CSi Weather…
REST OF TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S. NORTHWEST WINDS
AROUND 5 MPH INCREASING TO SOUTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE
AFTERNOON.
.TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHEAST WINDS
10 TO 15 MPH.
.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 60S.
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO NORTHWEST 20 TO 25 MPH
IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S. WEST
WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH.
.THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…COLDER. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S.
NORTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 25 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE MID 20S.
HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS
POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE EVENING…THEN SLIGHT
CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE UPPER
40S. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
.SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 50.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS IN
THE EVENING…THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
LOWS AROUND 30. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.
.MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND SNOW SHOWERS
IN THE MORNING…THEN CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
HIGHS IN THE MID 40S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.
…FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS…LOW HUMIDITY…AND
DRY VEGETATION FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA…
* AFFECTED AREA…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 001 DIVIDE…FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 002 BURKE…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 003 RENVILLE…FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 004 BOTTINEAU…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 005 ROLETTE…FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 009 WILLIAMS…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 010 MOUNTRAIL…
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 011 WARD…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 012 MCHENRY…
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 013 PIERCE…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 017
MCKENZIE…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 018 DUNN…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 019
MERCER…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 020 OLIVER…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 021
MCLEAN…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 022 SHERIDAN…FIRE WEATHER ZONE
023 WELLS…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 025 FOSTER…FIRE WEATHER ZONE
034 MORTON…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 035 BURLEIGH…FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 036 KIDDER…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 037 STUTSMAN…FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 046 EMMONS…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 047 LOGAN…FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 048 LA MOURE…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 050 MCINTOSH AND
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 051 DICKEY.
WEST 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT.
TEMPERATURES…IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S.
ANY FIRES COULD SPREAD RAPIDLY AND SHOW ERRATIC
BEHAVIOR. DANGEROUS BURNING CONDITIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE. STAY UP TO DATE FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE RED FLAG
WARNINGS.
A MUCH COOLER DAY ON THURSDAY IS EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS POSSIBLE.
THEREAFTER…NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Rural Fire Department responded to a grass fire, about 12:30-p.m., Monday, about two miles west of Montpelier.
It was estimated that at least 100 or more acres were involved.
Fire fighter units included the pumper trucks and an ATV.
The fire was fanned by winds.
No official damage estimate was immediately available.
Jamestown (CSI) University of Jamestown President, Robert Badal has announced a search for the inaugural chair of a new Department of Engineering and Mathematics. A mechanical engineering program is included in the University’s strategic plan, and preparations are now underway. From a state and national perspective the timing is right to pursue development of the program due to high demand and interest from students.
The University is initiating a national search for a director of the engineering program to prepare for students entering into the program in the fall of 2016.
The University of Jamestown’s size and mission make it a unique setting in the upper Midwest for this type of program. At the University of Jamestown, students can be part of a liberal arts campus where they can get to know faculty and staff on a personal level and at the same time gain a world-class education in engineering. The University of Jamestown will produce engineers who are products of a whole person educational approach which UJ is known for.
The University of Jamestown has a long-standing tradition of integrating the liberal arts and the professions. Steve Jobs of Apple computer made a statement which resonates with the University’s goal: “Technology married with the liberal arts, married with humanities; that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”
The market demand is currently very strong for high school graduates seeking mechanical engineering degrees. A focus group was on campus last summer to gain insight and perspective of area and national firms.
UJ Vice President of Enrollment, Scott Goplin says, “I fully expect that a four year engineering degree program will have a significant impact on the University of Jamestown’s enrollment. We have the appeal of an exceptional private university offering small classes and personal attention from highly specialized faculty. Add to that an engineering field with exceptionally high starting salaries and employment opportunities and the program will encourage even more students to consider a UJ education.”
Paul Olson, Vice President for Academic Affairs, adds, “The University of Jamestown’s mission statement highlights our commitment to balancing the ideals of a liberal arts education and sound professional preparation, and that is exactly what we will do with our new bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Our students will acquire all of the technical knowledge required to be an outstanding engineer, but just as importantly, they will also benefit from our emphasis on communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, ethics and spirituality, and our shared social and cultural heritage. The graduates from this program will be well-rounded engineers ready to play an important role in the region’s economy.”
The engineering program will be offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. The university plans to seek specialized programmatic accreditation. Currently, there is space in the university’s Sorkness Center for offices, labs and classrooms with plans for new construction being considered.
The University of Jamestown was established in 1883 and is ranked as a top tier regional school in US News and World Report and a top Midwestern school in The Princeton Review. The school features development of the whole person through its distinctive Journey to Success experience.
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – An Idaho man is charged with attempted murder after police say he tried run over an officer during a vehicle chase.
Twenty-seven-year-old Ryan Grunig, of Montpelier, Idaho, is facing several charges for the incident, which began early Sunday morning when police tried to pull him over for a traffic violation.
