Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

MEASURE-FENCED HUNTING

ND hunting measure approved for Nov. 2 ballot

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota voters in November will decide whether to ban big-game hunting in fenced preserves.

Secretary of State Al Jaeger on Thursday said supporters of the measure submitted more than the necessary 12,844 petition signatures to qualify the measure for the Nov. 2 ballot. Jaeger said it will be listed on the ballot as Measure No. 2.

The measure seeks to abolish fenced preserves where people pay to shoot big game such as deer and elk. Its supporters say fenced hunting is unethical, while opponents say a ban would violate the property rights of those who run fenced-hunting operations.

BISMARCK FLIGHTS

Delta reducing Bismarck flights

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Bismarck is being affected by Delta Air Lines flight reductions.

Airport Manager Greg Haug told KXMB that Delta in October will pull one of its two daily flights from Bismarck to Salt Lake City. There also will be one less daily Delta flight to Minneapolis from Bismarck.

Minot Airport Director Andrew Solsvig earlier this week said Delta is ending daily flights between Minot and Salt Lake City in October.

Haug says it's typical of airlines to change their flight schedules when the seasons change.

---

Information from: KXMB-TV, http://www.kxnet.com

VERASUN-FARMERS

VeraSun asking farmers for repayment of funds

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Farmers who sold corn to bankrupt ethanol producer VeraSun Energy Corp. have been receiving letters asking for repayment of funds due to "bankruptcy preference."

The Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation says the letters are telling growers who sold corn to VeraSun in the 90 days before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that they have until Sept. 30 to repay 80 percent of what VeraSun paid them for their corn.

National and state corn growers associations are telling their members they might have defenses and they should consult with an attorney.

Sioux Falls-based VeraSun filed for bankruptcy in October 2009 after tightening credit markets erased its lifeline to weather the swings in corn and fuel prices.

METRO UNEMPLOYMENT

July unemployment up in about half of US cities

WASHINGTON (AP) - The unemployment rate rose in nearly half of the nation's 374 largest metro areas in July, as the pace of hiring slowed from earlier this year.

The Labor Department says the jobless rate rose in 178 areas, dropped in 151 and was unchanged in 45.

Bismarck had the lowest jobless rate, at 3.1 percent, followed by Fargo, at 3.7 percent.

The economy is barely growing and economists worry it won't expand fast enough to bring down the 9.5 percent national unemployment rate. On Friday, the government is expected to say that private employers added only 41,000 jobs in August, down from 71,000 the previous month.

STUDENT SENTENCED

UND student sentenced for thefts

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - A University of North Dakota student majoring in criminal justice has been sentenced for breaking into vehicles.

The Grand Forks Herald says 19-year-old Joseph Sontoya was sentenced to six months of electronic home monitoring and three years of supervised probation.

Sontoya pleaded guilty to theft of property, possession of drug paraphernalia and 11 counts of breaking into a vehicle. Prosecutor Thomas Falck says that if Sontoya stays out of trouble for three years, the convictions will be erased from his record.

---

Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com

DAY CARE DEATH

Murder trial scheduled for ND day care provider

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Bismarck day care provider accused in the death of a 3-month-old boy has been scheduled for trial Feb. 8.

Defense attorney Steven Mottinger says he does not anticipate that 35-year-old Larena Doll will accept any plea offers from prosecutors.

Doll is accused of shaking Kingston Kuntz or hitting his head in April 2008. She has pleaded not guilty to murder.

POWER LINE PROJECT

Helicopter helping string northwest ND power line

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - A helicopter is helping Basin Electric Power Cooperative string a new electrical transmission line along U.S. Highway 2 between Williston and Tioga.

Spokesman Floyd Robb says Basin contracted with a California-based company for the chopper to help with the 61-mile line.

The line begins at a Western Area Power Administration substation near Williston and will end at a Mon-Dak Utilities substation outside Tioga. Robb says the goal is to string about six miles per week. The $26.5 million project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

---

Information from: Williston Herald, http://www.willistonherald.com

VA CLINIC

New VA clinic in Dickinson to open

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy says the new Veterans Affairs clinic in Dickinson is to open Sept. 15.

