wbPM4CSi Weather..Update…

.TODAY…PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED

THUNDERSTORMS. ISOLATED SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE MID 60S. NORTHEAST

WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.

.TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A  30 PERCENT  CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND

THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA, 40 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA. LOWS IN THE MID 50S. NORTHWEST

WINDS UP TO 10 MPH.

.TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 70 TO 75. NORTHWEST WINDS UP TO

10 MPH.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE MID 50S.

.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND

THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS 70 TO 75.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN CLEARING. A

CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS 50 TO 55.

.THURSDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS 70 TO 75.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT

CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS 50 TO 55.

.FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE

OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS 65 TO 70.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND

THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS 45 TO 50.

.SATURDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS 65 TO 70.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 50 TO 55.

.SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S.

 

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH LABOR DAY.

 

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

 

STORMS WILL BE MOST LIKELY IN WEST

CENTRAL MINNESOTA BY LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHES

INTO THE AREA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN

THREATS, BUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO AT THE START OF THUNDERSTORM

ACTIVITY IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY

EVENING, EVENTUALLY PUSHING EASTWARD DURING THE EARLY MORNING

HOURS. HEAVY RAIN IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION IN WEST CENTRAL

MINNESOTA, ALTHOUGH THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF

THE AREA.

 

Jamestown (CSi)  The Jamestown City Fire Department was called about 10:25 a.m. Friday to a reported tree fire at 1712 9th Avenue Southeast.

The windy conditions caused a power line to fall on the tree and sparks caused a small fire.

The fire fighters stood by as Otter Tail Power crews were called to the scene.

Jeff Hoff at the Otter Tail Power company Jamestown Office says the line carries 115K volts, and the power  was being rerouted while  the tree limb was removed from the line.  The main line outage caused power to be off in that area, and a section of rural Jamestown south of town for about a half hour.

The power was then rerouted through the main line.

Hoff says it’s not unusual for a residual effect of previous wind storms to cause subsequent outages from additional weakened tree limbs falling on power lines, pointing to the August 18th wind storm that caused damages in Jamestown and the area.

 

KATHRYN, N.D. (AP) — Authorities have identified a LaMoure man who died in a head-on crash in Barnes County about 11-p.m., Wednesday.

The Highway Patrol says 64-year-old David Roehl was driving a car southbound on state Highway 1 north of Kathryn, and was struck head-on by a northbound car that crossed the center line.

The man driving the northbound car, 53 year old Steven Sauter, of Kathryn, received undisclosed injuries and was charged with driving under the influence.

Assisting the NDHP at the scene were, the Barnes County Sheriff’s Office, and Kathryn Fire and Rescue.

 

Bismarck (CSi) Sept 2, 2016– Congressman Kevin Cramer announced he received word Friday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services has reversed a decision it made last week to revoke the critical access hospital (CAH) status of Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC).

“Critical Access Hospital” is a designation given to certain rural hospitals by CMS to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. The primary eligibility requirements for CAHs are that the hospital have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds, be located more than 35 miles from another hospital, maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients and provide 24/7 emergency care services.

Upon being notified of the revocation decision by JRMC President and CEO K.C. DeBoer last Thursday, Cramer immediately sent a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, and he reached out to him by email over the weekend. Cramer is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over CMS.

Cramer said the decision to revoke the Critical Access Designation for JRMC was based on the misunderstanding that the North Dakota State Hospital, also located in Jamestown, was a traditional hospital.  “The North Dakota State Hospital provides psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment to North Dakotans who require in-patient or specialized residential care,” he said.  “It does not meet the traditional definition of a hospital.”

Cramer said he was confident that once he reached out to him, Slavitt would realize the misunderstanding and immediately reverse the decision to revoke the CAH designation the JRMC has had since 2009. “I am pleased the JRMC administration contacted me right away.  JRMC is the only acute care hospital in the Jamestown region and it is imperative it retains its status as the area’s critical access hospital.”

 

(CSi) St. Paul, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is continuing to monitor the blue-green algae situation on Lake Ashtabula in Valley City, North Dakota.

Corps staff are testing each of the lake’s swimming areas daily through the holiday weekend and will close or open the beaches as needed. Testing Friday revealed little to no blue green algae at the Mel Rieman Recreation Area, East Ashtabula Crossing and Eggerts Recreation Area, so these beaches have been reopened. Sundstrom’s swimming area will remain closed until the water quality improves.

