– Wayne Byers Show -Morning – Jan 3

CSi Weather

.REST OF TODAY…Partly sunny. Highs 15 to 20. Temperature

falling through the afternoon. Northeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

.TONIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows around 5 below. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

.TUESDAY…Cloudy. A 40 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Patchy blowing and drifting snow in the afternoon. Highs 5 to 10 above. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph increasing to north 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow in the Jamestown area 60 percent in the Valley City area. Areas of blowing and drifting snow. Lows around 5 below. Northwest winds around 25 mph.

.WEDNESDAY…Mostly cloudy. Windy. Areas of blowing and drifting

snow. Highs zero to 5 below.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows around 20 below.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs around 10 below.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows around 25 below.

.FRIDAY…Partly sunny. Highs around 10.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow after

midnight. Lows near zero.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of snow in the

morning. Highs 10 to 15.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing.

Lows around 10 below.

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

Snow is forecast for Tuesday and Tuesday night over western and
central North Dakota along with gusty winds causing blowing and
drifting snow. Snow totals are forecast to range from less than
one inch south and west of the Missouri River, to as much as 4
inches in spots around the Turtle Mountains. The more major
cities of Williston, Minot, Bismarck and Jamestown should end up
with an inch or two.

Gusty winds are forecast to reach near 35 mph north and east, to
as high as 45 mph southwest. This will cause reduced visibility in
blowing snow, and drifting snow, especially in areas that get the
higher amounts of fresh snow. Conditions will be worse, of
course, in open country.

It will turn much colder, again, for Wednesday and Thursday, then
not as cold for the coming weekend.

Jamestown (NDHP) The ND Highway Patrol reports a 39 year old Jamestown man was injured Friday about 9:21 p.m. in a crash between his pickup and a semi, on U.S. Highway 281 two miles south of Jamestown.

Sgt. Ben Kennelly reports, a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban driven by 39 year old Ian Winchester of Jamestown, was southbound along with a 2016 International truck pulling a flatbed load of lumber, driven by 47 year old Darshan Singh, of Saskatoon, SK.

The Chevrolet slowed down and the International began to pass. The Chevrolet began to turn left to the east, striking the International. The International then entered the west ditch traveling southbound, overturning onto the driver’s side with the trailer overturning on its top. The Chevrolet was pulled into the ditch by the momentum of the semi and stayed upright.

Both drivers were able to exit their vehicles. They were wearing seat belts

Winchester received a minor injury, both drivers declined treatment on the scene.

Assisting at the scene were, the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office and Jamestown Area Ambulance Service.

The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.

The North Dakota Department of Health dashboard is updated daily by 11 am and includes cases reported through the previous day. The investigations are ongoing and information on the website is likely to change as cases are investigated. The information contained in this dashboard is the most up to date and will be different than previous news releases. This dashboard supersedes information from previous news releases or social media postings.

Check out our other dashboards: The COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, NDUS Dashboard.

Sun. Jan 2, 2022

10:20 -a.m.

Barnes

New Positives: 1

Total Positives: 2234

Active: 15

Recovered: 2164

Breakthrough Incidents Per 10K Fully Vaccinated Individuals: 437

Stutsman

New Positives: 2

Total Positives: 5176

Active: 27

Recovered: 5024

Breakthrough Incidents Per 10K Fully Vaccinated Individuals: 475

Valley City (CCHD) City County Health in Valley City announces their COVID-19 testing days and site location in Valley City.

Testing is at the REC Center at 140 4th Street Southwest.

Testing will be 12:30-2:30 Mon, Weds, and Fridays.

There are opportunities for vaccinations, both for annual influenza and for the COVID vaccine. Call 845-8518 to make an appointment.

From City of Jamestown. It is unlawful to place or deposit snow from any private property onto a City Street. City Ordinance below:

Jamestown City Code Sec. 25–10.1. – Deposit on streets and alleys, etc.
It shall be unlawful for any person to remove snow, slush or ice from private property or from any driveway, curb cut, or sidewalk and deposit the same upon the surface of any street or alley within the city. The snow and ice may be removed by the city and the necessary expense thereof shall be chargeable against the abutting lot or property.
(a)Violation of this section is a class B misdemeanor under the general penalty.
It is unlawful to remove snow and ice from a sidewalk and place onto a City
street, unless given permission from the City Engineers office. The only area given permission is the Downtown Snow Removal District. See map of Downtown Snow Removal District on www.jamestownnd.gov for details.

