CSi Weather…
.SATURDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. WEST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS AROUND 50. SOUTHWEST WINDS
5 TO 10 MPH.
.SUNDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S. SOUTH WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
.SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE MID 50S.
HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S.
.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF
RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE LOWER 50S. HIGHS IN
THE MID 60S.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 40S.
.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. LOWS AROUND 40.
.THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S.
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA
TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
HIGHS IN THE 50S ARE FORECAST WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 30S POSSIBLE FOR MUCH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONWARD WITH
WIDESPREAD FROST POSSIBLE EACH NIGHT.
Spiritwood (CSi) Cenex Harvest States (CHS, Inc.) announced Friday that it is moving forward with the construction of a $3 billion nitrogen fertilizer plant at Spiritwood
The plant has been in planning and development for two years, but was put on hold in April this year, because of escalating costs.
The announcement came from the CHS Board of Directors giving the plant its final approval on Thursday.
The plant is the largest investment in CHS history with its project costs currently estimated at about $3 billion. The plant will also be the largest construction project in North Dakota history.
CHS, Inc., president and chief executive officer, Carl Casale (cuh-SAL’-ee) says, “CHS is proceeding today as the plant’s sole investor, However, because our owners’ interests are at the heart of what we do, we will always pursue ownership of strategic assets and partnerships that will help us continually add value to their businesses.”
Plant construction may begin this fall, depending on the weather, and operating by 2018. Groundbreaking ceremonies have not been scheduled.
It would use natural gas from North Dakota’s oil patch to make anhydrous ammonia fertilizer.
North Dakota’s natural gas production has been rising along with its oil output, leaving state officials and regulators scrambling to find ways to process and sell the fuel. The proposed factory will be a major customer for natural gas.
CHS is a farmer-owned cooperative based in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
The plant is expected to employ 160-180 Full Time Employees
The CHS fertilizer plant at Spiritwood, N.D., will employ state-of-the-art
safety and operational technologies – including features that will help
reduce emissions – and will be a leader in process efficiency.
The plant will:
• Operate continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Produce three types of fertilizers: anhydrous ammonia, urea and urea
ammonia nitrate (UAN)
• Produce diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), used by the automotive industry
as an additive to reduce NOx emissions
• CHS is committed to world class safety in both construction and
operation of the plant. It will also follow the OSHA Voluntary
Protection Program, which recognizes excellence in worker
protection and safety.
The plant will produce more than 2,400 metric tons of anhydrous
ammonia daily, which will be further processed into urea and UAN;
DEF is a byproduct of the production process. To produce this volume,
the plant will require an estimated 88,000 MMBTU/day of natural gas,
approximately 40 megawatt hours of electricity and 2,400-2,700
gallons/minute of water.
CHS has a long history of serving North Dakota agriculture. Based in
Minnesota, CHS currently has more than 1,300 employees in North
Dakota. We serve customers through N.D. agronomy, energy and
convenience store locations and we have a leading sunflower operation
based at Grandin, N.D.
Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown City Engineer’s Office reports that all residents in the area of the 2nd Ave NE to 2nd Ave NW from 5th St North to 8th St North will experience intermittent water outages starting at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Monday, September 8, 2014 AND possibly Tuesday, September 9, 2014, until utility repair work is completed.
It is anticipated that the utility repairs will be completed within the two working days.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC) Auxiliary will host the 11th annual Tea for All Seasons at Trinity Lutheran Church on Wednesday, September 10, from 2 to 3:30 pm.
Auxiliary members, Carolyn Exner, and Marlys Perleberg on Friday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, pointed out that tea, sandwiches and sweets will be served, along with a silent auction and door prizes.
Quilts will also be available provided by local quilters
Tickets are $10.00 per person and can be purchased from any JRMC Auxiliary member, at the JRMC Gift Shoppe or the day of the event.
Proceeds from this year’s event will go to the JRMC Foundation for the greatest need in the hospital.
For more information call JRMC volunteer services/Auxiliary at 701-952-4809.
The auxiliary also operates the JRMC Gift Shop, which also has flowers for purchase for patients.
The JRMC Auxiliary was formed in 1973 by Dorothy Chouinard, who is still an active member. The 67 member Auxiliary provides services and support for the hospital through financial donations and volunteer services. The money raised by the Auxiliary provides materials back to the hospital; these have included baby burp cloths, surgery pillows and grab bars.
The auxiliary also holds other fundraisers, including a spring plant sale, Holiday Magic the Tree of Love, and special calendars.
Jamestown Regional Medical Center is a 25-bed, critical access hospital located at 2422 20th St. SW, Jamestown, ND. For more information on services at JRMC, visit www.jrmcnd.com or call 701-952-1050.
WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The reigning North Dakota teacher of the year who is accused of a child sex crime remains free on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
Aaron Knodel made his first appearance in court on Friday in Fargo.
Knodel is accused of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old female student more than five years ago. He faces five counts of felony corruption or solicitation of a minor.
The West Fargo High School teacher was suspended from his job last month without pay and benefits. He had been on paid administrative leave since February, when the school first learned of the allegations against him.