The production of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, often happens during hot weather in bodies of water used by people, pets and livestock. Blue-green algae discolor the water and can cause foam, scum or mats to appear on the surface. It can also produce cyanotoxins, which can be dangerous for both people and animals. Strong south and southeast winds last night and today have helped move the blue algae out of the beach areas, as well as dilute it.

The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

 

WASHBURN, N.D. (AP) — A Fargo man accused of leading law officers on a chase in McLean County and then hiding in a cornfield for eight hours has been charged with four felonies.

Thirty-five-year-old William Rawson could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of fleeing, possessing stolen property, possessing methamphetamine and reckless endangerment.

Court documents do not list an attorney for him, and a home telephone listing couldn’t be found.

Authorities say Rawson fled from a Highway Patrol trooper trying to make a traffic stop for reckless driving on U.S. Highway 83 shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Rawson allegedly stopped and ran into a cornfield northwest of Wilton, and rural residents were advised to lock their homes, vehicles and outdoor buildings until he was apprehended about 10 p.m. without incident.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A jury in Cass County has convicted a Fargo teenager of trying to rob and kidnap a woman in the parking lot of a Fargo mall almost two years ago.

Seventeen-year-old Abdirahman Sahel was found guilty on Friday of robbery, attempted kidnapping, terrorizing and simple assault. He faces more than two decades in prison if sentenced to the maximum penalty on all four counts.

Authorities say Sahel tried to rob and kidnap the woman as she was getting into her car on Sept. 11, 2014. They say he flashed a gun and punched her in the head.

Sahel was 15 years old when the incident happened. The case was transferred to adult court last year.

Sahel’s attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the case.

 

In sports…

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Game and Fish Department is making 3,510 licenses available for the full turkey season.

The number is 145 fewer than last year, or a decline of about 4 percent.

The deadline for hunters to apply for a license is Wednesday. Only North Dakota residents can apply in the initial lottery. Nonresidents can apply for any leftover licenses.

Hunting Unit 21 in Hettinger and Adams counties in the southwest and Unit 53 in Divide and Williams counties in the northwest will remain closed to fall turkey hunting due to low bird numbers.

The season begins Oct. 8 and runs through next Jan. 8.

 

In sports…

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s an unusual move by the FBI — which Friday is making public scores of pages about confidential interviews with Hillary Clinton and others. The documents come from the recently-closed investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state. The investigation concluded that Clinton never asked permission to use a private server or email address, which violated federal record-keeping policies. But the FBI recommended against prosecution, and the case was closed. The release of the documents reflects the high level of public interest in the probe.

LONDON (AP) — London’s Daily Mail newspaper and its website are retracting a story about Melania (meh-LAH’-nee-ah) Trump. She had filed a lawsuit accusing the Daily Mail Online and a Maryland blogger of falsely accusing her of involvement with an escort agency during her modeling career. The Daily Mail says the story was simply aimed at raising questions about whether allegations about her past could hurt her husband’s campaign for the White House. It says it “did not intend” to suggest she had worked as an escort or been involved in the sex business.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Young Hispanics, Asian-Americans and African-Americans are much more likely to trust Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump to deal with immigrants living in the United States illegally. But young whites tend to trust Trump more, both to deal with those who are in the United States now and to secure the border. That’s according to a survey of adults age 18 to 30. The GenForward survey was conducted by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press and the N-O-R-C Center for Public Affairs Research.

CHICAGO (AP) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s floor leader in the Chicago City Council says the mayor plans to hire “hundreds” more police officers after the city’s deadliest month in decades. But the mayor’s office says it can’t confirm it. Yesterday, police announced there were 90 homicides in Chicago during August, making it the most violent single month in the city since August 1996. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Alderman Pat O’Connor calls the move “less of a change in strategy and more of a response to this incredible streak of gun violence.”

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (mih-KAWL’-ihf) has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Hermine (hur-MEEN’) barrels up the East Coast from Florida. He says the storm could bring “life-threatening” storm surges to the eastern part of the state, including heavily populated areas such as Virginia Beach. To the south, Georgia’s top emergency response official says the storm has had less of an impact on the state than he had expected, with no major structural damage.