The VA earlier this summer awarded a contract to CRAssociates Inc.

The move came after Great Plains Clinic's contract as a VA outpatient clinic expired May 1, and Great Plains did not bid on a new contract because of disagreements with the federal agency.

That forced veterans in the region to go to another VA clinic in the state or get authorization from the VA to receive care from a private provider. There are about 800 military veterans in the region.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-02-10 1158EDT

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

OIL WELL LEAK

ND officials investigate oil spill at well

KILLDEER, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota officials are trying to determine why the lining of an oil well failed and allowed more than 1,000 barrels of oil to spill.

Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, says it appears that workers have been able to recover all the oil that spilled since the steel and concrete linings inside the well failed Wednesday.

But the well will continue leaking about 100 barrels of oil an hour until it can be capped Thursday.

The spill happened about 2 1/2 miles southwest of Killdeer, but remained more than a mile away from the city's drinking water wells.

A protective dike kept the oil from reaching a nearby creek.

No injuries were reported. The leaking well is operated by Denbury Onshore.

TROOPER CHARGED

Former ND trooper acquitted of assaulting MN wife

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - A jury in Minnesota has acquitted a former North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper of domestic assault and child endangerment charges.

The Forum of Fargo, N.D., reports the six-person jury took a little more than an hour Wednesday to find Michael Polomny not guilty after hearing evidence for a day and a half.

Polomny denied hitting or kicking his wife June 23 at their Moorhead, Minn., home. He said he pushed her only when she tried to keep him from leaving.

The 41-year-old Polomny was fired from the Highway Patrol after his arrest. He has appealed his dismissal.

---

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com

DEVILS LAKE LEVEE

Part of Devils Lake levee will be raised 6 feet

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers has hired a Minnesota company to raise part of the levee six feet to better protect the city of Devils Lake from the body of water with the same name.

The $3.84 million project was awarded to Versacon of Maple Grove, Minn., to continue the second phase of improvements to the levee.

The lake has more than tripled in size since 1993 because of a series of wet years.

Versacon will raise the embankment to 1,466 feet elevation over a 5,000-foot-long section east of Highway 20.

The work will include widening the embankment to handle the additional height.

PHARMACY MEASURE-SUPREME COURT

Pharmacy measure in ND Supreme Court's hands

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's Supreme Court is considering whether a voter initiative on pharmacy ownership will get a statewide vote.

The initiative's supporters say it will give North Dakotans access to cheaper prescription drugs. Its opponents say letting large retailers into the pharmacy business will hurt rural drugstores.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (STEN'-jem) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the initiative petition didn't include a required listing of the proposal's sponsors. He calls the mistake a "complete failure" and says it should prevent the measure from being listed on the November ballot.

Devils Lake attorney Dan Traynor represents the initiative's sponsors. He says the omission was an honest mistake and shouldn't prevent a statewide vote on the pharmacy issue.

BAR RAMMED-SENTENCE

Woman sentenced in bar ramming, burglaries

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A Rolla woman has been sentenced to a year and three months in federal prison in a case in which authorities say she and two juveniles used a stolen car to ram a bar that they then burglarized.

Twenty-one-year-old Courtney Charbonneau pleaded guilty in May to burglary and larceny charges.

Authorities say Charbonneau and the two juveniles broke into a residence in the Belcourt area in April 2009 and took money, a video game console and keys to a car that they later rammed into the walls of a bar. The group then took alcohol, money tills and lighting, and stole another car on the way out.

Charbonneau will be on supervised release for three years following her prison term. She also was ordered to pay $13,290 in restitution.

CATTLE SEIZED

Judge says seizure of ND rancher's cattle improper

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A judge has ruled that a McLean County rancher's cattle should not have been seized by law officers.

