CSi Weather…
TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING…THEN
RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. NEAR STEADY TEMPERATURE IN THE MID 30S.
SOUTH WINDS UP TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 80 PERCENT IN THE JAMESTOWN AREA, 70 PERCENT CHANCE IN THE VALLEY CITY AREA.
.WEDNESDAY…BREEZY. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN AND
SNOW LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION.
HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING
PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO
20 MPH.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTH WINDS
5 TO 15 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING
MOSTLY CLOUDY. NEAR STEADY TEMPERATURE IN THE MID 30S.
.FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE MORNING…
THEN CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S.
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…BREEZY. MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
.SATURDAY…BREEZY…COLDER. MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S.
.SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW.
LOWS AROUND 20.
.MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S.
Jamestown (CSi) Voter turnout on Tuesday mid-afternoon at the Jamestown Civic Center location was termed “strong” by Stutsman County Auditor/COO, Casey Bradley.
As of 2-p.m., 2,350 voters had cast ballots, there, since 7-a.m., and the rural precincts were yet to come in, with the polls open until 7-p.m.
Bradley said there were 2,011 Early Voting ballots cast. With 1,000 absentee ballots returned of the 1,090 they were sent or taken out.
Valley City (CSi) Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven joined officials from Barnes County, North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), and Valley City Barnes County Development Corporation Tuesday to celebrate the completion of 7th Street SE and the I-94 Business Loop construction projects in Valley City.
The ceremony included remarks by NDDOT Director Grant Levi, Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven, Barnes County Commissioner Phil Leitner, and officials from ND National Guard, and John Deere Seeding Group.
Mayor Werkhoven said, “These projects are a great example of state and local partners working together to enhance traffic movement and provide easier access to our wonderful city, They will greatly benefit our citizens, business partners and expand our economic opportunities for many years to come.”
The road construction projects enhance the transportation infrastructure of Valley City and provide improved access to residents and business owners along the corridor.
NDDOT Director Grant Levi said, “Historic transportation investments are being made across North Dakota, This project is another example of how those investments are helping local communities meet their transportation needs.”
The funding for the Valley City projects opened today came from federal, state and city funds which totaled approximately $3.2 million.
Fargo (CSi) On Wednesday November 5, 2014, troopers in the North Dakota Highway Patrol’s southeast region are partnering with the Valley City School District to conduct an enforcement effort to increase traffic safety on local bus routes. A trooper will ride along on a regular bus route to observe drivers. If a violation occurs, the trooper will radio the information to another trooper in a nearby squad car. A traffic stop will be initiated with enforcement action taken.
This effort will enhance the enforcement of related traffic laws and increase public awareness of the dangers created by motorists who fail to stop for school buses when children are loading and unloading.
The consequence for failing to stop as required for a school bus is a $100 fine and six points to the violator’s driving record. In addition, the registered owner of a motor vehicle may also be assessed a fine of $100 for the driver failing to stop as required for a school bus.
Jamestown (CSi) As a part of Jamestown Tourism’s Target Profile, camping in the Jamestown area is an important part of drawing regional visitors to Jamestown.
On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, Tourism Director, Searle Swedlund said Pelican Point, has a new manager, Wanda Vining Alber.
He said the facility and other camping attraction will be pointed out as local tourism official attend regional sport shows and conventions.
He pointed out that Ft. Seward this summer will have four news R.V. pedestals in place for campers.
He noted that campers passing through also spend dollars in the area, with extended stays.
Swedlund also pointed out recent improvements to the Jamestown Civic Center, including new seating, a new basketball floor, and updates to the HVAC system.
Valley City (CSi) As winter and the holiday season approaches, the need for a well-stocked food pantry in the community becomes more apparent. Valley City Public Schools, VCHS Student Council, Marketplace Food & Drug, Ingstad Family Media the Valley City Times-Record, and Coca-Cola would again like to invite the community to be part of an annual food drive to support the Barnes County Food Pantry.
Stuff a Truck means that in one concentrated effort, we are going to fill a Coca Cola delivery truck full of food for the Barnes County Food Pantry. Efforts are focused in the month of November because this is the time of year that the food pantry will be putting together baskets for the upcoming holidays.
The official “Stuff the Truck 2014″ collection event will be held on Thursday, November 20 at the HiLiner Activity Center. Students will be on hand throughout the school day to accept donations from schools, churches, businesses, and individual community members.
Jamestown (CSi) On Veterans Day Tuesday November 11, 2014 the All Vets Club in Jamestown will host events and activities.
A free pancake breakfast will be served from 7:30-p.m., to 10-a.m., followed by a free soup buffet at 11-a.m., and bingo from noon to 3-p.m.
Evening activities start with music by the Jamestown Drum and Bugle Corps at 5:30-p.m., followed by the POW/MIA Ceremony and a Celebration Banquet at 6-p.m.
After the banquet there will be musical entertainment with Grace and Isabel Lefevre, accompanied by Jackie Tews.
The VFW Auxiliary will hold a bake sale during the day, and all organizations are invited to set up membership tables.
