CSi Weather…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
SOUTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA…
SOUTHERN BARNES COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA…
SOUTHERN CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA…
NORTHERN RANSOM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA…
NORTHWESTERN RICHLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA…
NORTHWESTERN WILKIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA…
* UNTIL NOON CDT
* AT 355 AM CDT…WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 3 TO 5
INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ALONG A LINE FROM NEAR VALLEY CITY NORTH
DAKOTA EAST SOUTHEAST TO THE HORACE AND COMSTOCK AREAS OF WEST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA. ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING
AND WILL MOVE OVER THE AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.
* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE…
VALLEY CITY…ENDERLIN…HORACE…KINDRED…ALICE…ANSELM AND
BAKER.
REST OF TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE MORNING THEN CLEARING.
BREEZY. IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE IN
THE MORNING. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.
.TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. COOLER. LOWS IN THE MID 40S. NORTHWEST
WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH IN THE EVENING.
.FRIDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 70. WEST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S. WEST WINDS
5 TO 10 MPH.
.SATURDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. WEST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE
LOWER 50S. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S.
.MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF
RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S. LOWS IN
THE MID 50S.
.TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S.
.WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 60.
Jamestown (CSi) Training thunderstorms early Thursday morning began in the Jamestown area and then traveled east.
About 2 to 4 inches of rain fell in a narrow band of south central and southeastern North Dakota along the Interstate 94 corridor.
Torrential rain was reported in Stutsman, Barnes, Cass, Barnes, and Ransom counties that created flash flooding in Jamestown, Valley City, and Lisbon.
A flash flood warning is in effective for southern Barnes, northern Ransom and parts of Cass Counties until noon Thursday, and expired at 6a.m. in Stutsman County.
Severe thunderstorms occured in Jamestown between 1 and 2-a.m., with the heaviest rain in thunderstorms between 3 and 4-a.m., when around an inch of rain was reported at the Jamestown weather station, an additional .15 was recorded between 4 and 5-a.m.
A tornado warning was issued for Barnes County around 3:30a.m. Thursday north of Litchville, southwest of Valley City.
Downtown Valley City received 1.55 inches of rain.
The CSi weather computer at Historic Franklin School recorded 1.54 inches of rain.
Bismarck National Weather Service reports, Ypsilanti received about 2 inches of rain in about a hour.
In Carrington the weather service reported 1.50 inch hail, at 2:24-a.m, with a wind gust of 63 mph.
The storms continued east into western Minnesota, with 5-6 inches reported along with torando warnings issued and very large hail reported.
Thursday morning, Valley City officials have blocked off Winter Show Road and 4th avenue southwest near the Valley City State University campus due to street flooding along with a portion of 5th Avenue Northeast until further notice.
Mud is reported on the street along 4th Avenue Southwest near the VCSU campus due to the torrential rainfall Thursday morning.
Updates on the aftermath of the storm posted later today at www.CSiNewsNow.com
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – Strong winds and hail have caused widespread damage in the oil boom town of Williston.
The storm Wednesday night knocked out power to portions of the city, toppled trees and blew debris from buildings onto vehicles.
A natural gas leak also was reported after winds ripped the roof off a building.
Williston firefighter Scott Tanner says the leak did not pose a significant risk to the public.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown residents and city officials Wednesday reviewed potential changes with the city’s traffic flows to potentially reduce the amount of traffic through downtown Jamestown.
An open house was held at Jamestown City Hall, with the Jamestown Land Use and Transportation Plan.
The long-range plan designed to assist local officials and developers in developing roads and infrastructure for growth is about half finished.
The total cost of the project is $340,000 with the city of Jamestown paying $120,000, and the rest covered by state and federal transportation funds.
Marty Shukert and Bob Shannon, an engineer with KLJ, noted maps detailing current and proposed roads and land use plans in two separate open houses Wednesday.
Shukert says the biggest transportation problem in Jamestown is not congestion but connectivity. Increasing connectivity between northern and southern Jamestown has been a goal of the plan, although not every plan has worked out.
Local connections ran into obstacles such as burial grounds in southwest Jamestown.
