Home Care In Jamestown, IN

The following stories from this week appeared on www.jamestownsun.com and in The Jamestown Sun.

Jamestown woman asks for public’s help to find sister

One North Dakota family is hoping for help in finding their missing sister .

Breeanna Ward, 27, was reported missing on Feb. 28. She was last seen in Williston, North Dakota, where she lives with her boyfriend. Ward hasn’t contacted friends or family despite them reaching out.

Though Ward has posted to Facebook, her sister, Chelsey Francis of Jamestown, believes another individual is controlling the account .

Francis and a small search team are heading to Williston this weekend to hang posters and find answers.

NextEra accepts fertilizer loan

NextEra Energy Resources Development has accepted loan terms under the state’s Clean Sustainable Energy Authority Fertilizer Development Loan Program, the North Dakota Industrial Commission announced Monday, March 4.

Prairie Horizon Energy Solutions has declined the loan terms but still plans to proceed with its plant near Dickinson.

The fertilizer loan was authorized by House Bill 1546 during the November 2023 special session, which required the production of hydrogen “by the electrolysis of water” and directed the CSEA to forgive the loan “upon completion of construction of the fertilizer production facility.”

At its Jan. 24 meeting, the Industrial Commission approved a Clean Sustainable Energy Authority recommendation to authorize $50 million in loan funding to NextEra and $75 million to Prairie Horizon for fertilizer production facilities in Stutsman and Stark counties, respectively. The Clean Sustainable Energy Authority recommendation also provided for an applicant to receive the full $125 million if the other applicant were to decline funding.

City Council approves establishing library committee

The Jamestown City Council approved in a 3-0 vote establishing a committee of nonelected members to review the memorandum of agreement with Stutsman County on providing joint library services.

Councilmen Dan Buchanan and Brian Kamlitz were not present at the meeting on Monday, March 4.

The committee would include five to seven members who are not elected officials.

“ … (the) intent here is not for this committee to look at funding, not to look at library operations, not to look at where should the library go next but only the document itself and is the document in the proper format because this has been copied since 2005,” Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said. “Is there anything that’s changed that’s out of sync with current state law, so on and so forth or with whatever rules the state library has in place.”

Otter Tail Power continues work on transmission line project

Otter Tail Power Co. is working on securing land rights for a regional electric transmission line between Jamestown and Ellendale, a company official said.

The Jamestown to Ellendale 345 kV transmission line project consists of five components, said Todd Langston, project manager for Otter Tail Power Co. He said the project includes upgrades to four substations, including one located north of Jamestown along N.D. Highway 20 and another west of Ellendale, North Dakota. The other component is the construction of about 90 miles of transmission line from Jamestown to Ellendale.

Langston presented information about the project at the Stutsman County Commission meeting on Tuesday, March 5.

Otter Tail Power is working with Montana-Dakota Utilities at the request of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator manages the power grid for a 15-state area and parts of the province of Manitoba. The project is part of Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s Longe-Range transmission planning initiative to improve the power grid.

Plans call for constructing about 90 miles of transmission line connecting the Otter Tail substation north of Jamestown along N.D. Highway 20 to the Montana-Dakota substation near Ellendale. The line will have a 345-kilovolt capacity.

Construction on the project could start in 2025 or 2026 depending on when the route permit is approved.

Jamestown food pantries see 4,900 visits

Food pantries in Jamestown had 4,900 visits in 2023 , according to Zoe Absey, community initiatives manager for Great Plains Food Bank.

Absey said the Great Plains Food Bank served 777 families through its mobile food pantry in Jamestown last year. She said the food insecurity rate is 7.8% in Stutsman County.

Across the state, the Great Plains Food Bank served about 156,500 individuals through its food pantries, meal sites and programs.

“That’s 1 in 5 people in the state,” Absey said. She said about 13 million pounds of food went through Great Plains Food Bank’s warehouse in Fargo.

