Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment: FONG-RE-ELECTION

ND tax commissioner seeking 2nd term

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Tax Commissioner Cory Fong is seeking another term.

The Republican on Thursday was kicking off his re-election campaign with stops in Bismarck and West Fargo.

No Democrat has announced plans to seek that party's endorsement to challenge Fong.

Fong was appointed tax commissioner by Gov. John Hoeven in 2005. He was elected to his first four-year term the following year, edging Democrat Brent Edison 53 percent to 47 percent.

FIRE ASSAULT

Man sentenced in ND van fire attack

WASHBURN, N.D. (AP) - A Minnesota man has been sentenced in North Dakota to 15 years in prison for starting another man's van on fire while the man was inside.

Fifty-three-year-old Joseph Carpenter was convicted of felony endangering by fire or explosion. South Central District Judge Bruce Romanick also ordered him to pay $6,000 in restitution.

Carpenter was accused last September of setting fire to Jeffrey Hart's van at a campground on Lake Audubon after a dispute with the Michigan man over a fish filet knife. Authorities say Hart suffered burns on his hands, arms and legs.

Hart was charged with misdemeanor assault but the charge was later dropped.

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

YGOMI CUTS-ND

Ygomi to cut jobs in small ND towns

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - An information and communications technology company based in Illinois is cutting jobs in some North Dakota communities, though Ygomi (why-GOH'-mee) hasn't released how many or where.

Two of Ygomi's subsidiaries, SEI and Verety, have employees in North Dakota. Ken Cordes, Ygomi's director of business development support, says there will be some job cuts in smaller North Dakota towns but an increase in employment in Fargo and Grand Forks.

SEI, which provides call center services, has North Dakota offices in those two cities.

Verety, which provides remote order-taking services, has North Dakota offices in Fargo, Rugby, Steele, Wishek and Hazen.

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

DENTIST SLAYING

Trial set for man accused of killing ND dentist

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - An Aug. 10 trial date has been set for an Oklahoma City man accused of beating to death a North Dakota dentist last fall.

Forty-one-year-old Michael Nakvinda faces felony murder, robbery, burglary and theft charges in the Oct. 26 killing of Philip Gattuso in his Fargo home. Nakvinda pleaded not guilty last December.

Authorities believe that Gene Kirkpatrick, the father of Gattuso's late wife, paid Nakvinda $3,000 to kill Gattuso because he did not agree with the way his granddaughter was being raised. Nakvinda once worked as Kirkpatrick's handyman.

Kirkpatrick is charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Judge Frank Racek says Nakvinda's trial is expected to last as long as two weeks.

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

COUNTERFEITING CHARGES

ND woman to plead guilty to counterfeiting

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - A Grand Forks woman says she will plead guilty to making and using counterfeit money.

Lolita Jewel Amick is charged in federal count with two counts. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The complaint says the alleged scheme took place last September. The 33-year-old Amick was arrested in November.

Authorities would not release the amount of money involved.

CONN TRAIN DERAILMENT

Train carrying ethanol derails in eastern Conn.

WINDHAM, Conn. (AP) - A freight train carrying ethanol has derailed west of Route 203 in eastern Connecticut.

Providence & Worcester Railroad spokeswoman Marie Angelini says no injuries were reported when four cars at the end of an 80-car train derailed early Thursday morning in Windham.

State environmental officials say none of the four tanker cars is leaking. Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dennis Schain says one car contains liquid ethanol and it's not clear what's in the others.

Special equipment is being brought in to put the cars back on the tracks or haul them away.

The train was headed to Providence, R.I., from North Dakota. Seventy-one cars continued on to Providence.

The rail line serves only freight so no passenger trains are affected.

WILD CARD WINNER

$182,790 Wild Card 2 jackpot won in SD

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Lottery says a winning Wild Card 2 jackpot ticket worth $182,790 was sold in Madison.

Lottery director Norm Lingle says the winner has 180 days to claim the prize.

The winning numbers for Wednesday night's drawing are 2, 4, 10, 14 and 29; the Wild Card is the Jack of Hearts.

It is the second time the Wild Card 2 jackpot has been won in Madison. The first was a $856,298 jackpot on Dec. 28, 2002.

Wild Card 2 is played in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. The jackpot starts again at $100,000 for the next drawing on Saturday night.

