CSi Weather…
VALLEY CITY 
AREA….WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING…
.TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S. WINDY. SOUTHWEST
WINDS AROUND 20 MPH INCREASING TO AROUND 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
LOWEST WIND CHILL READINGS 25 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO IN THE
MORNING.
.TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW AFTER
MIDNIGHT. LOWS 20 TO 25. WINDY. NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH.
.TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE
MORNING. HIGHS 20 TO 25. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW
AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS ZERO TO 5 BELOW.
.WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 10 TO 15 BELOW.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 10 TO 15 BELOW.
.FRIDAY…SUNNY. HIGHS 10 TO 15.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
Jamestown (CSi) A county-wide test of the CodeRED mass notification system was completed on Friday, February 20th, 2015 by Stutsman County Communications.
Stutsman County Emergency Manager, Jerry Bergquist says,two separate tests were conducted. The first test which began at 11:10 a.m. was for both land-line and cell phones, in addition to text messaging. The second test which began at 11:58 a.m. was for email notifications only.
Results of the testing related to text messages and emails indicated that 100% of the text and email messages were delivered. However, during the text message test it was discovered that depending on the cell phone carrier, the individual receiving the text either received the entire message or only a portion of it. This is an
issue that will be addressed with CodeRED.
Results related to the phone testing indicated that only 69% of the phone numbers registered into the system received the test CodeRED message. Much of this is due to the fact that many people were not home at the time of the test. The number of
people notified could be dramatically increased if individuals would take the time to register their cell phone numbers with CodeRED. Land line telephone numbers are already included in the notification database.
However, to receive notifications via cell phone, email or text, individuals must sign up for the service by going to the Stutsman County website
(http://www.co.stutsman.nd.us/), scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the CodeRED icon. Those without Internet access can call Stutsman County Emergency Management at 701-252-9093, Monday through Friday, (8AM-5PM) to sign up over the phone.
CodeRED is used to alert Stutsman County residents of emergency events and
notifications of immediate concern to the public. CodeRED service is free of charge to residents and businesses. Questions regarding CodeRED services should be directed to Stutsman County Emergency Management.
Jamestown (CSi) The steering committee for Jamestown’s the Land Use and Transportation Plan (LUTP) have reviewed the plan for a final time, which lists five top priority projects with a total engineer’s estimate of more than $33 million.
RDG Planning and Design and KLJ Engineering were contracted to prepare the LUTP for Jamestown.
RDG Planning and Design’s Marty Shuket, pointed out that the five top priority transportation projects include: A road connecting Jamestown Regional Medical Center to U.S. Highway 281, an additional overpass over the BNSF main line tracks, improvements to downtown streets, replacing the bridge over the James River on 4th Avenue Northwest and upgrades to 3rd Street Southeast.
A second separated grade crossing over the BNSF railroad tracks is the second priority of the LUTP, planned for the intersection of 12th Avenue Southeast and 3rd Street Southeast, with the intersection of the two streets would occur on an overpass above the railroad tracks. The estimated cost is more than $13 million.
The LUTP plan includes removing Exit 257 from I-94 and creating an overpass from 17th Street Southwest to the Menards area. This portion of the plan has an $11 million estimated cost. These portions of the project could be built between 2029 and 2040.
Upgrading First Avenue and the downtown area are meant to slow traffic and make the area a destination, with one traffic lane in each direction with a center turning lane.
Shukert says replacing the 4th Avenue Northwest bridge over the James River will not improve traffic flows but is needed, with bridge replacement costs is estimated at about $400,000 and could occur between 2019 and 2023.
Also s priority is upgrades to 3rd Street Southeast to reduce the number of lanes and add bicycle paths to the street, and improve safety. The cost is estimated at $1.5 million and could be built between 2024 and 2028.
The LUTP is partially funded with state money, is used as a plan for growth in and around Jamestown and includes possible upgrades and additions to roads and zoning recommendations for potential areas of growth.
Jamestown City Council member, Dan Buchanan, Council’s liaison to the Planning Commission, said sales tax growth may be tempered by the incentive agreement that rebates the half percent city sales tax collected at Menards back to the company.
A final draft of the LUTP will be presented to the City Council on April 3, 2015. After a comment period, the plan is finalized. Executing any part of the plan would require action by the City Council.
Scheduled Jamestown projects by the North Dakota Department of Transportation through 2018 include a $10 million upgrade to 17th Street Southwest from U.S. Highway 281 to the Interstate 94 exit, a reconstruction of Exit 260 on I-94 estimated at $2.9 million and safety improvements and resurfacing to the U.S. Highway 52 Bypass.
Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Tourism Grant/Executive Advisory Board met Friday at The CSi Technology Center at Historic Franklin School.
The agenda include grant requests for 2015.
The Frontier Village’s requests included:
A grant request for $34,930 to staff Frontier Village during the summer months.
Another is a grant request is for $11,700 for the horse operations run by Karen George during the summer months.
Also requested to tourism is $6,400 for the association’s Pioneer Days celebration planned for August 15-16, 2015.
Other grant requests were from:
Fort Seward for summer staffing: $9,800 in 2015
Stutsman County Memorial Museum, summer staffing: $7,000
National Buffalo Museum summer staffing: $14,794
Frontier Village Wild West Players, $800 for prop guns, ammo, and supplies.
The board voted to grant summer staff dollar allocation increases of four percent over what was expended by each entity in 2014.
Which was in 2014:
Fort Seward : $8,908.46
Stutsman County Memorial Museum: $6,240
National Buffalo Museum: $14,229
National Buffalo Museum: White Cloud Days: $3,596.42
Also approved was:
A grant of $11,700 for horse care for stage coach and pony rides.
For Frontier Village: 75 percent tourism funding from shared expenses for White Cloud Days, and Pioneer Days.
Frontier Village Wild West Players: $800 for prop guns and ammo the last request in 2012 was for $790
National Buffalo Museum …White Cloud Days request was $5,675 with the recommendation for 2015 of $2,000.
The board also voted to expend dollars for the Tourism Community Calendar project to Redplum Media for all expenses, that were not specifically allocated in Tourism’s budget, from allocated city funds.
Jamestown (CSi) The American Red Cross has announced that over 50 hotels have donated rooms for 2015 in their ‘Rooms for Red Cross’ program.
Eight hotels in the Jamestown/Valley City/Devils Lake area have donated over 50 rooms for 2015.
Participating hotels in the area include: AmericInn Lodge & Suites (Valley City), Holiday Inn Express (Jamestown), Gladstone Inn & Suites (Jamestown), Buffalo Motel (Jamestown), Comfort Inn (Jamestown), Sleep Inn & Suites (Devils Lake), Oxenrider Motel (Ellendale), and the Carrington Inn & Suites.
Last year, over 400 disaster calls were received in the region and left adults and children without anywhere to go. Volunteers with Red Cross responded to house/apartment fires more frequently and invited them to take a room with their ‘Rooms for Red Cross’ campaign.
Jamestown Red Cross Community Volunteer Leader, Jeff Wolsky, adds, “When we are helping a family after a fire, having these rooms available is a huge help,” They are just tremendous community members.”
Valley City (CSi) During Giving Hearts Day on February 12, 2015, the CHI Mercy Health Foundation raised $7008.90.
Contributions of $10 or more were matched by Dakota Medical Foundation and other generous donors.
CHI Mercy Health Foundation spokesperson, Stephanie Mayfield, says it was the first year the foundationhow our first participated in Giving Hearts Day and is pleased how the donationsturned out.
Giving Hearts Day was started by Dakota Medical Foundation 8 years ago and is a 24 Hour online giving day held each year that benefits 300 non-profit organizations participating and raised a total of $6,938,206.00 statewide in North Dakota.
Jamestown (CSi) JRMC in the Community is proud to announce an exciting opportunity for the Jamestown community. Tony Buettner, brother of Dan Buettner who is the author of The Blue Zones, reached out to JRMC with a request to come to Jamestown and present about The Blue Zones as well as how a community becomes a Blue Zone. JRMC will be coordinating his visit to our community. We invite you to a presentation that is open to the community on Thursday, March 5, 2015, from 6-7 pm at ND Farmers Union.
The presentation by Tony Buettner, Blue Zones is called: “Secrets of a Long Life” and will be followed by a Q and A session on how Jamestown, ND can become a Blue Zone.
To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and his team study the world’s “Blue Zones,” communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. In Tony’s talk, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits – Power 9® – that keep them spry past age 100.
Tony Buettner debunks the most common myths and offers a science-backed blueprint for the average American to live another 12 quality years.
Jamestown (CSi) A Public Input Meeting will be held in Jamestown on March 5, 2015, to discuss proposed improvements to ND Highway 20 near Jamestown
The rescheduled Public Input Meeting will be held, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gladstone Inn & Suites, 11 Second Street Northeast, in Jamestown (in the Gladstone 3 Room). The meeting will utilize an open house format.
The purpose of the Public Input Meeting is to discuss proposed improvements for ND 20 from the Jamestown urban limits extending north 21.3 miles. The meeting will provide opportunity for public input. Staff from NDDOT and Stanley Consultants will be present to provide project information and answer questions.
