wbPM3CSi Weather…  .SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 10 TO 15. SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 10 BELOW. WEST WINDS  AROUND 10 MPH.
.MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 5 TO 10 ABOVE.
.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 10 BELOW. HIGHS AROUND 5 BELOW.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND  15 BELOW. HIGHS AROUND 5 BELOW.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…DECREASING CLOUDS. LOWS AROUND 10 BELOW. .THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE. LOWS AROUND 10 BELOW.  .FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 5 TO 10 ABOVE.

Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Police has released additional information concerning an alleged stabbing that occurred Thursday evening, (Jan 30, 2014) shortly before 6-p.m., at the Wonder Bar at the corner of 2nd St and 2nd Ave SE, in Jamestown.

MimsSgt. Tom Nagel says 34 year old Marlin Decoteau, Jr., of Jamestown is alleged to have been stabbed with a knife by 42 year old Eureka Mims of Jamestown.

Nagel says Decoteau on Friday afternoon was in the intensive care unit of a Fargo Hospital where he was airlifted to Thursday evening. He was reportedly stabbed several times in his neck and chest.

Mims as of Friday afternoon was in custody at the Law Enforcement Center, Correctional Center, Charged with Aggravated Assault.

He had not yet made his initial court appearance.

Nagel said the scene at the Wonder Bar was released Thursday night, and was open, on Friday.

He adds that witnesses were interviewed, and the investigation is continuing.

Nagel asks that anyone that was at the Wonder Bar at the time of the incident with any information, contact Jamestown Police at 701-252-2414.

Jamestown, ND (CSi) The Buffalo City Tourism Grant/Executive Advisory Board meeting was held Friday (Jan 31, 2014, at Historic Franklin School.

Grant Application presentations were made for:

Frontier Village, Staffing; $40,558

Frontier Village, Horse Care $11,700

Frontier Village, Events; $7500
Jamestown Park and Rec, Kitefest; $2000

Frontier Village Board President, Charlie Tanata said the request, an increase of $7,000 from the 2013 funding.

$40,558 was divided into $16,000 for maintenance, and $14,000 for the greeters salaries, and $10,000 for the Manager’s salary.

After discussion, the Grant/Executive Advisory board voted unanimously to grant funding of $35,000 a three percent increase from the 2013 budget.

The Board approved the Frontier Village Horse Care Request of $11,700 the same amount granted in 2013. The dollars are toward horses that are used for the stagecoach, and pony rides, and horse boarding.

With Front Village events the board approved the request of $7,500, an increase of $2,500 over the 2013 budget, which includes $2,500 for advertising.

Frontier Village Manager, Colleen Conley pointed out that Pioneer Days and the return of the World Fast Draw Association events will be combined with the dates set for August 8,9, & 10, 2014.

Jamestown Parks and Recreation Director, Doug Hogan gave a presentation for the $2,000 funding for Kitefest, 2014.

He said the event will be expanded to include a Friday evening meet and greet with the kite flyers and continue that Saturday and Sunday, at Meidinger Park in Jamestown. The funding request goes toward the participants hotel accommodations, meals, and advertising of the event.

The Board approved granting the request, the same amount as in 2013.

 

Jamestown (CSi) – In Jamestown, Friday, Gov. Jack Dalrymple congratulated the North Dakota State Hospital, which is part of the N.D. Department of Human Services, on being nationally recognized as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures. The award was given by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health organizations in America, for exemplary performance in providing evidence-based clinical measures that are shown to improve patient care for hospital-based inpatient psychiatric services.

“Congratulations to the entire staff at the North Dakota State Hospital for being named a national Top Performer,” Dalrymple said. “The services provided here help individuals with mental health needs that require a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise. We are proud of the work done by the State Hospital and proud these mental health services are readily available for North Dakotans who need them.”

As a Top Performer, the State Hospital achieved a performance rating of 95 percent or more for each accountability measure including appropriate admission screenings, patient safety practices, creating and implementing patient care plans, and appropriate usage of multiple anti-psychotic medications. Each accountability measure represents an evidence-based practice and is reported annually to The Joint Commission.

The State Hospital is the primary provider of inpatient mental health and addiction treatment services for a 26-county area in the state.

“This national recognition validates the quality services and care provided at the North Dakota State Hospital in coordination with the regional human service centers and other behavioral health service providers,” said Maggie Anderson, executive director of the N.D. Department of Human Services.

For the current biennium, the state invested more resources through the Department of Human Services to enhance behavioral health services across North Dakota. This includes additional funding for acute care and rehabilitation needs due to traumatic brain injuries, residential treatment services at the Robinson Recovery Center, transitional living programs and long-term residential programs for individuals with mental illness and/or substance addiction issues, mental health case management services, medical detox services, and community-based high-risk sex offender treatment in coordination with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“We understand that what matters most to State Hospital patients and their families is safe, effective care, which contributes to better outcomes and supports recovery,” said Alex Schweitzer, superintendent of the hospital. “The credit goes to our staff who work hard to provide positive patient outcomes every day, and that is why this recognition means a tremendous amount to staff and the entire organization.”

