Wayne Byers Show – Morning – May 3

CSi Weather…

 

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY…AND ACROSS SOUTHERN
 NORTH DAKOTA SATURDAY.

A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY…WHICH
 WILL COOL TEMPERATURES OFF INTO THE 60S FOR THE WEEK

 

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown City Fire Department was called to Eventide in Northeast Jamestown on Monday morning about 9:20 to a report of a gas leak.

First reports from the scene said crews from MDU were on the scene, and had capped the line.

Lt Sheldon Mohr said the line was cut due to a construction dig.

One Wing of Eventide was evacuated as residents were moved to another part of the facility as a precaution and then returned to the wing.

He says there was no natural gas odor in the buidling.

27 fire fighters were called to the fire hall, on an “all-call,” and then two units and six fire fighters were on the scene about 15 minutes.

 

 

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown City Council met in Regular Session Monday evening at City Hall. All members were present.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS DISCUSSED SEPARATELY INCLUDED:

A Resolution to approve the request from JSDC to provide $75,000.00 in matching funds from the Economic Development Fund for the New Energy Spirit Biomass Refinery, LLC, for the planned celluosic ethanol plant contingent upon approval of the APUC request, with the City Share to be $67,500.00.

From the audience, Jerry Demore asked if a payback situation could be explained.

JSDC CEO Connie Ova said no grant is given without clawbacks or conditions.

She said she would report back.

Another audience member said the dollars are going after an inefficient source of fuel. She said the dollars can be better spent.

Mayor Andersen said the information from the study on the process will be available to the city even if the projects fails to move forward.

The council voted unanimously to approve.

　

Item G was asked to be considered separately, a Resolution to award the bid for the 2016 Seal Coat, Patching, Construction & Reconstruction District #16-41 to Border States Paving, Inc., in the amount of $1,841,367.55.

From the audience Jerry Demore asked that the city better coordinate the project work with residents, on when and where the project will take place.

From the City Engineer’s Office Beth Dooley said the city plans to coordinate the efforts differently this year

　

REGULAR AGENDA

RESOLUTIONS:

The City Council voted unanimously to approve as amended, entering into the Joint Powers Agreement with the Jamestown Park District relative to the 1% City Sales Tax for the construction of the TRAC Facility. The agreement had previously been approved by the park district.

Questions arose on any dollars left after the bonds are paid, and terminated, and if the intent was consistent with the ballot language approved by voters.

Jamestown Parks and Recreation Director Doug Hogan said any dollars left after the bonds are paid, and going to the park district, would be used toward Parks and Recreation Department uses such as equipment. City Administrator Jeff Fuchs said that was not made clear in the ballot language, and that any remaining dollars would go to the city and TRAC.

Amy Walters of the TRAC Committee explained the ballot language the citizens voted on, and asked for the City Council’s support of the intent of voters.

A motion made by Council Member Gumke was to approve with the amendment to allow taxes collected after the bonds are paid to be made available to the park district.

The City Council voted to accept the plans & specifications for the Cavendish Water Tower Interior Recoating Project and to authorize the Advertisement for Bids for the project.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

ORDINANCES:

HEARING FROM THE AUDIENCE:

Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Becky Thatcher-Keller asked about the status of serving notice of owners of blighted properties.

City Police Chief Scott Edinger said one structure was boarded up, and the other complied with the Ordinance.

City Beautification Committee spokesperson Joan Morris said the committee has provided the city with a draft for Requests for Proposals for a private contractor to provide curbside recycling services for a private contractor to provide recycling services for the City of Jamestown.

Property owners appeared to speak on the shooting range, pit, and concerns of the placement relative to the safety of homeowners, and others, concerning over-shoots.

Mayor Andersen said the issue will be further addressed at an upcoming committee meeting, pending review of a potential of a violating of the Zoning Ordinance.

Keith Meidinger appeared to discuss conditions of a gravel road, at 24th Street Southwest and 5th Street Southwest.

He supplied the Council with photos of the surface, under various conditions.

He said the conditions could also hamper emergency vehicles.

Mayor Andersen suggested that possibly the roadbed may need to be reconstructed.

Interstate Engineering is expected to bring a recommendation to the May Public Works Committee meeting and possible costs.

　

APPOINTMENTS:

Approved appointing LeRoy Gross to serve as the City employee representative and Ramone Gumke as the City Council representative on the Pension Committee for one year terms to expire March 2017.

　

MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER’S REPORT: No reports were given.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Awarded the bid to Schebenske, Inc., for construction on Sanitary Sewer & Water in the 200 Block of 3rd Street NW in the amount of $66,522.

