Wayne Byers Show – Evening – Feb 19

CSi Weather…

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CST THIS EVENING…IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA…

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CST THIS EVENING…

.LATE THIS AFTERNOON…WINDY. MOSTLY SUNNY. WEST WINDS 25 TO
30 MPH.
.TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH.
.SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. NORTHWEST WINDS
5 TO 15 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS
15 TO 20. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
.SUNDAY…DECREASING CLOUDS. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S. NORTH WINDS
5 TO 10 MPH.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 15 TO 20. SOUTH WINDS 5 TO
10 MPH.
.MONDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S.
.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S.
HIGHS IN THE 30S.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 15.
HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 15 TO 20.
HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S.
.THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 10 TO 15. HIGHS
IN THE UPPER 20S.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The National Weather Service says the risk of widespread flooding in the western two-thirds of North Dakota this spring is well below normal, due in large part to a minimal snowpack.

Hydrologists say heavy spring rains or ice jams could lead to some minor flooding in some areas of the Souris, Missouri and James River valleys.

Devils Lake is expected to have “a typical late-spring rise” this year. The ice-covered lake currently is down about 1  1/2 feet from this time last year. There is virtually no chance the lake will succeed its record level set in June 2011.

 

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The National Weather Service says the threat for noteworthy spring flooding in the Red River Valley is low.

The outlook shows a 50 percent chance that the river will reach 20 feet in the Fargo area, which is 2 feet above flood stage. The chance of major flooding is about 5 percent.

The weather service says the snowpack and snow water equivalent are at 40-80 percent of normal in most areas. The climate outlook calls for warmer-than-normal temperatures with near-normal precipitation heading into spring.

The Fargo area dealt with three straight years of flooding beginning with a record Red River crest in 2009. The city last experienced significant flooding in 2013.

The next report is scheduled for March 3.

 

 

Valley City (CSi) The Valley City Commission met in Special Session Friday at 7-a.m., at City Hall. Mayor Werkhoven was not present. The meeting was conducted by Vice President Pedersen.

The City Council met to approve an attorney to replace Vogel Law Firm to advise city and provide opinion specific to the permissibility of the grievances filed against the mayor by four city employees and how the employee manual and code of conduct apply to the process going forward.

The Vogel Law Firm indicated that it had a conflict of interest.

Commissioner Luke asked if the Mayor’s apology at Tuesday’s meeting led to any grievances being withdrawn.

Commissioner Nielson said she was doubtful that will happen.

Auditor Richter said she had no indication that the grievances had been withdrawn.

Commissioner Magnuson suggested a mediator.

He then suggested that he meet with the Mayor and those four individuals bringing the grievances against the Mayor to determine if the grievances stand or a settlement can be reached without mediation.

 

 

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Tourism Grant/Executive Advisory Board Friday, heard grant requests from several organizations.

At the meeting, held at the CSi Technology Center at Historic Franklin School, in Downtown Jamestown, a majority of the meeting was addressing and discussing grant requests from Frontier Village.

Frontier Village:

The overall request of $37,856 for summer staffing was approved.

The board voted to cut the manager’s salary request of just over $9,000 in half, with the balance of the salary request to be distributed in the areas, of Head Maintenance, Assistant Maintenance, Head Greeter, and Greeters.

The Request of $4,471 for Pioneer Days  (Aug 13,14, 2016) funding was denied. The board also discussed recommendations for other activities during Pioneer Days, and that the Frontier Village come back and possibly asks for funds for other activities, such as blacksmith demonstrations.

Requested $11,700, for a “horse grant,” including support for the stagecoach rides, pony rides, boarding for two teams of horses, and five ponies, year round feeding, veterinary bills and transportation. The board voted to approve.

A request for $3,014 for an assistant to Karen George was denied.

Fort Seward: Dale Marks Requested $10,275 for staffing, this year, for 109 days, 8-hours per day (a 50-cent per hour wage increase.) Other sources of funding include brick sales, and donations. The board voted to approve $10,150.

Stutsman County Memorial Museum: Harold Sahr requested $6,750 for summer staffing.

Other funding sources, Stutsman County, donations, and dues. The board approved the request.

National Buffalo Museum: Ilana Xinos Requested $2,700 for funding for the 20^th Annual White Cloud Days, with events at the National Buffalo Museum, Frontier Village, and McElroy Park, which was approved, along with $14,652 for staffing.

The board was excited that White Cloud Days activities in large part will be at McElroy Park this year, bring activities to a more central location in town.