Jamestown City Code Sec. 25–10. – Snow and ice—Removal from sidewalk.
The occupant or owner of each lot or parcel of land and the owner of each
unoccupied lot or parcel within the city, adjoining any street, and along which sidewalks have been built, shall clear the sidewalks and shall keep clear sidewalks along such lot or parcel of land all accumulations of snow and ice. It is an offense for the owner of any lot in the city to fail to remove from such sidewalk in front of or along any lot therein the ice or snow. The snow and ice may be removed by the city, and the necessary expense thereof shall be chargeable against the abutting lot or property.

Businesses and organizations interested in participating in Cabin Fever Days can fax information to 252-3914 or email john@jamestownparksandrec.com.

The deadline to submit information is Thursday, January 13, 2022

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former U.S attorney and lieutenant governor Drew Wrigley has launched a bid for North Dakota attorney general. The Republican said Thursday that he aims to fill the seat held by Wayne Stenehjem, who will not seek reelection next year. The 56-year-old Wrigley was U.S. attorney from 2001 to 2009, and again from 2019 to 2021. He was lieutenant governor from 2010 to 2016 under former GOP Gov. Jack Dalrymple. Wrigley’s most high-profile case as U.S. attorney was the conviction of Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. in the death of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Regulators in North Dakota have signed off on a new plan to tear down a wind farm. The Bismarck Tribune reported Wednesday that the Public Service Commission voted 2-1 to approve a new plan to remove 61 turbines on the North Dakota side of the Tatanka Wind Farm. The farm straddles the border between North Dakota and South Dakota. Tatanka wants to make cuts in the turbine towers and drag them to the ground with a cable. The company originally wanted to use a crawler crane to take down the structures, but says the cable method would cost about $5.5 million less. Commissioner Randy Christmann cast the dissenting vote, saying he was worried about environmental damage when the turbines come down.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Police in Bismarck have arrested a woman wanted for a homicide in a Detroit suburb. Ashinay Horton-Starks, 23, is wanted for allegedly killing a woman in Warren, Michigan in June. Authorities there had offered a reward for her arrest, the Bismark Tribune reported. The Bismarck Police Department made the arrest, but details of how they found her were not immediately available. It was not clear whether Horton-Starks had legal representation and she has not had a bail hearing.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A home in a Fargo mobile home park was destroyed in a fire Friday. When Fargo firefighters arrived at the home, flames were visible in the front door and a side window. KFGO-AM reported an adult and two children fled the home, but several pets died in the fire.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Williams County Sheriff’s Department reports that a 15-year-old boy died after apparently accidentally shooting himself. Sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of a gunshot wound found the boy’s body. The sheriff’s office says that initial findings show the boy accidentally shot himself. Authorities have transported his body to the North Dakota Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy.

In sports

UJ Basketball

Sat at Harold Newman Arena basketball results:

Women

Morningside Univ 78, Jamestown 73

Box Score

(UJ) The University of Jamestown women’s basketball team had its seven-game winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon at Harold Newman Arena, as the 10th-ranked Morningside (Iowa) University Mustangs defeated the Jimmies 78-73.

The Jimmies are now 11-5 overall and 4-4 in the GPAC while Morningside improves to 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference.

UJ trailed 23-17 after the first quarter but held the Mustangs to 25 percent shooting in the second, outscoring Morningside 20-10 to lead by four at halftime.

Audrey Rodakowski (SO/Dickinson, ND) gave Jamestown its biggest lead of the game with a basket at the 6:14 mark of the third, putting UJ ahead 48-39. The Mustangs outscored the Jimmies 14-4 over the next 5:43 to go ahead by one. Noelle Josephson (SR/Ramsey, MN)’s basket inside the final 20 seconds of the quarter put Jamestown back in front by one heading to the fourth quarter.

Hannah DeMars (JR/Grand Rapids, MN) knocked down a three-pointer with 5:15 remaining to make it 68-61 Jimmies, but the Mustangs got a Sierra Mitchell three on the next trip down the court to kickstart a 12-0 run lasting 3:33 to go ahead by five. Jamestown was able to get within two points on two different occasions, but Morningside went three-for-four at the line down the stretch to preserve the victory.

DeMars had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds to pace Jamestown. Rodakowski finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Josephson had 12 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.