Awarded the bid to Scherbenske, Inc., for construction on SW Water Main

Replacement District, approximately 10 Blocks located on 5th Avenue SW, 15th

Street SW and 16th Street SW in the amount of $983,0937. contingent on health department approval.

Approved the amended Resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of

$525,000 Solid Waste Treatment Revenue Bond, Series 2016.

　

Approved a Payment to Stutsman County Water Resource Board (per Enterprise Agreement) for work completed by AE2S on the Jamestown Stormwater Master Plan Study, in the amount of $15,000.00.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 67, followed by replays.

 

 

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Public School Board has approved a 4 percent pay raise for about 150 support staff workers.

The vote was 9-0 and follows the recommendation for approval from Superintendent Robert Lech.

Support staff workers are not part of collective bargaining, and the wage increase is based on the recommendation that was approved by the full board, with a percentage increase instead of the previous flat raise.

Support staff wages totaled more than $2.38 million for 2015-16. The 4 percent increase, or more than $178,300 increase, on each current employee’s hourly wage for the 2016-17 school term totals more than $2.56 million of the budget.

Ken Aune, presented the Health Insurance Committee report, explaining that the teachers health insurance fund has a four-month cushion over expenses.

The School Board unanimously approved a $305,880 bid with bonding from Steve Hutcherson to replace the PoolPak, a heating and dehumidifier unit at the Jamestown High School swimming pool. The School Board also approved an additional $48,930 for air conditioning that will be installed during the construction.

Both items will come from the school district’s building fund.

 

 

 

Jamestown (CSi) The James River Valley Library System Board of Directors has unanimously approved a contract with a local architect.

JLG Architects will assist in creating a strategic plan to renovate the Alfred Dickey Public Library.

Library Director Joe Rector says, a year from now , Stutsman County and Alfred Dickey libraries will have to be at least 25,000 square feet combined, which is determined by the state and is based off of Stutsman County’s population. Currently, the two libraries are about 16,500 square feet combined.

If the library doesn’t meet this standard, it will be ineligible to receive grants from the state. Rector adds in the last eight to nine years, the library has received approximately $50,000 in grants annually from the state.

The board wants to create a strategic plan to provide a plan for renovations in the coming years.

Other provisions to the plan will include a site plan, parking plan, a business plan and financial information.

 

 

 

Jamestown (CSi) City officials report that 53.19 tons of material were collected Monday in Southeast Jamestown during the first day of the annual citywide cleanup.

Last year, 52.2 tons were collected on the first day of the annual cleanup.

City crews will pick up materials left in front of residences Tues day in the southwest section of Jamestown.

 

 

Valley City (VCSU) A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house will be held for the Vangstad building from 3–5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, 2016.

The ceremony will include remarks from VCSU President Tisa Mason and Richard Rothaus, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the North Dakota University System, along with VCSU student leader Madelyn Zane.

The open house will include tours of the offices, classrooms and study spaces used by the VCSU Department of Business, the Learning Center, and Student Academic Services, along with the building’s signature auditorium.

Refreshments will be served, and the event is open to the public free of charge.

The university’s Quantum Brass ensemble will perform at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and at 4 p.m., VCSU actors will present a staged reading of a scene from “The Twins”—a play about the building’s namesakes, twins Lena and Thilda Vangstad—written by playwright Tom Dunn, great-nephew of the twins.

 

 

(CSi) The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, has approved the cooperative education agreement between Midkota Public School and Kensal Public School.

The two school boards each approved a merger agreement in March.

Midkota School District Superintendent Les Dale said there were no significant changes to the agreement.

Kensal secondary school students will attend Midkota next school year. Kensal will close its middle school and high school and keep its elementary school open.

The year-to-year agreement includes sharing services between the two school districts that would have 16 students from Kensal High School join the 65 Midkota High School students next year in Glenfield. The number of middle and high school students transferring to Midkota is still unclear because of open enrollment.

No additional faculty or resources would be required to absorb the merger.

　

 

 

 TOWER CITY, N.D. (AP) – Students at a North Dakota high school will be witnessing a mock car-crash event as part of a safety campaign that authorities are launching ahead of prom and graduation season.
 
     The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is taking Operation Prom to Maple Valley High School in Tower City on Wednesday.
 
     The students will see the simulated scene of a fatal, alcohol-related crash. Four student actors and emergency personnel from area agencies will participate in the event.
 