Arts Center: Angela Martini…Requested, $4,950 to upgrade and redesign the web site for better event promotions, data collection, online ticketing, for this spring. Another source of funding is $1,650 from TellWell. The board approved the request.

Jamestown Drag Racing Association: Requested $6,000 for advertising including posters and billboards, for Drag Races at Jamestown Regional Airport on July 16-17, 2016.

Other sources of funding include: gate admissions, racer entry fees, and event t-shirt sales.

Another request for $4,000 was approved for equipment including $3,000 to purchase a generator, and $1,000 to purchase canopies for sun protection.

Tourism Director Searle Swedlund told the board that Tourism’s primary emphasis is on the “visitors experience,” adding funding grants need to be based in large part on that scenario.

 

Jamestown  (CSi) Senator John Hoeven  Friday visited the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown to showcase the historical and cultural significance of the bison as part of his efforts to make the bison the national mammal of the United States. Hoeven and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the National Bison Legacy Act, legislation to designate the American bison as the national mammal of the United States. Hoeven presented the museum with an official copy of the legislation, which was approved by the Senate in December.

Hoeven said, “The National Buffalo Museum does a great job of telling the story of the bison and teaching new generations about these majestic creatures.  Like the bald eagle, the bison is a symbol of America for its strength, endurance and dignity. They played an important role in our history and reflect the pioneer spirit of America. It only makes sense that the bison serve as our national mammal.”

The National Buffalo Museum is housed in a log building at the Frontier Village in Jamestown and includes exhibitions to foster awareness of the cultural and historical significance of the North American bison. The museum also maintains a herd of 25-30 bison, including White Cloud, a rare albino buffalo.

The National Bison Legacy Act recognizes the historical, cultural and economic significance of the bison, which is the largest land mammal in America. The legislation was unanimously passed by the Senate. Hoeven continues working with members of the House of Representatives to pass the House bill, which has been introduced and has 13 bipartisan cosponsors.

More than 40 million bison once roamed across most of North America. But by the late 1800s, fewer than one thousand bison remained. The species is acknowledged as the first American conservation success story, having been brought back from the brink of extinction by a concerted effort of ranchers, conservationists and politicians to save the species in the early 20th century.

In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt and the American Bison Society led an effort to save bison from extinction by establishing a captive breeding program at the Bronx Zoo. Within a few years, the program, and others like it, were already successfully establishing bison back into its native habitat.

Many Native American tribes revere bison as a sacred and spiritual symbol of their heritage and maintain private bison herds on tribal lands throughout the West. Bison now live in all 50 states in public and private herds, providing recreation opportunities for wildlife viewers in zoos, refuges and parks, and sustaining the multimillion dollar bison ranching and production business.

 

LaMoure  (CSi)  Senator John Hoeven Friday hosted a roundtable discussion in LaMoure with local officials to review the city’s plans for a new sanitary sewer system and the steps in advancing the project.

Hoeven serves on the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, which helps serve cases like LaMoure’s. Legislators were able to secure $3.9 million in funding towards the new system.

Hoeven said, “A safe and reliable water system is vital to the well-being and prosperity of our residents and businesses.  We worked hard to ensure that Army Corps funds would be available to support the City of LaMoure’s efforts to upgrade this system. With this federal support in place, the city is pursuing an ambitious timeline. We continue our efforts to help move this project forward.”

Mayor Craig Good stated that having the funds will help alleviate the serious threat towards residents’ health and property.

He said, “As mayor of the City of LaMoure, I would like to say that we are thrilled to be receiving these funds to improve our sanitary sewer system. Flooding and groundwater infiltration have been a serious threat to our residents’ health and property, and this investment in a new system will mean long-term peace of mind for the community.”

The city’s current sanitary sewer system uses clay pipes that date back to the 1930′s and 1940′s. High levels of ground water along the James River threaten to overwhelm and collapse the sewer.

The city is now working with the Army Corps to move through the final steps of securing the funds and plans to finish all preliminary planning and design work this spring. With those steps completed, bidding and construction could begin this summer and be completed in 2017.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The Ward County sheriff and a former captain with the department face misdemeanor charges in the death of a county jail inmate.

Court records show Sheriff Steven Kukowski was charged Thursday with refusing to perform a public duty and two counts of reckless endangerment. Retired Capt. Michael Nason is charged with reckless endangerment.

Kukowski’s attorney, Bruce Quick, says he will “vigorously defend” the charges against his client. Nason’s attorney, Tom Dickson, says his client is innocent.