The Sheriff's Department seized 258 cows, calves and bulls from Layton Reynolds of Douglas on Friday. State's Attorney Ladd Erickson said in an affidavit that the cattle kept getting into neighbors' fields due to lack of feed in the pasture in which they were held.

Judge David Reich held a hearing Monday and ruled late Tuesday that the state had failed to prove that the seizure was necessary.

Reynolds faces eight misdemeanor criminal charges in three cases filed last year related to allegations that he allowed cattle to run loose and that he neglected animals. The first two cases are slated for trial in November.

---

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

ELEVATOR DESTROYED

No cause determined for McClusky elevator fire

McCLUSKY, N.D. (AP) - The state fire marshal's office says the cause of a grain elevator fire in McClusky cannot be determined.

Fire Marshal Ray Lambert says damage from the Aug. 4 blaze at the Co-Op Elevator was too extensive for investigators to pinpoint the cause.

But Lambert says authorities have no reason to believe the fire is suspicious.

---

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-02-10 0301EDT

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

PHARMACY MEASURE-SUPREME COURT

Pharmacy measure in ND Supreme Court's hands

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's Supreme Court is considering whether a voter initiative on pharmacy ownership will get a statewide vote.

The initiative's supporters say it will give North Dakotans access to cheaper prescription drugs. Its opponents say letting large retailers into the pharmacy business will hurt rural drugstores.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the initiative petition didn't include a required listing of the proposal's sponsors. He calls the mistake a "complete failure" and says it should prevent the measure from being listed on the November ballot.

Devils Lake attorney Dan Traynor represents the initiative's sponsors. He says the omission was an honest mistake and shouldn't prevent a statewide vote on the pharmacy issue.

CATTLE SEIZED

Judge says seizure of ND rancher's cattle improper

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A judge has ruled that a McLean County rancher's cattle should not have been seized by law officers.

The Sheriff's Department seized 258 cows, calves and bulls from Layton Reynolds of Douglas on Friday. State's Attorney Ladd Erickson said in an affidavit that the cattle kept getting into neighbors' fields due to lack of feed in the pasture in which they were held.

Judge David Reich held a hearing Monday and ruled late Tuesday that the state had failed to prove that the seizure was necessary.

Reynolds faces eight misdemeanor criminal charges in three cases filed last year related to allegations that he allowed cattle to run loose and that he neglected animals. The first two cases are slated for trial in November.

---

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

MIDWEST ECONOMY

Midwest survey suggests major recession fears

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - More than a third of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states surveyed for a regional business index expect a recession in 2011.

As part of the Mid-America report released Wednesday, supply managers were asked their expectations for 2011, and 35 percent said a recession was likely or very likely.

The August overall economic index dipped to 55.8 from 60.8 in July.

The report uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Any score above 50 suggests economic growth in the next three to six months, while a score below 50 suggests a contracting economy. The report is overseen by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss.

States in the survey are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

TROOPER CHARGED

Former ND trooper accused of assault on trial

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - Trial is under way for a former North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper accused of assaulting his wife at their Moorhead, Minn., home.

During opening statements on Tuesday, defense attorney Mark Friese (freez) said there was reasonable doubt that Michael Polomny hit or kicked his wife.

Naomi Polomny testified Tuesday that being hit and kicked was her perception of what happened during the June 23 incident. She also said she doesn't believe her husband tried to intentionally harm her.

Moorhead Police Sgt. Steve Larsen testified that domestic assault victims often recant. Prosecutor Pamela Harris showed the jury photos of scrapes and bruises the wife suffered on her back, leg and forearm.

Forty-one-year-old Michael Polomny faces misdemeanor charges of domestic assault and child endangerment. He was fired from the Highway Patrol after his arrest. He has appealed.

---

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com

BERTHOLD KILLING-PLEA

ND murder suspect pleads guilty

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - The man accused of killing his ex-wife in Berthold earlier this year has pleaded guilty to Class AA felony murder.

Thirty-nine-year-old David Hail is to be sentenced in state district court in Minot on Friday.

