wbam1CSi Weather…

REST OF TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGHS IN THE MID
20S. NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
.TONIGHT…INCREASING CLOUDS. LOWS 15 TO 20. SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO
10 MPH.
.SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHWEST WINDS
10 TO 15 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW
AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA, 50 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA. BREEZY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. WEST WINDS 15 TO
25 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
.SUNDAY…SNOW LIKELY. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WINDY.
LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHWEST WINDS
30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW
60 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA 50 PERCENT IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN THE
EVENING. MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. WINDY.
LOWS 15 TO 20.
.MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER
20S. LOWS 10 TO 15.
.WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER
20S. LOWS AROUND 15.

 

VERY STRONG WINDS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY WITH GUSTS OVER 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS ALSO ANTICIPATED… AND THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND FALLING SNOW MAY LEAD TO POOR VISIBILITY FROM THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS SOUTH TO THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY.

WITH AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…THERE

IS THE POTENTIAL FOR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. MUCH UNCERTAINTY

REMAINS AT THIS TIME ON THE AMOUNT OF SNOW AND THE STRENGTH OF

THE WINDS.

 THIS AREA COULD RECEIVE 2 INCHES OF SNOW SOUTH TO 4 OR MORE NORTH IN THE  TURTLE MOUNTAINS. THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA ON SUNDAY SHOULD CHECK THE LATEST FORECASTS AND ROAD CONDITIONS BEFORE SETTING OUT.

QUICKLY FOLLOWING THIS A COLD FRONT ARRIVES
 SATURDAY NIGHT SWEEPING ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA GIVING ANOTHER PERIOD OF WINDS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF COLD AIR..
 
 

Jamestown (CSi) The Frontier Village will not be receiving $6,000 in anticipated funding from Stutsman County.

Frontier Village Association Secretary-Treasurer Tina Busche said a Stutsman County mill levy grant request is not on the approved grants list.

She added the Association was directed to have its accountant submit additional documents that did not arrive by the July 28 deadline.

She said the FVA will now have to make up that funding elsewhere.

The current operating balance in the FVA budget is $5,904, the $6,000 loss from the request will need to be addressed at a future meeting.

Board President, Charlie Tanata was told by Stutsman County that the grant application went missing, and that he plans to bring the matter to the County Commission.

 

Jamestown (CSi) Plans are moving forward for the new bookmobile.

The James River Valley Library System Board of Directors approved finalizing the order through OBS Inc.,of Ohio, a company that makes specialty vehicles.

The total cost for the vehicle is $239,502, with 46 individual gifts and 10 business gifts to help fund the bookmobile. Each gift was anywhere from $25 to $500.

The bookmobile is expected to arrive by August.

 

Jamestown (CSi) The 9th Annual, Giving Hearts Days is set for Thursday February 11, 2016, a one-day online giving event.

Several Jamestown area non-profits are participating this year, including: Anne Carlsen Center, Jamestown Regional Medical Center, St. John’s Academy, The Arts Center, American Heart Association, Freedom Resource Center, Service Dogs for America, Salvation Army, and University of Jamestown.

On Thursday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, were Cyndi Wish from the Arts Center, Kendra Krueger from the American Heart Association, and Felicia Sargeant from the Anne Carlsen Center.

Cyndi pointed out that proceeds from Giving Hearts Day donations will go the Arts Center’s Arts After School, and Summer Arts program

Kendra added the proceeds will stay in North Dakota and ear-marked for the Hypertension Initiative, the Cardiac Ready Community program, the Go Red For Woman program, and other programs promoting healthy life styles.

Felicia said the Anne Carlsen Center has head start on Giving Hearts Day as a $100,000 match has been pledge by Gate City Bank, in North Dakota.

The Giving Hearts Day donations will go toward the Anne Carlsen Center’s general operating fund.