     The sheriff’s office says the weeks between prom and graduation are a particularly hazardous time for teen drivers.

 

EDGELEY, N.D. (AP) – A man  in North Dakota has paid tribute to Prince in perhaps the most unique way a farmer can. Retired Edgeley farmer Gene Hanson hopped on his tractor on Friday and plowed a football field-size version of the late megastar’s symbol into his corn field. He says he found an image of the symbol on the Internet, put it on his tractor’s dash and followed the patter. When done, he got on his airplane and couldn’t believe that it had turned out so well.

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Authorities are looking for an inmate who went missing from a minimum-security prison in Bismarck.
 
     State corrections officials say Leroy Hollmann walked away from the Missouri River Correctional Center about 3:30 a.m. Monday.
 
     Hollmann was serving time for multiple charges including theft and drug possession. He wasn’t scheduled to be released until June 2017.

 

 GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A woman says she will plead guilty to holding up a pair of Grand Forks banks within two weeks.
 
     Charlene Corona, also known as Charlene Espinoza, is charged in federal court with two counts of bank robbery.
 
     Authorities say the 39-year-old Corona robbed a Bremer Bank on Sept. 30 and the Citizen Community Credit Union on Oct. 12.
 
     Corona faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. The plea agreement filed Monday calls for the government to recommend a sentence on the low end of the guideline range.
 
     A change of plea hearing has not been set.

 

 THOMPSON, N.D. (AP) – Voters in the Thompson school district will decide the fate of an $11 million school expansion and renovation project.
 
     Tuesday’s bond election will be the third time in four years that residents have voted on school improvements. Proposals in 2012 and 2013 received majority support, but not the 60 percent majority that’s required.
 
     Superintendent John Maus  says  enrollment has risen every year since 2008, to nearly 500 students. The proposed project will include new classrooms, a new technical education wing and other improvements.
 
     The bond issue would cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $600 in property taxes annually for the next two decades.
 

 

MINOT, N.D. (AP) – Minot voters will have a backup plan to consider if they reject a measure in June to create a smaller City Council with members elected at large.
 
     The council has approved an alternative proposal. It would reduce the council from 14 members elected from seven city wards to eight members from four wards.
 
     That proposal would go on the November ballot if the June measure fails.
 
     A citizens group pushed for that measure, which would reduce the council’s size from 14 members elected from wards to six at-large members. Proponents believe it would ensure competitive races and force council members to look more broadly at city issues.
 
     Group spokesman Shaun Sipma says approval of the alternative proposal “muddied the issue.” Council member Miranda Schuler says it’s “less confusing.”

 

In sports….

 FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A women’s volleyball coach who was fired from a private university in Bismarck before completing her first year has filed a federal lawsuit alleging gender discrimination.
 Melissa Duffield says the reasons that University of Mary officials gave for letting her go in December 2014 violated civil rights laws. Duffield says male coaches who use abusive language toward players or bench players who are not performing up to their capabilities are not disciplined.
 School officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The suit says Mary fired Duffield based on complaints from athletes and her failure to participate in a performance improvement plan.
 Duffield says the equipment and funding for the volleyball team does not meet federal Title IX requirements. She says she provided $15,000 of her own equipment.

 

 GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – Two more underclassmen on the national champion University of North Dakota men’s hockey team are leaving for the professional ranks.
 
     The school says junior center Luke Johnson has signed a contract with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, and junior defenseman Paul LaDue has signed with the Los Angeles Kings.
 
     Chicago drafted Johnson in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL draft. Los Angeles drafted LaDue in the sixth round of the 2012 draft.
 
     Both players will forgo their final year of college eligibility. They join two other UND juniors who are leaving early. Defenseman Troy Stecher signed earlier with the Vancouver Canucks, and defenseman Keaton Thompson signed with the Anaheim Ducks.

 

INTERLEAGUE
 
   Final    Milwaukee        8    L.A.  Angels      5
   Final    Washington      2    Kansas  City      0
 
 
       —
       AMERICAN  LEAGUE

      HOUSTON (AP) – Brian Dozier broke out of a slump with three hits and the Minnesota Twins snapped Dallas Keuchel’s 17-game home winning streak with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night.
 
     Keuchel (2-4) allowed five runs on five hits with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings and struggled with his command for the third time this season, walking five. The Cy Young winner hadn’t lost at home since Aug. 10, 2014, against Texas.
 
     Dozier snapped a 0-for-16 slump with a double in the first and singled to start the three-run fourth as the Twins ended a four-game losing streak.
 