Hail was accused of strangling 44-year-old Noreen Hail during a domestic dispute on Feb. 28. He initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during a hearing on Tuesday.

---

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com

MINOT FLIGHTS

Delta canceling Minot flights to Salt Lake City

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Delta Air Lines is ending daily flights between Minot and Salt Lake City only a few months after they began.

Minot International Airport Director Andrew Solsvig says the service will end Oct. 4 because of lower-than-expected demand for the flights, which began May 4. Only about half of the planes were filled on average.

Delta's flights between Minot and Minneapolis are not affected.

---

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com

HOUSING CONFERENCE

Regional housing conference held in ND

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Housing officials from across the Great Plains are in North Dakota for a three-day conference.

Sen. Kent Conrad says the 2010 Sustainable Homes and Communities Conference in Fargo is an opportunity to bring together local, state and federal resources to provide training for housing and community development specialists.

The North Dakota Democrat says the goal is to find solutions to housing challenges.

Adequate housing is a particular problem in western North Dakota, where the booming energy industry has created a housing crunch. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan visited Williston earlier this month to get a firsthand look at the problem.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-01-10 1158EDT

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

MIDWEST ECONOMY

Monthly report on Midwest economy comes out today

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A monthly report on the health of the economy in North Dakota and eight other Midwest and Plains states comes out today.

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index is based on surveys of business leaders and supply managers.

The outlook for the region remained positive last month, but the survey respondents were less confident about their prospects over the next six months.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the report that covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

NATURAL GAS PROCESSING

ND natural gas processing projects continue

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A natural gas company has confirmed plans to build a new processing plant near Watford City in western North Dakota.

Bear Paw Energy told the state Public Service Commission it intends to file a construction application for the project next month. The new plant will cost about $175 million to build and will be able to process about 100 million cubic feet of gas a day.

Natural gas production in western North Dakota has been rising as oil production goes up.

Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark says several pipeline and gas processing ventures have been built or are under development to handle the production increase.

Amerada Hess and Whiting Petroleum are among the companies that have expanded their ability to transport or process natural gas.

FUNDRAISING INVESTIGATION-POMEROY

ND's Rep. Pomeroy dropped from fundraising probe

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - House investigators have recommended dropping a fundraising probe against North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy.

The independent House Office of Congressional Ethics has been checking whether campaign contributions were improperly linked to a House vote on a huge financial regulatory bill.

The North Dakota Democrat was one of eight House members who were part of the inquiry.

Pomeroy says investigators were worried that Wall Street interests were trying to use donations to kill the regulatory bill. Pomeroy voted for the bill, and he says he's baffled he was included in the probe.

Pomeroy held a campaign fundraiser in Washington on Dec. 10, a day before the House vote. Pomeroy says the event was organized in October and there wasn't any link to the financial vote.

BEEF-VERIFIED SOURCE

ND Ag Dept program verifies age, source of beef

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's Agriculture Department is offering ranchers a voluntary registry they can use to prove the age and birthplace of their livestock.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring (GOHR'-ing) says some countries, including South Korea and Japan, require age and source verification of imported beef. Goehring says there's also some demand among American beef consumers for the information.

Goehring says the program requires some increased record keeping. It supplies radio and ear tags to put on beef cattle. The cost is less than $5 a head, and Goehring says a rancher can register a herd instead of individual cows.

Goehring says ranchers who enroll livestock in the program may be able to get a better price for them.

FARGO-TEXTING

Fargo police can't text and drive

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The Fargo Police Department is banning all employees from texting while driving department vehicles.

The policy change is expected in the next month. Chief Keith Ternes (TURN'-uhs) says it also will limit cell phone use while driving to "necessary and reasonable" calls.

Ternes and other city officials also are watching the fate of a proposed citywide texting and driving ban in Grand Forks, to see whether Fargo should consider a similar ordinance.

Grand Forks officials have debated the ordinance the past few months and likely will take up the issue again next week.

