CSi Weather….
TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN
THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S. WEST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.
.TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
LOWS IN THE MID 20S. NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE
SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW IN
THE MORNING. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH
SHIFTING TO THE NORTH IN THE AFTERNOON.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST
WINDS AROUND 15 MPH.
.SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN
SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE
UPPER 30S. NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION
40 PERCENT.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW POSSIBLY
MIXED WITH RAIN IN THE EVENING…THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER
MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION
20 PERCENT.
.MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE
OF RAIN AND SNOW. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW IN
THE EVENING…THEN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN
THE UPPER 20S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.
.WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE
UPPER 40S. LOWS AROUND 30.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 50S.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Police is advising residents and business owners to be aware that counterfeit bills have been circulated in the community.
In March, police received five reports of fake money being used to pay for goods and services in Jamestown.
Detective Sgt. Tom Nagel says the denominations used were $5, $50 and $100 bills. The most counterfeit bills recovered from one business were 17 $100 bills that were used to purchase goods.
Nagel says he believes the fake bills were made by the same people because they are all poor-quality bills.
He says store clerks should keep an eye out for multiple large bills that have the same serial number on them.
Also, real money is never miscut or misprinted.
Other things to watch for includes, a $1 bill to create a $100 bill, a person may see the ghost image of George Washington, as opposed to Benjamin Franklin, who is the image on a $100 bill.
The (U.S.) Secret Service website has information on how to spot counterfeit bills.
On Google type in, ‘how to spot fake money.’
Anyone who receives money he or she thinks is counterfeit is asked to contact the Jamestown Police.
Valley City (CSi) Bids opened this week for construction of the Valley City Health, Wellness & Physical Education Center, came in more than $1 million under the budget based on the proposed $17 million project.
21 prospective contractors submitted bids, from contractors in Valley City, Fargo, Jamestown, Wahpeton, Grand Forks, Hope, Bismarck and Hatton North Dakota, Mitchell, South Dakota and Bloomington and Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
Details of the bids and alternatives will be reviewed by the construction committee, JLG Architects and KLJ Engineering.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown Police is warning Jamestown residents of a convicted high risk sex offender who has changed his Jamestown address.
Timothy Alan Taxis is currently residing at the Frontier Fort Campground, 1838 3rd Avenue, Southeast, Jamestown, ND
Taxis is a 51 year old white male, 5-feet 6 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with hazel eyes, and blonde hair.
His vehicles now include:
A White/tan 1976 Dodge Motorhome- ND Temporary sticker
He also drives a 1985 black Dodge Ram 2 door pickup, with ND license plate: GEA 590.
Another vehicle is a gray 1997 Buick LaSabre, ND Lic GRN442.
He was convicted in Stutsman County Court in July of 2001 of indecent exposure, involving two 11 year old girls in a park, and then following them in a vehicle.
The disposition was 30 days.
He was convicted in Stutsman County Court in April of 1998, of indecent exposure, involving a female employee at a video store.
Disposition, 30 days with 24 days suspended.
He was convicted of gross sexual imposition on three occasions in one week, involving exposing himself to young girls in the area of a tennis court. On one of those occasions he forced an 11 year old girl to perform a sexual act on him.
The conviction date in Stutsman County District Court, was in May 1994, with the disposition of 7 years, with 3 years and 6 months suspended.
Taxis is not wanted by police at this time and has served the sentence imposed by the court.
This notification is meant for public safety and not to increase fear in the community, nor should this information be used to threaten, assault or intimidate the offender. Attempts to harass, intimidate or threaten these offenders or their families, landlords, or employers will be turned over for prosecution.
Printed handouts of Timothy Alan Taxis’s photo and demographics are available at the Jamestown Police Department.
Sex offender registration information is available on the North Dakota Attorney General’s web site:
www.sexoffender.nd.gov/Timothy Taxis photos
Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown Area Grief Support Team is offering a grief support group for anyone who is grieving the loss of someone important to them, whether the loss is recent or from years past. The group will meet once a week at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 424 1st Avenue S, Jamestown, beginning on Thursday, April 9th and will run for 6 weeks.
On Thursday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, Eileen Lisko said in his book, Understanding Your Grief, internationally recognized expert in the field of loss and grief, Dr. Alan Wolfelt states, “You can benefit from a connectedness that comes from people who have also had a death in their lives. Support groups, where people come together and share the common bond of experience, can be invaluable in helping you and your grief and supporting your need to mourn long after the event of the death”
In our fast paced society, people who have had a significant loss are often expected to be ‘over it’ in a matter of a few weeks. They may even expect this of themselves. In reality, it may take years for someone to work through his or her grief. The support group experience helps individuals to understand and express grief in their own unique way and on their own unique timetable.