Other more viable plans include reducing the amount of traffic on First Avenue,
taking the highway designation off First Avenue.
Officials add that a railroad overpass on 12th Avenue Southeast would also provide another route for travelers across Jamestown.
Jim Boyd, chairman of the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority, added that an overpass would help improve access to the airport by providing a direct route from U.S. Highway 281 and Interstate 94.
Slowing traffic through downtown may be accomplished by allowing diagonal parking, to increase the number of parking spaces available downtown.
Presentation of the preliminary LUTP is planned for November with final approval in early 2015.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota attorney general’s office says it will appeal a judge’s decision finding a state Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent in contempt of court.
The case involves a pay loader that agents confiscated in May from Darrell Schrum’s shop in Forbes after an investigation found it was stolen. Schrum told authorities he didn’t know about the theft and said he bought the loader in good faith.
Judge Daniel Narum earlier this week ordered the state to pay nearly $49,000 after Schrum’s lawyers argued that the agent gave the loader away without approval and said he should be held in contempt.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said in a statement the state has information that Schrum knew, or should have known, that the pay loader was stolen property.
Jamestown (CSi) The JFAA 50th annual art show will be at the Jamestown Arts Center, September 13 – October 18, 2014, sponsored by Otter Tail Power Company.
This year is a milestone for the Annual, particularly special as it’s the JFAA Annual’s 50th year.
The Arts Center’s newsletter says, “It is a grand feat for a small town art show to survive 50 years. While participation has ebbed and flowed over the years, it continues to be a favorite exhibition for the Jamestown community.”
To commemorate this milestone the Arts Center has reached out to artists help with the celebration, hoping they participate in the exhibit, plus also asking them to create a small commemorative artwork that will be part of a special “ticketed” preview.
The way it will work is …everyone who has a ticket will have a chance to receive an artwork (There will be a limited number of mini-artworks available–we won’t know how many until the last minute.) All incoming, donated artwork will be numbered.
Corresponding numbers will be put in a bin. Ticket stubs will also be placed in a bin and we will randomly draw one from each thus matching ticket holder to artwork.
Another change this year is that all artwork in the exhibit is for sale.
For more information on line go to www.jamestownartscenter.org
Jamestown (CSi) The Stutsman County Commission has delayed consideration of the bid the county received from Richard Geigle to purchase a county owned building, the location of the Stutsman County Library.
Geigle’s bid was$40,000 to purchase the building.
Deputy County Auditor, Linda Chadduck, says $17,000 remains to be paid on a repair to the building’s roof.
Commissioner Dale Marks said after the meeting the bid amount was a little less than for what commission members were hoping. Marks is also the chair of the James River Valley Library System Board of Directors.
The County Commission has also approved a $90,000 request from the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation, to replace the roof of the Center for Economic Development building, in downtown Jamestown.
The county’s share of the cost is $9,000, and the City of Jamestown’s share will be $81,000.
The early voting precinct hours at the Stutsman County Courthouse will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 20, 2014, to October 24, 2014 and from October 27 to Noember 3.
The early voting precinct will also be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November, 1.
The early voting precinct will be in the waiting area for the county auditor, recorder’s and county treasurer’s offices in the Stutsman County Courthouse.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota Board of Higher Education took a $69-million chunk out of its $808 million backlog in deferred maintenance projects, and some board members say it’s not enough.
The board during a conference call meeting Wednesday approved more than $200 million in capital projects, including a new heating plant at Valley City State and new water and sewer lines at North Dakota State College of Science.
Board member Kevin Melicher, of Fargo, calls the need for building improvements “enormous” and believes the oil-rich state has the ability to fund more of them.
The board also approved 3 percent raises for most of the university presidents. Williston State College President Raymond Nadolny received a 5-percent raise mainly because of the high cost of living in the oil patch.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Police are investigating a burglary at a Bismarck gas station.
The burglary was reported early Wednesday morning.
Police say camera surveillance revealed that a man wearing gloves and a hooded sweatshirt picked up a rock and smashed the glass front door of the gas station.
Police Sgt. Mark Buschena says the man then entered the store and stole an unspecified amount of money from the cash register.
