Bismarck State College sponsors Dr. Loren Wold, a native of Bismarck and a leading researcher in the United States looking at the effects of environmental particles on cardiovascular disease, in his presentation, “Where You Live Can Make You Sick: Environmental Influences on Health & Disease.”

Watch Where You Live Can Make You Sick: Environmental Influences on Health & Disease by Dr. Loren Wold on Video On Demand. (To view this show online, you will need Windows Media Player.)

Thanks for watching!

Burleigh County Officials are preparing for severe summer weather and invite you to attend a Weather Spotter Training Course (SKYWARN Training) hosted at the University of Mary. SKYWARN is a network of volunteers trained in weather observing and reporting for NOAA’s National Weather Service and its mission (the protection of life and property). Training will last approximately two (2) hours. P.O.S.T. Board Credit for law enforcement is available for attending this course.

Topics covered will include:
- Thunderstorm formation
- Thunderstorm hazards
- Definitions (flash flood-tornado-funnel cloud-downburst winds-microburst-etc)
- History of severe weather in ND
- Review of severe weather from 2011
- The importance of reports (how and what to report)
- Safety
- Storm type (Ordinary Cell-Multicell-Supercell)
- Storm strength (what to look for to determine it)
- Storm structure (wall cloud-shelf cloud-mesocyclone-rain free base-rear flank downdraft)

Doppler RADAR is an outstanding tool…but it is not a video camera or camera at all…it does not “see” hail…it does not “see” tornadoes…it does not “see” flash floods…rather…RADAR “indicates” those things. The National Weather Service needs our reports…ground truth to what is happening.

The Bismarck National Weather Service will be presenting the Weather Spotter Training Course:

Free Severe Weather Seminar
7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gary Tharaldson School of Business Auditorium, University of Mary Campus
 
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
No RSVP required.

BISMARCK, ND – To commemorate the one year anniversary of the implementation of the comprehensive Smoke-Free Ordinance, April 27, 2012, the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition released the results of an Air Quality Monitoring Study at a news conference today.

The study, sponsored by the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition with support from the Bismarck Burleigh Public Health Department and funded by BreatheND, assessed the air quality in places that allowed smoking before the comprehensive smoke free ordinance was implemented on April 27, 2011 and compared the air quality afterward. Data were analyzed and reported by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Key findings showed that:

- Prior to implementation of the ordinance, the level of fine particle air pollution found in locations permitting smoking was in the category of “hazardous”. Workers were exposed to levels of air pollution six times higher than the level considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

- Post implementation air quality results showed a 96% decline in indoor particle pollution levels, similar to outdoor levels of exposure and in the category of “Good”.

This is important because, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, 2010:

- “Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, including hundreds that are toxic and at least 69 that cause cancer.”

- “Every exposure to the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage DNA in a way that leads to cancer.”

- “Exposure to secondhand smoke has an immediate adverse impact on the cardiovascular system, damaging blood vessels, making blood more likely to clot and increasing risks for heart attack and stroke.”

Gary Philips, who is a local Bismarck bar tender spoke at the news conference, and stated, “April 27th was the day I would learn if I could breathe easier at work.” Philips discussed how well the public has adjusted to the new ordinance.

To see a summary of the Bismarck Air Quality Study, go to http://www.bismarcktobaccofree.com/resources/facts.asp

A new poll has been posted to the City of Mandan website. Visit the Poll section of www.cityofmandan.com to answer this question:

What do you think prevents more people from runnng for Mandan Mayor and City Commission?

BISMARCK, N.D. – The City of Bismarck is requesting bids for the mowing and trimming of properties that do not comply with the city ordinance governing tall grass and weeds and have been authorized for mowing. Bagging and/or collection of the tall grass and weeds resulting from mowing is not required.

Bids for mowing and trimming tall grass and weeds for the City of Bismarck will be received by the Board of City Commissioners of the City of Bismarck in the office of the City Administrator, until three (3:00) o’clock p.m. (CST), Wednesday, April 25, 2012. Bids will be publicly opened and reviewed at four (4:00) o’clock p.m. (CST), on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.The proposals must be mailed to the City Administrator (PO Box 5503, Bismarck ND 58506-5503) or otherwise deposited with the City Administrator (221 North Fifth Street, Bismarck ND 58501) and shall be sealed and endorsed “Mowing Bid”. If a bid is to be faxed, the bid must be sent to a bidder’s agent independent of the City of Bismarck, placed in a sealed envelope, labeled according to this specification and delivered to the office of the City Administrator prior to the bid deadline.

Bids must be submitted on blanks furnished by the City of Bismarck and in accordance with specifications and conditions therein contained. Copies of proposal blanks and specifications may be obtained from the Bismarck Fire Department, 1020 E Central Ave Bismarck, ND 58501-1936

All bidders are encouraged to attend a pre-bid meeting at the Public Works Department (601 South 26th Street) at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, April 13, 2012

All bidders are invited to be present at the opening of the proposals.

The right is reserved to hold all bids for a period of forty-five (45) days, to reject any and all bids, to waive technicalities or to accept such as may be determined to be for the best interest of the City of Bismarck. For more information and to view the RFP visit www.bismarck.org