Also on out show, JAGST member, Carol Arnold said the group is free of charge, however, participants are asked to register to ensure that enough materials are available. For more information, or to register, please call Charlotte at 952-9358 or 320-3297 or Kathy at 952-8001 or 659-8001.
Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown property owners this week have been sent letters from City Assessor, Darrell Wollan, concerning calculations on city commercial and residential property for values used for property taxes.
Wollen indicates that the past good year for real estate sales, means values used for property tax calculations are increasing, recommending a 15 percent increase to values for residential and commercial properties in Jamestown.
That’s compared to a nine percent increase last year.
He adds that valuations are in addition to other calculations used to determine a property tax bill.
The actual tax bill for each property will be affected by the amount of new construction in the city and the budgets established by the City Council.
He adds, if property owners do not feel the new value established for their property is appropriate they can contact his City Hall office at 252-5900.
He says, individual appraisals of property are performed, if the owner doesn’t feel the 15 percent increase is warranted on their property.
The proposed increase will come before the Jamestown City Council, acting as the Board of Equalization during a special meeting at on April 14, 2015, at 3-p.m. at City Hall.
North Dakota law, states that the valuation must be within 90 percent of the sales price as an average across the community, the sales ratio.
If the city does not adjust valuations to fall within a 90 percent sales ratio, the Stutsman County Board of Equalization or the State Board of Equalization would have the authority to make the adjustments.
Stutsman County Tax Equalization Director, Tyler Perleberg says residential property outside Jamestown will not see any across-the-board increases in valuation.
Agriculture land will see a 9 percent increase, and the value will also be applied to the agricultural land located within Jamestown city limits.
Jamestown (CSi) Annually, nursing students at the University of Jamestown travel abroad to see witness nursing techniques in other parts of the world and thus gain perspective. Students want to become nurses because they know it is a meaningful, purpose-driven vocation. As nurses, the expectation is that they will be instrumental in the saving of lives. As students going on a nursing-trip, however, it is certainly not expected. Nevertheless, this is exactly what happened during this spring’s trip to Vietnam where UJ nursing student Nichole Johansen followed her calling and saved lives – not in a hospital setting but while dining at a pool-side restaurant.
Nursing students and instructors were invited to dinner in Nha Trang, Vietnam by UJ alumnus Jim Johnson and his wife Sally. They were enjoying the delicacies when they heard noises of splashing and a child crying. Bethany Mello, nursing instructor at the University of Jamestown, said, “We turned and saw a man thrashing in the water, his head popping above the water line for seconds before going back under. At first we thought it was a joke, but the longer we watched, the more we realized this man was not fooling around.”
A worker at the restaurant jumped in to help, but immediately the flailing man pulled him down and they were both in danger. People panicked and nobody knew what to do. The nursing students and professors were asking each other, “Should we jump in? Should we help?” Mello said, “It was in this instant that I saw a flash of pink and a big splash out of the corner of my eye. I then recognized the pink skirt and striped shirt swimming swiftly to the two men as Nichole Johansen. She positioned herself below the drowning man who was still clinging to the restaurant worker. With a strong kick off from the bottom of the pool she pushed both men to the side where they were able to grab hold of something solid and be hoisted to safety.”
Both men emerged unharmed. Nichole simply rejoined the table with her wet dress and hair and continued sampling the unfamiliar delicacies. Nichole was a swim instructor for five years and a lifeguard for one year. When asked what made her jump in, she said, “I don’t know. I wasn’t really thinking. I just knew someone had to help him.”
Nichole Johansen will be a 2015 graduate of the University of Jamestown with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her hometown is Devil’s Lake, ND. In addition to Nursing, she is active in with pole vaulting in the University’s Track & Field program.
The University of Jamestown was established in 1883 and is ranked as a top regional school in both US News and World Report and The Princeton Review. The school features development of the whole person through its distinctive Journey to Success experience.
KILLDEER, N.D. (AP) – A truck crash in Dunn County killed the driver and spilled oil in a ditch.
The Highway Patrol says the truck hauling a tank and a tank trailer went off state Highway 200 about 13 miles west of Killdeer about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The truck overturned in the ditch and struck a tree. An undetermined amount of oil spilled.
The 48-year-old male driver was dead at the scene. The patrol did not immediately identify him.
The crash shut down the highway for nearly 12 hours.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – For the third time in six years, the North Dakota Legislature has killed legislation that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
North Dakota’s Senate approved the measure in February but House members voted to defeat the bill on Thursday.
Similar legislation failed during the 2009 and 2013 sessions.
The bipartisan legislation introduced this session would add sexual orientation to the list of classes of individuals who are specifically protected against discrimination.
Opponents of the measure say it’s unnecessary, and argued it could force businesses and religious organizations to go against their own convictions.
Backers say many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people fear they could lose their jobs or residences under current state law.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota lawmakers are working on Good Friday, which is a state holiday.