The Great Plains Food Bank held a meeting in Jamestown with 21 community members who represent different organizations and entities on Thursday, Feb. 29, to discuss food access, opportunities and barriers. The community members divided into groups and answered questions about food access in Jamestown and Stutsman County.

Barriers to food access include a lack of cooking skills and where to find resources to get food, community leaders said.

School board approves child care proposal

The Jamestown Public School Board unanimously approved on Monday, March 5, adding child care programming and services at the James Valley Career and Technology Center.

The Jamestown Public School District will finalize architectural drawings and issue a request for bids later this month, according to a draft timeline for the child care center. The projected start of demolition and construction is July 1.

The child care program could begin in the 2025-26 school year.

Under the proposal , the Jamestown Public School District’s child care program would serve existing staff during the school year for regular and drop-in child care services. Jointly with an expanded family and consumer science program, the James Valley Career and Technology Center would operate the child care facility for district staff, Superintendent Rob Lech wrote in a memo to the school board.

Comments

News reporting

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

HED:

SUBHED: Stories from the previous week that appeared on www.jamestownsun.com and in The Jamestown Sun.

The following stories from this week appeared on www.jamestownsun.com and in The Jamestown Sun.

Former UJ professor, New Voices Act advocate has legs amputated below the knees after accident

A former journalism adviser and professor at University of Jamestown and proponent of the John Wall New Voices Act was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Saturday, Feb. 24, that led to an amputation of both legs below the knees.

Steve Listopad’s legs were crushed in the accident, according to a Facebook post from his wife, Lori. Listopad’s surgery was successful, according to an update on Monday, Feb. 26, on the CaringBridge page for Listopad.

The Listopads reside in Haskell, Arkansas, according to their Facebook pages.

CaringBridge , GoFundMe and Meal Train pages have been set up.

Steve’s rehabilitation is expected to take up to nine months, according to the GoFundMe page set up for the Listopads, which had raised over $30,000 as of Friday morning, March 1.

Jamestown restaurants gear up for big crowds from state tournament

Restaurant staff are gearing up for the influx of people coming into Jamestown over the next few weekends, including the North Dakota Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 29-March 1.

Jon Beyer, owner of Jonny B’s Brickhouse, said it is important for his staff to make a good impression to the out-of-town visitors. He said the staff needs to make sure everything goes well so the out-of-town visitors want to come back.

“These tournament weekends tend to be the bread and butter of our sales for the quarter,” he said. “We look forward to doing our best in producing some great experiences for everyone coming to town.”

Beyer said he is scheduling extra workers to work the busy weekends and making sure they are well trained. His staff held a meeting over the last weekend to make sure everyone is on the right page.

After the North Dakota Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament, three other events are scheduled for Jamestown. The events are the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championship, the Runnin O’ the Green and the North Dakota USA Gymnastics State Championship.

The state basketball tournament this week is expected to bring an extra 3,000 to 5,000 people, said Emily Bivens, executive director of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce and Jamestown Tourism. When those people shop, eat and stay in Jamestown, that supports local businesses, and the extra sales tax generated helps the Two Rivers Activity Center pay off its bond or the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. with economic development, she said.

For the state basketball tournament, Bivens said the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce and Jamestown Tourism staff have called every restaurant in town to check if they are offering any specials or staying open past their normal hours.

News reporting

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

One of the most important historic sites in the United States has been put on a list of endangered places. Preservation groups warn that Jamestown, Virginia, may not survive another generation because of climate change.

In 1607, the small island near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay became the first successful English colony. It is often described as the birthplace of both democracy and slavery in America.

But the tides of the James River are becoming higher and more damaging, the water table is rising, and storms are more frequent and severe, causing dangerous floods.

"There are multiple challenges and they're all related to climate change," says James Horn, president of the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation. "Essentially, we can't get rid of the water."

The threat from water is nothing new - the James River had already eroded the western part of the island settlement and until digging began in 1994, it was erroneously believed that the original fort was already underwater. Archaeologists have since excavated most of the fort and recovered millions of artefacts. In 2013 they found evidence of cannibalism during the brutal winter of 1609-10, known as the Starving Time. And in 2015 they discovered the skeletal remains of the first settlers.

But climate change is accelerating the pace of erosion and flooding, jeopardising the site as well as further research and the potential for future discoveries.

"Because of the rate of change, we estimate that a good portion of the fort and surrounding area will be underwater within 35 years," says Mr Horn.

Michael Lavin/ Jamestown Rediscovery

"There is basically a five-year window at Jamestown," says Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which compiles the annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

"If we do not begin to address these issues within that five-year window, mitigating the impact of climate change becomes exponentially harder. This can't wait another 10 or 15 years. This is about right now."

Work to repair the 100-year-old sea wall is expected to start soon and plans are underway to overhaul the drainage system and install protective berms with pumps. The projects will cost tens of millions of dollars and funding is urgently needed.

Ms Malone-France says Jamestown is particularly important because of its multi-layered - and conflicting - cultural importance.

When the settlers arrived in 1607 they encountered the Powhatan people, launching a complex and often violent relationship with the indigenous tribes. In 1619 the first General Assembly was held - the beginnings of democratic government in America based on the rule of law and individual freedoms. But a few months later slavery was established in the new colony when a ship carrying captives from Angola arrived at its shores.

Jamestown is not the only site on the list endangered by climate change. Olivewood Cemetery in Houston, Texas, is one of the oldest known African American cemeteries. It contains more than 4,000 graves and was incorporated in 1875, 10 years after slavery ended in Texas when federal troops took control of the state at the end of the American Civil War.

Situated on low-lying ground near a bayou, it too is experiencing damaging floods caused by extreme weather and erosion.

America's 11 most endangered historic places

Other sites - which include a Japanese internment camp, an artist's house and a cave sacred to native Americans - are threatened by neglect, development and private ownership. And severe termite damage has forced the closure of the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. The church played a pivotal role in the civil rights marches that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

But Ms Malone-France says climate change is becoming a regular feature of the list. Last year the culturally significant and ecologically sensitive Boston Harbor Islands were included because of the threat of erosion and rising sea levels.

"We have to acknowledge that climate change is an urgent threat to our cultural resources. We have to recognise that and we have to begin to take action," she says. "I have hope because I think these places matter so deeply to people."

She says the work planned at Jamestown could become a model for other historic places threatened by climate change.

Mr Horn says the situation is poignant because the English settlers chose Jamestown because the river offered protection from attack, safe harbour for ships and a vital line of communication.

"What served them well during the early years of settlement has increasingly become the most destructive part of Jamestown," he says. "What they thought would protect them is now leading to the destruction of the site."

One need not be a partisan to believe our Republic is at a dangerous crossroads, although bipartisanship is what has always made this country endure everything from world wars to depressions. Remembering how it all began—and how difficult those beginnings were—has been well preserved in the Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Virginia.

In several respects, what is very new about Jamestown is what is very old, meaning that constant archeological progress is being made using the most modern technologies to trace the history of this 17th century settlement. Created in 1957, Jamestown Settlement, like nearby Historic Colonial Williamsburg, was made to be a living history museum that contains a recreated James Fort, a Powhatan Indian village, and replicas of the original English settlers’ ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery.The archeological excavations go on at the adjacent Historic Jamestowne, run by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia.

The settlement was established on May 14, 1607, to be permanent, although several failures and abandonments occurred, as well as a war that annihilated the Paspahegh Indian tribe in the area and in 1676 the burning down of the town during Bacon’s Rebellion. It immediately became Virginia’s colonial capital; the first slaves arrived in 1619. But by 1699 Jamestown’s power had declined as the capital relocated to Williamsburg, and in the next century Jamestown ceased to exist as a working settlement.

The galleries and exhibitions are beautifully done at Jamestown, starting with the docudrama “1607: A Nation Takes Root,” and the exhibits focus how three cultures, Native American, European and African, converged in 17th century Virginia: The role of the Powhatan Native American “parent” culture, (a Pocahontas exhibit just closed this winter), “The Crossing,” and “From Africa to Virginia.” The history of Jamestown as a tobacco-producing colony is described—it was often used as cash, which led to wealth but ultimately a lack of diversity in the economy. Outside, the Powhatan Indian village explores the Powhatan way of life through a re-created town with reed-covered houses where costumed interpreters demonstrate how the Powhatans lived. TENACITY: Women in Jamestown and Early Virginia, will open on November 10, 2018 at Jamestown Settlement.

A statue of George Washington dominates the exhibits at the new American Revolution Museum at... [+]

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Meanwhile, at Yorktown, where the last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought, they have a new, state-of-the-art American Revolution Museum that sprawls over 80,000 square feet of the rolling landscape and offers art work, historic dioramas, films and a recreation of the white-tented military camp of the American army, which, with help from the French army and fleet, roundly defeated the British on October 19, 1781. Washington’s troops pierced the British outer defenses, bringing to bear such a force of artillery that the British general Lord Cornwallis was forced to negotiate a peace to end the war, resulting in the finality of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Daily artillery firings are held twice a day at the Jamestown Settlement.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

The Yorktown attraction is known for its collection of off uniforms, firearms and living history, with daily artillery firings drills each day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Shows on the food culture of the Colonial and Revolutionary era are held throughout the year, and a working farm demonstrates the way people harvested, cooked and ate from homemade utensils.

The museum’s 22,000-square-foot layout leads from one era to another, its walls and floors first showcasing British Colonial America as of 1763 and an interactive map of the United States in 1791. Famous battles are described, how they began and developed, in a 170-seat museum theater, beginning with the film “Liberty Fever” in a moving panorama containing live-action movie scenes. The “"Battle of Saratoga" in 1777—is actually shown within an army tent, while the final battle, “The Siege of Yorktown” is shown on a 180-degree surround screen theater at the American Revolution Muse

From there “The New Nation” and “The American People” bring our history up through the 19th century and how the new country was so influenced by immigrants and internal migration westward.

One expects grand yarns and great victories out of the American Revolution, but I was delighted by some of the lesser artifacts that told the story in more endearing ways, like the first portrait of a black slave, named Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, by William Hoare circa 1733; the first book of poems by an African-American woman named Phillis Wheatley, albeit by a London publisher in 1773; a silver teaspoon stamped with the motto “I love liberty” (1773); and a lap desk once used by Gen. Francis Marion, known as the “Swamp Fox.”

Both Jamestown and Yorktown show how hard curators, linked into the newest technology, have worked to bring history alive for visitors, with a clear and obvious mission to entice and entertain young people whose urge is never to turn their eyes from their iPhones. In the sound and light, shadow and music of these stellar museums lies both the truth and the emotional commitment to our ancestors

JAMESTOWN — Questions still remain on what Stutsman County’s fair share of funding should be to provide joint library services even after the memorandum of agreement between the city of Jamestown and the county was extended by another year.

Stutsman County Commission Chairman Mark Klose said the biggest issue to determine the county’s share of funding for the library system is the usage.

“How many people in the rural areas are actually utilizing the library,” he said.

The city of Jamestown and Stutsman County have provided joint library services under a memorandum of agreement after voters approved a measure to combine them in 2008.

In the 2008 general election, voters approved a measure to create a joint library board, with 75% city and 66% county voter approval to create joint library services. The James River Valley Library System was then established in 2009 when Alfred Dickey and Stutsman County libraries were legally combined.

The Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission both approved a one-year extension to the memorandum of agreement earlier this year. The memorandum of agreement extends by one year the date each entity may provide a notice of intent to withdraw to March 2025.

The memorandum of agreement automatically extends another five years in March if either entity doesn’t provide a notice of intent to withdraw or both parties don’t approve a one-year extension when either entity can provide a notice of intent to withdraw.

The county commission and the Jamestown City Council extended the memorandum of agreement by one year in 2022 and in 2023.

Every proposal to provide joint library services should be considered, said Joan Morris, a Stutsman County commissioner who is an appointed member of the library board.

“What the city and the library consider our (Stutsman County) fair share I think is too much compared … compared to other libraries in the state,” Morris said.

Mayor Dwaine Heinrich proposed discussing a contract for joint library services in November to the county commission that would have the city of Jamestown operate the library for both entities.

“We’re just kind of waiting for the county to come back with something other than that they propose to extend it another year which we did agree upon,” said David Schloegel, an appointed nonvoting member of the library board who is a member of the Jamestown City Council. “The most important thing is that we maintain our relationship that we have.”

Schloegel said the two issues with the current memorandum of agreement are the funding and whether city councilmen or county commissioners should be voting members on the library board.

He said the city of Jamestown has provided 15 mills every year while the county’s share has decreased from 4 mills to just under 2 mills.

“Now we extended the agreement another year the way it currently is, but for all we know they could be paying 1.7 mills next year, … maybe even less or maybe they could pay more,” Schloegel said.

He said Stutsman County’s fair share should be 3.5 mills. He previously said that amount is according to the population of the city compared to the county.

“I think it’s a fair amount and then it adds that stability,” Schloegel said. “We aren’t surprising the library board. They know what funding they are going to have.”

In 2023, the value of a mill is $56,350 for the city of Jamestown, and the county’s value of a mill is about $88,550.

Schloegel said he would rather see the county commissioner appointed to the library board be a nonvoting member. Schloegel does not have a vote on the library board.

He said it is unnecessary for him to have a vote on the library board. He said any issues come before the City Council and the county commission and the appointed members from each board can vote during their meetings.

Morris has previously said the county is budgeting around $170,000 to $180,000 per year in a partnership with the city and operating the Stutsman County Library as a separate entity from the city would cost $160,000, which includes the cost of offering bookmobile service.

“If we would have been able to partner with UJ (University of Jamestown), it would have been extremely cheaper than what we are currently paying and what the library says what our fair share should be,” she said.

She previously estimated an annual budget of $110,000 to $130,000 for a partnership with the university if the county operates the bookmobile. She also said library system Director Joe Rector’s calculation of the county’s fair share is about $250,000 to $260,000.

Morris said the county is willing to sit down and have a discussion about the memorandum of agreement. She said the county commission asked to meet with city of Jamestown officials to go through the memorandum of agreement.

She said the commission hasn’t heard back after Heinrich proposed a formation of a committee with individuals not directly involved with the library system or its board.

Heinrich told the county commission in November that the committee could make recommendations on the future of the library system’s expansion or relocation and on a new memorandum of agreement to provide joint library services.

“We are very willing to sit down and have a discussion,” Morris said.

But the mayor said he has not been contacted on anything other than the extension to the memorandum of agreement. He said he is interested in having discussions with the county about the memorandum of agreement if the county reaches out to the city.

The memorandum of agreement can be renegotiated at any time if both the City Council and the county commission agree to do so.

Morris said if county taxpayers approve an expansion of Alfred Dickey Public Library, that vote will need to be honored.

Currently, the library board is exploring the purchase of the Masonic Temple for an expansion of Alfred Dickey Public Library. If the Masonic Temple is purchased, the Stutsman County Library would be permanently closed. The Masonic Temple is located across the street from Alfred Dickey.

“I’m looking forward to the library presenting their plans on what they would like to do and hearing public input,” Schloegel said. “It means a lot to us. It’s up to the public to tell us what they want to do.”