– Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Sept 24

CSi Weather…

Update…

..The flood warning continues for the following rivers in North
Dakota…

Pipestem Creek near Pingree affecting Stutsman County
For the James River Basin including Pingree…Minor flooding is occurring and is expected to continue.

.The Pipestem Creek near Pingree will begin to slowly fall Tuesday, and recede below minor flood stage Wednesday evening.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Safety message…Do not drive into areas where water tops the
roadway. Turn around…Don`t drown. Avoid driving on flooded roads.

A follow-up product will be issued.

The Flood Warning continues for
The Pipestem Creek near Pingree.
* until Thursday morning.
* At 9:15 AM Tuesday the stage was 12.1 feet.
* Flood stage is 11.0 feet.
* Minor flooding is occurring and Minor flooding is forecast.
* Forecast…Begin to slowly fall today, and recede below minor
flood stage Wednesday evening.

FLD OBSERVED FORECASTS (7AM)
LOCATION STG STG DAY/TIME Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

James River Basin
Pingree 11 12.1 Tue 9 AM 11.4 10.6 10.0 9.1 7.8

(Flood updates and Water Level Updates)

Forecast….

.TUESDAY NIGHT… .Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing in the Jamestown area. Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in the evening, in the Valley City area, then mostly clear after midnight.

Lows 45 to 50. West winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation

40 percent.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. Northwest winds 15 to

25 mph.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s. West winds

5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

.THURSDAY…Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of rain showers in the afternoon in the Jamestown area, 40 percent in the Valley City area. Highs in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain

showers in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area. Lows in the mid 40s.

.FRIDAY…Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain

showers. Highs in the lower 50s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Rain showers likely. Lows in the lower 40s.

Chance of showers 70 percent.

.SUNDAY…Rain showers likely. Highs in the lower 50s. Chance of

showers 60 percent.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain showers in the

evening, then rain showers likely after midnight. Lows in the

lower 40s. Chance of showers 60 percent.

.MONDAY…Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain showers.

Highs in the lower 50s.

Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible Tuesday afternoon and
evening. Large hail to 1 inch in diameter is the main threat.

Update

Jamestown (CSi) Voters in the Jamestown Public School District went to the poll on Tuesday, to vote on whether or not to approve the referendum, concerning the proposed increasing the building fund levy authority from 10 to 20 mills, to update existing facilities.

Business Manager Sally Ost says, the final unofficial vote was 764 yes votes to 1172 no votes. A 60 percent majority of yes votes was needed to pass. Of the total votes 132 were absentee ballots.

St. Paul, Minn. (USACE) – Citizens will see fluctuating flows along the Sheyenne River this week. Lakeshore users around Lake Ashtabula may need to take action to secure property located on the shoreline, as it may be impacted.

At the request of the Barnes County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will sharply reduce flows at Baldhill Dam. Discharges were decreased Tuesday, September 24, from around 1,800 cubic feet per second, or CFS, to 100 cfs, followed by a quick increase on Thursday, September 26, to more than 2,000 cfs. Lake Ashtabula is forecasted to increase 1.5 feet above its current elevation to 1,267.5 NGVD 29.

The public is urged to use caution near the Sheyenne and Lake Ashtabula during this time as currents and depths could change quickly.

Valley City (CSi) The search for Mark Davies, who went missing on August 23 this year will be along an area of the Sheyenne River.

The Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday that at the request of the Barnes County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will sharply reduce flows at Baldhill Dam.

Discharges were decreased Tuesday, September 24, from around 1,800 cubic feet per second, or CFS, to 100 cfs, to be followed by a quick increase on Thursday, September 26, to more than 2,000 cfs. Lake Ashtabula is forecasted to increase 1.5 feet above its current elevation to 1,267.5 NGVD 29, while the Sheyenne River level drops. allowing searchers to comb the river bank.

The public is urged to use caution near the Sheyenne and Lake Ashtabula during this time as currents and depths could change quickly.

Area residents in Barnes, Ransom and Lamoure Counties are asked to still search through their properties and outbuildings for any signs of Davies or his vehicle, a Black 1999 GMC Yukon (ND License number 327 CCM.)

Anyone with information should contact the Valley City Police Department at 701- 845-3110.

Update…

Bismarck (NDDOT) The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the North Dakota Highway Patrol Tuesday afternoon, OPENED ND Highway 200 from Hurdsfield to the Jct. of US 52. The roadway was temporarily closed due to damage caused by flooding. The portion of the roadway that was damaged has been repaired.

The NDDOT encourages motorists to check road conditions before traveling due to rapidly changing conditions. For updated road information, call 511 from any type of phone or go to the Travel Information Map on our website at www.dot.nd.gov.

Jamestown (CSi) Voter turnout for the school district referendum, as of 2-p.m., Tuesday was termed “steady,” by Jamestown Public Schools, Business Manger, Sally Ost.