In Valley City CHI Mercy Health Foundation will participate.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Mayfield says an “Open House” will be held from 10am-2pm on Thursday, February 11 to celebrate Giving Hearts Day. There will be Valentine treats available as well as laptops set up for assistance with online giving.

She says join the Foundation Board and Hospital Staff at the Valley City Pizza Ranch from 5pm-7:30pm that evening while they serve you and share what’s happening at Mercy Hospital.

If you have any questions, contact Stephanie Mayfield in the CHI Mercy Health Foundation office (direct #845-6557 or

stephaniemayfield@catholichealth.net.)

Jamestown Regional Medical Center has been selected by Dakota Medical Foundation, Impact Foundation and Alex Stern Family Foundation to participate in Giving Hearts Day, the region’s largest giving day. Giving Hearts Day is a 24-hour online fundraising event on February 11, 2016. On that day only, contributions of $10 or more will be matched by generous donors. To support Jamestown Regional Medical Center and have your donation matched; go to impactgiveback.org on February 11, 2016.

Giving Hearts Day is the biggest charity giving day of the year in the region. Because donations of $10 or more are matched, it’s a great day for donors to multiply the results of their giving. In a single day, millions are raised to improve lives in North Dakota and western Minnesota.

Last year, Giving Hearts Day donors raised $6.9 million for charities and more than 30,500 online gifts were made!

Giving Hearts Day is hosted by Dakota Medical Foundation, Impact Foundation, and Alex Stern Family Foundation.

On February 11, 2016, go to  impactgiveback.org

Search for “Jamestown” or “Jud” and donate to any or all of the local non-profits – then warm your heart when you give!

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The federal trial for a woman accused of bilking investors in a North Dakota oil patch trucking firm has been delayed so she can testify in her ex-husband’s murder-for-hire trial.
 
     Sarah Creveling has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Her trial was scheduled to begin in Bismarck on Feb. 23.
 
     Creveling is scheduled as a witness in the ongoing trial of her ex-husband, James Henrikson. The proceedings in Richland, Washington, are expected to last another six weeks.
 
     Authorities say Creveling was part of a scheme that tricked investors into thinking the trucks were destroyed or damaged to get them to sign a release for sale of the scrap. That allowed what appeared to be a lawful transfer of the trucks to another company.

 

  WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – Authorities in Williston say a fourth man has been charged in connection with a Chicago-based heroin ring that has been linked to a recent string of overdoses.
 
 35-year-old Johnny Thompson is charged with conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance.
 
     Authorities say Thompson sold heroin to Frank Miller, who was treated for an overdose on Jan. 5 and found dead of another apparent overdose the next day. The overdoses sent eight others in Williston to the hospital over a six-day period.
 
     Three other men in the case have been charged. State investigators linked the suspects to an alleged drug operation known for selling a pure form of heroin that’s often mixed with other powerful substances, including the painkiller fentanyl.
 
     An attorney is not listed for Thompson.

 

 MANDAN, N.D. (AP) – Jurors are determining the fate of a Mandan man accused of killing a friend and setting a mobile home on fire to cover up the crime.
 
     Rodney Friesz could face life in prison if convicted of murder and arson in the October 2014 slaying of 62-year-old Gene Jassmann.
 
     Authorities allege Friesz shot Jassmann in the head with a .22-caliber rifle after the two argued, then lit the home on fire.
 
     Three days of testimony in the case wrapped up Thursday, and prosecutors gave closing arguments to the 14-person jury.
 
     Defense attorney Monty Mertz maintains Friesz acted in self-defense. Prosecutor Brian Grosinger argued that a person acting in self-defense doesn’t light a home on fire.

 

 MINOT, N.D. (AP) – A Minot woman accused of leaving her two preschoolers unattended in a car for about an hour while she drank and gambled in a bar with her then-boyfriend says the case is a misunderstanding.
 
     Twenty-two-year-old Chelsea Erie faces a felony child neglect charge that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.
 
      Erie says in court documents that she was getting off work at the bar the night of the alleged incident and is “the victim of a hysterical overreaction.” She says the children were in the car for “a very brief period of time,” and were periodically checked on by herself or her boyfriend.
 
