Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Sept 1

CSi Weather…

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT  TO 8 PM CDT /7 PM MDT/ TUESDAY EVENING…

* WHAT…West winds 25 to 40 mph expected.

* WHERE…Portions of north central, south central and southeast North Dakota. Eastern North Dakota along and north of Interstate 94.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Be
careful traveling, especially those driving high profile
vehicles, as the wind could push you out of your lane.

 

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The wind will die off this evening.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use extra caution when driving. Secure outdoor objects.

Wednesday is looking very windy again and parts of this area could
be in critical fire weather conditions.

Forecast…

TONIGHT…Clear. Lows in the lower 50s. West winds 5 to 15 mph.

Gusts up to 35 mph in the evening.

.WEDNESDAY…Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Southwest winds 10 to

20 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph in the afternoon.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms in the evening, in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area,  then mostly clear after midnight. Lows in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.

.THURSDAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Northwest winds 15 to

20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 50s.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the lower 50s.

.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 40s.

.LABOR DAY…Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 50s.

 

On Tuesday morning Stutsman and Barnes Counties were in the Moderate Risk range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Danger Map for North Dakota

 

North Dakota health officials report 191 new positive coronavirus cases and two new deaths. The number of new positive cases Tuesday included 30 in Burleigh County and 12 in neighboring Morton County. The counties that include the Bismarck metropolitan area have taken over as the state’s hot spot for the virus in recent weeks. North Dakota’s death toll from the coronavirus was 145 as of Tuesday. The victims were a man in his 70s from Morton County, and a woman in her 80s from Burleigh County. Officials said they both had underlying health conditions.

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats…

Tues. Sept. 1, 2020

11-a.m.

Barnes

New Positives 1

Total Positives 114

Active Cases 49

Recovered 65

 

Stutsman

New Positives 2

Total Positives 213

Active Cases 73

Recovered 137

COVID-19 Test Results
The results listed are from the previous day. Additional data can be found on the NDDoH website.

BY THE NUMBERS

2,493 – Total Tests from Yesterday*

473,705 – Total tests completed since pandemic began

191 – Positive Individuals from Yesterday*****

12,000 – Total positive individuals since pandemic began

7.66% – Daily Positivity Rate**

 

2,245 – Total Active Cases

-133 Individuals from yesterday

171 – Individuals Recovered from Yesterday****

9,610 – Total recovered since pandemic began

62 – Currently Hospitalized

– 8 individuals from yesterday

2 – New Deaths*** (145 total deaths since the pandemic began)

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

• Man in his 70s from Morton County with underlying health conditions.
• Woman in her 80s from Burleigh County with underlying health conditions.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TUESDAY

• Barnes County – 1
• Benson County – 4
• Bowman County – 1
• Burleigh County – 30
• Cass County – 20
• Cavalier County – 1
• Dickey County – 1
• Dunn County – 1
• Eddy County – 1
• Foster County – 1
• Grand Forks County – 19
• Hettinger County – 3
• McHenry County – 3
• McKenzie County – 2
• McLean County – 3
• Mercer County – 1
• Morton County – 12
• Pembina County – 1
• Rolette County – 1
• Sargent County – 1
• Stark County – 50
• Steele County – 1
• Stutsman County – 2
• Towner County – 1
• Walsh County – 4
• Ward County – 13
• Williams County – 13

 

* Note that this does not include individuals from out of state and has been updated to reflect the most recent information discovered after cases were investigated.

**Because the serial tests completed and added to the total number of tests completed can result in new individuals who test positive, the daily positivity rate will be calculated using the total positives for the day by the daily number of tests completed instead of the daily number of unique individuals tested.

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.
**** The daily numbers are the actual date individuals are officially out of isolation and no longer contagious.

******Totals may be adjusted as individuals are found to live out of state, in another county, or as other information is found during investigation.

 

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

For the most updated and timely information and updates related to COVID-19, visit the NDDoH website at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

 

Jamestown  (CVHD)   Central Valley Health District will  hold weekly testing event in Jamestown.  The testing will occur on Friday’s from 10 to Noon at the Jamestown Civic Center.