If unable to attend the meeting, written statements or comments must be mailed by March 20, 2015, to Brad Humphreys 600 South Second Street, Suite 120, Bismarck, ND 58504 or humphreysBrad@stanleygroup.com with “Public Input Meeting” in the e-mail subject heading.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) will consider every request for reasonable accommodation to provide:
· an accessible meeting facility or other accommodation for people with disabilities,
· language interpretation for people with limited English proficiency (LEP), and
· translations of written material necessary to access NDDOT programs and information.
To request accommodations, contact Paula Messmer, Civil Rights Division, NDDOT, at (701) 328-2978 or civilrights@nd.gov. TTY users may use Relay North Dakota at 711 or 1-800-366-6888.
Valley City (CSi) The Barnes County Sheriff’s office is warning residents about a phone scam, as two residents notified the sheriff’s office on Thursday of a phone scam where the caller said “a warrant has been issued for your arrest.”
Chief Deputy Don Fiebiger says the caller attempts to get personal information such as your home address, social security number and bank account information.
He points out that those are huge red flags and you should hang up on the caller, adding that law enforcement agencies never call someone who has a warrant for arrest and then try to obtain personal information over the phone.
Fiebiger says the scam artist caller I.D. phone numbers were (831-435-1628) or (831-435-1629.)
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota state prison inmate has pleaded not guilty to a federal counterfeiting charge.
Nathaniel Lee is charged with manufacturing counterfeit obligations. Authorities say he passed the phony money between July and September.
No further details were available. A trial date has not been set.
A federal public defender could not be reached for comment.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A 24-year-old Bismarck man is accused of threatening two people with a knife following a domestic dispute inside a trailer home.
The man is facing terrorizing and felonious restraint charges. He’s accused of holding a knife up to two victims this weekend and not allowing them to leave the trailer park.
Police were able to enter the home and arrest the man late Saturday night.
He’s being held at the Burleigh County Detention Center.
Formal charges are still pending.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – House budget writers will consider a proposal next week to change the formula used to distribute oil and gas production tax revenue in favor of oil-producing counties.
The measure is among the most anticipated – and hotly debated – of the session.
The fund currently sets aside 75 percent to the state and 25 percent to local governments; Gov. Jack Dalrymple is pushing a 60-40 split in favor of local governments in the oil patch to address rapid growth.
Several lawmakers are predicting the split given to local governments will be less due to slipping oil prices.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A Democratic North Dakota House member believes individual residents should have the opportunity to share in the state’s wealth.
Rep. Marvin Nelson, of Rolla, is sponsoring a resolution that would amend the state Constitution to allow direct payments to North Dakota residents. Nelson says a change in the state Constitution could make it possible to establish something similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, where residents of that state receive an annual check for their share of the state’s oil wealth
Testimony on the resolution is slated to be taken on Monday.
Nelson says the idea has “weak” support among his colleagues but it has growing support among most North Dakotans.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The federal government predicts that trains hauling crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next two decades.
The projection was contained in a Department of Transportation analysis from last July. It says the derailments could cause more than $4 billion in damage and possibly kill hundreds of people if a serious accident were to happen in a densely populated part of the U.S.
The study took on new relevance this week after a train loaded with oil derailed in West Virginia, causing a spectacular fire and forcing hundreds of families to evacuate.
Monday’s accident was the latest in a spate of fiery derailments. Senior federal officials say it underscores the need for stronger tank cars and other safety improvements.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota farmers and ag leaders say the sharp decrease in the number of small farms and ranches last year is part of a growing trend toward fewer but larger farms. Darin Jantzi is the state statistician for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in Fargo. Jantzi says bigger farms are growing because unlike small farms, they can absorb fluctuations in the market.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Statistics show that the main north-south artery in North Dakota’s oil patch is the most dangerous stretch of road in the state.
The 2014 report from the state Department of Transportation shows that U.S. Highway 85 had the most fatal accidents, injury accidents and property damage accidents.
Portions of U.S. 85 also have some of the highest traffic volumes in the state. Other high-traffic areas are Interstate 94 east of Valley City and I-29 from Grand Forks through Fargo.
The state is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on upgrades to the highway.
MEDORA, N.D. (AP) – Theodore Roosevelt National Park plans to offer online camping reservations for the first time this year.
The system will go online on March 2. Reservations can be made online at www.recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.
