CSi Weather..

.TONIGHT…INCREASING CLOUDS. LOWS 15 TO 20. EAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH. FRIDAY…CLOUDY.CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN CHANCE OF SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SLEET IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.

HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA…70 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SLEET POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE EVENING…THEN CHANCE OF SNOW AND SLEET AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

.SATURDAY…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN CHANCE OF RAIN POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTH WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT. .

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 20. NORTH WINDS AROUND 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE EAST AROUND 5 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.SUNDAY…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN CHANCE OF SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SLEET POSSIBLY MIXED WITH RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE EVENING…THEN CHANCE OF SLEET AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE MID 20S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA.

.MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SLEET POSSIBLY MIXED WITH FREEZING RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AND SLEET IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA.

.MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AND SLEET IN THE EVENING…THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS 15 TO 20. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA. .TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. LOWS AROUND 20. .THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S.

 

ST. PAUL, MINN. (KCSi-T.V. News Apr 4, 2013) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released a draft environmental assessment on a proposed change to the Baldhill Dam Water Control Manual that would allow increased drawdowns at Lake Ashtabula, near Valley City, N.D., issued April 3, 2013.

The assessment is available for public review until May 12, 2013.

The Corps of Engineers is proposing to modify the existing water control manual. The modification would change the maximum allowable drawdown elevation from 1,257.0 feet to 1,255.0 feet. The purpose of this change is to reduce the flood risk for Valley City.

The environmental assessment and additional information can be viewed and downloaded from the Corps’ website at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Environment/EnvironmentalAssessments.aspx.

Comments can be sent to Megan McGuire at the Corps of Engineers, Megan.K.McGuire@usace.army.mil, or 180 E. 5th St., Ste. 700, St. Paul, MN 55101-1678.

Persons submitting comments are advised that all comments received will be available to the public, to include the possibility of posting on a publicly accessible website. Commenters are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in their comments unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public. For more information, contact Megan McGuire at (651) 290-5990.

The nearly 700 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 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

　

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News Apr 4, 2013) — Jamestown Regional Airport Manager, Matthew Leitner has invited those interested to an April 10, 2013 meeting to discuss anticipated large-scale growth at the airport.

On Thursday’s (Apr 4, 2013) Wayne Byers Show, on CSi Cable 2, Leitner said the invitation is directed to “Fellow aviators, aircraft owners, future aircraft owners, future aviators, and airport aficionados.”

Leitner said Jamestown Regional Airport Authority is eagerly anticipating large-scale growth, with respect to general aviation operations at the regional airport.

He added, the Regional Airport Authority is aggressively pursuing the construction of t-hangars.

He said any new hangars may be owned and leased by the airport, or another option is for the hangars to be owned by individuals, or businesses.

Those interested in finding out more about the plan is invited to a planning session at Jamestown Regional Airport’s, administrative office, on April 10th at 6-p.m.

Food and beverages will be served.

Any preliminary questions can be directed to Matt Leitner at Jamestown Regional Airport, at 701-252-6466, or E-Mail jmsairport@daket.com or fax 701-252-2919.

With Jamestown boardings, Leitner said in March this year boarding increased to 227, up from 184 in February this year.

He added that the timeliness factor of Great Lakes Airline flights has improved.

He pointed out for more information including the current flight schedule on line visit www.flyjamestown.net or www.flygreatlakes.com

Leitner pointed out that a federal grant will allow Jamestown Regional Airport to install a new rotating beacon, new gates, and other aviation related improvements.

He said the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority, has been working in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, and the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, on the grants and improvements.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s House has endorsed a measure to toughen the state’s animal cruelty law. 
 
     The House voted 90-1 Wednesday to make animal cruelty a felony. Senators endorsed the measure in February that would have created some felony penalties for cruelty, abandonment and neglect.
 
     Under the House version, only cruelty would be a felony.
 
     The measure now goes back to the Senate for consideration of the House amendments.
 
     Cruelty to animals now is a misdemeanor, with up to year in jail and a $2,000 fine. The new measure, if approved, would make it a felony with up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

 

  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man faces charges stemming from what authorities say are the starvation deaths of more than 100 cattle on his McIntosh County farm.
 
     Forty-four-year-old James Schnabel faces four misdemeanor counts of mistreating animals. He is scheduled for his first court appearance on April 22.
 
     Sheriff Laurie Spitzer says in an affidavit that Schnabel told authorities that stray dogs chased the cattle into a pole barn, and they died from trampling and suffocation. The sheriff says a veterinarian concluded almost all of the dead cattle died of starvation
 
     Schnabel could face up to four years in jail if convicted. He did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Thursday, and court documents do not list an attorney for him.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Burleigh County’s sheriff says Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s veto of a bill that would allow special elections on home rule charters will change the timeline for a new jail.
 
     Sheriff Pat Heinert says the county commission wanted to schedule a special home rule election for a sales tax that would help pay for a new jail for Burleigh and Morton counties.
 
     Heinert set up a tentative timeline for the new jail based on a fall special election, but that will be pushed back.
 
     Heinert told commissioners Wednesday that Dalrymple had concerns about low voter turnout for special elections in issuing his veto.
 
     Cities can hold special elections for home rule charter decisions, but counties can only have home rule votes during primary and general elections.

 

 FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Fargo’s city bus service is offering free rides to people who want to help fill sandbags.
 
     The shuttles will be leaving for Sandbag Central every 20 minutes from two sites, the West Acres Shopping Center and Jitters Coffee Bar on the North Dakota State University campus.
 
     Sandbag Central is city storage facility that is being used in a 10-day campaign to fill a million sandbags.
 