Chloe Lofstrom led all scorers with 25 points and had 11 rebounds. Mitchell added 20 and Sophia Peppers 17, including 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

Jamestown returns to action Friday at Northwestern (Iowa) College.

Men

Jamestown 82 Morningside 70

Box Score

UJ An 11-0 run to open the second half erased a five-point halftime deficit as the 12th-ranked University of Jamestown men’s basketball team defeated Morningside (Iowa) University 82-70 Saturday afternoon at Harold Newman Arena.

The win puts the Jimmies at 15-2 overall and 5-2 in the GPAC while Morningside falls to 8-5 overall and 5-3 in league play. Jamestown is back in action Friday at Northwestern (Iowa) College.

Seven straight points by Mason Walters (JR/Jamestown, ND) put Jamestown ahead 12-4 just under five minutes into the game, but the Mustangs rallied to take a 20-14 lead after Jack Dotzler’s three-pointer at the 10:38 mark. Devon Schultz (SR/Arlington, MN) gave the Jimmies a four-point edge with a bucket coming with 8:27 left in the half.

Morningside finished the first half by scoring 20 of the final 31 points for a 41-36 halftime lead.

Marc Kjos (JR/Lake City, MN) opened the UJ second half with a three-pointer, then following John Argue (SO/Houston, TX)’s game-tying basket, Mason Walters and Cole Woodford (SO/Redwood Falls, MN) connected from long distance to make it 47-41.

Joey Skoff scored to bring Morningside within three points, but the visitors would get no closer. A 10-2 run punctuated by another Kjos three gave the Jimmies a 12-point lead with 7:54 remaining, and the game’s outcome was no longer in doubt.

Walters recorded a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup after missing the last five games due to injury. Woodford added 18 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting, and Kjos and Argue both finished with 16 points. Kjos added five steals and four assists.

Ely Doble had 16 points off the bench to lead the Mustangs, who also got double figure points from Zach Imig and Aidan Vanderloo with 10 each.

NFL..

— Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, A.J. Dillon ran for two more scores and the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 37-10 to wrap up the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Green Bay’s victory, coupled with Philadelphia’s 20-16 triumph at Washington, dropped the Vikings from postseason contention and gave the Eagles a playoff berth. The Packers are the lone NFL team with an unbeaten home record and have a chance to reach the Super Bowl without leaving Lambeau Field, where the temperature was 11 degrees just before kickoff.

— Daniel Carlson kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Raiders a 23-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Derek Carr found Hunter Renfrow for 24 yards on third-and-10 in the final minute, setting the stage for Carlson’s third field goal of the game. Las Vegas could wrap up a playoff spot if they beat the Chargers next weekend.

— The Los Angeles Chargers moved back into a playoff spot in the AFC with a 34-13 victory over the Denver Broncos. Justin Herbert threw for two touchdowns, while Andre Roberts returned a kickoff 101 yards for a score for L.A. While they are in the final wild-card spot now, Los Angeles will need to beat Las Vegas next week to secure a postseason berth.

— Robert Quinn broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s franchise single-season record with his 18th sack, and the Chicago Bears pounded the New York Giants 29-3. Trevis Gipson added a career-high two sacks for the Bears.

— Rookie Trey Lance overcame a first-half interception to throw two touchdown passes in the second half, and the San Francisco 49ers closed in on a playoff berth with a 23-7 victory over the Houston Texans. Lance got the start for the 49ers with Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined by a thumb injury. The Niners can clinch the playoffs with a loss by New Orleans or a win next week against the Rams.

UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs’ eight-game winning streak is over and they’ve lost the pole position in the AFC playoff race with their 34-31 loss at Cincinnati.

The Tennessee Titans are now the top seed heading into Week 18. The Titans ended Miami’s seven-game winning streak with a 34-3 win.

Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans clinched their second straight AFC South title, snapping the Miami Dolphins’ seven-game winning streak.

Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with the win over AFC West champion Kansas City.

Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores, breaking Cincinnati’s single-season passing record, while rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record and NFL rookie record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

In other NFL action:

— The AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for a sloppy performance from Josh Allen. The Buffalo quarterback did score two rushing touchdowns himself but also threw three interceptions.

— Rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes and Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for two scores apiece to put the New England Patriots in the playoffs with a 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots snapped a two-game losing streak and gave Bill Belichick his 20th 10-win season as a head coach, tying Don Shula for the most in NFL history.