The park will accept reservations for the Roundup Group Horse Campground, the Juniper Group Campsite in the North Unit and the Cottonwood Group Campsite in the South Unit. Half of the general sites in the Cottonwood Campground will be available for reservation. The remainder of the general sites in Cottonwood Campground and the entire Juniper Campground will continue to be available on a first come, first served basis.
Recreation.gov is operated through the National Recreation Reservation System and provides reservation and information services for 12 federal agencies.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – More than two dozen groups went to Bismarck this week to lobby lawmakers about the outdoors.
Large groups like Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever as well as smaller organizations like the Beulah Park District urged lawmakers to spend more money to support outdoor projects.
The groups say farmers and ranchers are investing fewer acres in the Conservation Reserve Program, which provides habitat for wildlife.
Tom Hutchens with the North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund Advisory Board says a lot of ground cover is needed for natural nesting, and the state’s losing a lot of that.
One bill in the Legislature would make an additional $10 million available for grants toward outdoor projects.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple also asked legislators to allocate $30 million to improve North Dakota’s state parks.
In sports…
Minot (CSi) The Jamestown Blue Jays boys hockey season came to an end Saturday with an 8-4 loss to Minot on the final day of the WDA Tournament.
The loss means the Jays will no go to the 2015 State Tournament.
Jamestown’s season ends at 10-12.
Fri Feb 20
Boys: West Fargo Sheyenne 57 Valley City 50
The Hi-Liners are now 4-14 in the Eastern Dakota Conference they hold an overall record of 4-13 on the season.
Girls: Valley City 74 West Fargo Sheyenne 66 2OT
The Hi-Liners are now 7-13 on the season with a conference record of of 6-13.
(CSi) The Valley City State Vikings mens and woman’s basketball teams finished their regular season with a sweep of Presentation College at Aberdeen, on Saturday.
Women Valley City State 88 Presentation College 50
The Vikings will host the opening round of the North Star Athletic Association tournament on Wednesday night taking on Dakota State.
Men Valley City 87 Presentation College 82 OT
The Vikings mens squad enters the North Star postseason tournament as the six seed with a conference record of 2-8. They will play on the road at the University of Jamestown Wednesday night.
Sat Feb 21, 2015
University of Jamestown 97 Concordia-Moorhead 91
The Jimmie men enter the North Star postseason tournament hosting VCSU Wednesday night.
Women
Jamestown 79 Presentation College 69
The 11th-ranked Jimmies captured the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament hosting sixth-seeded Presentation College (S.D.) on Wednesday at home in the opening round of the North Star Athletic Association tournament.
Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Civic center will host eight area Class B girl’s basketball teams starting Monday February 23, 2015, for the right to go to the North Dakota State Basketball Tournament.
Four single-elimination games start Monday at 3-pm.
Semifinals are set for 6-pm and 7:30-pm on Tuesday.
The championship game will be Thursday night at 7:30-pm after the third-place game.
Monday, February 23rd
3-pm: #1-D6 Napoleon-GS vs. #4-D5 Barnes County North
4:30-pm: #2-D5 Carrington vs. #3-D6 Strasburg-Zeeland
6-pm: #1-D5 LaMoure-LM vs. #4-D6 Medina-PB
7:30-pm: #2-D6 Kidder County vs. #3-D5 Ellendale
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – All five hunters who got a bighorn sheep license in North Dakota last year bagged a ram.
One license is given out in North Dakota every year through an auction to raise money for sheep management, and the rest are given out through a lottery drawing.
Bighorn sheep, moose and elk licenses are issued as once-in-a-lifetime licenses in North Dakota. The state Game and Fish Department says hunter success during last year’s moose season was 88 percent, and for the elk season 67 percent.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 101 New York 83
Final Atlanta 97 Milwaukee 86
Final Detroit 106 Washington 89
Final Indiana 104 Golden State 98
Final Orlando 103 Philadelphia 98
Final Oklahoma City 119 Denver 94
Final Dallas 92 Charlotte 81
Final Memphis 98 Portland 92
Final OT L-A Lakers 118 Boston 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Zach Parise scored twice as the Minnesota Wild notched a 6-2 victory over the Dallas Stars last night. Mikko Koivu, Stephane Veilleux, Matt Dumba and Mikael Granlund also had goals for the Wild. Devan Dubnyk finished with 18 saves to improve to 13-2-1 with Minnesota.