     The shuttles will operate from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
 
     The Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., area is preparing for its fourth major flood in five years.
 
     The National Weather Service says the Red River has a 50 percent chance of reaching 38 feet later this month, which would be the fifth highest flood of all time.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – An overnight fire has destroyed an old carriage house on Fargo’s historic 8th Street South.
 
The  fire broke out about 1 a.m. Thursday in the house that had been renovated into a garage.
 
     Assistant Fire Chief Leroy Skarloken says the two-story structure was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived on scene. The homeowner had been moving vehicles that were parked in front of the garage away from the flames.
 
     Skarloken says the fire took about an hour to get under control. Investigators are still trying to determine a cause.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man awaiting sentencing for involuntary manslaughter in a drunken driving crash that killed an 84-year-old woman has been arrested on a new DUI charge.
 
37-year-old Merrill Mann Jr., of New Town, was charged with driving under the influence Wednesday after Bismarck police arrested him on Saturday.
 
     His attorney, Tom Dickson, tells The Associated Press that Mann had been working and living in a halfway house but fell off the wagon on Saturday. He says Mann is an alcoholic, and the addiction is difficult to overcome.
 
     Mann faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison after pleading guilty to causing an April 20 crash west of New Town that killed Roberta Kiwimagi, a passenger in a van that collided with Mann’s pickup.

 

 DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) – Police say a second suspect has been arrested in connection with a robbery at a Devils Lake bowling alley.
19-year-old John Greywind Jr., of Tokio, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with felony robbery.
 
     Authorities say Greywind and 18-year-old Johnson Tollefson, of St. Michael, robbed the Royal Lanes Bowling Alley on Sunday at knifepoint. The two fled with an undetermined amount of cash. No injuries were reported.
 
     Tollefson was charged earlier with felony robbery.

 

GRAFTON, N.D. (AP) – An ethanol plant that shut down five years ago in the northeast North Dakota city of Grafton is being dismantled.
 
     The Alchem Ltd. plant first opened in 1985 to make ethanol from corn. It closed in 2007 and was later sold at auction.
 
     An Iowa-based energy investment group planned to buy the plant a year ago and use it to turn sugar beets into the alternative fuel. But the project never got off the ground.
 
     Grafton City Administrator Nick Ziegelmann says  the community was hoping the plant would become operational again and restore the 30 jobs that were lost.
 
     Another ethanol plant in northeastern North Dakota, the former ADM Corn Processing plant in Walhalla, closed last year.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A new state-sponsored program in North Dakota that helps connect landowners who have coyote problems with hunters and trappers has proven popular.
 
     Fifty-one landowners and 486 hunters used the Coyote Catalog online database last winter. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and Game and Fish Assistant Wildlife Chief Jeb Williams say it could be a model for other states.
 
     But some say such programs are misguided.
 
     Wildlife ecologist Ashley DeLaup (duh-LAWP’) with the Project Coyote nonprofit says coyotes respond to hunting pressure by breeding at younger ages and having larger litters. She says that can lead to more coyotes in an area and also push some out to other areas.
 
     Western Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Kirk Robinson says killing off coyotes also can lead to other ecosystem problems, such as more rodents.

 

In sports…

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – University of North Dakota hockey standouts Danny Kristo and Andrew MacWilliam have signed deals with rival National Hockey League teams.
 
     The school says Kristo signed a two-year entry level contract with the Montreal Canadiens and will report to the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal’s American Hockey League affiliate. The senior forward was a candidate this year for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey’s top player.
 
     MacWilliam is a senior defenseman. He signed an entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and will report to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
 
     The Canadiens drafted Kristo in the second round in 2008. The Maple Leafs drafted MacWilliam in the seventh round that year.
 

In world and national news…

 MESQUITE, Texas (AP) – A memorial was held in Texas, Thursday,  for a slain prosecutor and his wife. A pianist played behind a flag-draped casket as the memorial began for Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia. Nearby sat photos of the couple along with a folded flag. Both were found shot to death Saturday in their house near Forney, about 20 miles east of Dallas. No arrests have been made.
 
     HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A gun control group says Connecticut is joining states like California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts in having the country’s strongest gun control laws. This, after the state’s governor Thursday signed a package of gun restrictions, including one that applies to large capacity ammunition magazines. Some lawmakers say the legislation didn’t do enough to address mental health issues.
 
     NEW YORK (AP) – The New York City medical examiner’s office says more possible pieces of human remains have been found during the sifting of newly uncovered debris from the site of the World Trade Center. That brings the total found during the current effort to 39. About 60 truckloads of debris that could contain tiny human bone fragments have been unearthed by construction crews working on the new World Trade Center tower in recent years. 
 
     LOS ANGELES (AP) – It turns out an 18-year-old man who’s now facing drunken driving charges in a Nevada interstate crash that killed five members of a Southern California family was a fugitive from a California juvenile facility at the time of the accident. An official in Orange County wants an investigation to determine whether any efforts were made to locate the teen after he escaped from the county facility more than a month ago. He was arrested Saturday after the SUV he was driving rear-ended a van on a freeway outside Las Vegas.
 
     NEW YORK (AP) – Fast food workers have been protesting Thursday in front of several New York City restaurants to demand higher wages. Organizers say hundreds of workers have been demonstrating at dozens of fast food establishments, including McDonald’s, Domino’s, Wendy’s and Pizza Hut. McDonald’s worker Linda Archer says she can’t survive on the $8 an hour she earns after three years on the job. The protesters want fast food restaurants to pay $15 per hour. Workers earn an average of $8.25 per hour.