     The boyfriend also is charged in the case. Police say the children were not harmed.

 

 WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – A Williston man faces a felony reckless endangerment charge after allegedly dragging another man nearly 50 feet with his car.
 
     Authorities allege that 34-year-old Travis Fowler grabbed the man’s arm and drove away during a confrontation outside the man’s house last Sunday. The man eventually fell away from the car and hit his head on the road.
 
    Fowler returned to the man’s house, where the man pointed a gun at him before officers broke up the confrontation.
 
     Fowler faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Court documents do not list an attorney for him, and a home telephone listing could not be found. He could enter a plea at a March 24 hearing.

 

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – MDU Resources Group Incorporated has reported a decrease in profits for 2015 due to losses at its North Dakota refinery and warmer winter weather that cut natural gas and electricity sales.
 
     The Bismarck-based energy, mining and construction company says its profits for ongoing operations in 2015 were $180 million, down from $205.5 million in 2014.
 
     MDU and Indianapolis-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners’ $430 million Dakota Prairie Refinery near Dickinson began selling fuel in May but lost money due to low fuel prices and a slowdown in North Dakota oil activity. MDU says its share of the loss from the refinery was $20.5 million.
 
     MDU is the parent company of Montana-Dakota Utilities. The company says warmer-than-normal temperatures across its eight-state service territory decreased natural gas and electricity sales by $7.2 million.

 

 FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The number of cattle and sheep in North Dakota are up from the previous year.
 
     The Agriculture Department says in its latest reports that all cattle and calves in the state on Jan. 1 totaled 1.7 million head, up 4 percent from 2015. Beef cows were up 1 percent and milk cows were unchanged.
 
     All cattle on feed in North Dakota feedlots for slaughter totaled 55,000 head, up 11,000 head. The 2015 calf crop totaled 830,000 head, down 1 percent from 2014.
 
     All sheep and lambs on Jan. 1 totaled 73,000 head, up 9,000 head from the previous year. Breeding sheep and market sheep both were up.
 
     The 2015 lamb crop totaled 55,000 head, unchanged from 2014. Shorn wool production was 485,000 pounds, up 25,000 pounds.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The acting U.S. attorney from North Dakota will continue to fill out the term until a replacement is named.
 
     Chris Myers has been appointed the state’s interim U.S. attorney last year, after Timothy Purdon resigned to go into private practice.
 
     U. S. District Court Chief Judge Ralph Erickson continued Myers’ appointment this week.
 
     The U.S. president nominates and the U.S. Senate confirms the top federal prosecutors in each state.

 

 WAHPETON, N.D. (AP) – Wahpeton doesn’t turn 150 years old for another three years, but officials are already starting preparations for the sesquicentennial celebration.
 
     Organizer Roger Jensen says the creation of a city history book is one thing he hopes materializes. The lack of such a book became known when officials unsuccessfully tried to find a complete list of Wahpeton mayors.
 
     Jensen says the State Historical Society told him that of all the major cities in the state, Wahpeton is lacking a “bootprint.”
 
     Jensen hopes to enlist the help of Richland County historians, collectors of vintage photographs and others.
 
     Organizer Renelle Bertsch says officials also have begun talking about parties and receptions in honor of buildings and businesses that will have been in Wahpeton for at least a century.

 

In sports…

Jamestown (CSi) The Sport and Rec Show opens today in Jamestown. Bob Propst Jr., a professional walleye fisherman and guide, is holding seminars today and Saturday. 7 p.m. today and 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The show opens at 4 p.m. today. the Optimist Club’s spaghetti feed fundraiser is today from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ciivc Center’s in the Exchequer Room.

Lynn Lambrecht says the Black Hills Raptor Center is back this year, a rehabilitation sanctuary for injured raptors. There will be shows at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday featuring raptors from the center.

Lambrecht adds that the floor and upper area of the Civic Center are full of vendors.

