CSi Weather…

TONIGHT…CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLURRIES IN THE EVENING…
THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS 15 TO 20.
NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLURRIES. HIGHS IN
THE MID 20S. NORTH WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLURRIES. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
.FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S.
LOWS AROUND 10. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH.
.SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS AROUND 30. LOWS 15 TO 20.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SLEET POSSIBLY MIXED WITH
FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW IN THE EVENING…THEN CHANCE OF SNOW
POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SLEET AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS AROUND 20. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.
.MONDAY…CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S.
.MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW.
LOWS AROUND 15.
.TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S. LOWS AROUND 15.

 

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News Feb 27, 2013) — The Buffalo Valley Red Cross Chapter in Jamestown, on Wednesday, joined other Minn-Dak Red Cross Chapters in recognizing local motels, in donating rooms for disaster displaced individuals and families.

At the Gladstone Inn & Suites in Jamestown, it was noted by Buffalo Valley Chapter. Manager, Beth Dewald that in 2012 the Red Cross locally responded to over 160 disasters in the region. She said Red Cross volunteers respond to house/apartment fires most often, that leaves individuals and famlies homeless, unexpectedly.

At the gathering on Wednesday, was Myra Olson, who along with her husband, Robert and three children were left homeless when a fire in November of 2012 destroyed their home in Flasher, ND, and possessions, and their two dogs died in the fire.

Myra said the Red Cross was on scene and brought the family to Bismarck for housing and other needs.

She said the Red Cross relocation was “one less thing to worry about,” following the family’s devastating losses.

Beth Dewald said,The Rooms For Red Cross campaign plays a key role in helping disaster victims get back on their feet, adding, the rooms will be used on occasion for military personnel, in need of lodging during an emergency situation.

She said its not if, but, when, a disaster will occur.

She pointed out that eleven hotels in the Buffalo Valley are have come together to donate 70 rooms for 2013. The rooms will go to those in need throughout the calendar year.

Participating hotels in the area are in Jamestown, Valley City, Carrington, and Medina, with others coming on board.

Those presently include…the AmericInn, Valley City, Westside Motel, North Country Lodge, Island Park Motel, Carrington Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Gladstone Inn & Suites, Twin Pines Inn, Oxenrider Motel, Buffalo City Motel, and Quality Inn & Suites.

Also on hand at the news conference was Jamestown City Fire Chief Jim Reuther, who said the Red Cross plays a “key part to out function.” (as fire fighters).

He noted the quick-response time to the local Red Cross, on scene at fires.

Also attending the news conference were…Gladstone Inn & Suites, General Manager Phyllis Thompson, and Matt Stockert from Quality Inn & Suites in Jamestown.

Participating motels received a certificate of recognition and will display window clings indicating their participation in Rooms For Red Cross..

In 2012, “Rooms For Red Cross” in the Minn-Kota region, including North Dakota and western Minnesota, donated temporary housing to almost 1,000 individuals who lost their homes or apartments because of fire or other disasters.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s Senate has endorsed a measure that would require jail time for some first-time drunken driving offenders.
 
     The measure passed 80-14 Wednesday and now goes to the North Dakota House.
 
     The bill mandates that someone with a blood-alcohol content of 0.25 percent – or nearly three times the legal limit for driving – must spend a minimum of 10 days in jail.
 
     The measure also increases fines and penalties and requires probation for repeat offenders.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s Senate has rejected a measure aimed at exempting clothing and shoes from sales tax. 
 
     The Senate voted 33-14 Tuesday to kill the bill.
 
     The measure would exempt clothing and shoes from the state’s 5 percent sales tax. Local sales taxes also would be exempted. 
 
     Tax analysts say the measure would reduce state and local tax revenue by about $49 million over the next two years.
 
     A similar measure failed in the Senate two years ago.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s Senate has reconsidered and endorsed a proposal to buy out the contract of University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani.
 
     The Senate voted 28-19 Wednesday to provide about $854,000 to buy out the final two years of Shrivani’s three-year contract.
 
     Fargo Sen. Tony Grindberg’s amendment only provides funds for the buyout and does not force the Board of Higher Education to fire Shirvani.
 
     The North Dakota Student Association expressed a vote of “no confidence” in Shirvani on Saturday. The Board of Higher Education issued a statement a day later, expressing support for Shirvani.
 
     Shirvani has been in charge of the university system since last July. His contract runs through June 2015. He is paid $349,000 annually.

LISBON, N.D. (AP) – A judge has ruled that the case against a Fort Ransom woman accused of battering her infant son to death should proceed.
 
     Twenty-nine-year-old Jodi Lindvall was originally charged with murder and child abuse for the death of 22-month-old Bentley Lindvall, who died Sept. 22.
 
     Prosecutors say an autopsy determined the boy had been physically abused and died of a head injury. Lindvall told authorities her son hit his head while she was struggling to change his diaper.
 
     Ransom County Judge Jay Schmitz ruled there’s probable cause for the murder case, but dismissed child abuse charges.
 
     Lindvall’s arraignment is scheduled March 6.

 

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) – An annual North Dakota gathering of veterans to share stories of World War II, the Korean War and other military experiences has stalled out.
 
     Organizers of the Dakota Bull Session, which began more than 20 years ago, say there are no plans to meet this year in Devils Lake.
 
     The event started as a reunion of U.S. Navy veterans in 1990. It has evolved over the years to include veterans from all service branches.
 
     Last year’s session drew 130 veterans.
 
     Organizers say the number of younger participants has not kept pace with the loss of older veterans.
 
     Eighty-seven-year-old Duane Carter, a World War II veteran,says  he’s going to miss “visiting with the guys, and the stories.”
 
     Carter is hoping the event can be revived.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s looking like $85 billion in mandatory government spending cuts will go into effect on Friday, and agencies and workers affected are laying out what that will mean. The Coast Guard says rescue helicopters and planes will cut back on patrols and there will likely be fewer interdictions of illegal immigrants, drugs and illegal fishing. The Smithsonian says it will keep museum hours the same, but delay maintenance and construction projects and freeze hiring. And air traffic controllers warn of widespread flight delays. The president and congressional leaders plan to meet on Friday to discuss how to minimize the impact.
 
     WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court’s conservative justices have been voicing deep skepticism about a section of a landmark civil rights law that has helped millions of Americans exercise their right to vote. In a fast-paced, 70-minute argument, the court’s liberals and conservatives engaged in tense exchanges over whether there is an ongoing need for a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that requires states with a history of discrimination to get approval before making changes in the way elections are held.
 
     CHARDON, Ohio (AP) – Students who lost three classmates in a school shooting rampage in northeastern Ohio are marking the anniversary. Students at Chardon High School walked arm-in-arm in the damp cold Wednesday  afternoon from the school to the courthouse where 18-year-old shooter T.J. Lane pleaded guilty to all charges Tuesday. The commemoration ends with an evening church concert.
 
     ST. LOUIS (AP) – The blizzards that have swept across the Midwest the past two weeks are helping commerce return to normal on the Mississippi River. Shippers say they’re again handling full loads because the drought-ravaged waterway has benefited from the snow and rain and the Army Corps of Engineers’ aggressive efforts to remove rocks from the riverbed. 
 
     KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Researchers using a remote-controlled submarine to explore around the world’s deepest known hydrothermal vents. They are located at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Britain’s National Oceanography Center has been collecting samples from the area around the blazing hot, mineral-rich fluid gushing out of the volcanic chimneys. Scientists are expecting to identify some new life forms, including bristle worms, a sea anemone and some small crustaceans.