Republican majority leaders have scheduled Senate and House sessions Friday to work on measures as the session heads to its homestretch.
Lawmakers have dozens of bills remaining, including a number that are embroiled in conference committee negotiations about their final wording. The committees are made up of three House members and three senators.
Friday would be the 61st day of the 2015 Legislature. But it won’t count as legislative day because the lawmakers won’t gavel in to hold floor session.
The North Dakota Constitution limits the Legislature to 80 days of meetings every two years.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota’s teacher licensing board has decided to take no disciplinary action against state Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler.
Baesler was charged in February with simple assault in an alleged domestic dispute with her then-fiance Todd Tschosik. The Education Standards and Practices Board in March postponed discussing possible disciplinary action until the case was resolved, and prosecutors late last month dropped the charge for lack of evidence.
The board on Thursday voted unanimously against disciplining either Baesler or Tschosik, who teaches at three Bismarck schools. Tschosik is on probation after pleading guilty to a driving under the influence charge in December, and he’s on an improvement plan following absences at work.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota man accused of masterminding identity theft and fraud schemes has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Chude Umeh, of Fargo, is charged with more than a dozen counts, including conspiracy, bank fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty to a half-dozen counts.
In one scheme, authorities say people were promised money for installing advertising wrapping on their cars. The victims were told they would receive a check in the mail and in turn needed to send money to someone else for the materials. The perpetrators kept the cash.
Authorities say Umeh and others also filed false federal income tax returns with stolen identifies. The refunds allegedly were directed to Umeh’s bank account.
Sentencing is schedule June 18.
A defense attorney was not available for comment.
WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) – Two people onboard a small airplane escaped injury when their landing gear failed at the Williston airport.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol says pilot Edward Routon and passenger Tammy Heimbuch were flying from Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Thursday when the landing gear on their Beechcraft Baron propeller plane failed to lower on descent to Sloulin Field International Airport.
The patrol says Routon landed the plane on its undercarriage. The plane suffered about $15,000 in damage.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A man shot by a university police officer in Grand Forks following a chase is now in custody and awaiting a court appearance.
Court documents show that Grand Forks County sheriff’s officials on Thursday transported 41-year-old David Elliott from a Minneapolis hospital where he recuperated from his injuries.
Elliott is due to make his initial court appearance on Monday. He could face up to 11 years in prison if convicted on two counts of felony reckless endangerment and one count of misdemeanor fleeing.
University of North Dakota Police Officer Jared Braaten on Feb. 28 shot Elliott in a parking lot where authorities said Elliott had stopped after leading officers on a chase. The Grand Forks County States Attorney’s Office said earlier that no legal action will be taken against Braaten.
MINOT, N.D. (AP) – Minot authorities are seeking a suspect in the recent burglaries of several churches and businesses.
Police say seven churches have been targeted in the past two weeks, including three on Wednesday night. The Minot Daily News reports that one of the recent burglary attempts was thwarted by a pastor.
At least two businesses also have been burglarized.
Police say one male suspect was captured by a surveillance camera at one of the churches. Authorities are working to identify him.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A federal judge has ordered presentence investigations before determining the appropriate punishment for two Californians who admitted to human trafficking in the western North Dakota oil patch.
The case involved brothels disguised as massage parlors in Minot, Dickinson and Williston. They operated between June 2010 and March 2014. Authorities say Trina Nguyen (wihn) and Loc Tran lured four women from California to work as prostitutes in the operation.
Both suspects reached plea agreements with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to human trafficking and coercion.
Tran’s agreement calls for a prison sentence of at least 2 years. Nguyen’s plea deal calls for a sentence of no less than 2 1/2 years. They each face a maximum of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Stocks of most grain crops are up in North Dakota compared to a year ago.
The federal Agriculture Department says in its latest report that wheat stocks on March 1 were up 4 percent over the year, and soybean stocks were up 22 percent. Oat and barley stocks also were up in the state.
Corn stocks were down 9 percent, and sunflower stocks were down 8 percent.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The North Dakota Oil and Gas Division ordered five oil companies to reduce their production in the state as a penalty for flaring more gas than allowed.
Division spokeswoman Alison Ritter says this is the largest number of companies and wells the state has sanctioned since new restrictions took effect on Jan. 1. The new rules require companies to capture at least 77 percent of natural gas produced during oil production.
The five companies were ordered this month to reduce production to 100 barrels per day at certain wells or risk facing daily penalties.
The division restricted wells for Emerald Oil, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, QEP, Abraxas Petroleum and Enerplus.