This event is open to anyone needing testing especially those with symptoms or who are close contacts.   There will be a total of 300 tests available and it is first come first serve.

“We will no longer be offering large-scale testing events and will be moving towards smaller weekly events to ensure availability of testing for those who are close contact or symptomatic,” says Robin Iszler, Unit Administrator at Central Valley Health District.

Appointments are not required but those who wish to receive a test are required to complete the online screening questionnaire in advance, which can be found here: https://testreg.nd.gov/.  Completing the online screening questionnaire does not guarantee you a test.

Additional details:

• There is no cost for the test and health insurance is not processed.
• Proof of residency will not be required.
• The testing process itself takes approximately 15 minutes. Wait time in line may be longer.
• Those with a positive result will be notified by phone within 24 – 72 hours.
• Those with a negative result will be notified by the state notification system within 5 – 7 days.
• Testing will be conducted using oral swabs. Antibody testing will not be conducted at this event.
• Drive-up testing only. Stay in your vehicle to be tested.
• Location of event is subject to change. Follow Central Valley Health on Facebook for event updates.

 

Valley City  (SCC)   Sheyenne Care Center in Valley City has announced an update in the visitation policy restrictions.

The following is a news release by Craig Christianson the CEO of the Sheyenne Care Center  CEO News Release states:

“Here at Sheyenne Care Center our number one priority is to monitor and put in place safety precautions that protect our residents and staff. That is why we continuously monitor the status of our residents and staff every day during this pandemic period.

We are glad to inform you that our residents and staff remain 100% COVID free at Sheyenne Care Center. But with the increase of positive COVID’s in Barnes County we feel it is necessary to restrict both internal and external visitation starting Tuesday, September 1st, 2020.

This restriction will be monitored on a weekly basis and the status of the restriction will be updated every Wednesday through our social media (Facebook), Webpage, local radio and newspaper.

Thank you for understanding and if you have any questions please contact us here at Sheyenne Care Center.”

Craig Christianson, CEO

Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown School Superintendent, Dr. Robert Lech reports that 130 public school district students are enrolled in the Virtual Academy and will be distance learning from home.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2 those students will be connecting after Labor Day with Arizona university and the grade appropriate curriculum.

He added that the school district continues to follow health department guidelines for the safe return to in person classes, within school buildings.  Wearing face masks, physical distancing are being observed within the school district buildings.

Also on our show, Dr. Lech updated viewers/listeners that the Public School District has sent letters to the parents of under five students that the students may have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 at school.

Dr. Lech did not identify the class or the school where the exposure occurred,  due to confidentiality, adding that notification letters were sent to the parents including a date the student may return to school after the period of quarantine.

He reminds parents that if a child is sick he or she should stay home.

 

Jamestown  (CSi)  Jamestown Tourism Director, Searle Swedlund says, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, visitor numbers in Jamestown have seen a recent upturn.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, Searle said earlier visitor numbers this summer the car count at the Buffalo Monument,  Frontier Village and the National Buffalo Museum were down 35 percent in June, eight percent in July, but saw an increase of 1.1 percent in August this year.  He noted excellent sales at the Frontier Village Dakota Store location, and better than last year.

The Car Count so far is around 30,000.  He said however the National Buffalo Museum number of guests has been down, stemming from changes in the visitors policy.

Searle pointed out that while Jamestown hotel numbers of guests have been off, the numbers recently have been trending upward to a more manageable number.

He said improvements have been continuing at Frontier Village with the buildings and the visitors experience.

 

Valley City  (CSi)  The Valley City Commission met in Regular Session Tuesday evening at City Hall.  All members were present.

Members of the public are not permitted in the Commission Chambers due to COVID-19 and as allowed in ND Executive Order 2020-16.   Members of the public may view the meeting on line, at zoom.us/j/922 69970205.   Or listen by calling –  1-346-248-7799. Webinar ID: 922 6997 0205)

 

APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA

 

Monthly Reports from the Fire Chief, Building Inspector, Auditor, Municipal Judge and Public Works Accountant.