Authorities say at one point Grunig’s pickup truck appeared to be stuck in a drainage ditch, at which time an officer drew his weapon and ordered Grunig out the vehicle. Grunig was able to accelerate out of the ditch and then drove toward the officer, who jumped out of the way.
Grunig also faces charges for fleeing, speeding and failing to wear a seat belt.
Court documents do not list an attorney for Grunig.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A Bismarck man accused of hitting a 5-month-old child and fracturing the infant’s skull has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Authorities say Franklin Crone Jr. punched the infant in the back of the head as he was assaulting the child’s mother. The child was flown to Minneapolis for brain surgery.
Crone told the court he was “horrified” by his actions, but striking the infant was an accident.
Crone pleaded guilty earlier to felony child abuse and misdemeanor assault.
Judge David Reich on Monday ordered Crone to pay more than $1,900 in restitution, seek mental health treatment and register as an offender against children.
The judge told Crone he is prohibited from contacting the woman he assaulted and all children in that family.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A 23-year-old Bismarck man has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl on two separate occasions.
Cole Jackson pleaded not guilty Monday in South Central District Court to two felony counts of corruption or solicitation of a minor. He faces up to five years in prison on each charge if convicted.
Jackson attended the preliminary hearing and arraignment without an attorney, after the court denied his request for a public defender. He declined to comment on allegations made by Bismarck Police Detective Joseph Arenz.
Arenz told the court that the girl’s mother notified police of the sexual assaults, which the girl said took place last fall.
He said Jackson admitted to police detectives that he had sex with the girl twice.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – One of two people accused of recruiting workers living in the country illegally to help at a vegetable processing plant in North Dakota has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Prosecutors say 57-year-old Richard Shearer was employed as a consultant for KIDCO Farms in Dawson when he helped the company find about two-dozen workers. The employees were allegedly recruited in Arizona and then taken to North Dakota.
Shearer has signed a plea agreement that calls for him to pay back $20,000 in illegal proceeds. The deal calls for the government to recommend a sentence at the low end of guidelines.
Shearer’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Plant executive Monte Benz has also been charged in the case. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 9.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Officials say bids are coming in lower than expected for the $1.1 billion in fast-track funding designated for highways and communities affected by North Dakota’s exploding growth.
Williston Mayor Howard Klug says bids for the projects are coming in at about 20 percent below original estimates. He says that means there will be more money for additional projects.
The fast-track legislation includes $450 million in funding for state highway projects. It includes $240 million for the 10 biggest oil-producing counties, $112 million for non-oil-producing counties, $100 million for cities in oil-producing counties, and $198 million for other cities outside the oil patch.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed the bill last month at a ceremony at the state Capitol.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – The condition of North Dakota’s winter wheat crop continues to decline.
The Agriculture Department says in its latest crop report that 53 percent of the winter wheat is rated in either good or excellent condition. A report earlier this month showed a combined 64 percent rating.
The report says the lack of snow cover had livestock producers worried about the grazing and haying potential, but those same conditions allowed for productive lambing and calving with minimal losses.
Cattle and calf conditions were rated 89 percent excellent or good. Calving was 26 percent complete.
Sheep and lamb conditions were 82 percent excellent or good. Lambing was 43 percent finished.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Some North Dakota teachers may qualify for a program that helps pay off student loans.
The North Dakota University System will begin accepting applications on Wednesday for the 2015 teacher shortage loan forgiveness program.
Applicants may be eligible if they held a full-time teaching contract in a defined teaching shortage area in North Dakota for a full academic year.
Recipients can receive up to $1,000 a year and a maximum of $3,000.
Interim university system chancellor Larry Skogen says the program is a great incentive to teachers who choose to stay in the state.
Nearly 400 applicants were awarded loan forgiveness a year ago through the program.
DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) – A new oil refinery near Dickinson is expected to begin operations within three months, but officials don’t expect it to stabilize the price of diesel fuel during harvest.
The Dakota Prairie Refinery is expected to produce nearly 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel each day. It will be sold locally, but MDU Resources Group spokesman Rick Matteson says the amount is “a drop in the bucket” compared to the demand.
North Dakota State University Assistant Professor David Ripplinger also says the refinery will have little to no impact on what farmers pay for diesel, though he says it might help ease supply disruptions.
Bismarck-based MDU Resources Group and Indianapolis-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners built the refinery at a cost of more than $400 million.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Fourteen-year-old Minot student Madeline Rickert is North Dakota’s spelling champ for the second year in a row.
The Erik Ramstad Middle School eighth-grader correctly spelled “gadfly” to win the state contest in Bismarck on Monday. She advances to the national competition in Washington, D.C., in late May.
Madeline tied for 47th place in last year’s national bee.
This year’s runner-up in the state bee was Cavalier sixth-grader Maya Sumra. West Fargo eighth-grader Seth Ouellette took third.