In sports…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – University of North Dakota goaltender Zane McIntyre is among three finalists for the Hobey Baker award, given to the top player in college hockey. The Boston Bruins draftee joins Boston University forward Jack Eichel and Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey as finalists. The winner will be named at the Frozen Four in Boston next week.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Cleveland 114 Miami 88
Final Houston 108 Dallas 101
Final Golden State 107 Phoenix 106
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – J.T. Miller scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Wild last night that clinched the Metropolitan Division title. Miller’s tip-in came at the 6:48 mark. The Rangers improved to 26-11-2 away from home and stayed in first place in the Eastern Conference with 105 points with five games to go.
Final 2OT Columbus 4 N-Y Islanders 3 (SO Columbus 2-0)
Final Boston 3 Detroit 2
Final Florida 6 Carolina 1
Final OT Ottawa 2 Tampa Bay 1
Final 2OT Washington 5 Montreal 4
Final St. Louis 4 Calgary 1
Final Chicago 3 Vancouver 1
Final Los Angeles 8 Edmonton 2
NIT…
Stanford has won the men’s NIT, although the Cardinal blew a 13-point, second-half lead before downing Miami 66-64 in overtime. Senior Chasson Randle capped his 25-point night by hitting two free throws with 3.4 second remaining. Randle finishes with a school-record 2,375 points.
NBA…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic will have surgery on the Achilles tendon on his right foot. The Timberwolves say the surgery will be done next week in North Carolina by foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson. The procedure is called a debridement and repair. Pekovic played in only 31 games this season.
NFL…
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings have signed quarterback Mike Kafka and defensive end Caesar Rayford. The Vikings waived quarterback Pat Devlin to make room on the roster. Kafka was a fourth-round draft pick out of Northwestern by Philadelphia in 2010. Rayford came from the Canadian Football League.
MLB…
UNDATED (AP) – Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is headed to the disabled list for the first time in his major league career. The Tigers said the 32-year-old right-hander won’t be on the active roster for Monday’s opener against Minnesota because of tightness in his right triceps.
Verlander is 28-24 in two seasons since starting a $180 million, seven-year contract, slowed by core muscle surgery before the 2014 season.
It’s the last week of spring training and teams are fine-tuning their rosters.
Oakland Athletics left fielder Coco Crisp could miss up to two months following surgery to remove a bone chip and spurs from his right elbow on Friday. The 35-year-old has been Oakland’s starting center fielder the previous five seasons.
New York Yankees backup shortstop Brendan Ryan will be out until at least May because of a strained right calf. Ryan was hurt going after a grounder up the middle in Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay.
– The Cleveland Indians say outfielder Nick Swisher and infielder Zach Walters will start the season on the disabled list.
GOLF…
HOUSTON (AP) – Phil Mickelson is in contention heading into the second round of the PGA’s Houston Open, shooting a 6-under-par 66 that leaves him tied for fourth, three shots behind leader Scott Piercy. Mickelson birdied five of his first eight holes and was in line for a 65 until a bogey on the par-3 ninth hole. Piercy is two strokes ahead of Alex Cejka (CHAY’-kuh) and J.B. Holmes.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) – Lydia Ko has tied Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour record with her 29th consecutive round under par, shooting a 1-under 71 in the opening round of the Ava Inspiration. But the leader in the first major of the LPGA season is Morgan Pressel, who fired a 67 that leaves her one stroke in front of Ai Miyazato (eye mee-ah-zah-TOH’). Juli Inkster is in a four-way tie for third.
In world and national news…
PARIS (AP) – French investigators say an initial reading of the “black box” data recorder from Germanwings Flight 9525 indicates the co-pilot repeatedly accelerated as the plane descended into the Alps last week. The conclusion supports investigators’ suspicions that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz (an-DRAY’-us LOO’-bihtz) deliberately crashed the plane, killing himself all 149 others aboard. Prosecutors say it appears he repeatedly tried to stop an excessive speed alarm from sounding.
GARISSA, Kenya (AP) – Survivors of yesterday’s deadly assault on a college in Kenya are describing a methodical attack, during which the gunmen targeted Christians and told students hiding in dormitories that they would not be shot if they came out. Once outside, however, those students were killed. The extremist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 147 people in addition to the four gunmen.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Economists are predicting the March employment report will show another solid month of job gains despite a winter slowdown in the broader economy. The Labor Department issues the data this morning. The data firm FactSet forecasts a gain of 248,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 5.5 percent.
CINCINNATI (AP) – It’s going to take a while for crews to clear up the mess in Cincinnati’s Queensgate neighborhood today. Last night, at least six cars of a CSX train derailed from an elevated track. No injuries were reported, and police say the derailed cars did not contain any hazardous materials. Police say cranes will be needed to remove the train cars and they estimate it will take at least 24 hours to clear the track.
MOSCOW (AP) – He said he hated himself for doing it, but a 26-year-old man in Siberia still stole a chain saw and packs of cigarettes from the house he broke into. Russian officials say the burglar left a handwritten apology along with a photo of himself. Police tracked the man down and say he has had multiple convictions for burglaries.