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Bill ensures personal privacy of vehicle owners

Senators John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Monday reintroduced their Driver Privacy Act, legislation that protects a driver’s personal privacy by making it clear that the owner of a vehicle is also the owner of any information collected by an Event Data Recorder.

An EDR is an onboard electronic device that has the ability to continuously collect at least 43 pieces of information about a vehicle’s operation. This includes direction, speed, seatbelt usage and other data. The senators’ legislation would ensure that the vehicle owner controls the data and their personal privacy is protected.

Fifteen states, including North Dakota, have passed laws related to EDRs. North Dakota passed an EDR privacy statue in 2005, while Hoeven was governor. These state laws, however, apply only in the states that have them; drivers are unprotected in states that do not.

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Bill eases costs of adoption in tribal communities

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., on Monday reintroduced her bipartisan bill to ease the financial challenges of adopting children in tribal communities in North Dakota and across the country.

In all 50 states, parents who adopt children with special needs are able to claim the full adoption tax credit, helping to reduce the financial cost of adoption. However, if they open their homes to a child with special needs from Indian Country through tribal courts, that child cannot receive the same designation preventing adoptive parents from claiming the full adoption tax credit. Heitkamp reintroduced the bipartisan Tribal Adoption Parity Act with Republican Sen. James Inhofe from Oklahoma, to allow tribal governments to designate children as having special needs just as states can enabling adoptive parents to claim the full adoption tax credit.

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Boil order remains in effect for Crosby

BISMARCK Crosby remains on a boil order until test results of its tap water indicate the water is safe.

Water test results received Tuesday indicate that the tap water in Fortuna, Columbus and Noonan is safe for human consumption and the boil order has been lifted for those communities.

Additional testing has been done in Crosby and results are today. Officials will inform the residents of Crosby when tests indicate the water is safe and the boil order can be lifted. Until that time, Crosby residents must continue to use bottled or boiled water for human consumption.

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Beavers split NSIC opener

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Late inning heroics were the story of the day Saturday as Minot State’s baseball team kicked off its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference campaign against Wayne State.

The Beavers (4-9 overall, 1-1 NSIC) were defeated in the opener on a walk-off home run, handing the Wildcats a 4-1 victory. But MSU rebounded in Game 2 of the doubleheader as freshman Jared Young slashed a two-run double in the ninth inning to clinch a 6-4 win for the Beavers.

Both teams struggled in the first game as they combined for just 11 hits. MSU senior pitcher Josh Larsen put in a productive outing on the mound in the same game, going 5 2/3 innings while giving up just one unearned run. Young led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 at the plate for two of MSU’s six hits.

The Beavers recorded as many hits in the nightcap, but they were far more efficient as they brought home five additional runs. MSU senior pitcher Austin Zorn tossed a complete game in the win, giving up three earned runs on eight hits, striking out two for his second victory of the year. Freshman outfielder Kyle Williamson went 2-for-3 from the lead-off spot for the Beavers with two doubles and two runs scored, while Young’s two RBIs in the seventh inning were a game-high.

Minot State wraps up its series with the Wildcats today with games scheduled for noon and 2 p.m.

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19 MSU student-athletes honored for academics

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Minot State had 19 student-athletes honored with all-academic distinctions by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for the 2014-15 winter athletic season, league officials announced Friday.

Minot State’s women’s track & field team led the way with seven student-athletes honored. Men’s track & field had five honored, women’s basketball finished with four, wrestling with two and men’s basketball with one.

The NSIC announced 464 winter-season student-athletes who qualify for NSIC all academic-team honors. To be eligible, the student-athlete must be a member of the varsity traveling team and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Furthermore, the athlete must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at her/his institution, and must have completed at least one full academic year at that institution.

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MSU volleyball adds Cefra to coaching staff

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Ren Cefra has been hired to serve as Minot State’s new assistant volleyball coach, school officials announced Friday.

Cefra – who holds a B.A. in Justice Administration from the University of Hawai’i-West Oahu – has coached at the NCAA Division I and II levels, as well as club and high school.

“Ren brings a wealth of experience to our program. He has been here only a few weeks and his impact is already becoming clear,” MSU coach Travis Ward said in a press release. “He is willing to learn as well as offer advice; he is and will be a welcome addition to our staff.”

Cefra spent the 2014 season as the director of volleyball operations at Division I outfit Nevada. Prior to that, he was as a volunteer assistant coach at Division I St. John’s University. He began his coaching career in 2008 as an assistant coach for the women’s team at Chaminade University in his hometown of Honolulu, where he served as an assistant until 2010.

“I’m excited to be here at Minot State, to be a part of this program,” Cefra said. “I think I will bring a lot of new and different ideas to the programs offense and defense. I will work hard to help the team win as best as I can.”

Follow the Minot Daily News sports staff on Twitter @MDN_Sports.

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Nodak Mutual declares hail dividend

FARGO – Nodak Mutual Insurance Company’s Board of Directors has declared a 10.57 percent dividend payment to crop hail policyholders. The dividend represents over $553,700 that will be returned to Nodak Mutual crop hail policyholders.

“We are pleased to be able to return over 10 percent of our crop hail premiums to our policyholders in the form of a dividend payment. As a mutual company our focus is on providing competitive products and prices to our policyholders, and returning a portion of those profits in the form of a dividend,” said Nodak Mutual Executive Vice President and CEO Jim Alexander.

Nodak Mutual Insurance Company, the 18th largest crop hail writer in the country, is rated (A) Excellent by A.M. Best, and is the largest domestic property/

casualty insurer in the state of North Dakota.

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Load restrictions take effect

Load restrictions will take effect at 7 a.m. today in Ward County. For a detailed listing and map, go to wardnd.com.

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Brine spill impacts nearby creek

WILLISTON The North Dakota Department of Health has been notified of a 1,680-gallon brine spill as a result of a truck overflow about 7 miles west of Williston.

The spill impacted a nearby creek, and water quality impacts are being investigated, said Health Department officials said Tuesday.

The Health Department is working with the responsible party, Golden Eagle Trucking, on a remediation plan.

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Bill to help prevent human trafficking

Sen. John Hoeven said Monday that Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have reintroduced the Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act, a bill that they originally introduced in 2013.

Hoeven was an early co-sponsor of that bill and is an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation that they introduced earlier this year. The bill helps survivors of human trafficking and child pornography.

Hoeven said the bipartisan legislation has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and will move to the Senate floor today.

The legislation creates a Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund, paid for through fines on persons convicted of child pornography, human trafficking, child prostitution, sexual exploitation and human smuggling offenses. The fund will be used to increase the federal resources available for human trafficking victims by up to $30 million a year.

Funding will be awarded as block grants to help states and local governments develop and implement victim-centered programs that train law enforcement to rescue trafficking survivors, prosecute human traffickers and restore the lives of victims. The program is funded entirely through the “Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund” created by the bill.

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Father of Kevin Cramer dies after battle with cancer

BISMARCK (AP) – The father of U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer has died.

The North Dakota Republican issued a statement Monday saying his father, Richard Cramer, died at his home in Kindred after a battle with cancer.

Fredrickson-Boulger Funeral Home in Kindred says Richard Cramer died Saturday.

A prayer service is scheduled Wednesday night at the funeral home. A funeral is scheduled Thursday afternoon at Kindred Lutheran Church.

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