---

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-01-10 0301EDT

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

VIETNAM VET RETIRES

1 of last Vietnam vets in ND Guard retires

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - One of the last veterans of the Vietnam War still serving in the North Dakota National Guard has retired.

Master Sgt. Douglas Balliet (bal-ee-ET') enlisted in the Army in 1970 and served as an aircraft mechanic in Vietnam. The Linton native joined the North Dakota Guard in 1972 and served nearly four decades, most recently as the Guard's aircraft maintenance supervisor.

In addition to his maintenance duties, Balliet logged more than 2,300 flight hours as a crew chief in various aircraft.

Balliet was honored at a ceremony in Bismarck on Monday.

OBIT-MURRY

Former ND National Guard commander dies

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A World War II Battle of the Bulge veteran who went on to command the North Dakota National Guard has died.

Dunseith native Charles Murry died Sunday in Bismarck at age 86.

Murry also served as a director of the newly created North Dakota Legislative Council from 1951 to 1975. Current Guard Adjutant General David Sprynczynatyk (sprin-suh-NAT'-ik) says Murry helped establish the council and write a lot of the laws the state has today.

Murry was appointed the Guard's lead general in 1975 by then-Gov. Art Link. He served in the post through 1984. He then served as manager of the Garrison Diversion Project from 1985 to 1993.

Funeral services are Thursday at Trinity Lutheran Church. Murry will be buried at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.

---

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

BEET TRUCK FATAL

Barney woman sentenced for negligent homicide

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The driver of a sugar beet truck involved in a crash that killed an 18-year-old Wahpeton woman last fall has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison.

Fifty-four-year-old Cathleen Dean of Barney was sentenced Monday after she pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in the death of Annie Gjesdal, who died Sept. 29 after the collision at a Wahpeton intersection. Court documents say Dean ran a red light.

Dean also was ordered to pay $550 in court costs. She will be on supervised probation for two years following her prison term.

RAPE INDICTMENTS

Trial set for 2 tribal members facing rape charges

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Trial is set to begin Sept. 14 in federal court in Minot for two members of the Three Affiliated Tribes facing multiple rape charges involving minors.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland has ordered that Medicine Bird Morsette of New Town and Dustin Morsette of Minot be tried together before a jury.

Authorities allege the men who are either 20 or 21 years old are gang members who sexually mistreated young girls. Both could face life in prison if convicted.

Telephone listings could not be found for either Morsette.

---

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com

KARNAL BUNT

ND elevators take part in Karnal bunt survey

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Grain elevators around North Dakota are taking part in an annual survey that monitors for the fungal disease called Karnal bunt.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the national survey begun in 1996 is aimed at protecting American wheat exports by showing that grain is free of the disease.

He says in the 15 years of the survey, Karnal bunt has never been found in North Dakota, though it's been found in four other states. It gets its name from Karnal, India, where it was first discovered in 1931.

Sixty-five North Dakota elevators were selected for this year's survey during the harvest. The survey is to wrap up next month.

PLANNING MINOT

Minot begins work on growth plan

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A committee in Minot has started developing a comprehensive plan to guide the city's growth.

City Manager David Waind says the existing plan finished in 1969 and updated in 1995 no longer is relevant in many areas. The new plan will look at everything from land use to housing.

The screening committee will work on a draft plan over the next year. After that, city planners, the City Council and the community will become involved.

The entire process is expected to take about two years.

---

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com

WILLISTON-HOUSING

Housing on the increase in Williston

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Officials in Williston have broken ground for a new subdivision that will provide housing for 250 families.

Housing is at a premium in western North Dakota because of the booming energy industry.

The new Granite Peak subdivision will include land for 84 single-family homes, 84 twin homes and an apartment complex with more than 100 units.

Another new development, The Timbers Subdivision, will consist of 124 housing units when completed.

HECKENDORF-SEAHAWKS

Seattle cuts former North Dakota State receiver

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The Seattle Seahawks have cut former North Dakota State University wide receiver Kole Heckendorf.