— The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 20-19, devastating their postseason hopes. The Ravens were called for a crucial delay-of-game penalty on third-and-goal from the 4. After settling for a field goal, they allowed the Rams to drive the other way. L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford shook off three turnovers to throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. with 57 seconds left. The victory pushed the Rams to the cusp of their second straight NFC West title.

— Antonio Brown was kicked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets. Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans when he stripped off from the waist up, tossing his gloves and T-shirt into the stands.

— The Philadelphia Eagles clinched a playoff spot after beating Washington 20-16. Jalen Hurts scrambled out of trouble while showing no ill effects from a recent ankle injury, running six times for 45 yards. Boston Scott rushed for two touchdowns. Rodney McLeod picked off Taylor Heinicke in the end zone with 24 seconds remaining to seal it.

— Alvin Kamara turned a short pass into New Orleans’ first touchdown in more than 11 quarters, and the Saints beat the Carolina Panthers 18-10. The victory assured New Orleans would head into the final week of the regular season still in the hunt for an NFC wild-card playoff spot. Taysom Hill passed for 222 yards and led the Saints in rushing with just 45.

— Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes to Antoine Wesley and the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-22 in a matchup of playoff-bound teams. The outcome didn’t do much to change the races for the NFC’s No. 1 seed or the NFC West. But the Cardinals ended a three-game skid a week after backing into the postseason while stopping the NFC East champion’s four-game winning streak.

— The Seattle Seahawks routed the Detroit Lions 51-29. Rashaad Penny rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns, while Russell Wilson threw three of his four TD passes to DK Metcalf.

NHL..

UNDATED (AP) — Igor Shesterkin (shehs-TUR’-kihn) stopped 38 shots for his second shutout of the season, and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0.

Mika Zibanejad (MEE’-kah zih-BAN’-eh-jad) took care of the offense, with his eighth career hat trick. Ryan Strome also scored.

New York was without star forward Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH’-rihn), who was placed in COVID-19 protocols before the game.

In other NHL action:

— Nico Hischier scored his second goal of the game with 2:04 left in overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. Washington rallied late in regulation to force overtime, with Nic Dowd pulling the Capitals within a goal with 6:38 remaining and Conor Sheary tying it with 3:47 left.

— Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust both finished off hat tricks in the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 8-5 for their eighth straight win. The Pens built a 6-1 lead in the first period, but needed Rodrigues and Rust’s insurance goals after San Jose narrowed it to 6-5 with three goals in the final period.

— Erik Haula (HAW’-lah) scored a tiebreaking goal in the second period and the Boston Bruins pulled away with three more in the third to beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-1. Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves as Boston won for the second time in two days after six consecutive postponements due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

— The Colorado Avalanche rallied from two goals down past the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. Logan O’Connor scored a tiebreaking goal late in the third period, while Mikko Rantanen (MEE’-koh RAN’-tah-nehn) had a goal and two assists for the Avalanche. Colorado had not played since Dec. 16 due to COVID-19 cases on the team.

— Kyle Connor scored in overtime and the Winnipeg Jets held off the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in their return from a two-week hiatus. Mattias Janmark scored twice for Vegas in the third period, including a tying goal with 8.1 seconds left, but Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (HEH’-leh-buhk) improved to 4-1-1 career against the Golden Knights by stopping 42 shots.

— Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists, and the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1. Matthew Tkachuk (kah-CHUHK’) scored for a third straight game. Chicago dropped its fourth straight.

NHL-NEWS

Panthers’ Sam Bennett banned 3 games for hit to head

NEW YORK (AP) — Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett has been suspended three games without pay by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette during a game Saturday.

Paquette took possession of the puck in front of his own net and turned up ice to make a pass when Bennett glided in and drove a shoulder into Paquette’s head. Paquette left with a neck injury and did not return.

NBA..

— LeBron James scored 26 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers hung on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-103. A couple of streaks came to an end in the Lakers’ first game of the new year. They were James’ run of seven straight games with at least 30 points and Russell Westbrook’s stretch of four straight triple-doubles.

UNDATED (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 50 points, rallying the Boston Celtics from 14 points down late in the fourth quarter to a 116-111 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.

Brown scored 21 in the fourth quarter, then opened OT with his fifth 3-pointer of the game. Brown, whose previous career high was 46 against the Knicks on Oct. 20, also finished with 11 rebounds as the Celtics avoided losing for the fourth time in five games.

Marcus Smart added 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who needed an 11-2 run down the stretch to force overtime.