Partial funding provided by Jamestown Tourism.

 

Jamestown (CSi) University of Jamestown head coach Dean Stork announces the signing of Jackson Fulton and Kyle Baron, both currently playing for the Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

Fulton, a 6′ 3, 220 pound defenseman from Kelowna, British Columbia, is in his second season with the Grizzlies. In 41 games this season, the 19-year-old has 3 goals and 8 assists while accumulating 45 penalty minutes.

Stork says, “Jackson is a big, strong defender. He’s a shutdown defenseman who’s hard to play against in front of the net and in the corners. Academically, he’s very sound, with a 4.0 GPA.”

Baron, a 5′ 11, 175 pound defenseman from Abbotsford, British Columbia, is also in his second season with Revelstoke. The 19-year-old has 4 goals and 12 assists, with 43 penalty minutes in 40 games played.

Stork adds, “Kyle is a two-way defender who can see the ice extremely well. He’s got a big shot from the blue line which will make him a threat every time on the power play. The UJ hockey program is very excited to welcome both players to our inaugural season at the University of Jamestown.”

 

MENS COLLEGE BASKETBALL…

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A.J. Jacobson scored 20 points in shooting 7 for 11 from the field and Malik Clements added 14 points to lead North Dakota State past Oral Roberts 67-63 Thursday night.
 
     Obi Emegano and Javan White made jumpers to give Oral Roberts a 57-51 lead with 6:21 to play. Dylan Miller responded with a jumper and Kory Brown’s 3 cut the lead to a point. Emegano and Brown traded baskets before Clements’ layup gave North Dakota State (15-8, 5-4 Summit League) a 60-59 lead.
 
     Emegano hit one more bucket for the night before Dexter Warner’s layup gave the Bison the lead for good with 1:15 remaining.
 
     Emegano led Oral Roberts (11-13, 3-7) with 20 points and Albert Owens contributed 14. Emegano was 4 for 4 from the free-throw line and was the only Golden Eagles player to get to the foul line.
 
 .
 
     GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – Quinton Hooker turned in a triple-double, Adam McDermott had career highs of eight 3-pointers and 28 points, and North Dakota snapped Idaho State’s four-game win streak with a 76-60 victory Thursday night.
 
     Hooker scored 13 points, had 10 assists and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for what is believed to be the Fighting Hawks’ first triple-double in their Division-I era.
 
     North Dakota (11-10, 6-4 Big Sky) was better from the arc with 12 of 27 3-pointers for 44 percent than they were overall (40 percent).
 
     Ethan Telfair led the Bengals (10-11, 5-4 Big Sky) with 13 points. Idaho State shot just 31 percent and was only 7 of 30 from the arc.
 
     North Dakota took the lead for good early on and led 34-24 at halftime, and was up 25 with 3:29 to go after a pair of baskets from Drick Bernstine, who scored 12 points.

 EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) – Tre Demps scored 23 points with eight assists and Bryant McIntosh added 20 points and six rebounds as Northwestern snapped a five-game losing streak with an 82-58 win over Minnesota on Thursday night. Jordan Murphy scored 14 points and Nate Mason finished with eight for Minnesota (6-17, 0-11), which lost for the 12th straight time dating back to Dec. 16 when the Gophers defeated Chicago State.

 

 MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Nigel Hayes scored 21 points and Wisconsin won its 5th straight by beating Ohio State 79-68.  Wisconsin took advantage of open looks on the perimeter but nearly squandered a 12-point lead midway through the second half. Hayes, though, was clutch in the half, when he scored 18 points.