Seattle had claimed Heckendorf off waivers in May. The Seahawks are preparing to set their 53-man regular season roster on Saturday.

Heckendorf signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2009 as a free agent but was released after training camp. He spent last season on the Detroit Lions practice squad.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-08-31-10 1203EDT

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

DEVILS LAKE REPORT

New report looks at next steps for Devils Lake

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) - A new study on Devils Lake suggests buying out homes and farm buildings in two counties that were not threatened by floodwaters a year ago.

Devils Lake is at the bottom of a closed basin that has no natural river or stream outlet. A wet cycle that began in the early 1990s has pushed the lake within 6 feet of its natural overflow, threatening downstream communities.

The report obtained by The Associated Press was completed by the state Water Commission, state Department of Emergency Services and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also looks into questions about an overall plan for the area, increasing the amount of water let out of the lake and how to save the town of Minnewaukan.

The so-called Devils Lake Basin Technical Review Team is hoping the study will be considered next month when a federal task force makes its recommendations.

CRACK SENTENCE

Cocaine ring leader gets 45 years, other man life

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A federal judge has said he had no choice but to sentence a man convicted in a drug conspiracy to a life sentence when the accused ringleader received a 45-year term.

Marcus Royston and Ferris Lee both were sentenced Monday for their roles in what Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Myers called "arguably the largest and most complicated" crack and powder cocaine ring tried by federal prosecutors in North Dakota.

The conspiracy charge against Royston carried a mandatory life sentence. Prosecutors were forced to drop a similar charge against Lee - found by a jury to have supervised 11 people in the conspiracy - because a quirk in federal sentencing laws required them to choose between competing charges.

Royston's attorney, Steven Mottinger, argued the life sentence was unfair when Lee received 45 years. Royston told U.S District Judge Ralph Erickson he was innocent.

Royston, 29, of Bismarck, and Lee, 26, of the Chicago area, were among eight people accused of distributing crack cocaine in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. A jury convicted Lee on 13 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. Royston was found guilty on two charges.

CROP REPORT-NORTH DAKOTA

Warm, dry weather helps ND farmers harvest grains

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's small grain harvest is moving along at a good pace because of the recent warm, dry weather.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that the harvest of all North Dakota's small grain crops, except durum wheat, is ahead of schedule.

About 74 percent of the spring wheat crop has been harvested. The average at this time of year is 70 percent harvested.

About 91 percent of the barley has been harvested. That's about one week ahead of the average of 83 percent.

The oat harvest is 83 percent done, ahead of the 80 percent average.

About 43 percent of the durum wheat crop has been harvested, which is behind the average of 53 percent.

The USDA says all other crop development was near the average pace or ahead of schedule.

POWER PLANT-FINE

Feds: fine company for worker radiation exposure

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says six workers at a power plant near Wheatland were exposed to improperly high levels of radiation last year.

The federal agency proposes to fine Basin Electric Power Cooperative nearly $25,000 for the incident at its coal-fired Laramie River Station plant.

The NRC says none of the workers is expected to suffer any long-term adverse health effects.

Daryl Hill is power company spokesman in Bismarck, N.D. He says the workers were exposed to gauges that use beams of radiation to measure whether pipes at the plant are carrying coal.

Hill says the plant has improved safety at the plant. The company has 30 days to pay the proposed fine or challenge it. Hill says it hasn't decided yet how to respond.

WATER PROJECT

ND water district starts work on treatment plant

LINTON, N.D. (AP) - Officials have broken ground for a water treatment facility in Linton for the South Central Regional Water District.

Rep. Earl Pomeroy says the project has received more than $21 million in federal stimulus grants and more than $7 million in federally backed loans.

The North Dakota Democrat says the project will increase the quantity and quality of drinking water in Emmons, Logan and McIntosh counties.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. Expansions into McIntosh and Logan counties then will begin. Pomeroy says another $9 million in federal funding for the water district in fiscal 2010 will help with expansion into Emmons, Kidder and Logan counties.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-08-31-10 0301EDT