 

Monthly Bills for the City and Public Works in the Amount of $1,431,492.21

 

A  Raffle Permit for Barnes County Ducks Unlimited on 9/24/2020.

PUBLIC COMMENTS  No One Spoke.

During the COVID-19 emergency, members of the public may request to make a public comment regarding city business by contacting City Hall (701) 845-1700 by 12 NOON on the day of the meeting to make arrangements.

Attorney General’s “A Citizen’s Guide to North Dakota Open Records & Open Meetings Laws” *A member of the public does not have the right to speak to the governing body at an open meeting. The public is only entitled to see and hear what happens at a meeting, and to record or broadcast those observations.

No personal attacks to persons present or not

No inflammatory language used during time that you have the platform

5 minute maximum or as directed by the chair

Thank you for participating in City Government.

NEW BUSINESS

Considered advertising for bids the sale of vacant lot at 14th St SW, Parcel 63-0880017  A motion was made to retain the property which was approved.

Considered was a member participation agreement in the  North Dakota Public Health Insurance Trust. City Attorney Martineck  said if a two year agreement is maintained there will be no immediate increase in health insurance premiums, if the same plan is kept, along with a smaller increase in the future.  The City Commission voted to approve the participation.

The City Commission considered a Site Authorizations for VCSU Foundation at W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse, VC Town & Country Club, Shelly Ellig Field @ Lokken Stadium and the Valley City Eagles Club.   Finance Director Richter said the action is for a renewal, which was approved by commissioners.  She said the site authorizations are good for one year.

Considered was a recommendation from Renaissance Zone Authority Board for tax exemptions for property tax and income tax for Smith Lumber.  Avis Richter said an approval is for five years, for a new building, as part of the businesses expansion.  The City Commission approved the action, as recommended by the Renaissance Zone Authority Board.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:

Gwen Crawford said nuisance and junk was addressed, with police and the city, asking the commission for their input, in order to step up enforcement of the Ordinance.

CITY UPDATES &COMMISSION REPORTS

City Finance Director, Avis Richter said, there will be a Special City Commission meeting Thursday September 3 at 7-a.m. at the Commission Chamber.  Agenda items will include reviewing the City Engineers  job applications, and reviewing the 2021 City Budget, and any possible changes before it is finalized.

Scott Magnuson reminded residents to there is one month left to have census information sent in.

Police Chief Phil Hatcher reminded motorists to watch for students in school zones, noting changes in the traffic flows involving students drop off and pick up locations, and more parents transporting children to and from school.

KLJ gave and update on projects, with some completions, including lighting.

Commissioner Gulmon thanked those who worked on the health insurance plan changes.  He said the Valley City Budget audit  was completed with no problems indicated.

Mayor Carlsrud addressed the surge in COVID-19 positive cases, in Barnes County, noting some decisions on the part of some people was not appropriate, (large social gatherings)  leading the spread of the virus.  He encourages masking and observing social distancing, and frequent hand washing.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 68, followed by replays.

 

 

Jamestown  (CSi) Unite to Silence the Stigma will be holding a walk on Sunday September 20 at Nickeus Park in Jamestown.   Monte Rodacker of Jamestown says the walk begins at 2 pm and goes until about 4.  First Link will be providing a speaker for us. We will be reading off names of suicide losses and releasing a large balloon in memory.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Democrats have endorsed a new candidate for insurance commissioner after the state Supreme Court ruled the party’s intitial nominee was ineligible for the ballot. In a unanimous opinion last week, the high court upheld a lower court ruling that concluded Travisia Martin hasn’t lived in the state long enough to hold the office. Democrats on Friday endorsed Fargo insurance agent Jason Anderson to replace her. The party filed a petition on Monday with the North Dakota Supreme Court to get Anderson on the November ballot. Arguments in the case are scheduled Wednesday.