Buschena says police are reviewing the surveillance footage and the investigation is ongoing.
MANDAN, N.D. (AP) – Police in Mandan say a vehicle owned by the North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger was involved in a rollover incident in Mandan. Sergeant Jay Gruebele says a Chevy Tahoe being driven by 22-year-old Jesse Larson went off the road and rolled around 2:50 p.m. Tuesday. Rauschenberger in a statement on Wednesday said he “showed poor judgment” when he lent his vehicle to Larson. Rauschenberger says he met Larson while undergoing alcohol addiction treatment.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A former Bismarck middle school teacher who admitted she had sex with a ninth-grader will spend 60 days in prison. South Central District Court Judge Bruce Romanick has ruled that Susan Duursma won’t have to register as a sex offender. Duursma pleaded guilty in May to one count of abuse of a child.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota officials say 2,000 barrels of water used for enhanced oil recovery have spilled in Bowman County.
The state Department of Health said Wednesday the spill happened Monday about 6 miles south of Marmarth. It says the water has more dissolved solids and minerals than fresh water.
The department says it is responding and will work with companies on remediation plans.
It says the spill resulted from a leak in a pipeline from the Paynter Source Well owned by the oil and natural gas company Denbury Onshore.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The military says a Dickinson-based North Dakota National Guard unit won’t be called to serve in Afghanistan.
The Guard says more than 150 members of the 816th Engineer Company were put on alert in June for a possible mobilization early next year. The unit has a detachment in Mott.
The military announced Wednesday that the unit was taken off alert status.
Members of the unit deployed to Iraq from late 2003 to early 2005.
Some Army and Air Guard soldiers with other North Dakota units currently are serving in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Southwest Asia.
MOOHREAD, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton says the notion that Minnesota and North Dakota residents upstream from a proposed Red River diversion project are being sacrificed particularly for commercial development in Fargo has some merit.
Dayton has been in the southern Red River Valley talking mainly with upstream opponents who are unhappy the flood control proposal includes a massive holding area that would flood farmland and buildings in times of serious flooding.
Dayton said after Wednesday’s meeting in Moorhead that Fargo authorities “pretty much acknowledged” they have rejected the small-town complaints in favor of expanding Fargo, and that has hurt working relationships.
Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority Chairman Darrell Vanyo told Dayton during the meeting that the proposal was advanced by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect 200,000 residents, not to spur development.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A search for a new director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota has been cut to two from a pool of 42 applicants.
The two finalists named by a search committee already are working for the agency. Expansion Coordinator Claudia Berg and Museum Division director Chris Johnson are slated to be interviewed this month by the full board.
The new director will replace Merl Paaverud (PAH’-vur-ood) who told the 12-member State Historical Society board this summer of his plans to retire on Nov. 14.
Paaverud was appointed director in 2001.
In sports…
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Speedway has added another racing date this year.
Racing is now planned this Sunday at 6 p.m. before the official season-ending 43rd annual Stock Car Stampede scheduled for September 19-20.
Due to rainouts, there’s been no racing since August 2.
A scheduled week off on August 9 was followed by two rainouts on August 16 and August 23. The 23rd was season championship racing and track titles were handed out to the drivers who were ahead in the standings in their respective class.
Ticket prices for Sunday’s event are $25 for families, $10 for adults, $6 for ages 6-14 and ages five and under are free.
The 6 p.m. start time on Sunday will help to ensure fans get home early.
All normal classes, Bombers, WISSOTA Street Stocks, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and WISSOTA Modifieds will be running.
MLB…
INTERLEAGUE
Final Baltimore 6 Cincinnati 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Kennys Vargas homered for the second consecutive night as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 11-4 yesterday. The Twins broke loose for five runs in the fifth inning to break a 3-all tie and set up Trevor May for his first major league win. Vargas’ RBI single and Eduardo Escobar’s two-run triple did the bulk of the damage for Minnesota.
