csi photo matt sheppard

csi photo matt sheppard

CSi Weather…

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY EXTENDED UNTIL 11 AM CST WEDNESDAY…

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THE COMBINATION OF WIND AND VERY COLD
 AIR WILL CREATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE
 AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST
 VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE TO DRESS IN LAYERS AND COVER EXPOSED
 SKIN.
.TONIGHT…CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE EVENING…THEN SNOW
 LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF SNOW LATE IN THE NIGHT. LOWS
 AROUND 15 BELOW. SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW
 60 PERCENT. WIND CHILLS AROUND 25 BELOW.
 .NEW YEARS DAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW IN
 THE MORNING. HIGHS AROUND 5 BELOW. SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 MPH
 SHIFTING TO THE NORTH IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND CHILLS AROUND
 25 BELOW.
 .WEDNESDAY NIGHT…DECREASING CLOUDS. LOWS AROUND 25 BELOW.
 NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 5 MPH. WIND CHILLS AROUND 35 BELOW.
 .THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 5 BELOW. SOUTHWEST WINDS
 AROUND 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
 .THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. LOWS AROUND
 5 BELOW. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 15 MPH.
 .FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S.
 .FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW.
 BREEZY. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE.
 .SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 5 TO
 10 ABOVE. LOWS AROUND 10 BELOW.
 .SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS
 AROUND 5 BELOW.
 .SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND
 20 BELOW. HIGHS AROUND 10 BELOW.
 .TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 5 BELOW.

DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

RISING TEMPERATURES ARE ANTICIPATED
 THURSDAY NIGHT…AND FRIDAY SHOULD SEE HIGHS IN THE 30S ACROSS ALL
 OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE NEXT LARGER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. ANY ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHT HOWEVER BUT IT MAY GET WINDY AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY.

 DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS ARE FORECAST SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS ARCTIC AIR RETURNS.
 

Valley City (CSi) A Public Meeting will be held to discuss potential modifications to the low-head dam on the Sheyenne River near Kathryn, North Dakota.

The Barnes County Water Resource District is hosting the open public informational meeting January 13, 2014 at 1:30p.m., at The Barnes County Highway Department office, Northwest of Valley City.

Discussion will center on talks with federal and state agencies regarding potential improvements that would also address dam safety and fish passage concerns with the existing dam.

Agency representatives will be on hand to discuss potential options and will receive ocal input and comments, before a decision is made on proceeding with a project.

For more information contact Linda McKenna at 701-845-5808.

 

Bismarck (CSi) The N.D. State Rehabilitation Council will meet on Fri., Jan. 10, 2014, from 1 to 4 p.m. (Central Time) by the means of eight video conference sites.

The public is invited to participate in the meeting from the Jamestown location:

The South Central Human Service Center, 520 Third St. N.W., Conference Room 124

Agenda items include updates from Vocational Rehabilitation staff on the council’s budget, annual report, order of selection, and reports from regional office administrators from Williston and Devils Lake. There will also be discussion on the committee’s roles and responsibilities, assignments for new members, and reports from committee chairs. A complete agenda is online at www.nd.gov/dhs/info/publicnotice/index.html.

Individuals who need accommodations to participate in the meeting can contact Vicki Magill at 701-328-8953, toll free 800-755-2745, ND Relay TTY 800-366-6888, or vmagill@nd.gov.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man has been sentenced to six months in jail in the starvation deaths of more than 100 horses in Burleigh and Morton counties.
 
     William Kiefer pleaded guilty Aug. 2 to nine counts of Class A misdemeanor overworking, mistreating or abandoning animals.  
 
   Judge Tom Schneider on Tuesday sentenced Kiefer to one year in jail with six months suspended. The sentence can be served in jail or through electronic monitoring.
 
     Schneider told Kiefer that he cannot own livestock during his two years on probation.
 
     In late January 2013, officials in Morton and Burleigh counties seized more than 150 horses and mules from properties owned by Kiefer northwest of New Salem and east of Bismarck. Several other animals later died.

 

Update…

Tuesday afternoon, the evacuation recommendation was being lifted for Casselton, near the oil train explosion.  One or two of the train cars carrying oil was still burning.

 CASSELTON, N.D. (AP) – Authorities say air quality appears to be improving after a fire from the derailment of a crude oil-carrying train in southeastern North Dakota.
 
     The BNSF Railway train derailed Monday near Casselton, prompting the evacuation of about two-thirds of the town’s 2,400 residents.
 
     Cass County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tara Morris says air quality is being tested by a contractor hired by the railroad. Morris said Tuesday morning there have been improvements in air quality readings but authorities weren’t yet prepared to “give the all-clear.”
 
     The town’s water tower is about half-covered with soot. Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney says he expects a lot of soot around town. He tells The Associated Press, “wait until you see the footprints in the snow later on.”
 
     The derailment/s cause isn’t known. No one was hurt.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Jack Dalrymple, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and Congressman Kevin Cramer met Tuesday with officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to discuss Monday’s train derailment and fire near Casselton.  Dalrymple, Hoeven and Cramer met with NTSB officials at the Central Cass School in Casselton which is serving as the tactical operations center for emergency responders.

Following their meeting with the NTSB, Dalrymple, Hoeven and Cramer also met with local and state officials who are carrying out the emergency response following the train derailment.

“We welcome the NTSB’s investigation and hope that it will serve to improve rail safety,” Dalrymple said. “We are also committed to providing all of the state resources needed in this emergency response.” 

Dalrymple, Hoeven and Cramer said they will monitor the NTSB’s investigation and will continue to work with local officials to ensure they have the resources needed to safeguard the public.

