Dec. 21—The following stories from this week appeared on
www.jamestownsun.com
and in The Jamestown Sun.
State and local officials went on
a tour of three businesses
in Jamestown on Friday, Dec. 13, that highlighted recipients of the Automate ND Grant Program.
The tour included stops at Champ Industries USA Inc., Agri-Cover Inc. and Midmach.
Champ Industries received a $240,500 grant for an automated tool-loading brake press.
“This program helped a lot,” said Kyle Johnson, plant manager at Champ Industries. “Automation is definitely something that we were going towards, and this allowed us to take the first step much sooner than we anticipated.”
Agri-Cover received a nearly $283,000 grant for robot arms and autonomous carts. Midmach received $500,000 for three robotic welding cells.
The North Dakota Development Fund received $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for a grant program during the 2023 legislative session. The program was developed in response to the workforce shortage in North Dakota, according to the North Dakota Department of Commerce’s website.
The one-time program made grants of up to $500,000 available to primary-sector certified businesses in North Dakota. The grants could not be more than 50% of the machinery, equipment or software being purchased.
The lone student in the Class of 2025 at Pingree-Buchanan Public Schools graduated early on Sunday, Dec. 15, and is on pace to earn an associate degree this spring.
Jersey Tripp, of Jamestown, has been the
only student in her class
since the beginning of her junior year. She has attended Pingree-Buchanan Public Schools since kindergarten.
Tripp is only seven credits away from earning an Associate of Science degree through the Leading to Education and Advanced Preparation (LEAP) Beyond program from Dakota College at Bottineau, North Dakota, meaning her general education courses will be completed.
Superintendent Amber Krapp said it was the first time Pingree-Buchanan held graduation in May. It’s also the first time the school district had one student in a graduating class.
The Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee unanimously recommended approval on Tuesday, Dec. 17,
to expand the city of Jamestown’s current Renaissance Zone boundary area
.
Doreen Stroh, city assessor, said Jamestown would have nine additional blocks in the Renaissance Zone, increasing the number from 22 to 31 blocks.
She said the Renaissance Zone boundary would extend south on the east side of 1st Avenue South to the former location of Hardee’s. The boundary includes homes along 2nd Avenue Southeast from 6th Street to 10th Street Southeast.
The boundary goes east from the former Hardee’s location an additional three blocks from 2nd Avenue to 5th Avenue Southeast. The boundary includes homes and businesses from 9th Street to 10th Street Southeast.
Stroh said two more blocks were added near 12th Avenue Southeast. The boundary goes from 3rd Street to 5th Street Southeast and 10th Avenue to 12th Avenue Southeast. The boundary includes homes along 10th Avenue Southeast from 4th Street to 5th Street Southeast.
The Stutsman County commissioner appointed to the James River Valley Library System Board of Directors
will remain a voting member
.
County Commissioner Amanda Hastings was appointed Tuesday to the library board.
The library board has seven members. The City Council and the county commission each appoint three voting members. The seventh member is a joint appointment by the City Council and county commission.
Currently, Jamestown City Councilman David Schloegel is the appointed nonvoting member on the library board.
Stutsman County Commission Chairman Jerry Bergquist said Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Jamestown City Council member on the library board should either be allowed to vote or the county commissioner appointed to the board should be an ex-officio member who doesn’t vote. He said the commission member appointed to the library board should have a similar role to the City Council member appointed to the board.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting on Dec. 3 in Jamestown is complete, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s
findings of the incident
have been forwarded to the Stutsman County state’s attorney for further review, according to Maj. Justin Blinsky, assistant chief of police for the Jamestown Police Department.
Blinsky told the Jamestown Police and Fire Committee on Thursday, Dec. 19, during a report on the Jamestown Police Department activities that the department also did a parallel administrative investigation to make sure policies and procedures were followed and officers involved in the incident on Dec. 3 were in compliance.
Sgt. Cory Beckman, a five-year veteran of the Jamestown Police Department, shot Devin Quinn Fontenot, 27, Jamestown, after he responded to a report of man armed with a gun and a knife standing in the parking lot behind Fred’s Den, 113 1st Ave. S. Fontenot died from injuries he sustained from gunfire.
Fontenot refused to comply with an order to drop his weapon, jeopardizing the safety of Beckman and others, Scott Edinger, chief of police, previously said.
The Salvation Army 360 Life Center in Jamestown is well short of its $60,000 Red Kettle Campaign goal.
The Red Kettle Campaign
has raised about $22,400
as of Wednesday, Dec. 18, according to Dan Furry, divisional public relations and communications director for the Salvation Army.
“Part of our message here is to encourage the folks in Jamestown to help with the Red Kettle Campaign, because ultimately the money that goes into the red kettle is money that stays in the Jamestown area,” he said. “It doesn’t go off to some larger Salvation Army office. It stays right where the money is collected and it helps the people in the community where it’s collected.”
Furry said there are more than 1,000 available hours for bell ringers in Jamestown. He said a bell ringer at a red kettle can raise between $80 to $100 an hour.
To sign up for bell ringing, visit
www.registertoring.com
to find red kettle locations and available times.
The Giving Store returned to Lincoln Elementary School
this week, giving the students an opportunity to pick out a Christmas gift for someone special in their lives.
“So they come in and they’re getting a chance to do that Christmas shopping that they not necessarily would get to always do,” said McKenzie Striefel, third grade teacher at Lincoln who helped with the project. “It costs a quarter for an item. So they get to pick one item the first day and one item the second day for two different people.”
Donations from the community, staff and families make the Giving Store possible, she said. People donate items throughout the year and shop after-Christmas sales to get items for the store, she added. New and gently-used items are donated, she said, but most are new. This is the third year for the store.