilo Gallinari, and 17 from Lou Williams.

The Bucks are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.

Game 6 is Saturday in Atlanta.

NBA-RAPTORS-HARRIS BANNED

Harris kicked out of NBA for drug violation

NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto Raptors guard Jalen Harris has been dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for violating terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

The league, teams and union are prohibited from publicly disclosing information about testing or treatment of any NBA player under the Anti-Drug Program, other than to announce a suspension or dismissal.

Harris is eligible to apply for reinstatement in a year.

Harris averaged 7.4 points and 13.2 minutes in 13 games this season for Toronto on a two-way contract.

MLB..

The White Sox coughed up a 3-0 lead before Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning of their 8-5 win over the Twins. Brian Goodwin also went deep for the AL Central leaders, who have won four in a row while scoring at least seven runs in each game.

Carlos Rodon (roh-DAHN’) struck out nine over five innings but left with the game tied 4-4.

— Pavin (PAY’-vihn) Smith and Josh Reddick homered for the Diamondbacks in a 5-3 victory against the Giants. Winning pitcher Merrill Kelly allowed three runs and seven hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter. Arizona snapped a four-game losing streak and ended its nine-game skid against the Giants, whose lead in the NL West is down to a half-game over the Dodgers.

 

UNDATED (AP) — It was a good afternoon for a pair of American League leaders.

Kiké (KEE’-kay) Hernández led off with a homer for the third time in five days to ignite the Red Sox’s 15-1 laugher over the Royals. J.D. Martinez also homered, starting Boston’s four -run fourth with his 17th of the season.

Danny Santana and Rafael Devers (DEH’-vurz) each homered and drove in five runs to add to the assault.

Nathan Eovaldi (eh-VAHL’-dee) scattered five hits over seven shutout innings to help the AL East leaders pick up their seventh consecutive win.

 

In other Thursday action:

— José Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) hit a grand slam and the Astros snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-2 win over the Indians. Targeted from the moment he stepped into the batter’s box to start the game, Altuve connected for his fifth career slam in the fifth inning off rookie J.C. Mejia to give Houston a 5-2 lead. Yordan (yohr-DAHN’) Álvarez and Michael Brantley homered in support of Framber Valdez, who allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings.

— Joey Gallo homered in his fifth straight game and Nate Lowe went deep twice in the Rangers’ 8-3 pounding of the Athletics. Gallo finished 3 for 3 with a walk and three RBIs while tying the second-longest home run streak in club history. John Hicks hit his first home run since 2019 as Texas won for the fifth time in six games.

— The Mariners were 7-2 winners over the Blue Jays behind Yusei Kikuchi (YOO’-say kih-KOO’-chee) pitched one-run ball over seven innings. Kikuchi struck out six and allowed five hits in winning his third straight start, moving to 5-0 in his last seven. Jake Fraley and Shed Long Jr. homered off Hyun Jin Ryu.

— Corbin Burnes went beyond seven innings for the first time in the majors allowing a run and four hits over 7 1/3 as the Brewers earned their ninth straight win, 7-2 versus the Pirates. Jace (jays) Peterson put the Brewers ahead for good with an RBI triple in the second before scoring on Jackie Bradley’s double later in the inning.

— Elías Díaz hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Rockies a rain-delayed, 5-2 win over the Cardinals. Brendan Rodgers also homered and Daniel Bard (4-4) got the win in relief as Colorado won its fourth in a row. Nolan Arenado (ar-eh-NAH’-doh) went hitless in four at-bats in his first game in Denver since Colorado traded him to St. Louis in the offseason.

— Tyler Stephenson’s RBI single with two out in the bottom of the ninth gave the Reds a 5-4 win over the Padres. Kyle Farmer smashed a tying homer in the ninth against San Diego closer Mark Melancon, who loaded the bases before Stephenson lined a 1-0 pitch down the right-field line to win it. Manny Machado gave the Padres a 4-3 lead by scoring from second on a throwing error before San Diego lost for just the second time in 13 games.

