July 22—The following stories from this week appeared on
www.jamestownsun.com
and in The Jamestown Sun.
The Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. Board of Directors
approved by a vote of 9 to 1 a request for $30,000 for a Flex PACE interest buyout
for ECO Sanitation.
Councilor David Steele, a member of the JSDC board, objected at the meeting on Monday July 17.
If approved by Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission, the Town of Jamestown’s share will be $24,000 and the County’s share will be $6,000.
ECO Sanitation is considering buying Central Dakota Sanitation, a garbage collection service in Jamestown. Brad Balerud, co-owner of ECO Sanitation, said the Jamestown area needs better garbage collection service and he anticipates growth in the area.
ECO Sanitation plans to provide service outside the city limits of Jamestown.
The Jamestown Public School District is l
look at creative ways to help fill gaps
for teaching and staff positions, according to Superintendent Rob Lech.
Lech said the school district had “substantially” more openings this year than he had seen in the 10 years he was principal.
“Part of it is timing,” he said. “Part of that is that the pool for individuals is much less.”
Lech said the teacher shortage is a statewide and nationwide problem that is not limited to Jamestown Public Schools. He said the state, school districts and educators must ensure that the teaching profession is viewed in the most positive and attractive way possible.
He said the majority of shortages are at the secondary level. Jamestown High School needs a math teacher, three English language arts teachers, a Spanish teacher, a family and consumer sciences teacher, and three course offerings in career management, beginning piano, and sports officiating. The high school also has openings for a counselor, a strategist, and five special education professionals.
Stutsman County State’s Attorney Fritz Fremgen said
he “finds himself”
as his office has lost two-thirds of its staff as it struggles to bring staffing back to 100% after a Stutsman County commissioner questioned his time-management skills.
Commissioner Steve Cichos said Tuesday, July 18, that the amount of research Fremgen did was “phenomenal” for documents intended to convince the Stutsman County Commission that salary increases are needed to recruit and retain attorneys for the state’s attorney’s office.
At the time, the county commission was scheduled to vote on pay increases for the state’s attorney’s office beginning August 1. The county commission approved the salary increases by a vote of 4 to 1. Cichos opposed them.
Previously, the county commission unanimously approved adding three grades to the pay scale structure for the state’s attorney’s office. Ranks were added because it gives more room for progression when an individual gets a pay raise after moving up a step within a rank.
Fremgen said the information he gathered was needed to help solve the lawyer shortage problem.
“I don’t know if you would have gone there if I hadn’t put this package together and wasn’t going to find out,” he said.
Cichos said Fremgen is an elected official and the state attorney’s salary is getting a “substantial” increase.
Fremgen said he could improve his time management and everyone could improve.
The state’s attorney’s office has been short of an attorney for 17 months and two attorneys since June 23. As of June 23, Fremgen has been the sole attorney in the state attorney’s office.
For months, Fremgen told the commission that previous salaries for assistant prosecutors were too low and that it had become more difficult to recruit and retain employees for his office.
A 36-year-old man is accused of having
stole approximately 35 firearms
of a Jamestown business, according to court documents.
A grand jury in the U.S. District Court in North Dakota charged Joseph Vijay Mills, residence unknown, with felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, theft of firearms from an authorized dealer, and possession of stolen firearms. Court documents show a registered address for a vehicle that was abandoned at listed business Mills living in Jamestown.
The Bismarck U.S. District Court Clerk’s Office said Mills was arrested in South Carolina on June 27 and made a first appearance on the charges the same day.
No lawyer has been appointed and court hearings have not been scheduled. The clerk’s office said once Mills is transferred to North Dakota, a hearing will be scheduled.
Christine Gass, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, investigated the case. Court documents indicate that Gass is aware of approximately 35 firearms that were stolen from the company building.
Mills is charged with possession of firearms after being convicted of a felony in 2023 of stealing firearms from the Jamestown business and knowingly possessing stolen firearms that were shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce while knowing the firearms were stolen on June 16 or 17, according to court documents.
A parade and car show highlight new and recurring activities
scheduled for Buffalo Days this weekend
says Emily Bivens, executive director of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber, which sets the dates for the annual event, holds Buffalo Days to celebrate the city of Buffalo Friday through Sunday, July 21-23.
The Buffalo Days Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. and the formation forms from 8:30 a.m. at McElroy Park, near the Jamestown Parks and Recreation office. Participants must enter through the 5th Avenue Southeast entrance near the softball fields to line up. There is no charge for entry into the parade, and the lineup is first-come, first-served, Bivens said.
McElroy Park will be the site of several post-parade events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a car show, several food/other vendors, inflatable games and music by Stick Ponies (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.).
To see the full Buffalo Days schedule, visit
https://tinyurl.com/bdd8zpbf
.