     Jose Berrios (1-1) earned his first career win, giving up two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in his second major league start. Berrios was tagged for five runs in four innings in his first start.
 
 
   Final    Texas              2    Toronto      1
   Final    Seattle          4    Oakland      3
 
 
       —
       NATIONAL  LEAGUE
 
   Final    Chi  Cubs                7    Pittsburgh          2
   Final    N-Y  Mets                4    Atlanta                1
   Final    San  Francisco      9    Cincinnati          6
   Final    St.  Louis            10    Philadelphia      3
   Final    San  Diego              2    Colorado              1
 
 

NBA PLAYOFFS…

 UNDATED (AP) – The Cleveland Cavaliers took Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, while the Oklahoma City Thunder knotted its Western Conference semifinal series at a game apiece. LeBron James scored 25 points, had nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds as the Cavs downed Atlanta 104-93. The Thunder were 98-97 winners over the Spurs as Russell Westbrook delivered 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
 

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The NBA’s reigning MVP could be returning to the court this weekend.
 
     The Warriors are hopeful of having star guard Stephen (STEH’-fehn) Curry back for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday at Portland.
 
     Coach Steve Kerr said Monday that Curry wouldn’t be available for Tuesday night’s Game 2 with the Warriors up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series after a 118-106 win Sunday in the opener.
 
     Curry has been sidelined since spraining a knee ligament during Game 4 of Golden State’s opening round series against Houston.

 
 NHL PLYOFFS…

 PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins own a two-games-to-one lead over Washington in their NHL second-round series after the Pens held off the Capitals 3-2. Patric Hornqvist and Tom Kuhnhackl scored a minute apart in the opening period before Carl Hagelin (HAG’-lihn) made it 3-0 late in the second. Matt Murray handled 47 shots and was perfect until Alex Ovechkin (oh-VEHCH’-kihn) ended the shutout bid eight minutes into the third period.

 

NFL…

 Minnesota has declined the fifth-year option on receiver and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson and announced that defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and cornerback Xavier Rhodes both had their options picked up.

 

PGA-ZURICH CLASSIC…
  
     AVONDALE, La. (AP) – Brian Stuard earned the first PGA Tour win when he birdied the second playoff hole at the Zurich Classic.
 
     Stuard finished regulation tied with Jamie Lovemark and Byeoung-Hun An at 15-under in the rain-delayed tournament.
 
     Because of rain all weekend in Avondale, Louisiana, the tournament was reduced to 54 holes.

 
 
     SOCCER-LEICESTER CELEBRATES…
 
     LONDON (AP) – For the first time in its 132-year history, Leicester (LEHS’-tur) is celebrating a Premier League title.  The underdog Foxes clinched the championship when second-place Tottenham tied 2-2 at Chelsea.
 
     Leicester started the season as a 5,000-1 longshot. It was playing in the second tier just two years ago and came close to being relegated again last year.
 

 

In world and national news…

 STUTTGART, Germany (AP) – Defense Secretary Ash Carter is confirming the “combat death” of a U.S. service member in Iraq. The defense secretary, who is in Germany, says the killing was “in the neighborhood of Irbil (ur-BEEL’).” The U.S. Central Command says the death was “a result of enemy fire.”                                                                                                                              
 
     STUTTGART, Germany (AP) – Russian “nuclear saber-rattling” is particularly troubling, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter says he still holds out hope for a more cooperative relationship with Moscow. Speaking in Germany at a new commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, Carter also criticized Russia for aggression in Europe and is promising to continue a military buildup to deter war on NATO’s eastern flank.
 
     NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Eighty hours after the collapse of a residential building in Kenya’s capital a small miracle for recovery crews. A Kenyan hospital official says a child estimated to be seven months old has been rescued from the rubble with no physical injuries. The baby is being treated for dehydration. The death toll from the collapsed building now stands at 23 and the Kenya Red Cross says that 93 people have been reported missing.
 
     SYOSSET, N.Y. (AP) – Science turned out to be a short course at a Long island school. The Doshi STEM Institute, Long Island’s first science-focused high school, is slated to close in June due to a $1 million budget gap and low enrollment. The school, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, opened in 2013. The school’s closing will affect 46 students.
 
     CLERMONT, Ky. (AP) – Since Prohibition ended in 1933, it’s just been barrels of fun for bourbon distillers at Jim Beam — 14 million barrels, to be exact. Seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin sealed the milestone 14 millionth barrel of bourbon yesterday at the company’s flagship distillery about 20 miles south of Louisville.