In case you missed it in The Sun the week of Dec. 4, 2023
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Dec. 9—The following stories from this week appeared on
and in The Jamestown Sun.
Gov. Doug Burgum appointed LaMoure County State's Attorney James Shockman on Friday, Dec. 1, to the
open judgeship in the Southeast Judicial District
.
I'm honored to serve as a judge for the state of North Dakota and the Southeast Judicial District," Shockman said. "I would like to thank Gov. Burgum and the judicial nominating committee for the appointment."
Shockman will fill seat #1 in the Southeast Judicial District, which is chambered in Jamestown. The term expires in 2024.
The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved on Monday, Dec. 4,
discussing a quote from Civic Plus to build and host a new website
for the city of Jamestown at a special City Council meeting on Dec. 19.
City Administrator Sarah Hellekson said the current website has crashed a couple of times, including once in May. She also said the current website is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Councilman David Steele said the city of Jamestown's website needs to be ADA compliant or it could be subject to lawsuit.
The city of Jamestown received two quotes — one from Civic Plus and the other from Granicus. Hellekson said the quote from Civic Plus is more than $95,000 total over five years and is a yearly contract with options to add more modules. The quote from Granicus is just over $116,000 for a five-year contract.
A state-of-the-art facility for educating and treating students with developmental disabilities is
nearing completion in Jamestown
, according to Tim Eissinger, CEO of the Anne Carlsen Center.
Work began on the 110,000-square-foot facility in August 2022 with an estimated cost of $57 million. The facility is located east of Jamestown Regional Medical Center on the west side of Jamestown.
"We are on budget and definitely on time," Eissinger said.
Eissinger said they anticipate substantial completion of the facility in February with occupancy of the buildings planned for March.
The number of precincts in the city of Jamestown
will not be reduced
for the 2024 election cycle if the city didn't publish a resolution in The Jamestown Sun before final passage by the Jamestown City Council.
In May, the Jamestown City Council recommended approval to the Stutsman County Commission of a request from Jessica Alonge, Stutsman County auditor/chief operating officer, to reduce the number of precincts within city limits from six to two.
Alonge told the Stutsman County Commission on Tuesday, Dec. 5, that a question came up on whether the city of Jamestown published the resolution to reduce the number of precincts before final approval by the City Council.
"I do not have an answer on that," she said. She said she is waiting to hear back from city officials.
There are six precincts within the city of Jamestown. One precinct is for District 29 and the other five are for District 12.
With county commission approval, the number of precincts in District 12 would decrease from five to one.
The county commission must decide whether or not to reduce the number of precincts by Dec. 31.
If the city published the resolution in The Jamestown Sun, the county commission will have time to make a decision on whether to reduce the number of precincts. If the city did not publish the resolution, the number of precincts within the city of Jamestown will remain at six.
Voters in the Pingree-Buchanan Public School District
voted down the proposed bond referendum
for an addition and renovation to the elementary school in Buchanan.
In unofficial results on Wednesday, Dec. 6, there were 133 "yes" votes, or 56%, and 104 against, or 44%, the $5.1 million referendum.
Approval of the referendum required a 60% majority. If approved, the school district would have received over $5.1 million through bonds for an addition and renovation to the elementary school in Buchanan.
The project included adding three classrooms for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade, a media center, music room, secure entrance, a new administration office area, spaces for Title I, special education and counseling services, reworking the pickup and drop-off sites for parents and buses, staff parking and an upgraded student commons area.
The referendum also included a lunchroom expansion, adding handicap-accessible bathrooms and replacing windows in the existing classrooms at the elementary school in Buchanan and repairing the roof at Pingree-Buchanan High School in Pingree.
Kris Meidinger is the dog manager at the James River Humane Society and she thinks the dogs at the nonprofit shelter ought to have a merry Christmas too. So for the last six to eight years, she's held a Christmas stocking event for them.
There are currently 20 dogs at JRHS waiting for their forever home, and Meidinger has a Christmas stocking for each one at her business, Simply Home. Each stocking has the name and photo of one dog. Now, she needs help from the public
to fill each stocking with gifts for the dogs
for Christmas.
Meidinger posts about the event on Facebook on her personal page, James River Humane Society and Simply Home. People can come to Simply Home and pick out a stocking, purchase gifts for that dog and then return the stocking and gifts to the store. The event kicks off on Friday, Dec. 8, and filled stockings need to be returned to Simply Home by Dec. 22.
The dogs will get what's in their individual stocking from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day, Meidinger said.