She said the count was a total of 1,000 voters at mid afternoon, which included about 130 absentee ballots cast.

She said the votes will be hand counted after the ballots closed by 10-12 individuals including community members, and school district employees.

Come back to CSiNewsNow.com for election results after the votes are tabulated.

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown City Council’s Finance & Legal, Building, Planning, & Zoning Committee, and Civic Center & Promotion Committee met Tuesday evening at City Hall. All members were present.

FINANCE & LEGAL COMMITTEE

Considered was the request from Commonwealth Company for a tax abatement under N.D.C.C. Sec. 40-57.1 for a period of fifteen (15) years for the development of a low to moderate income based multi-unit residential building with green space, parking and some commercial space downtown. (The former Eagles Club Building, on 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue, Southwest).

Eagle Flats, involves demolishing the current vacant Eagles building and constructing a multi-story housing unit.

Commonwealth’s Erin Anderson said the business, based in Wisconsin, is expanding into North Dakota and Minnesota, with affordable housing utilizing existing structures, or new construction. She said the tax abatement is necessary, because without it, there would be a negative cash flow. She requested a letter of support from the city. City Attorney Leo Ryan said negotiations need to take place and include a member of the Jamestown Public School District. He added, which can be started. It has 30 days to reply.

The developer has requested to pay $35,000 per year for 15 years rather than the normal property taxes estimated at almost $80,000 per year.

Earlier this month the Stutsman County Commission took no action regarding the payment in lieu of taxes request for the planned low and moderate income housing project planned for downtown Jamestown.

Stutsman County Auditor/COO Nicole Melland, estimated that Stutsman County revenue would be reduced by about $141,000 over the 15 year period.

The Finance Committee on Tuesday, moved that the matter be place on the October 7 City Council meeting agenda without recommendation, which Anderson said could possibly delay the start of the project by a year.

The committee recommends sending a letter to the developer to indicate pursuing the start negotiations.

After the vote Joel Trasier ask if the market they are planning to serve has the capacy in town. David Klein of Great Plains Housing Authority stated a need in Jamestown for accessible housing. Beth Dewald from Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living in Jamestown, agreed. Jamestown Downtown Association also supports the housing for downtown development..

The committee then considered the request from Commonwealth Company requesting the preliminary approval to lease 20 city-owned parking spaces for one dollar/year for the Eagle Flats, LLC Project. That request was also moved to the October 7 City Council agenda without recommendation.

Considered was the request from the Jamestown Community Correction Program, a not-for-profit regional community service and restitution program organization, to fund the program in 2020 in the amount of $6 for each hour of community service ordered by municipal court, an increase of $2 per hour ordered, $20 per noncompliance report, an increase of $10, and consider approval and authorize the signing of the Jamestown Community Correction Program Agreement for January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Pam Phillips stated that she is and Ex-Offico member of the board, and the committee voted to let her participate in the vote.

The committee recommends approving as amended.

Considered was the City’s request approved by the JSDC board for Economic Development Funds for the City of Jamestown to acquire for the City/County 80/20 split for the National Guard a one-time payment of up to $350,000 for a 40-year lease for 16 acres of land at the airport industrial park. JSDC Business Development Director, Corry Shevlin said, a number of approval need to come forth as part of the proposal. The committee recommends, approval.

Preliminary estimates place the cost of the National Guard armory at between $26 million and $28 million.

With the 40-year lease of the land by the city of Jamestown the National Guard will pay the JSDC the share of the development costs of the land and then construct a building.

Considered was reclassifying the positions of Administrative Assistant Finance and Appraiser. Human Resource Director Jay Sveum said the step in the range would increase in the future, for the Administrative Assistant Finance position.

The Appraiser position range will be increased.

The committee recommends approval.

INFORMATIONAL: City Council Public Hearings for the following special assessment projects, are scheduled at the October 7, 2019, city council meeting:

5th St NE Paving Improvement District 16-42
20th St SW Paving Improvement District 16-43
NW Watermain Rehabilitation District 17-61
Safe Routes to School Sidewalk District 18-21
Seal Coat, Patching, Construction & Reconstruction District 18-41
Retaining Wall Assessment, Frontier Village District 18-42

INFORMATIONAL: The public hearing and second readings of Ordinance No. 1521 and 1522, pertaining to the 2020 Budget are scheduled at the October 7, 2019, city council meeting.

BUILDING, PLANNING & ZONING COMMITTEE

The Committee recommends approval of the Minor Subdivision, Preliminary/Final plat of Fallgatter Addition, Lot 1 and 2, Block 1, a re-plat of Lots 5,6,7 & 8, Block 3, Leapaldt Addition within the SE ¼, Section 24, T140N, R64W, City of Jamestown, ND. The property is located at 1507 – 1517 12th Ave NE, Jamestown, ND.

CIVIC CENTER AND PROMOTION COMMITTEE

Tina Busch of the Frontier Village Association addressed the committee regarding the Frontier Village. The FVA is Asking for a five year lease, from the city for improvements.

Council Member Phillip said Jamestown Tourism has invested dollars in infrastructure projects. She added The Buffalo Museum improvements have increased visits to the Village and to Jamestown. She said tourists need a reason to stay in Jamestown over a longer period of time, with a unique experience.

She said the FVA proposal does not include a dollar amount. She added the National Buffalo Museum wants to expand the their lease to include all of Frontier Village.

She said she is frustrated with the Frontier Village Board in the past. Tina said there is a “power struggle” going on between the board and the city, to which Ms. Phillips said a change is needed in the way the Village board is running the operation.

Buffalo Museum Director, Ilana Xinos said, the Museum is interested in leasing the entire Frontier Village Space.

City Administrator Sarah Hellekson said the current FVA lease expires at the end of this year.

Mayor Heinrich said the FVA and the National Buffalo Museum need to each present a proposal to the city, with their future plans, for consideration.

Don Williams of the National Buffalo Museum Board said, if the FVA lease is not renewed, the Museum would like to look at options before any decision is made.

No decision was made on the issues at Tuesday’s meeting.

Council Member Brubakken said the matter will be forwarded to the October 22, committee meeting.

Discussion was held, on the city’s investment of the rodeos held at the Civic Center.

Civic Center Manager, Pam Fosse said the Civic Center has paid the rental costs for the rodeo the past few years, and she outlined costs incurred by the city from the rodeo. She said other conventions and events are also not self-sustaining with the Civic Center paying their rent.

She added the Civic Center in the future will be more protective of the new bleachers concerning damages from the rodeo events.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 67 followed by replays.

Jamestown (Chamber) On Tuesday, September 24, members of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and the Young Professionals of Jamestown held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Herbology to celebrate their new location in Jamestown. This business is located at 1513 Business Loop East in Jamestown. Herbology is a medical cannabis dispensary.

Businesses qualify for a ribbon-cutting ceremony if they open, move, remodel, are under new ownership or change their name. For more information, contact Emily Bivens by emailing: director@jamestownchamber.com or call the chamber at 701-252-4830.

Valley City (CSi) Another Barnes County Jail Committee will be held this evening 5:30-p.m., to 7:30-p.m., at the Barnes County Commission Chambers at the courthouse.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Klein McCarthy Architects will give a presentation on the proposed jail and law enforcement center.

Valley City (VCSU) Valley City State University has set enrollment records with a total headcount of 1,665 students and an undergraduate headcount of 1,524, according to official fall term 2019 figures released by the university.

The 1,665 total headcount surpasses the previous record of 1,547 set in fall 2018, a 7.6% increase, and the undergraduate headcount of 1,524 surpasses the previous record of 1,404, also from fall 2018, an 8.5% increase.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) figure has also increased from 2018 to 2019, moving from 1,096 to 1,164, a 6.2% increase.

The headcount enrollment marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking numbers for VCSU, beginning with a 2015 mark of 1,422 that surpassed the previous record of 1,384 set in 2011.

VCSU President, Alan LaFave says, “These are exciting times at Valely City State, and the record numbers represent the active choice that students make when they enroll at VCSU. The numbers are also a positive indicator of the tremendous work being done by our faculty and staff, with the strong support we receive from alumni, donors and the Valley City community, along with the North Dakota University System and the North Dakota Legislature. The personal attention that students receive both on campus and online makes for an outstanding education and a tremendous value, and I’m so very proud of the people who make that happen year in and year out.”

The enrollment records contribute to a positive fall term that has seen VCSU ranked the No. 2 public regional college in the Midwest by U.S. News and 51st among 372 schools in the Midwest in Washington Monthly’s Best Bang for the Buck Colleges (Midwest) listings.

The university will celebrate the inauguration of President LaFave on Friday, Sept. 27; the inauguration festivities also coincide with homecoming activities on the VCSU campus.

KIEF, N.D. (AP) — Authorities say a 41-year-old man from Anamoose died in a one-car rollover in Sheridan County.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says the crash happened Monday about 10:40 p.m. on a gravel road about a mile south of Kief. The driver failed to negotiate a curve and the vehicle ran off the roadway and into a ditch. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been identified.

The crash remains under investigation.

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — Authorities say human remains found in western North Dakota in December are those of a 15-year-old boy who was reported missing in the Dickinson area more than six years ago.

The Stark County Sheriff’s Office says the remains of Edward Stubbs, also known as Ashton Lebaron, were discovered by a resident on Dec. 11 in the area of Radar Base Hill, a defunct Air Force Radar Station northeast of Dickinson. Stubbs, from El Paso, Texas, came to the Dickinson area in June 2013 to work construction. He went missing that same month.

The teen’s mother, Jolene Stubbs, put out a $5,000 reward shortly after her son disappeared.

Authorities say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Edward Stubbs. No further details have been released.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s top gambling regulator says her agency needs to double in size to keep pace with the “explosion” of wagering brought on by electronic pulltabs.

Charities began operating electronic pulltabs one year ago. State gaming director Deb McDaniel told the Legislature’s interim Taxation Committee Tuesday that the popularity of the games has “put a tremendous strain” on her agency.

She says the amount wagered on charitable games in the current two-year budget cycle will top $1 billion, and mostly from electronic pulltabs. That’s about a 75% more than the 2015-17 budget cycle.

Rep. Jim Grueneich heads the committee studying charitable gambling taxes. He says the panel will meet at least two more times before the full Legislature convenes in 2021. He says legislation likely will come from the meetings.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An 18-year-old North Dakota woman who authorities say jumped a zoo guard rail to take a selfie in front of a primate cage has pleaded guilty to trespassing.

Ashlee Brown was fined $300 after Monday’s guilty plea and will be on unsupervised probation for nearly a year. She can keep the incident off her record if she stays out of trouble during that time.

Authorities say Brown jumped the rail at Bismarck’s Dakota Zoo in July, touched a small ape known as a siamang, and took a photograph. The Bismarck Tribune reports Brown didn’t testify in court and declined comment.

Zoo director Terry Lincoln said at the time that some diseases can be transmitted between humans and primates, and actions like Brown’s raise safety concerns for zoo visitors.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House intelligence committee says a whistleblower who has been blocked by the Trump administration would like to speak to Congress.

The whistleblower, whose identity is unknown, lodged a formal complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, but the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, determined that it could not be forwarded to Congress.

The complaint at least partly involves President Donald Trump’s interactions with the leader of Ukraine.

California Rep. Adam Schiff said Tuesday the committee has been contacted by the whistleblower’s counsel and “their client would like to speak to our committee and has requested guidance from the Acting DNI as to how to do so.”

Schiff said the committee is in touch with the counsel and looks forward to the testimony “as soon as this week.”

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — South Korea’s president is calling for economic engagement with rival North Korea in return for progress on nuclear disarmament.

Moon Jae-in, who favors reaching out to the North, also told leaders Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly that his nation “will guarantee the security of North Korea. I hope North Korea will do the same for South Korea.”

Moon says that mutual security assurances would then allow faster nuclear disarmament and peace on the Korean Peninsula, which is still technically in a state of war.

He called for an “international peace zone” between the divided Koreas with U.N. offices and other international groups stationed there.

Despite a string of summits between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim, there’s a lingering standoff on how to get the North to abandon its nuclear and missile program.

LONDON (AP) — In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain’s highest court has ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country’s Brexit deadline was illegal.

The unanimous, strongly worded Supreme Court judgment on Tuesday declared Johnson’s order to suspend Parliament “void and of no effect.” The court found that Johnson’s suspension had the effect of limiting debate by lawmakers on Britain’s impending departure from the European Union in violation of Parliament’s constitutional role.

The landmark decision was quickly criticized by Johnson and prompted calls for him to quit from opposition leaders. The Conservative prime minister and Parliament have been at odds since he took power in July with the goal of taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce deal.

Johnson vowed Tuesday that he will not resign and was flying back to London from New York overnight. Parliament resumes Wednesday.

MOSCOW (AP) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the comedian elected Ukraine’s leader in April, took office pledging to focus on ending the deadly separatist fighting in the country’s east, fomented by Russia.

But now, barely 100 days in power, he finds himself at the center of a political furor involving the United States, Ukraine’s friend and backer.

It is a delicate position for Zelenskiy. The 41-year-old political novice is trying to deal simultaneously with two powerful figures with outsize influence over his country’s future: President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Trump is suspected of pressuring Zelenskiy over the summer to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family at the same time Trump was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong.

Zelenskiy is walking a thin line. He has declined to comment on the reports.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A conservation group trying to create the largest nature reserve in the Lower 48 states is scaling back its request to expand bison grazing on public lands.

The Associated Press obtained information about the decision by the American Prairie Reserve ahead of a public announcement. It follows opposition from ranchers who worry about being pushed out of the area.

The Bozeman-based group is reducing the scope of its request from more than 450 square miles (1166 sq. kilometers) to about 94 square miles (243 sq. kilometers).

Reserve vice president Pete Geddes says the group doesn’t want neighboring landowners to feel “bulldozed.” The long-term goal remains unchanged: a 5,000-square-mile expanse of public and private with at least 10,000 bison.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Al Nash says the changes are under review.