Twenty-five-year-old Dustin Irwin, of Mandaree, died at a hospital in October 2014 after going into cardiac arrest. An investigation by the state Corrections Department determined that jail officials failed to give Irwin proper supervision or medical treatment.

Initial court appearances for Kukowski and Nason are slated for March 21.

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) – Minot police are investigating two more business burglaries.

Authorities say burglars took an undisclosed amount of money and property from two neighboring auto service companies early Friday.

Police have responded to at least 15 other business, home and storage unit burglaries in the city this year. Several suspects were arrested last month.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A Gilby man accused in a standoff with police in Grand Forks a week ago has been charged with terrorizing.

The attorney for 28-year-old Zackery Crandall thinks the felony charge is an overreaction to the fatal shooting of a Fargo police officer during a standoff in that city less than two days before.

Defense attorney Henry H. Howe says the Grand Forks case “has gotten blown out of proportion.”

Grand Forks police maintain that officers followed normal procedures and the case has not been influenced in any way by the Fargo incident. The prosecutor in the case says the information she currently has available justifies the terrorizing charge.

Crandall allegedly holed up in a home with a gun for about two hours and threatened to harm himself and family members.

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) – A spring trial has been scheduled for a 68-year-old Minot man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

Lorin Hove in November pleaded not guilty to a felony gross sexual imposition charge that could send him to prison for life if he’s convicted.

He’s scheduled for a five-day trial beginning May 2.

 

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a man convicted of murder in the shooting death of a Williston-area hobby rancher.

Ryan Stensaker is serving life in prison with the possibility of parole in the spring 2013 death of 58-year-old Jack Sjol (shohl). Sjol’s body was found in a garbage dump with bullet wounds to his head, face and left arm.

Stensaker was convicted in December 2014 after a trial that failed to answer why Sjol was killed.

Stensaker appealed, arguing that the state’s case was based on circumstantial evidence and that prosecutors never presented a motive.

Supreme Court justices rejected those arguments. They also ordered a correction to a clerical error, saying the case improperly states Stensaker was convicted of murder conspiracy rather than murder.
In sports…

Minot  (CSi)  The Blue Jays boys hockey team Friday, defeated Hazen/Beulah 5-2, in the West Region tournament.
Ahead for the Blue Jays, is a Saturday 1:15-p.m. contest taking on either Bismarck or Bismarck Century.

 

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) – Two federal appeals court judges who have been discussed as possible replacements for Justice Antonin Scalia are among those who’ve paid their respects to the late jurist Friday. Judges Sri Srinivasan (srih-NIH’-va-san) and Patricia Millett paused briefly before Scalia’s casket in the Supreme Court’s Great Hall. Srinivasan was confirmed to the appeals court by a 97-0 vote in May 2013. Millett was confirmed in December 2013 by a vote of 56-38. Senate GOP leaders have said no replacement should be named until the next president takes office. President Barack Obama has pledged to pick a replacement “in due time” and challenged Republicans to vote on his nominee.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) – Supporters who’ve introduced Donald Trump at a rally in South Carolina Friday have taken some subtle shots at Pope Francis for suggesting that Trump was not Christian because he supports a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Pastor Mark Burns told an audience of more than 5,000 in Myrtle Beach, “We respect and honor the pope.” But he added, “The walls that are around the Vatican are pretty big walls.” Meanwhile, the pope’s spokesman says Francis was not trying to target Trump or to tell people how to vote.

UNDATED (AP) – Amnesty International says injured Syrians who are fleeing bombings in northern Syria and are in need of medical attention are being denied entry into Turkey. The human rights group also said Friday that Turkish security forces have shot and injured Syrians, including children, who have attempted to cross the border with the help of smugglers. A Turkish government official denied the report, saying Turkey has treated “all of the injured” arriving at a border crossing seeking medical assistance.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is firing back at Apple for refusing to help unlock a phone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernardino attack. In a new motion, federal prosecutors say the company has chosen to repudiate a judge’s order instead of following it. The department also says Apple designs its products to allow technology – “rather than the law” – to control access to critical data. Prosecutors also make clear that Apple would be allowed to retain possession of the phone and technology.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – An attorney representing the teenager who used an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck says he will not ask for any specific probation terms when an adult court takes up the case. Following a hearing in which a juvenile-court judge transferred Ethan Couch’s probation to an adult court, Scott Brown said a judge “will impose the terms he sees fit.” The 18-year-old could face 120 days in jail, then finish his 10-year probation. But if he violates the probation, he could get a lengthy prison term.