 

BOYS HOCKEY
     Bismarck Century 3, Jamestown 0
     Bismarck High 11, Dickinson 1
     Grafton-Park River 1, Kittson County Central, Minn. 0
     Grand Forks Central 4, Devils Lake 0
     Grand Forks Red River 9, Fargo North 2
 GIRLS HOCKEY
     Minot 5, Mandan 2

 

BOYS BASKETBALL
     Benson County 76, Warwick 64
     Burke County 62, Divide County 47
     Central Cass 73, Northern Cass 65
     Dickinson Trinity 87, Mandaree 74
     Four Winds/Minnewauken 97, Lakota/Edmore 42
     Hankinson 87, Fargo Oak Grove Lutheran 70
     Harvey-Wells County 72, Drake/Anamoose 39
     Kenmare 91, New Town 73
     LaMoure-Litchville-Marion 49, Barnes County North 26
     Mandan 63, Bismarck St. Mary’s 55
     Maple Valley 60, Fairmount-Campbell-Tintah 52
     Milnor-North Sargent 73, Oakes 67
     Minot 82, Jamestown 70
     Minot Bishop Ryan 64, Turtle Lake-Mercer-McClusky 39
     Powers Lake 58, North Shore – Plaza 55
     Richland 63, Enderlin 57
     St. John 81, Rolla 76
     Washburn 67, Flasher 62, 2OT
     West Fargo 81, Grand Forks Central 28
     White Shield 63, Max 57
     Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 51, Sargent Central 34
 GIRLS BASKETBALL
     Beach 55, Hettinger/Scranton 42
     Carrington 60, Napoleon 41
     Dickinson Trinity 67, Mandaree 31
     Divide County 41, Kenmare 40
     Ellendale 52, Milnor-North Sargent 32
     Finley-Sharon/Hope-Page 58, Hatton-Northwood 31
     Glen Ullin-Hebron 43, New England 27
     Glenburn 34, Nedrose 23
     Grafton/St. Thomas 58, Midway-Minto 24
     Harvey-Wells County 44, Drake/Anamoose 42, OT
     Hazen 55, Beulah 40
     Heart River 54, Bowman County 43
     Herreid/Selby Area, S.D. 61, Strasburg-Zeeland 39
     Kidder County 57, Bismarck JV 29
     Max 58, White Shield 27
     May Port CG 58, Griggs County Central 34
     Midkota 58, Warwick 57
     Minot 82, Jamestown 70
     Minot Our Redeemer’s 65, Bottineau 56
     Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 53, Washburn 41
     North Star 53, Rugby 40
     Powers Lake 47, North Shore – Plaza 27
     Shiloh Christian 55, Linton-HMB 32
     Thompson 52, Fordville Lankin-Park River 48
     Trenton 58, Ray 55, OT
     Turtle Lake-Mercer-McClusky 53, Surrey 30
     Velva 62, Des Lacs-Burlington 26
     Watford City 84, Killdeer 40
     West Fargo 63, Grand Forks Central 46

NATIONAL  BASKETBALL  ASSOCIATION
 
   Final    Detroit          111    New  York          105
   Final    Houston          111    Phoenix            105
   Final    L-A  Lakers      99    New  Orleans      96
   Final    Toronto          110    Portland          103
 
 
       NATIONAL  HOCKEY  LEAGUE

 NEW YORK (AP) – Derick Brassard set up the tying goal and scored the game-winner early in the third period as the New York Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the struggling Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Thursday night. Ryan Carter and Matt Dumba scored for the Wild, who lost their second straight after the All-Star break and fell to 1-8-1 in their last 10.
 
   Final  2OT    Boston                  3    Buffalo                  2  (SO  Boston  1-0)
   Final            Florida                6    Detroit                  3
   Final            Edmonton              7    Ottawa                    2
   Final  2OT    Toronto                3    New  Jersey            2  (SO  Toronto  1-0)
   Final            Washington          3    N-Y  Islanders      2
   Final            Philadelphia      6    Nashville              3
   Final            San  Jose              3    St.  Louis              1
   Final  OT      Chicago                5    Arizona                  4
   Final  OT      Dallas                  4    Colorado                3
   Final            Anaheim                4    Los  Angeles          2
   Final  2OT    Columbus              2    Vancouver              1
 