In sports…
Jamestown (CSi) The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) will be holding a Co-ed multi-sports camp on the campus of the University of Jamestown on Monday, June 8th through Thursday, June 11th. This camp is for those going into grades 7-12. Camp fee includes lodging, meals, T-shirt, bible, plus quality coaching (college and high school coaches), competition, and spiritual workouts. Teams are welcomed!
Featured will be nationally known keynote speaker Steve Fitzhugh for each night’s worship. One night will be open to the public. What makes FCA camp unique is that it brings coaches and athletes of all different areas together with the intention of not just improving the field, but intentionally seeking to grow in relationship with God.
Camps are a time of “inspiration and perspiration” for athletes and coaches who want to reach their potential through comprehensive athletic, spiritual and leadership training. Camp costs are $250 per participant but there are limited scholarships available. Contact Nate at ND FCA for more information – 701-866-569 or natesafe@fca.org
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team is back in favor with national poll voters. Coach Dave Hakstol’s team last week slipped from No. 1 to No. 3 after spending five straight weeks atop both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com polls. That was the result of two losses in the conference tournament.
The USA Today poll released Monday has UND back in the top spot, followed by Boston University, Omaha and Providence. Those four teams have qualified for the Frozen Four in Boston April 9-11.
North Dakota won the West Regional tournament last weekend in Fargo.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Gordon Hayward scored 22 points as the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves 104-84 last night. Trevor Booker had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Utah. Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 12 boards. The Jazz grabbed control with a 14-0 run at the start of the second half.
Final Boston 116 Charlotte 104
Final OT L-A Lakers 113 Philadelphia 111
Final Toronto 99 Houston 96
Final Atlanta 101 Milwaukee 88
Final Memphis 97 Sacramento 83
Final Portland 109 Phoenix 86
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 5 Montreal 3
Final Vancouver 4 St. Louis 1
Final Calgary 5 Dallas 3
Final Chicago 4 Los Angeles 1
Final Edmonton 4 Colorado 1
Final Buffalo 4 Arizona 1
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT…
UNDATED (AP) – The Connecticut Huskies are back in the women’s Final Four for the eighth straight season.
UConn rolled to a 91-70 win against Dayton as the Huskies pulled within two victories of their third straight national championship. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (kah-LEE’-nah mahs-KAY’-dah loo-ihs) scored 27 points for Connecticut, which trailed at halftime for the first time in two seasons before a 15-3 run put the Huskies ahead 58-47 with 13:56 remaining.
Connecticut’s semifinal opponent will be No. 1 seed Maryland, which is in the Final Four for the second straight year following a 58-48 stifling of Tennessee. Lexie Brown scored 13 of her 15 points during the second half of the Spokane regional final, and Brionna Jones finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in the Terrapins’ 28th consecutive win.
NFL…
NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL has handed out penalties to the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. Browns’ general manager Ray Farmer has been suspended for the first four games of the season and the team was fined $250,000 for texts Farmer sent to the sidelines during some games last season. The Falcons have been fined $350,000 and stripped of a draft pick for pumping fake noise into the Georgia Dome during home games.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL…
UNDATED (AP) – The Associated Press All-America team has been announced. Comprising the first team are Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin, Jahlil Okafor (juh-LIHL’ OH’-kuh-for) of Duke, Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell. Kaminsky, Okafor and Cauley-Stein will all be in Indianapolis with their teams this weekend competing in the Final Four.
In world and national news…
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – There’s an agreement to keep talking coming out negotiations between Iran and six world powers. Officials say a new phase of talks will be aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord by the end of June. Six days of marathon talks are wrapping up with mixed results. Today’s statement is to be accompanied by additional documents that outline more detailed understandings that allow for continuing negotiations.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Saudi-led coalition bombs are falling on Shiite rebel positions in Yemen for a sixth day. The coalition is, for the first time, also using warships to bomb the rebel-held airport and eastern outskirts of the port city of Aden (AY’-duhn). The attacks today by Sunni Arab states destroyed missiles and weapons depots. The campaign is meant to halt the advance by the Shiite rebels known as Houthis (HOO’-theez), who have overrun the country.
PARIS (AP) – France’s air accident investigation agency says it will be studying “systemic weaknesses” that could have led to the crash of a Germanwings plane in the French Alps that killed all 150 people on board. In its first statement since the co-pilot’s responsibility was established, the French agency known as BEA says a high priority will be placed on psychological screening procedures and cockpit-door procedures.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – A deputy official says seven members of a family have been killed in eastern Afghanistan where a roadside bomb hit the minibus the group was riding in. The deputy police chief in Ghazni province says three women, three children and a man were killed. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but some officials blame the Taliban.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – A hospital in suburban Washington is locked down this morning and roads in the area are closed as police search for a prisoner who escaped with a private security officer’s gun. Police in Northern Virginia say Wossen Assaye (WOH’-sen ah-SY’-ay) was shoeless and wearing a hospital gown when he escaped from Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church. He’s considered armed and dangerous.