In other NBA action:

— Luka Doncic (LOO’-kuh DAHN’-chitch) had 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his return from a 10-game absence, and Dallas beat Oklahoma City 95-86. Doncic played with a long brace on his left knee and saw just over 31 minutes in his first game in 23 days. Josh Giddey had 17 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, becoming the youngest NBA player to have a triple-double at 19 years, 2 months, 23 days.

— The short-handed Phoenix Suns hammered the Charlotte Hornets 133-99. Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 assists to help the Suns improve to 28-8 — a half-game behind Golden State for the NBA lead. They had lost three of their previous four.

— Fred VanVleet scored 19 of his season-high 35 points in the third quarter, and the Toronto Raptors beat a depleted New York Knicks team 120-105.

Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who won back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks.

— The Sacramento Kings ended the Miami Heat’s five-game winning streak with a 115-113 victory. De’Aaron Fox scored 11 of his 24 points over the final six minutes, including two free throws with 6.2 seconds left for Sacramento. Damian Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

— The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 108-104 win over the Indiana Pacers. Rookie Evan Mobley had 24 points and nine rebounds, while Kevin Love scored 20 points for Cleveland.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Gabe Brown scored 20 points, Marcus Bingham Jr. added 13 and No. 10 Michigan State rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit for a 73-67 victory over Northwestern.

Max Christie had 11 points and Joey Hauser added 10 as the Spartans won their seventh straight.

In other top 25 men’s college basketball:

— Fabian White Jr. had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 14 points to lead depleted No. 12 Houston past Temple 66-61. Houston had 10 players available and only seven played.

— No. 13 Ohio State needed overtime, but the Buckeyes used it well, beating Nebraska 87-79. Freshman Malaki Branham scored 35 points and Jamari Wheeler made two 3-pointers early in the overtime for an Ohio State team that hadn’t played since Dec. 11 because of a COVID-19 outbreak in their program.

In world and national news…

(AP) President Joe Biden will meet virtually with independent farmers and ranchers. Biden on Monday is discussing initiatives with them to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry. The White House event is part of a broader effort to show the administration is trying to combat inflation. Consumer prices in November rose 6.8% over the prior 12 months. That’s a 39-year high. The administration is targeting meat processing plants. The White House says the top four companies control 85% of the beef market. Biden plans to stress the plans to distribute $1 billion from the coronavirus relief package to help independent meat processors expand.

(AP) Wintry weather combined with the pandemic to frustrate air travelers whose return flights home from the holidays were canceled or delayed in the first days of the new year. The tracking service FlightAware said more than 2,600 U.S. flights and more than 4,400 worldwide were grounded Sunday. That followed Saturday’s mass cancellations of more than 2,700 U.S. flights, and more than 4,700 worldwide. Saturday’s single-day U.S. toll of grounded flights was the highest since just before Christmas, when airlines began blaming staffing shortages on increasing COVID-19 infections among crews.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are on 2022′s first trading day after Wall Street ended last year with a double-digit gain. Hong Kong retreated while Seoul gained. Markets in Japan, China and Australia were closed. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index slipped Friday amid lingering worries about the coronavirus’s omicron variant but ended 2021 with an annual gain of 26.9%. Singapore’s government announced its economy grew by 7.2% last year, rebounding from the previous year’s 5.4% contraction. Oil prices rose and U.S. futures also were higher.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (AP) — Search teams looked for two missing people in the smoldering debris from a massive Colorado wildfire while people who escaped the flames sorted through what was left. Investigators were still trying to determine what caused flames to tear through at least 9.4 square miles, leaving nearly 1,000 homes and other buildings destroyed in suburbs between Denver and Boulder. The inferno broke out Thursday, unusually late in the year following an extremely dry fall and amid a winter nearly devoid of snow. Experts say those conditions, along with high winds, helped the fire spread. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle says authorities are pursuing a number of tips. The sheriff refused to give details Sunday, including whether he thought the fire was arson.

MONTREAL, Quebec (AP) — Quebec is proceeding with the first of three planned closures of non-essential retail stores as the provincial government tried to curb a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant. Hospitals and health-care resources in Quebec and Canada’s remote northern communities are also being stretched as case numbers explode. Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced last week that the bulk of the province’s stores would be closed for the next three Sundays, with the exception of pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations. Charles Milliard, president of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce, urged the government to lift the measures as soon as possible.