Final Seattle 2 Oakland 1
Final N-Y Yankees 5 Boston 1
Final Cleveland 7 Detroit 0
Final Toronto 7 Tampa Bay 4
Final Houston 4 L.A. Angels 1
Final Kansas City 4 Texas 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 7 Philadelphia 4
Final St. Louis 1 Pittsburgh 0
Final Colorado 9 San Francisco 2
Final Washington 8 L.A. Dodgers 5, 14 Innings
Final N-Y Mets 4 Miami 3
Final Chi Cubs 6 Milwaukee 2
Final Arizona 6 San Diego 1
TENNIS…
NEW YORK (AP) – Two-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams has reached the semifinals of this year’s tournament by beating No. 11 Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-2. Williams next faces No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova, who reached a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time by downing Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2.
NEW YORK (AP) – It will be top seed Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihch) against Kei Mishikori (kay mih-shih-KOHR’-ee) in the U.S. Open men’s semifinals. Djokovic advanced with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Andy Murray, a match that ended around 1:15 local time. The tenth-seeded Nishikori (kay nih-shih-KOHR’-ee) has become the first Japanese player in 81 years to reach the semis in a major by downing Australian Open champ and third seed Stan Wawrinka (vahv-RIHN’-kah) 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4
A person at the U.S. Tennis Association with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Patrick McEnroe is resigning as the group’s general manager of player development.
McEnroe is to announce that he is stepping down at a news conference at the U.S. Open later Wednesday.
He has been in that position in charge of helping the USTA develop young tennis players since April 2008.
NFL…
UNDATED (AP) – Michael Sam has been signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. The NFL’s first openly gay player landed in Dallas after being released in the Rams’ final cutdown to the 53-man roster on Saturday.
The Cowboys are seeking help with their pass rush because of injuries and the offseason release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware. Sam isn’t likely to be on the active roster for Sunday’s opener against San Francisco.
A group campaigning for the Washington Redskins to change their name is sending a letter to broadcasters requesting that Redskins not be uttered on the public airwaves. The letter was released Wednesday and is signed by more than 100 Native American, religious and civil rights organizations.
BASKETBALL-WORLD CUP…
BILBAO, Spain (AP) – Kenneth Faried (fah-REED’) scored 16 points and the U.S. clinched the No. 1 seed in their group at the Basketball World Cup by whipping the Dominican Republic 106-71. DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench and added 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting as the Americans improved to 4-0.
NASCAR…
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Comcast Corp. has signed a 10-year agreement to replace Nationwide Insurance as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tier racing series.
The series will be known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series through 2024. The deal matches the longest single agreement around title sponsorship of any NASCAR national series in its history.
Sports Business Daily has valued the package at worth close to $200 million.
In world and national news…
MOSCOW (AP) – Ukraine’s president is meeting today with President Barack Obama and other top NATO leaders in Wales despite a warning from Russia’s foreign minister that Kiev’s NATO ambitions could derail peace talks in eastern Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks today that Ukrainian efforts to join NATO are “a blatant attempt to derail all the efforts” to seek a peaceful solution.
NEWPORT, Wales (AP) – The mounting militant threat in the Middle East is getting a lot of attention from NATO leaders, even as the Ukraine crisis persists and other issues demand attention. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron insist their nations will “not be cowed” by Islamic State extremists who have killed two American journalists.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Two staff members have sustained minor injuries in a violent disturbance involving more than 20 teens at the same Nashville juvenile detention center where more than 30 escaped on Monday. About 28 teens, some part of Monday’s breakout, got out of their dorm and roamed the campus until the incident was brought under control. Video shot by Nashville station WTVF showed teens chasing and assaulting an apparent staff member.
LONDON (AP) – Some experts say that while the evidence is mixed for using infection-fighting antibodies from Ebola survivors’ blood as a treatment, it’s worth a shot since there are no licensed drugs or vaccines available. West Africa is struggling to contain the biggest ever outbreak of Ebola. Using blood of survivors is one of the experimental Ebola treatments under discussion at a two-day meeting that began today in Geneva.
NEW YORK (AP) – Fast-food restaurants in 150 cities, including Detroit, Chicago and New York, could be focal points of a workers’ walkout to protest low wages and push employers to pay them at least $15 an hour. Workers from McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and other fast-food chains are expected to participate and organizers say there will be peaceful civil disobedience to draw more attention to the issue.