As part of its award, the State Hospital was recognized in The Joint Commission’s Improving America’s Hospital’s annual report, and on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website at www.qualitycheck.org.

The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. They evaluate and accredit more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

For information about the North Dakota State Hospital call 701-253-3964, ND Relay TTY 800-366-6888, or visit www.nd.gov/dhs/locations/statehospital/index.html.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A man accused in a double homicide in Fargo last November has pleaded guilty.

David Stevens on Friday acknowledged stabbing his former girlfriend, 23-year-old Samantha Wickenheiser, and another man, 30-year-old Ward Berg, of Moorhead, Minn., in Wickenheiser’s north Fargo apartment.

Stevens’ wife told police the pair drove from Brookings, S.D., to Fargo because Stevens wanted to pick up clothing from the apartment. David Stevens later told authorities he had brought a knife for protection.

Stevens had attempted to plead guilty earlier, but a judge rejected the plea until a mental evaluation was completed. The murder charges against him carry a maximum punishment of life in prison without parole.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) – The proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada has cleared a significant hurdle after the State Department raised no major environmental objections to its construction.

The department’s report was released Friday. It says Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of U.S. action on the pipeline and other options to get the oil from western Canada to Texas Gulf Coast refineries are worse for the environment.

The latest environmental review stops short of recommending approval of the project.

But the report gives the Obama administration political cover if it chooses to endorse the pipeline in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. State Department approval of the project is needed because it crosses a U.S. border. A decision is not expected before the summer.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man has pleaded not guilty in federal court to threatening girls if they didn’t agree to engage in sexually explicit conduct for child pornography he was producing.

Dustin Coleman, of Wahpeton, appeared in court Friday morning. He is charged with eight counts in North Dakota’s first prosecution of so-called “sextortion,” which involves using intimidation or fear to gain sexual favors.

Coleman is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of minors, three counts of possession of materials containing child pornography and two counts of extortion.

Trial is scheduled for April 8.

A spokesman for the federal public defender’s office was not immediately available for comment.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota is getting more federal money to help low-income people heat their homes.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released another $439 million nationwide for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP. North Dakota is getting $3.4 million in the latest allocation, bringing the state’s total award for the heating season up to $25.7 million. That compares with $23.7 million last winter.

Carol Cartledge is director of North Dakota’s Economic Assistance Policy Division. She says federal officials often look at additional LIHEAP appropriations midwinter. She says the money will be enough to meet the needs of the 10,000 or so North Dakotans who have applied for help.

U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp issued statements praising the decision by HHS.

 

In sports…

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders have released receiver Weston Dressler to give him the opportunity to sign with a National Football League team.

The former Bismarck High and University of North Dakota standout played six seasons with the Roughriders, topping the 1,000-yard receiving mark five times. He also was the CFL’s rookie of the year in 2008 and won a Grey Cup championship with the team this past season.

Dressler says a deal with an NFL team is imminent, though he isn’t saying which one. He had a tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks ago.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) – The proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada has cleared a significant hurdle. The State Department, in a report released Fridday, raised no major environmental objections to its construction. The report says Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of U.S. action on the pipeline. And it says other options to get the oil from western Canada to Texas Gulf Coast refineries are worse for the environment. The latest environmental review stops short of recommending approval of the project.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The FBI says a powder mailed to several locations in New York and New Jersey, including at least five hotels near the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl, appears not to be dangerous. The agency says further testing is being conducted on the substance. It was also sent to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s (joo-lee-AH’-neez) business in Manhattan. The manager of a hotel near the Super Bowl stadium says the powder came with a typed letter making reference to al-Qaida and the Dallas FBI.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly 300 companies have given a commitment to President Barack Obama that they will reach out to the nearly 4 million Americans who have been jobless for six months or more. Obama held a White House event Friday with CEOs, job training groups and advocates for the unemployed. He said it’s an “illusion” that people who are unemployed longer become less employable. He says those workers are often better qualified and better educated than workers who just recently lost their jobs.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Amid California’s drought, state officials have announced they won’t be able to provide water to agencies serving 25 million people and nearly 1 million acres of farmland. Friday’s announcement marks the first time in the 54-year history of the State Water Project that such action has been taken. Most of the towns and farms that draw from the State Water Project have other sources of water. But those also are limited because of the dry conditions.

WASHINGTON (AP) – A new foundation is forming with President Barack Obama’s blessing to develop his future presidential library. A longtime Obama friend and a former White House official are creating the nonprofit, which will evaluate potential library sites. Chicago and Hawaii are already vigorously competing. Obama will make the final decision and the foundation will announce it next year.