 
       TOP-25  COLLEGE  BASKETBALL
 
   Final              Vanderbilt      77    (  8)  Texas  A&M      60
   Final    (16)  Oregon              76              Colorado        56
 
 
       TOP-25  WOMEN’S  COLLEGE  BASKETBALL
 
   Final    (  2)  South  Carolina        78    (18)  Kentucky                  68
   Final    (  3)  Notre  Dame                82              NC  State                  46
   Final    (  7)  Ohio  St.                    87              Wisconsin                61
   Final    (11)  Mississippi  St.      71              LSU                            52
   Final    (22)  Florida                      83    (12)  Texas  A&M                81
   Final    (13)  Louisville                78              North  Carolina      60
   Final    (16)  Miami                          67              Boston  College      62
   Final              Georgia                      65    (21)  Missouri                  50
   Final    (23)  Tennessee                  75              Arkansas                  57

 

NBA…

 SAN ANTONIO (AP) – The San Antonio Spurs will be without guard Manu Ginobili (MAN’-oo jih-NOH’-blee) for at least a month following surgery for a testicle injury suffered earlier this week. Ginobili was guarding Ryan Anderson during a game against New Orleans when the Pelicans forward spun toward the basket and struck Ginobili in the groin with his right knee. The 38-year-old Ginobili is averaging 10 points, three rebounds and 3.3 assists for San Antonio this season.

 

NASCAR…

 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart will miss the start of his final season after fracturing his back in an accident on an all-terrain vehicle. Stewart-Haas Racing says Stewart sustained a “burst fracture of the L1 vertebra” when he crashed on an ATV Sunday. The team said he is expected to make a full recovery and race this year, but he will definitely miss what was expected to be his final Daytona 500.

 

GOLF…
 
     SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama shared the lead when the first round of the PGA’s Waste Management Phoenix Open was suspended. Fowler played his first six holes at 5 under before completing a 6-under 65. Anirban Lahiri was a stroke back at 66, and Bryce Molder also was 5 under with two holes left when play was suspended.

 

 OCALA, Fla. (AP) – Heavy rain has shut down second round play at the LPGA’s Coates Golf Championship in Ocala (oh-KAL’-uh), Florida. When play was stopped Haru Nomura of Japan had the clubhouse lead after a second-round 6-under-66. For the tournament she stands 6-under.
 
     Left on the course when play was stopped was Lydia Ko at 7-under after 17 holes.
 

 

In world and national news…

 WASHINGTON (AP) – The Labor Department’s January employment report this morning is being closely watched as a possible predictor of whether another recession is near, or not. Most analysts say recession is unlikely though the economy could be slow. And experts say they expect the report to say another 200,000 jobs were created in January, a healthy figure that should lessen recession worries. 
 
     GENEVA (AP) – Swedish and British officials say WikiLeaks found Julian Assange’s legal status is unchanged, rejecting an opinion from a United Nations human rights panel that he should be freed from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London immediately and compensated for lost time. The opinion is seen as a public relations victory for Assange, who argues that Swedish sexual assault allegations are part of a plot to send him to the United States in connection with WikiLeaks’ release of classified documents.
 
     AMSTERDAM (AP) – Looming potential threats such as Russia’s increased military activity and the Islamic State group’s threat are the focus of a meeting between NATO’s chief and European Union defense ministers. The discussion is about boosting cooperation between the military alliance and the 28-nation bloc and beefing up their responses to threats.
 
     MILTON, Fla. (AP) – There are few details but police in Florida say the search has ended for a Missouri couple suspected in a series of robberies and abductions in Alabama and Georgia. Local news outlets report shots were fire during a chase, killing Blake Fitzgerald and wounding Brittany Nicole Harper. During the crimes, officials say people were robbed, kidnapped and let go unharmed.
 
     VATICAN CITY (AP) – The first ever meeting between the leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches will take place next week in Cuba. Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill are seen as taking a historic step to heal the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity between East and West. The two churches have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church is poaching converts in Russia.