 

— Max Muncy’s grand slam was the difference as the Dodgers earned a rain-shortened win over the Nationals, 6-2. Muncy’s blast off Patrick Corbin snapped a 2-2 tie in the fifth, a few batters after A.J. Pollock began the inning with a home run. The game was stopped after five innings due to a tornado warning and was halted for good following a 77-minute rain delay.

— The Braves pulled out a 4-3 win over the Mets on Freddie Freeman’s game-winning, RBI single off Seth Lugo in the bottom of the ninth. The Braves were the first team to score three earned runs in a game off Jacob de Grom, who also struck out 14 over seven innings. Austin Riley homered as the Braves took the rubber match of the series and dealt New York its 11th loss in 17 games despite Dominic Smith’s first two-homer game.

— The Phillies and Marlins were rained out in Philadelphia and will make up the game on July 16. About 90 miles northeast, the Yankees and Angels were rained out. That game will be played August 16.

MLB-ALL-STAR GAME

Tatis, Guerrero among MLB All-Star Game starters

NEW YORK (AP) — The Major League All-Star Game will include two slugging sons of former big leaguers.

Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis (tah-TEES’) Jr. will be among the starters for the National League, while Blue Jays outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will represent the American League. They are among nine first-time All-Stars elected Thursday to start the July 13 game at Colorado’s Coors Field.

Guerrero will be joined in the AL starting lineup by Toronto teammates Marcus Semien and Teoscar (tay-AHS’-kur) Hernandez. The rest of the AL starters are Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Red Sox infielders Rafael Devers (DEH’-vurs) and Xander Bogaerts (BOH’-gahrts), Angels DH Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee), and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Angels outfielder Mike Trout was selected as a starter but won’t be available.

Reds outfielders Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-nohs) and Jesse Winker are NL starters, as are Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Ronald Acuna (ah-KOON’-yuh) Jr. Giants catcher Buster Posey, Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier and Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (ar-eh-NAH’-doh) round out the NL lineup.

MLB-NEWS

Dodgers’ Roberts says Bauer still expected to start Sunday

UNDATED (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says pitcher Trevor Bauer is still on track to start Sunday against the Washington Nationals despite a police inquiry.

Police in Pasadena, California, are investigating claims by a woman who says the reigning NL Cy Young winner assaulted her. The woman has obtained a protection order.

Under the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has the power to place a player on administrative leave while allegations are investigated.

Also around the majors:

— Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña (ah-KOON’-yah Jr. was a late scratch with mid-back tightness for tonight’s game against the Mets. Acuña leads the NL in runs, ranks second in stolen bases and third in homers. He was taken out of the lineup less than 20 minutes before the first pitch.

— Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner vows to keep manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and the core of his team. Steinbrenner spoke with reporters on Thursday, hours after a crushing loss to the Angels in which New York wasted a four-run, ninth-inning lead. The Yankees are 41-39, fourth in the AL East and nine games behind first-place Boston.

— The Dodgers will visit the White House on Friday to celebrate their first World Series championship in 32 years. President Joe Biden will welcome the team for a ceremony in the East Room. It will be the Dodgers’ first visit to the White House since 1988, when President Ronald Reagan welcomed them after their championship season.

— The major league batting average jumped to .246 in June amid a crackdown by the commissioner’s office on foreign substances utilized by pitchers. The league average is .239, the lowest through June since a .233 mark in 1968.

NFL NEWS

NFL fines Washington $10M after misconduct investigation

UNDATED (AP) — The NFL has fined the Washington Football Team $10 million after a months-long independent investigation found the organization’s workplace “highly unprofessional,” especially for women.

The team was not stripped of any draft picks and no formal suspensions were handed out as part of the league’s discipline.

Owner Dan Snyder is stepping away from day-to-day operations for several months after the inquiry revealed that ownership and senior officials paid little attention to sexual harassment and other workplace issues. Snyder says his wife Tanya will be in charge for the next “several months.”

In other NFL news:

— The Jaguars and first-year coach Urban Meyer have been fined along with the Cowboys and 49ers for violating rules governing offseason practices. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the decision who says Meyer and the Jaguars incurred the biggest fines. Meyer is being docked $100,000 while the team was fined $200,000.

—The Steelers have signed kicker Sam Sloman to a one-year contract, giving veteran Chris Boswell some competition going into training camp. Sloman made 10 of 13 field goals as a rookie last season while splitting time between Tennessee and the Los Angeles Rams.

NHL NEWS

Kings acquire Arvidsson from Predators for 2 picks

UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville for a second-round pick this year and a third-round selection in 2022.

The 28-year-old Arvidsson is a two-time 30-goal scorer who has spent his entire seven-year NHL career with Nashville. After scoring 94 goals in three seasons from 2016 to 2019, the Swede has scored only 25 combined goals in the past two coronavirus-affected seasons while struggling with injuries.

TENNIS-WIMBLEDON

Djokovic plays Kudla on No. 1 Court at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Novak Djokovic will have to play his third-round match away from Centre Court in order to make room for two British men.

The top-ranked Serb will face American qualifier Denis Kudla on No. 1 Court as he tries to maintain his bid for a third straight Wimbledon title. Tournament organizers have placed 22nd-seeded Daniel Evans of Britain on Centre Court instead. Evans will take on Sebastian Korda of the United States before two-time champion Andy Murray plays No. 10 Denis Shapovalov. In the women’s draw, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka faces Maria Osorio Serrano and former French Open champion Iga Swiatek takes on Irina-Camelia Begu.

PGA-ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC

Tour newbie leading in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — Davis Thompson tied a Detroit Golf Club record with a 9-under 63 to take the early first-round lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Thompson made just his third PGA start after receiving a sponsor exemption for the tournament. He missed only one green and needed just 26 putts in a bogey-free round with nine birdies.

Brandon Hagy, Tom Lewis and Joaquin Niemann are two strokes back.

LPGA-VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA

Ko leads in Texas

THE COLONY, Texas (AP) — Jin Young Ko shot an 8-under 63 in hot conditions at Old American to take a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the LPGA’s Volunteers for America Classic in Texas.

Ko played the final nine in 6-under 29 as the temperature climbed into the mid-90s. She’s just ahead of fellow South Korean major champions and area residents In Gee Chun and Jeongeun Lee6.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the economy growing rapidly as it reopens from the pandemic, many employers are becoming desperate to hire. Yet the evidence suggests that the unemployed as a group aren’t feeling much urgency to find work. How those two trends balance themselves out will likely set the pace for how many jobs employers can fill in the coming months. On Friday, economists expect the government to report that the economy added 675,000 jobs in June. That would be a substantial gain but nowhere as many hirings as would be expected given the demand for labor and the record number of openings employers are posting.

 

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. officials say the U.S. military has left Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. The facility was the epicenter of the war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. Two officials say the airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security and Defense Force in its entirety. They spoke on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to disclose the handover to the media. One of the officials also said the U.S. top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin S. Miller, “still retains all the capabilities and authorities to protect the forces.”

 

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Some 130 countries have backed a global minimum tax as part of a worldwide effort to keep multinational firms from dodging taxes by shifting their profits to countries with low rates. The agreement announced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development also provides for taxing the largest global companies in countries where they earn profits through online businesses but may have no physical presence. The deal now will be discussed by the Group of 20 countries at meetings later this year in hopes of finishing the details in October and implementing the agreement in 2023.

 

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — Florida officials are working on plans to demolish what’s left of a partially collapsed oceanfront condominium building. The plans were revealed Thursday after concerns about the structure’s instability prompted a 15-hour halt to the search for survivors. After rescue efforts resumed Thursday evening, officials said they had started planning for the likely demolition of the remaining structure. Scott Nacheman, a FEMA structures specialist, said engineers are looking at different methods for the demolition. He said if the building comes down, there initially will be a slowdown in the rescue operation. But he said the demolition of the structure would create a safer working environment that could allow more personnel on the site and accelerate the pace of the work.