Defense attorney Robert Hoy has said that Knodel is not guilty and passed a lie-detector test.
Knodel’s next court appearance is slated for Oct. 2.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A truck driver arrested at a border crossing between North Dakota and Canada on allegations he possessed child pornography has been indicted in federal court.
Garold Miller, of Bridger, Montana, is charged with three counts of transportation of materials containing child pornography. He has not been asked to enter a plea.
Court documents show that inspectors searched Miller’s truck on July 15 at the Pembina border station and found electronic devices that allegedly contained about 26,000 still images and more than 800 videos of child pornography. He was arrested on a criminal complaint before the case was heard by a grand jury.
Attorneys in the case were not available for comment.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota has a new commissioner of labor and human rights.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple on Friday appointed Assistant Attorney General Troy Thomas Seibel to the position. Seibel will begin his tenure as the head of the Department of Labor and Human Rights Oct. 1.
He has been an assistant attorney general for more than a decade. He previously was a partner at a private law firm and has experience in several areas including civil litigation and family law.
Seibel will lead an agency with 12 staff members and a two-year budget of nearly $2 million.
Outgoing Commissioner Bonnie Storbakken was the leader of the department for 15 months. She has accepted a position at the governor’s office.
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – Authorities say a growing criminal caseload in a major oil-producing county in western North Dakota is causing inmates awaiting trial to be held beyond the length of the crimes’ typical sentence.
Williams County Sheriff Scott Busching says some inmates are in jail for about a year waiting for trial. The wait applies to Class A misdemeanors, which are punishable by up to a year in jail.
Law enforcement, jails and courts have not kept pace with increased caseloads spurred by the explosion of oil development in the western part of the state.
In Williston, the epicenter of the state’s oil patch, a multimillion-dollar jail and law enforcement center designed to handle prisoner growth for decades was full shortly after construction was completed in late 2008.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Panelists at the Tribal Leaders Summit say implementing the federal Indian Child Welfare Act is not an easy task.
The speakers say the main obstacle in implementing child welfare programs on reservations is lack of funding.
Congress passed the federal law in 1978 after finding very high numbers of Indian children being removed from their homes by public and private agencies and placed in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes and institutions.
Panelists say the number of Indian children put in foster homes remains high.
Leander McDonald is chairman of the Spirit Lake Tribe. She notes that a significant problem is the lack of foster homes and families on the reservations. She says Indian children often end up in non-native foster families instead.
MINOT, N.D. (AP) – The military says a $32 million runway upgrade is nearly complete at the Minot Air Force Base.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held later this month. The project has spanned three years and is expected to be completed this month.
The base’s runway was closed in April to complete the work.
Several B-52s from the base have been temporarily reassigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam during the runway reconstruction in Minot.
MINOT, N.D. (AP) – The Army Corps of Engineers says Lake Sakakawea is maintaining higher levels than predicted.
The Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota peaked in August at 1,845 feet. That’s slightly higher than the prediction from the agency just a month ago.
Lake Sakakawea is nearly 10 feet higher at present than it was one year ago. It is now at the highest level since 2011 due to late-summer rains.
The corps says levels at Lake Sakakawea should fall slowly over the next few months.
In world and national news…
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Jamaica’s military says a private plane based in the United States with an unresponsive pilot has crashed in the ocean north of the Caribbean island. There’s no information yet about the people on board. The U.S. sent up a pair of F-15 fighter jets to follow the plane over the Atlantic after the pilot failed to respond to repeated contact attempts by air traffic controllers. The plane took off this morning from Rochester, New York, for Naples, Florida.
NEWPORT, Wales (AP) – According to President Barack Obama, the U.S. and its NATO allies have the ability to “dismantle” the Islamic State militant group, so that, in his words, “they can’t do us harm.” The U.S. and ten allies agreed today at the NATO summit in Wales that they’d squeeze the financial resources of the militants, while also going after them with military force. Secretary of State John Kerry is hoping to expand the coalition beyond Western nations.
NEWPORT, Wales (AP) – He’s not offering a timetable, but President Barack Obama is spelling out some ambitious goals for immigration steps he intends to take on his own. Speaking to reporters today in Wales, Obama said without action by Congress to overhaul the immigration system, he will take steps to increase border security, and to upgrade the processing of border crossers. He also says he’ll act to encourage legal immigration, and give those immigrants who’ve been in the U.S. for a while the ability to become legal residents, pay taxes, pay a fine and learn English.
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Hillary Rodham Clinton says she’ll probably make a decision on whether to run for president around the beginning of next year. She spoke at an event in Mexico City Friday honoring thousands of scholarship students. Her visit coincided with one by a potential 2016 GOP rival, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who arrived in Mexico earlier this week. They’re not expected to cross paths.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas is shaking up his re-election team — as his re-election effort suddenly becomes a battleground in the fight for Senate control. The Democrat who is running against Roberts had tried, but failed, to cancel his candidacy this week — a move that appeared to be aimed at giving a better shot to an independent candidate who is making a strong bid against Roberts.