Hoeven and Dalrymple spoke Tuesday to the CEO of BNSF Railway to express their concern about Monday’s accident in Casselton and to expedite ways that we can improve rail transportation safety.  Hoeven also spoke with the chairman of the NTSB. 

“We need to see what the NTSB’s recommendations are, but right now, we need to rigorously review which products can be shipped in which railcars for maximum safety until newer cars come online,” Hoeven said. “We also need to advance rules for building new tankers with enhanced safety features.”

A year ago, Hoeven wrote to the head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) asking her to finalize such rules as soon as possible. To date, no rules have been completed, but he said he will continue to work with others to press the case. Hoeven also said it must be recognized that modern pipelines, with their new safety features, are an important part of enhancing the safety of petroleum transport, which is why he has been working aggressively to build projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.

                “After meeting with federal, state, and local officials today I am continuing to monitor the situation, Congressman Cramer said. “ It is a blessing no loss of life was suffered. Ensuring the well-being of local residents remains the number one priority”

Initial reports indicate that a westbound train carrying grain derailed shortly after 2p.m. Monday about a half-mile west of Casselton. The derailed train crashed into an eastbound train carrying crude oil, causing a large fire and several explosions.  No injuries have been reported. Many of Casselton’s residents left their homes late Monday at the urging of local officials. Railroad crews worked today to isolate a few tank cars that continued to burn.

In response to the derailment, the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services activated the State Emergency Operations Center to assist local emergency response efforts. The North Dakota Department of Health dispatched personnel to the accident site Monday and Health Department staff remained on site today to oversee the monitoring of air quality and to conduct a preliminary assessment of potential environmental impacts. The Highway Patrol and state Department of Transportation also have assisted local emergency responders. 

            “The National Transportation Safety Board, and various other federal agencies, state, and local officials are all currently on the ground conducting an investigation to determine exactly what led to the unfortunate accident near Casselton,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. “I’m remaining in close contact with state and local officials, as well as BNSF and NTSB, to make sure the necessary resources are in place to provide for the safety of the citizens of Casselton and to make sure there’s a quick and safe clean up of the accident site.”

Dalrymple, Hoeven and Cramer met in Casselton with local and state officials to further coordinate emergency response efforts.  Officials who attended the meeting included: Casselton Mayor Ed McConnell, Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s deputy state director Ross Keys, Terry O’Clair, director of the state Health Department Air Quality Division, Cass County Commission Chairman Ken Pawluck, Cass County Emergency Manager Dave Rogness, state Department of Emergency Services Director Greg Wilz and other state officials.

 

 CASSELTON, N.D. (AP) – BNSF Railway is opening a claims center for residents of Casselton after the derailment of a crude-oil carrying train about a mile from the southeastern North Dakota town.
 
     No one was hurt in the Monday derailment, but about two-thirds of the town’s 2,400 residents evacuated. The cause of the wreck hasn’t been determined.
 
     The claims center is to open Thursday at the Days Inn Casselton and will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Personal expense claim forms and also business interruption claim forms will be available. People with claims will need a driver’s license or other identification, along with proof of residency, such as mail with a name and address.
 
     Casselton residents can call 1-866–243-4784 for information.

 

  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s top oil regulator says the fiery train derailment near Casselton likely won’t have any impact on oil production.
 
     Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms says he expects companies to use alternative rail routes to move crude to market.
 
     The BNSF Railway train derailed Monday near Casselton. A series of explosions sent massive fireballs and a smoke plume into the air. Some cars are still burning a day later.
 
     The cause of the derailment is not known. No one was hurt.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A Bismarck pet store has reported the theft of four flying squirrels.
 
Animal Kingdom reported that someone stole the squirrels valued at $600 late Friday or early Saturday.
 
     The police report says two teenage girls on Friday afternoon looked at the squirrels and at some purses that also later turned up missing. The three missing purses are valued at $150.
 

 

In world and national news…

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A federal judge is upholding most of New York’s new gun control law. The judge is rejecting arguments that the bans on large-capacity magazines and the sale of some semi-automatic rifles violate Second Amendment rights. He said those provisions are constitutional because they’re related to achieving an “important governmental interest” in public safety. But he struck down the restriction on gun owners loading more than seven bullets in a legal 10-round magazine, saying that appears to be “an arbitrary number.”
 
     UNDATED (AP) – As midnight arrives around the globe, fireworks have marked the arrival of 2014. A tourist from Germany, visiting Sydney, Australia, says a display there “filled up the whole sky.” Organizers were hoping to set off about 7.7 tons of fireworks in 12 seconds — and the estimate appeared to be accurate.
 
     PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Lawyers for a Roman Catholic church official have posted bail and surrendered his passport as they try to get him out of prison after 18 months. Monsignor William Lynn’s attorneys posted the $250,000 bail, which was set after an appeals court overturned his conviction in a clergy sex-abuse scandal. Officials at a state prison in northeastern Pennsylvania don’t yet have a court order releasing him.
 
     SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – State wildlife officials say West Nile Virus appears to be the mystery illness that’s caused more than two dozen bald eagles to die in Utah this month. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says results of laboratory tests on some of the first birds found indicate they died from West Nile. Officials say 27 bald eagles have died since Dec. 1, and five others are being treated at a wildlife rehabilitation center.
 
     LOS ANGELES (AP) – In a large area of California, 2013 is closing out as the driest year on record. While a drought has not been declared, some communities have urged residents to conserve water. Dozens of cities from Sacramento to Los Angeles saw historically parched conditions that set new marks.  December is typically one of the wettest months — and it’s been dry. Still, forecasters say there’s hope for rain in the coming months. (a0679)