CSi Weather…

TONIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 80. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

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

and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s. East winds around

10 mph.

.SATURDAY…Sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms in the morning. Highs in the lower 80s. Northeast

winds 5 to 10 mph.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows around 60.

.MONDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

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

thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. A 30 percent chance of

showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 60.

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

thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s.

Scattered thunderstorms this evening and into tonight. A few
storms may be strong to severe with small hail and gusty winds.

There is a chance for thunderstorms on Friday. The chance for
severe weather is low.

 

UPDATE

Jamestown  (Arts Center)  The Jamestown Downtown Arts Market has been cancelled for this evening, (Jul 8.)

Angela Martini says, “Due to the chance for storms tonight,  (Thursday) we are cancelling the market for tonight.  Bolder Shades of Blue will be performing at Fred’s Den instead of the Arts Market. Unfortunately we can’t control the weather.”

Next:

July 15th:  DEB JENKINS BAND
With: Heather Rae
One of the upper midwest’s finest R&B and blues bands, the Deb Jenkins band has gained a passionate following from their performances ta the annual Fargo Blue Festival and clubs throughout the region. This is not a background music band… be prepared to be compelled to dance, dance, dance!

Heather Rae is an Indie/Pop singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, TN. Her refreshingly unique pop sound is a blend of Aretha Franklin and Bruno Mars, which is a rare find in a city known for its country music. The Nashville Songwriter’s Association International (NSAI) has named Heather Rae as a One-to-Watch amongst today’s rising songwriters. Please visit www.HeatherRaeMusic.com for more information.

 

COVID-19 Stats

10:45 -a.m.

Thurs. July 8, 2021

 

Barnes

One New Death

Total Deaths  32

New Positives  1

Total Positives  1425

Active: 2

Recovered:  1393

 

Stutsman

New Positives 0

Total Positives 3548

Active 2

Recovered 3465

 

 

(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 has moved inside City County Health, at the CCHD location.  415 2nd Ave NE, from 12:30-p.m., to 1:30-p.m, with  the Quick test will be administered by staff members inside their offices in Valley City, on Mondays and Fridays.

Call 845-8518 to make an appointment.

Preregister for all clinics.

 

 

Jamestown  (CSi)   On Thursday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, Stutsman County Veterans Service Office, David Bratton said, The Burleigh County van is now operational.  The service taking veterans to appointments at the VA in Fargo has been idle the past several months due to the COVID-19 social distancing issues.

However there are new rules and restrictions in effect with COVID-19 safety precautions.  Those including riders being fully vaccinated, with one person per row seating, and facemasks are required.

The Stutsman County website has the schedule published.

In addition, David said the access to the Veteran Service Office has changed. Those coming to the LEC, and contact him from the lobby for access, due to security protocols.  He said facemasks are not required, but encouraged.

On other topics, David said the VA has extended the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions for VA backed home loans.

He pointed out that the VA Saleforce joins forces to help veterans develop tech sector job skills.

David added, that the VA has expanded the “Pride in All who Served,” program, providing education for LGBTQ vets.  His office has more information and enrollment.

He also pointed out that the VA has awarded $418 million in grants  to non-profit organizations to help fight veteran homelessness.  David said if anyone knows of a homeless veteran to contact his office.

The V-Indicator on drivers licenses remains available to veterans indicating their veterans status.

The Stutsman County Veterans Service Office is located in the basement of the LEC. Open Monday-Friday from 8-a.m. to noon, and 1-p.m., to 5-p.m.

Call 701-252-9043.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  South Central Transit Network announces that wearing a facemask when riding, will remain a requirement through September 2021.

At that time the facemask wearing requirement will be revisited.

 

 

 

 

Valley City  (CSi)   – The Bridges Arts Council is proud to announce an exciting event Sunday, July 11th, as part of their “Sunday Afternoons In Pioneer Park” series called “The Spoken Word.”

It will feature award-winning, nationally renowned, singer, songwriter, and author Jessie Veeder, who calls Watford City, North Dakota home. Prior to Veeder’s performance, members of the Valley City High School Championship Speech team will open the event by offering poetry with which they competed for the National Speech and Debate Tournament in June. The Spoken Word event will be held at Pioneer Park Outdoor Amphitheater, located at 800 4th St. NW in Valley City, starting at 5:30 PM on Sunday, July 11th. Sandwiches and refreshments will be served.

Accessibility accommodations will be in place to enable all community members wishing to attend the performances to do so. If you require assistance with transportation, please reach out to South Central Transit Services prior to the event by calling or texting 240-462-8785 and ask for a ride to “The Spoken Word.”

Additionally, on Monday, July 12th, Jessie Veeder will be leading a Writer’s Workshop for youth ages 13-18 at the Valley City Barnes County Library from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Veeder is a columnist for the Forum News Service and the author of Coming Home (2017), her tribute to life in a North Dakota paradise. The workshop will be offered to participants free of charge with all materials provided by the library. Youth interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Valley City Barnes County Public Library at (701) 845-3821.

Both engagements are supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Local contributions are being provided by the Bridges Arts Council. John Deere Seeding Group is contributing financial support for the “Spoken Word” event and for subsequent Amphitheatre events this summer.

For more information or questions about this and upcoming events please contact Bridges Arts Council Arts Administrator, Nick Lee, at info@bridgesarts.org or by calling 701-840-6182 and leaving a voicemail.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota is suing the Biden administration over its suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water. President Joe Biden shut down oil and gas lease sales from the nation’s public lands and waters in his first days in office, citing worries about climate change. The lawsuit filed Wednesday claims the move is unlawful and will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawsuit seeks to force the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to reschedule two lease sales that already have been canceled and block the agency from revoking others in the future.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The average price for gas in North Dakota has hit a six-year high. KFGO reports that according to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the state is now $3. The last time drivers in North Dakota paid an average of $3 per gallon was Nov. 18, 2014. The current average is up 14 cents from a month ago and 90 cents from this time last year. It’s still 14 cents below the national average of $3.14, however. According to AAA, increases in the cost of crude oil spurred by robust demand are driving the price jumps.

 

TOWN OF CAMPBELL, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors in La Crosse County have charged a woman with fleeing from police at speeds of nearly 140 mph on Interstate 90. The La Crosse Tribune reports that 36-year-old Amy Torres of Fargo, North Dakota, was charged Wednesday with attempting to elude an officer, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. According to the criminal complaint, a town of Campbell police officer was running radar checks on Interstate 90 and clocked Torres traveling west at 119 mph in a 70 mph zone. She reached a speed of 137 mph as she fled from the officer. The chase ended when she ran out of gas on a bridge over the Mississippi River linking Wisconsin and Minnesota.

 

In sports…

Jamestown (CSi) On July 9th & 10th, the Jamestown area will host the first ever North Dakota Outlaw Fest racing, on a private airstrip about 18 miles west of Jamestown and then go south of I-94. Take Exit 248 to County Rd. 65, then turn right on 40th Street.

Featured will be Grudge Racing on Friday night with Street Tire, Small Tire, Big Tire, and Jr drags on Saturday, from North Dakota and other states.

Cost for spectators is $10 for Friday and $10 for Saturday with two-day passes available. Ages 12 and under get in free.

For more information, you can email scso@daktel.com or like the Twisted Times Motorsports Facebook page.

 

 

In world and national news…

TOKYO (AP) — Fans will be banned from the Tokyo area’s stadiums and arenas when the Olympic Games begin in two weeks. The decision by the city’s governor, in agreement with Olympics officials, came after the prime minister put the capital under a COVID-19 state of emergency because of rising new infections and the highly contagious delta variant. That means the Olympics will be a largely TV-only event. It was a serious blow for Japanese taxpayers and local organizers of the games, which already had been postponed from 2020 by the coronavirus. Hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket revenue will be lost, and that must be made up by the government.

 

 

(AP) New research from France adds to evidence that widely used COVID-19 vaccines still offer strong protection against a coronavirus mutant that now accounts for most U.S. infections. The delta variant is surging through populations with low vaccination rates. Researchers from France’s Pasteur Institute reported new evidence Thursday in the journal Nature that full vaccination is critical. In laboratory tests, a single dose of the two-dose Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines “barely inhibited” the delta variant. But after a second dose just about everyone experienced a big boost in immunity.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials are pushing back after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn’t want government employees going door-to-door to urge people to get vaccinated. Missouri asked for help last week from nearly formed federal “surge response” teams as it combats an influx of cases that’s overwhelming some hospitals. After one official noted the effort could include door-to-door vaccine promotion, Parson tweeted that he had told the health department that would not be effective or welcome in Missouri. But the White House coronavirus response coordinator said Thursday that the best people to talk about vaccinations are local doctors and faith and community leaders, who may go door to door.

 

HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official and Iranian media say the Taliban have taken control of another one of Afghanistan’s key border crossings, this time with Iran. It’s the third border crossing the insurgents have taken in the past week, after previously seizing crossings with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Afghan official says the Taliban on Thursday took control of the Islam Qala crossing point in western Herat province. Iranian media say Afghan soldiers fled their posts, crossing into Iran for refuge. A Taliban spokesman tweeted the seizure, saying local residents welcomed the insurgents warmly. Recent Taliban wins come as U.S. troops complete their pullout from Afghanistan.

 

MOSCOW (AP) — A delegation of the Taliban is visiting Moscow to offer assurances that their quick gains in Afghanistan don’t threaten Russia or its allies in Central Asia. Russian officials have expressed concern that the Taliban advances could destabilize the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan and voiced readiness to offer them security assistance if needed. Earlier this week, Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan. On Thursday, a Taliban spokesman told Tass news agency that a Taliban delegation has come to Moscow to “assure that we won’t allow anyone to use the Afghan territory to attack Russia or neighboring countries.”