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

AP-NY-03-11-10 1203EST

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment: CONGRESS-SUPPLEMENTS

Stricter oversight of dietary supplements closer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Stricter government oversight of dietary supplements is moving closer thanks to an agreement among senators to include guidelines in a food safety bill.

Four key areas of "common ground" are outlined in a letter sent by Sens. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, to Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who chairs the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Those include requiring dietary supplement makers to register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to issue a recall order if a supplement is adulterated or possibly fatal.

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment rises in 30 states in January

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government says unemployment rose in 30 states in January, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.

The data is somewhat better than December, when 43 states reported higher unemployment rates, but worse than November, when rates fell in most states.

Still, five states reported record-high joblessness in January. They are California, at 12.5 percent; South Carolina, 12.6 percent; Florida, 11.9 percent; North Carolina, 11.1 percent; and Georgia, 10.4 percent.

Michigan's unemployment rate is still the nation's highest, at 14.3 percent.

The lowest unemployment rates are still found in upper Plains states, with North Dakota's jobless rate of 4.2 percent the lowest in the nation. Nebraska and South Dakota had the next-lowest rates, at 4.6 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.

HETTINGER CRASH

Hettinger man killed in rollover crash

HETTINGER, N.D. (AP) - A Hettinger man has been killed in a rollover crash east of the city.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol identified the victim as 41-year-old Michael Merwin.

The patrol says Merwin lost control of his pickup on ice- and snow-covered U.S. Highway 12 on Tuesday afternoon. The truck rolled and Merwin became trapped inside when snow came in a broken window.

Merwin was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The patrol says Merwin's passenger, Shane McClough of Hettinger, was treated at the hospital and released.

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Information from: The Dickinson Press, http://www.thedickinsonpress.com

AIRMAN CHARGED

Minot airman faces court-martial in abuse case

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - An airman stationed at Minot Air Force Base faces court-martial in the alleged sexual abuse of his 14-month-old son.

Base spokesmen say Senior Airman Clifton Huebner is charged with aggravated sexual contact. Court-martial proceedings are scheduled to begin April 6.

The boy's mother, Rebecca Forteau, says daycare workers reported the alleged abuse in January 2009, when he was living on base with Huebner. His parents were separated at the time.

The boy was placed in foster care during the investigation. Forteau says she's now allowed to see him and is working to regain full custody.

No number was listed for Huebner.

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Information from: KXMC-TV, http://kxmc.com

AIRPORT BREACH

Bathroom break causes security issue at ND airport

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A passenger looking for a restroom caused a security breach at Hector International Airport in Fargo.

Carrie Harmon of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says security screening was shut down for about an hour Sunday after an arriving passenger exited the secure terminal, then re-entered it through the exit door to use the restroom.

Harmon says the passenger was found in the bathroom and released.

Witnesses say the passenger was young and had flown with his family.

About 200 people were waiting in line for security screening at the time of the breach. Two flights were delayed as a result.

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Information from: WDAY-TV, http://wday.com

DAKOTA GROWERS-VITERRA

Canadian firm offers to buy Dakota Growers Pasta

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Canadian food processing and grain handling company is offering to buy Dakota Growers Pasta Co. of Carrington for about $240 million.

Viterra Inc.'s board of directors approved the offer Wednesday. The company is based in Calgary, Alberta, and has operations in the western United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Dakota Growers is the nation's third-largest pasta producer. It has factories in Carrington and New Hope, Minn.

Dakota Growers chairman Jack Dalrymple (DAL'-rim-puhl) says the Dakota Growers board is recommending that the offer be accepted. Dakota Growers has about 1,000 shareholders.

Viterra is offering $18.28 a share for Dakota Growers' common stock and 10 cents a share for a special class of preferred stock.

TRAINING CONTRACT

UND to train Norwegian air traffic controllers

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - The University of North Dakota has reached a long-term deal to train Norwegian air traffic controllers.

Officials say it could bring as many as 180 trainees to campus over the next five years.

Chuck Pineo, executive director of the UND Aerospace Foundation, says the contract is with Avinor, a state-owned company that runs Norway's airports.

UND has trained Norwegian air traffic controllers in the past.

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

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

AP-NY-03-11-10 0302EST

Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment: ND OIL RIGS

ND oil rig count tops 100

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The number of rigs piercing North Dakota's oil patch has topped 100 for the first time in two decades.

North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness said 101 rigs were drilling in western North Dakota's oil patch on Wednesday. He said it's the first time since 1982 that the number of rigs in the state has hit the three-digit mark.

Ness said advanced horizontal drilling techniques are more efficient today. He said one drill rig can do the work of up to eight rigs in the 1980s.

The number of rigs in North Dakota dropped to about 30 last year but has rebounded with the price of crude.

DAKOTAS SNOW

Parts of Dakotas to get heavy snow

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Rain, freezing rain and heavy snow are hitting much of the Dakotas.

The National Weather Service said as much as eight inches of snow could accumulate by Thursday morning in southwestern North Dakota, and the northern Black Hills in South Dakota could get about a foot of snow.

Lesser amounts of snow were expected in other western and central parts of the Dakotas, with the precipitation falling as rain or freezing rain in the east.

Travel conditions in some areas began to deteriorate as early as Tuesday afternoon. The Highway Patrol said icy conditions were a factor in a pickup rollover in southwest North Dakota that killed a man.

FARGO BUYOUTS

More Fargo homeowners pursue buyouts

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The prospect of another major flood in Fargo this spring has spurred more people to contact city officials about selling their homes.

Assistant City Attorney Butch McConn says two homes are under contract and another eight homeowners are negotiating to sell their properties. He says the cost of all the properties could total $4 million.

The City Commission has voted to authorize staff to pursue the buyouts.

City records show that Fargo has purchased at least 24 homes worth $7.1 million as of late February.

DICKINSON STAND-OFF

Dickinson stand-off suspect to get evaluation

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) - A judge in Dickinson is trying to find a local agency to perform a psychiatric evaluation on a man accused of pointing a loaded gun at police.

Stark County State's Attorney Tom Henning says Scott Stockert refused to cooperate when taken to the State Hospital in Jamestown for an evaluation.

Stockert has pleaded not guilty to felony reckless endangerment. The charge stems from a November stand-off with police who were responding to a domestic dispute call.

Stockert wants to represent himself in court. A judge ordered the evaluation earlier to help determine if Stockert is competent to do that. Stockert on Tuesday agreed to an evaluation but said he does not want it done at the State Hospital.

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Information from: The Dickinson Press, http://www.thedickinsonpress.com

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

LIFELOCK SUIT

Lifelock fraud alert firm to pay $12M in ad suit

PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona company that promised to protect consumers from identity theft has agreed to pay $12 million to settle false advertising claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission and 35 states, including North Dakota.

Tempe, Ariz.-based Lifelock Inc. has heavily advertised its $10 per month fraud protection service for several years, promising that it was a "proven solution" that would protect consumers from fraud.

Its president, Todd Davis, is famous for plastering his Social Security number on Lifelock ads to show how safe he feels from identity theft.

Lifelock agreed on Tuesday to pay $11 million in restitution to customers and $1 million to pay for the investigation.

The FTC and the Arizona Attorney General's office says Lifelock agreed to stop saying it protects against all types of identity theft.

HETTINGER FATAL

Rollover near Hettinger kills man

HETTINGER, N.D. (AP) - A 41-year-old Hettinger man is dead after a rollover crash in southwestern North Dakota.

The Highway Patrol did not immediately identify the victim of the crash that happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities say the man was driving a pickup truck that went out of control on icy U.S. Highway 12 about three miles east of Hettinger and rolled in the ditch. He was pronounced dead at a Hettinger medical center.

A 22-year-old passenger was treated at the medical center and released.

TRUCK STOP FIRE

Jamestown truck stop fire ruled arson

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (AP) - A fire at a Jamestown truck stop last month has been ruled a case of arson.

Authorities say the early morning Feb. 13 blaze at the S&R Truck Plaza's repair shop was started in a cab of a semitrailer.

Damage to the building and semi is estimated at $1.1 million.

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Information from: KQDJ-AM

HUNTING LICENSES

ND still has nonresident any-deer bow licenses

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Game and Fish Department says hunters outside the state still have an opportunity to get any-deer bow licenses.

Licensing supervisor Carrie Whitney says more than 200 of the nonresident licenses are still available.

Game and Fish began issuing nonresident any-deer bow licenses March 1. About 1,100 of the allotted 1,305 licenses for 2010 have been sold. Remaining licenses are being issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

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

AP-NY-03-10-10 1158EST

ND man pleads guilty to threatening Obama

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A North Dakota man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to threatening to kill President Barack Obama.

Eric Hirchert is charged in federal court with threats against the president. Authorities say he told his parents he was going to shoot Obama and posted a statement on his brother's Facebook page that he was going to kill the president.

The 22-year-old Hirchert faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 7.

READ BEFORE VOTING

ND measure requires lawmakers to read, post bills

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A proposed ballot measure says North Dakota legislators must read bills and post them on the Internet before any final votes are taken.

Retired Bismarck businessman David Wolfer (WOL'-fur) is chairman of the initiative's sponsoring committee. He says the idea will ensure legislators are more familiar with state laws they're putting on the books.

The measure also says the Legislature must post bills on the Internet for at least four days before a floor vote is taken in the House or Senate.

Supporters of the measure presented it to Secretary of State Al Jaeger on Tuesday. Jaeger will write a short description of the proposal and approve it for circulation.

Wolfer says he'd like to see the measure voted on in November.

BISMARCK JOBS LOST

Company moving 62 jobs from Bismarck to Dallas

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A company that operates a taxi service and a crew transportation service for railroad workers is moving 62 positions from Bismarck to its Dallas headquarters.

Gary Schumacher, head of the Bismarck Coach America operation, says the transfer is the result of consolidation within the company.

The Bismarck office employs about 150 people and manages operations in 12 states. The dispatching and accounting departments will be moved to Dallas by the end of May. Coach America says Bismarck workers can apply for the positions in Texas.

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

SOLDIERS RETURNING

Some ND soldiers in Kosovo to return in May

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota National Guard says some soldiers serving in Kosovo will be coming home earlier than expected.

About 650 North Dakota soldiers are part of a peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Most of them have been there since October. The Guard says about 160 soldiers are expected home in May, rather than July or August.

The Guard says about 550 U.S. soldiers are to return before summer, as a result of improved security in Kosovo.

NORTH DAKOTA SNOW

Parts of North Dakota could get heavy snow

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The National Weather Service says southwestern North Dakota could get up to eight inches of snow, with lesser amounts accumulating to the north and east.

The weather service says a system will remain over the Central and Northern Plains through Thursday, drawing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as far north as the Dakotas.

Forecasters expect rain over central and western North Dakota to eventually change to snow. They say roads could be icy in coming days due to freezing rain and snow.

TORNADO FORECAST

After slow start, tornado season under way

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Forecasters say a wetter-than-usual winter and a jet stream dipping deep into Tornado Alley could lead to an active spring for tornadoes.

The 2010 tornado season has had a slow start with one twister reported - in California - in February. A strong twister ripped through Hammon in western Oklahoma Monday night, destroying five homes.

Greg Carbin of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman said Tuesday there will be an uptick in thunderstorm activity as spring approaches and the Southern Plains states warm up.

Dr. Harold Brooks of the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman says Monday's tornado does not necessarily mean the season will be more active, but that more tornados are possible in the coming weeks if the same weather pattern continues.

INDIANS-CHILD PROTECTION

Tribes, justice officials focus on Indian children

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) - The U.S. Interior Department's assistant secretary for Indian Affairs says the federal government and tribal law enforcement officers cannot simply arrest their way out of the problems that plague Indian country.

Former prosecutor and law professor Larry Echo Hawk says the solution to keeping children safe and tackling the escalating crime rate in Indian communities is the creation of healthy families. He gave the keynote speech Tuesday at the start of a three-day national symposium focused on the protection of children in Indian Country.

He says giving the next generation the tools to avoid avenues of crime will help end the cycle.

Organizers say the symposium is the first of its kind. Some 300 federal and tribal officials are attending the event.

MINOT PUBLISHER

Minot Daily News publisher leaving

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Minot Daily News Publisher Bart Leath is leaving for a position at Ogden Newspapers Inc. headquarters in Wheeling, W.V.

Leath has been publisher in Minot since July 2008, when he came from Wheeling. Ogden Newspapers owns the Minot paper.

Leath says he expects to leave Minot about June 1.

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

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