A Special Welcome to all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
Everyone in the community is welcome to attend this annual celebration event.
Jamestown (CSi) The community is invited to attend the 24th Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner at Concordia Lutheran Church, at 502 1st Avenue North in Jamestown.
Dinner is served from 11-a.m., to 1-p.m., in the church basement, which is handicapped accessible.
Drivers will be available to deliver meals, or give a ride to the church for services and the meal. Call 252-2819 for delivered meals or rides.
The meal is free, and those invited include single people, parents, families, people working that day, college students, and those who don’t want to cook, and those traveling through the area.
The menu includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and dessert.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota judge says a state Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent and the state attorney general have two weeks to pay back a Forbes man for confiscating his pay loader.
Agent Arnie Rummel took possession of the loader in May from Darrel Schrum after an investigation determined that the equipment was stolen. Schrum told authorities he didn’t know about the theft and said he bought the loader in good faith.
Judge Daniel Narum said in a ruling from the bench in September that Rummel was in contempt of court and ordered the state to pay $49,000. Narum’s written order on Tuesday says the state owes nearly $54,000, including lawyer’s fees.
Mark Friese, Schrum’s attorney, says his client is pleased with the ruling. The state plans to appeal.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – Grand Forks police have arrested a suspect in an armed robbery at a McDonald’s restaurant.
Employees reported that a male and a female wearing masks entered the business about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, and one of them pointed a handgun at several employees. No one was hurt.
The suspects fled the restaurant with an undetermined amount of money. Police about five hours later arrested a 20-year-old man on a robbery charge and an outstanding warrant. Formal charges were pending.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Bismarck police have concluded that a man found dead inside a burned storage unit killed himself by setting the fire.
An insurance investigator assessing the Oct. 28 fire found the body of 54-year-old Kelly Saude last Thursday. Police Sgt. Mark Buschena (boo-SHEE’-nuh) says an autopsy concluded Saude died from smoke inhalation.
Authorities say that based on the evidence, they have ruled the death a suicide.
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – The final member of a methamphetamine ring in North Dakota’s oil patch has been sentenced.
Brian Dahl of Williston was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiring to distribute a controlled substance and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon says Dahl was part of a Williston-based meth trafficking group known as The Family. Authorities began investigating the group after the traffickers severely beat a man and left him for dead in Culbertson, Montana, in 2012.
When law enforcement officers searched Dahl’s home on Jan. 29, 2013, they found 24 guns. As a previously convicted felon, Dahl was prohibited from owning firearms.
Six other members of The Family have already been sentenced to federal prison.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Slumping sales are impacting one of Fargo’s biggest employers.
The Case IH plant plans to lay off 40 employees over the next two months. The company says those affected are full-time, hourly workers.
The company cites “market conditions” for the cuts.
The Greater Fargo/Moorhead Economic Development Corp. says the Case plant in Fargo employs slightly more than 1,000 full-time workers, making it the fifth-largest employer in the Fargo metro area.
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – A natural gas pipeline ruptured by a U.S. Highway 85 construction worker in northwestern North Dakota has been repaired and the highway cleaned up.
A state Transportation Department contractor working on a project to widen the highway to four lanes ruptured the WBI Energy pipeline on Monday afternoon, forcing a two-hour shutdown of the highway south of Williston near the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
Health Department spokesman Kris Roberts says the road became slick after the incident and sand had to be brought in.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Dry, warm conditions over the past week have helped North Dakota farmers working to finish up the late-season harvest.
The Agriculture Department says in its weekly crop report that 48 percent of the corn, 54 percent of the sunflowers and 97 percent of the soybean crop is now in the bin. The sunflower harvest is about equal to the average pace, while the soybean harvest is ahead and the corn harvest is behind.
About 92 percent of North Dakota’s winter wheat crop has emerged, equal to last year’s pace. About 66 percent of the crop is rated good to excellent.
Pasture and range conditions statewide are rated 71 percent good to excellent. Stock water supplies are rated 95 percent adequate to surplus.
MINOT, N.D. (AP) – The Minot City Council is allowing a gravel company to mine in a residential area, despite the objections of neighbors.
The Council voted 11-0 on Monday to approve a permit for Sundre Sand & Gravel to mine in the Whispering Meadows rural housing subdivision.
There are 70 homes to the northwest of the 4 acres the company plans to mine. Resident Melissa Burckhard says the mining will be a nuisance, and resident Charles Starner says neighbors are worried about property values.
Company attorney Tom Jackson says other mining already is occurring in the area, so Sundre’s plans shouldn’t have any additional effect on property values.
Ward County Water Resources Board officials say the mining also will help alleviate drainage problems in the area.
In sports….
VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – Valley City State University women’s basketball coach Jill DeVries announced Tuesday that Alli Vandal from Rolla, N.D., has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Valley City State University.
A 6-foot forward, Vandal excelled last season for Rolla High School, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. She led the Bulldogs to an 18-5 record, a second-place finish in District 8, and an appearance at the Class B Region 4 Tournament. She is already a 3-time All District 8 selection entering her senior season at Rolla.