BERTHOLD, N.D. (AP) — A man has been arrested for driving drunk after flipping a farming combine in a field in northwestern North Dakota. Police say the combine landed upside down in the field near Berthold Monday afternoon. Authorities say the 45-year-old man was intoxicated and was taken to the Ward County Jail in Minot. The combine has extensive damage.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Police say a man who was stabbed at an apartment in Grand Forks has died of his injuries. Officers responded to a call shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday and found a man who had been stabbed in his abdomen. He was taken to Altru Hospital where he later died. A suspect was located and taken into custody. Police say the victim and suspect knew each other and that the attack was not random. Police are recommending a murder charge against the 44-year-old Grand Forks man in custody. The victim was identified as 46-year-old Ram Monger, of Grand Forks.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers is recommending that the federal government negotiate a settlement with North Dakota for more than $38 million that the state spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The request comes following a federal judge’s decision last month to deny the federal government’s motion to dismiss North Dakota’s lawsuit seeking to recover the damages the state claimed from the monthslong pipeline protests almost four years ago. North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer calls the recommendation “very significant” and the right thing to do for the federal government. The $3.8 billion pipeline has been moving oil from the Dakotas through Iowa to Illinois for more than three years.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of business leaders released Tuesday shows economic improvement in nine Midwest and Plains states. That includes improvements in employment and economic outlook amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the devastation from a rare wind storm earlier in the month. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the survey’s employment index moved above growth neutral 50 for the first time since January, coming in at 54.8 for August, compared with 48.5 in July. The overall index for the region improved to 60 in August from July’s 57.4. Any score above 50 suggests growth. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — A University of North Dakota business student will ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange on Wednesday. Pierson Painter, a student at UND’s Nistler College of Business and Administration, received the opportunity to ring the bell remotely from North Dakota and a $15,000 cash prize after winning the Red River Valley Business Plan competition in the spring. Painter, an entrepreneurship and marketing double major from Grand Forks, will represent the business school in the virtual ceremony alongside the school’s dean and his professor, who helped organize the competition.

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump has arrived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he prepares to tour damage from protests and violence that followed the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake. Trump’s visit comes despite pleas from Wisconsin’s Democratic governor to stay away for fears of sparking further tumult. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson greeted the president when Air Force One touched down in nearby Waukegan, Illinois. Blake’s family says he’s paralyzed after police shot the 29-year-old Black man seven times in the back. Demonstrators have called for the officer who shot him to be fired and face attempted murder charges.

 

In world and national news….

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced he will lift the state’s ban on visiting nursing homes. The ban has cut off vulnerable seniors from family since mid-March over fears of spreading the new coronavirus. DeSantis says he would lift the ban in an executive order later Tuesday, following recommendations from a nursing home task force that has met in recent weeks. The task force has recommended that nursing homes allow family members to visit their loved ones no more than two at a time, and that they wear protective gear including masks. Facilities would need to go 14 days without any new COVID-19 cases.

 

(AP) Federal officials will begin shipping tens of millions of rapid coronavirus tests to state governors this month for use in reopening schools. The plans is to distribute some of the 150 million tests ordered from test maker Abbott Laboratories. Abbott’s rapid test, the size of a credit card, is the first that doesn’t require specialty computer equipment to develop. The test delivers results in about 15 minutes. The Trump administration’s top testing official, Admiral Brett Giroir, says the test will screen children at K-12 schools, first responders and other high-risk populations. U.S. testing has mainly relied on nasal swab tests sent to labs and results take longer. Health experts view rapid tests run as key to expanding the number of tests heading into the flu season.

 

(AP) A third leading candidate COVID-19 vaccine has entered a final stage of human testing in the United States. AstraZeneca announced Monday its potential COVID-19 vaccine has entered final trials in the U.S. to test the effectiveness and safety of the product. The Cambridge, England-based company said the trial will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech. Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel is suggesting a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine does prove safe and effective.

 

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a New York prosecutor from obtaining Donald Trump’s tax returns while the president’s lawyers continue to fight a subpoena seeking the records. The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides. Trump’s lawyers had asked for a temporary stay while they appeal a lower-court ruling that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office access to Trump’s tax returns. A lawyer for Vance’s office had argued that further delays would only impede their investigation. A hearing on the merits of Trump’s latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule.