WEATHER FROM KCSI-TV:

TODAY…SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S. SOUTHWEST WINDS AROUND 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON. TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH. .

TUESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID 80S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH. .TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE LOWER 60S. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 5 MPH IN THE EVENING BECOMING LIGHT. .

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE MID 80S. NORTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS AROUND 60. HIGHS AROUND 80.

In Local News…

Jamestown, ND (KCSi-T.V. News Aug 3, 2012) — The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held Friday (Aug 3, 2012) for the new 90- room Hampton Inn & Suites, with construction underway, south of Grizzly’s, in Southwest Jamestown.

On hand were the Jamestown franchise owners, Brian and Vibha Patel of Jamestown.

Brian says they purchased the land and Vibha adds, the price tag for construction is $7-million.

Financing is through American Bank Center, of Dickinson, with representative Bruce Dolezal on hand for the groundbreaking.

Puetz Corporation of Mitchell, South Dakota is the primary contractor. He said, completion of the hotel is expected by late April, early May 2013, sooner if the winter weather is mild.

The company’s Marketing, Development Director, Jerry Claseman said, the Jamestown Hampton Inn & Suites will have 90-units and features a two-story breakfast area, a swimming pool, with a children’s play area, plus meeting rooms, and an exercise area.

Hampton Inn & Suites is the largest growing hotel chain, worldwide, according to Forbes Magazine.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Jamestown Mayor Katie Andersen thanked the Patel’s for investing in Jamestown, and pointed out the additional motel rooms and other features will help Jamestown to grow.

It will also go toward Jamestown hosting sports tournaments in the future with more motel rooms.

Buffalo City Tourism, Director, Nina Sneider said, it was the Hampton Inn & Suites that provided tourism with a $16,000 grant a few years ago to refurbish the World’s Largest Buffalo, in Jamestown.

The groundbreaking was hosted by the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Committee.

In state news:

MEDORA, N.D. (AP) – The U.S. Forest Service is reopening an

eight-mile stretch of the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North

Dakota that was closed because of a wildfire. The 100-mile trail

for hikers, bikers and horseback riders connects the northern and

southern portions of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and attracts

thousands of people each year.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – Authorities are searching for a man who

was involved in two police chases in Grand Forks. The chases all

took place in a three-day span and investigators say they’re still

searching for 31-year-old Juan Robles.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Supporters who want to spend a portion of

North Dakota’s oil tax revenue on conservation projects say they’ll

turn in a petition today to get the measure on the November ballot.

Organizers of the effort say they’ve collected thousands of

signatures for the proposed constitutional amendment.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – More than 1,300 fall wild turkey hunting

licenses are left after North Dakota’s license lottery. The

remaining licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served

basis beginning August 15th.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A campaign finance expert says state

utility commissioners shouldn’t be accepting campaign money from

industries they regulate. Democratic candidate Brad Crabtree claims

incumbent public service commissioners Brian Kalk and Kevin Cramer

have taken money from coal and wind power companies in North

Dakota. Lobbyist Craig Holman says industry donations to Kalk and

Cramer are tantamount to bribery.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Supporters of putting some oil tax

revenues into North Dakota conservation projects say their idea is

ready for voters to decide. The backers say they’ll be turning in

an initiative petitions to Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s office

today. The measure would set aside five percent of the state’s oil

tax collections in a special fund for conservation projects.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Hunters can apply online for licenses

being made available for North Dakota’s 2012 tundra swan season.

Online applications can be made via the Game and Fish Department’s

website. The statewide tundra swan hunting season begins September

29th.

 

ISMAY, Mont. (AP) – Several rail cars caught fire in eastern

Montana after a freight train derailed. Burlington Northern Santa

Fe spokesman Gus Melonas says 14 tanker cars and one car hauling

cardboard derailed yesterday afternoon. The cars were part of a

106-car train headed to Montana from Aberdeen, S.D.

MOUNTAIN, N.D. (AP) – Residents of the tiny northeastern North

Dakota town of Mountain say its annual Icelandic heritage

celebration is continuing to thrive. The town of about 100 people

has been holding the “Deuce of August” festival each year for

more than a century. Thousands of people come to the event, which

focuses on Icelandic history and culture. It started Friday and

finished yesterday.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s tax commissioner says the

state’s oil revenues could top $3.5 billion. Tax Commissioner Cory

Fong says crude prices have stayed close to what the Legislature

forecast. But oil production is higher. The Legislature forecast

that North Dakota oil producers would pump up to 425,000 barrels of

oil a day. In May, the average daily output was almost 640,000

barrels.

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) – Minot’s City Council will be considering a

request to add 62 new city workers and raise property taxes and

water rates. The proposal includes 18 new police officers and seven

firefighters. The City Council has tentatively scheduled a public

hearing for September 10th.

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – The University of North Dakota medical

school is getting a $5 million grant to help train emergency

responders in rural areas. The money from the Leona M. and Harry B.

Helmsley Charitable Trust will be used for four mobile training

vehicles. One each will be based in Grand Forks, Fargo, Minot and

Bismarck.