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CSi Weather:<\/p>\nBismarck\u00a0 (CSi)\u00a0 The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that the agency has developed the Economic Resiliency Grant (ERG) Program which was approved at Thursday\u2019s Budget Section hearing to assist businesses with COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.<\/p>\n
The Budget Section approved $69 million to administer the ERG Program which is geared to enhance revenue in both the immediate and long-term future by growing consumer confidence. To achieve this, applicants may qualify to receive grant funding of up $50,000 for investments that will encourage customers to get back into the marketplace by ensuring businesses are equipped to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n
In addition to assisting businesses be successful, the grant is also designed to reduce the burden on the unemployment insurance system by getting people back to work in a safe environment.<\/p>\n
Importantly, the ERG is a grant \u2013 not a loan. The expenses allowed for through the ERG did not previously qualify under both the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commerce Department is committed to assisting businesses with mitigating the economic impact of COVID-19,\u201d Commerce Commissioner Michelle Kommer said. \u201cThe purpose of the grant is to provide businesses one-time funding to increase customer and employee safety through improved infection control, with the ultimate purpose of inspiring consumers to return to the marketplace.\u00a0A safe return of customers to marketplace is the best and most sustainable way to stimulate the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Economic Resiliency Grant application process is anticipated to open July 24. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first serve basis. Funding will be approved if the application meets all criteria and funding is available.\u00a0 Additional information, including educational sessions will be available shortly, and updates about the program will be posted to the Commerce\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
Bismarck (NDANG)\u00a0 A North Dakota Army National Guard unit has received an alert for possible mobilization. If ordered to mobilize, the Bismarck-based Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment, would deploy to the National Capital Region (NCR) area late in 2020.<\/p>\n
The unit consists of about 70 Soldiers and operates the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. If mobilized, their anticipated mission would be transport of personnel and light cargo within the NCR area.<\/p>\n
“We are extremely proud of the professionalism of our Army aviators,” said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant general. “They have a safe operating record of nearly 150,000 flight hours dating back to 1958 and have been instrumental in support of state and federal missions to include flood response, wildfire fighting, search and rescue missions and have successfully served overseas.”<\/p>\n
The unit is led by Capt. Robert Sorenson and 1st Sgt. Mitch McCoy.<\/p>\n
Company C, 2nd Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment was previously deployed to Kosovo in support of peace keeping operations from Nov. 2013 to Dec. 2014 and to Iraq Oct. 2009 to Sept. 2010. Other support provided by the North Dakota Army National Guard to the NCR were two mobilizations that assisted in the protection of airspace by the Grand Forks-based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment from May 2017 to April 2018 and May 2013 to April 2014.<\/p>\n
The North Dakota National Guard is a trained and highly motivated force of about 4,000 Citizen-Soldiers and Citizen-Airmen.\u00a0 We are always prepared to provide ready units, individuals and equipment in support of our communities, state and nation.\u00a0 Always ready, always there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Bismarck\u00a0 (CSi)\u00a0 \u2013 In an effort to safely reunite individuals living at the Life Skills and Transition Center (LSTC) in Grafton with loved ones, the center recently modified its on-site visitation guidelines and launched a pilot project that allows for in-home visits under certain circumstances. The center is part of the North Dakota Department of Human Services and provides residential and support services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n
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The modified visitation guidelines allow family members and friends to visit an individual during regular business hours, by appointment only, in designated areas on campus. All visitors will be required to complete a temperature check and health screening upon arrival, wear masks at all times while visiting, and maintain social distancing.<\/p>\n
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The Life Skills and Transition Center also launched a pilot project that allows families to take their loved ones home for either a day or overnight visit. All family members living in the home must complete a COVID-19 test, and if they test negative, are eligible for the home visit for up to one week from the testing date. LSTC team members will help families coordinate testing opportunities with community partners.<\/p>\n
In world and national news…<\/p>\n
(AP)\u00a0 Texas and Florida clamped down on bars again Friday in the biggest retreat yet amid a surge across the South and West. The number of confirmed new coronavirus infections per day in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40,000. Florida\u2019s restrictions came after its daily confirmed coronavirus cases neared 9,000, almost double the previous record set just two days ago. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had pursued up to now one of the most aggressive reopening schedules of any state. There have been rising deaths and hospitalizations around the country. States including Arizona and Alabama have been hit hard.<\/p>\n
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DALLAS (AP) \u2014 American Airlines said Friday that it will start booking flights to full capacity next week. The move comes as the United States sets records for new reported cases of the coronavirus. United Airlines already does not block any seats. But other major U.S. airlines including Delta and Southwest leave middle seats open or limit bookings to create space between passengers to minimize the risk of contagion. Almost all U.S. airlines require passengers to wear face masks, and in a few cases they have banned customers who refuse to comply. American says it will notify customers when a flight is likely to be full, and will let them change flights at no extra cost.<\/p>\n
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 The company behind Ben & Jerry\u2019s ice cream, Dove soap and a host of other consumer products says it will stop advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the U.S. through at least the end of the year because of the amount of hate speech online. Unilever said that the polarized atmosphere in the United States ahead of November’s presidential election placed responsibility on brands to act. The company, which is based in the Netherlands and Britain, joins a raft of other companies halting advertising on online platforms. Facebook in particular has been the target of an escalating movement to siphon away advertising.<\/p>\n
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(AP)\u00a0 Stocks Friday were moving lower on Wall Street, led by declines in banks after regulators told them they had to cap their dividends and halt stock buybacks in order to shore up their defenses in case the recession gets worse. The S&P 500 fell 2.0% in afternoon trading Friday. Nike also fell after reporting a big loss as most of its stores were forced to close. Investors were disappointed to see that the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases per day in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40,000, surpassing the peak set during one of the deadliest stretches in late April.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CSi Weather: .SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs around 90. South winds 5 to 15 mph. .SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s. South winds 10 to 15 mph. .SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-202468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wb-show"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=202468"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202480,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202468\/revisions\/202480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=202468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=202468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=202468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}