While Vandal’s high school success has been great, DeVries says there’s even more success ahead for her at VCSU.
“Alli is a great addition to our Viking family,” DeVries said. “She has a tremendous work ethic and we look forward to working with her as we believe she hasn’t even touched on her potential yet.”
Outside of high school basketball, Vandal also plays with the North Dakota Phenom AAU team. Her length and versatility on the court make her a good fit with the Vikings.
“She is a long athlete that can stretch defenses with her 3-point range, as well as finish in the lane with a soft touch,” DeVries said. “Her length and quickness will also help us on the defensive side of the ball and in transition.”
Vandal plans to major in elementary education while at VCSU. She is the daughter of Bob and Mary Vandal. She joins Courtney Magnuson (Guard, Willmar, Minn.) as signed recruits for the 2015-16 VCSU women’s basketball season.
Valley City State University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and a conference member of the North Star Athletic Association. The Vikings finished last season 13-12 and took third in the conference. With DeVries as head coach, VCSU qualified for three straight NAIA national tournaments from 2011-2013.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Undefeated North Dakota State remains atop both Football Championship Subdivision polls, after defeating a South Dakota State team that has now dropped in both polls.
NDSU beat SDSU 37-17 on Saturday, and got all of the first-place votes in this week’s coaches’ poll and Sports Network poll.
SDSU slipped three spots in the coaches’ poll and four spots in the Sports Network poll, to No. 22 in both polls.
The Bison travel to No. 19/20 Northern Iowa this Saturday, while the Jackrabbits play No. 17/19 Indiana State on the road.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A hot streak by the University of North Dakota hockey team has propelled UND to second in both national polls.
UND got nine of the 34 first-place votes in this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, and 11 of the 50 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll.
UND is unbeaten in its last six games, with five wins and a tie. The team travels to Wisconsin this weekend.
Minnesota remains atop both polls. Boston College, Colgate and Boston round out the top five in each poll.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Hall of Famer Paul Molitor has officially taken over as manager of the Minnesota Twins. And he says “I have no doubt this is where I’m supposed to be.”
The Twins introduced Molitor on Tuesday. He becomes just their third manager since 1986.
Molitor spent last season as a coach on the fired Ron Gardenhire’s staff. He says he takes the job determined to get a team that has lost at least 92 games in four straight seasons back to competitiveness much sooner than many expect.
The Twins interviewed numerous candidates in the five weeks since Gardenhire was fired. In the end, they chose the St. Paul native over others including Boston bench coach Torey Lovullo and minor league manager Doug Mientkiewicz.
Molitor says “I’m coming here to win.”
CONROE, Texas (AP) – Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson will avoid jail time after reaching a plea agreement in his child abuse case.
A judge agreed to the plea deal during a hearing Tuesday in Conroe, 40 miles north of Houston.
Peterson was indicted in September for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son earlier this year in suburban Houston. The All-Pro running back was charged with felony injury to a child and had faced up to two years in prison if convicted.
Under the agreement, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault.
Peterson says he never intended to harm his son and was disciplining him in the same way he had been as a child growing up in East Texas.
Now the question is whether he will rejoin the Vikings this season. He has been on paid leave, via a special roster exemption issued by the NFL.
General manager Rick Spielman said prior to Peterson’s court hearing the Vikings would not comment “until it’s appropriate to speak.” After the plea agreement was reached, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said there was no timetable for the determination of Peterson’s status.
In world and national news…
WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Joe Biden is predicting Democrats will lose seats but retain majority in the Senate. Speaking on the “Chaz and AJ” radio show in Connecticut, Biden says he sees Democrats holding a 52-48 after Tuesday’s elections, with victories in Alaska, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Georgia and a runoff election in Louisiana. He did not mention Colorado and Iowa, two other tight races.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian security officials claim Russia has stepped up the transfer of troops and military equipment to separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies it’s aiding the rebels, but Ukraine’s president has ordered additional troops to the region. Fighting continues to rage between government forces and pro-Russian separatist fighters despite a September cease-fire agreement.
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – Aid agencies say thousands of people in Sierra Leone are being forced to violate Ebola quarantines to find food. The government, with help from the U.N.’s World Food Program, has been delivering food and other services to people in sections of the West African country that have been sealed off to prevent the spread of Ebola. But a representative of the group Christian Aid says many are being missed. The World Health Organization says Sierra Leone also continues to be short on Ebola treatment centers and medical teams.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Police say a bank card belonging to a woman abducted Sunday night from a Philadelphia street has been used in Maryland. Detectives say surveillance images showed a man using Carlesha Freeland-Gaither’s card early Tuesday morning at a bank located near a highway exit in Aberdeen. The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
LONDON (AP) – Shakespeare is now available on-demand from the Globe theater. London’s reconstructed Elizabethan playhouse is making more than 50 filmed productions available for download through the Internet. The Globe’s artistic director says it will help the company “take Shakespeare out into the world and share his astonishing plays with as many people as possible.”