Final Philadelphia 3 Washington 2
Final Boston 6 Chicago 2
Final Pittsburgh 5 Florida 1
Final 2OT Nashville 2 Buffalo 1 (SO Nashville 2-1)
Final Vancouver 4 N-Y Islanders 0
Final Colorado 5 Tampa Bay 4
Final 2OT N-Y Rangers 4 Columbus 3 (SO N.Y. Rangers 2-1)
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 2) Virginia 51 Florida St. 41
Final Oregon 69 ( 9) Utah 58
Final (13) Wichita St. 62 Evansville 43
Final Michigan 64 (24) Ohio St. 57
TOP-25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 7) Oregon St. 52 Utah 42
Final ( 9) Florida St. 86 Boston College 68
Final NC State 72 (10) Duke 59
Final 2OT (12) Arizona St. 76 Southern Cal 73
Final (14) Mississippi St. 57 Alabama 55
Final (15) Texas A&M 66 Florida 46
Final (17) North Carolina 66 Miami 65
Final California 63 (18) Stanford 53
Final Michigan St. 60 (19) Rutgers 50
Final Hofstra 63 (23) James Madison 62
Final (25) Syracuse 68 Pittsburgh 54
NASCAR…
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Joey Logano is the winner of the Daytona 500, two years after the one-time phenom was dropped by Joe Gibbs Racing.
Logano took the lead in the white-knuckle race following a restart with 19 laps remaining. Once out front, he and his Ford seemed to have the race in control until racing was stopped by a caution with three laps to go.
NASCAR needed nearly seven minutes to clean the track, which gave Logano a two-lap sprint to the finish. He finished just ahead of reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick and defending Daytona 500 champ Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Logano rewarded Roger Penske for having the faith to hire him in 2013. It’s the second Daytona 500 victory for Penske.
Pole sitter Jeff Gordon was involved in a last lap crash involving several cars. Gordon kept his Chevrolet out front for 77 of the first 100 laps, and led a race-high 87 laps.
Tony Stewart is now winless in 17 Daytona 500′s. He was involved in a five car accident early in the race and sustained enough damage to his car that he had to stop racing. Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Blaney also were involved in the wreck.
NBA…
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant has had surgery to alleviate foot pain and is expected to return before the playoffs. A screw was replaced from his October operation for a broken bone in his right foot. Durant has played in just 27 games this season because of the broken foot, sprained right ankle and sprained left big toe.
MLB…
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (BOH’-chee) has rejoined the team, three days after having a heart procedure. The 59-year-old had two stents placed near his heart on Thursday night and told reporters he “couldn’t feel any better.” The team medical staff began to monitor Bochy on Thursday after he complained he didn’t feel good for much of the winter.
GOLF…
LOS ANGELES (AP) – James Hahn has won the Northern Trust Open in a three-man playoff with Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey. Hahn clinched it with a 25-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole for his first PGA Tour title and a trip to the Masters. He saved par on the 18th in regulation for a 2-under 69 and a 6-under total.
OLD TIME HOCKEY…
TORONTO (AP) – An NHL jersey once worn by Hall of Fame defenseman Eddie Shore has sold for $119,500.
Shore was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947, the same year the Bruins retired his number. He was a four-time winner of the NHL’s Most Valuable Player of the Year Award.
In world and national news…
UNDATED (AP) – After a friendly little tease, Mother Nature is reverting to the cold shoulder. The National Weather Service says temperatures will be 25 to 30 degrees below normal across much of the country today with wind chills as low as minus 17 to minus 30 in places like Bennington, Vermont and Lake Placid, New York. Winter storm warnings continue for a large portion of northern Louisiana, and parts of Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi are under winter storm or freezing rain advisories.
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (AP) – A military base in Kuwait is the backdrop for a closed-door meeting today involving new U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He’s summoned generals and diplomats to talk Islamic State group strategy. Carter’s aides say he’s looking to learn more about the current efforts to blunt the violence and spreading influence of the Islamic State militant group.
GENEVA (AP) – U.S. and Iranian officials meet for the third straight day today ahead of an end-of-March deadline for a framework agreement on limiting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers are shaping a deal that would initially freeze Tehran’s nuclear program but would allow it to slowly ramp up over the last years of the agreement’s duration.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Rules affecting trillions of dollars in 401k and other savings accounts are at issue as the Obama administration proposes tougher restrictions on brokers who manage Americans’ retirement accounts. The change would put brokers – who sell stocks, bonds, annuities and other investments – under the stricter requirements, reigniting a confrontation with the financial services industry. The Labor Department is making the proposal today.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) – ‘Because it’s there’ is an often heard answer when mountain climbers are asked why they do it. But Nepal says the world’s tallest peak needs more. In an attempt to recover from the worst mountaineering disaster on Mount Everest, Nepal is improving its weather forecasting, security and rescue efforts. Last year’s season was abandoned after 16 people died in an avalanche near base camp. This year’s season starts next month.