Early snowstorm

Fargo was among the many regions hit with an early fall blizzard on Oct. 11. According to the Inforum, around 100 motorists had to be rescued off of interstate 94 after it closed due to low visibility and slick road conditions. Along with I-94 closing from Bismarck to Fargo, I-29 was closed from Fargo to the Canadian border and many other secondary highways were shut down, mostly reopening Saturday though travel was still not advised. The early snowfall left Grand Forks with four inches of snow while Fargo got three inches. John Wheeler, WDAY meteorologist, told the Inforum that it’s not unusual for North Dakota to have a storm like this in October, though the two to three feet of snow Devil’s Lake received may be historic.

Heart hospital in downtown Bismarck

Sanford Health recently unveiled plans for a new state-of-the-art heart hospital that will be adjacent to the existing medical center in downtown Bismarck. The heart hospital will combine the heart services in one location, as reported by KFYR. Sanford has added over 15 providers to the heart team in Bismarck since 2015. The heart hospital will be the first health care system throughout central and western North Dakota that will introduce minimally invasive cardiac procedures. One of these procedures includes transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). According to Dr. Michael LeBeau, the president of Sanford Health in Bismarck, quality outcomes, easy access across North Dakota and advanced technology features were thoroughly worked on over the course of five years.

Fort Worth officer charged with murder

Aaron Y. Dean, a Fort Worth Texas police officer, shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson through her bedroom window on Oct. 12. Dean was charged with murder Oct. 14 and booked to jail without bond. According to the New York Times, Dean resigned earlier that day before the police chief planned to fire him after the growing anger throughout the community. Police were called to Jefferson’s house after a concerned neighbor called a non-emergency line because her front and side doors were left open for a while. Dean’s body camera captured him shouting to Jefferson to put her hands up while immediately firing one fatal shot. This incident follows Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger’s, sentencing to ten years in prison after she shot and killed her unarmed neighbor in his apartment last year.

White orca calf spotted

CNN reported a rare white orca calf named TI’uk was spotted off the coast of Washington on Oct. 14. TI’uk has been followed by researchers and whale watchers since he was first spotted in November of 2018. He has been spotted before in the Salish Sea in north coastal Washington becoming well-known in the community. What makes TI’uk unique is his cloudy grey coloring. Erin Gless, Island Adventures Whale Watching Lead Naturalist, told CNN that it’s unusual for orca whales to be anything but black and white which helps camouflage themselves while stalking prey. TI’ku’s coloring at first worried researches because they thought it could mean his health was declining, but now a year later, the calf has grown and is visibly gaining weight.

Trump claims China is buying U.S. produce

On Oct. 13, President Donald Trump boasted that China is making large purchases of U.S. agriculture products without showing evidence, as reported by NBC News. Trump announced a partial trade deal on Oct. 11 as part of the tariff deal with Beijing. With his claims came no proof that China is indeed purchasing U.S. farm goods. According to NBC News, the U.S. has planned on raising tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports from 25 to 30 percent though Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary, stated that the increase wouldn’t take place on Oct. 11. While the U.S. is China’s biggest export market, U.S. purchases of Chinese goods have decreased since the punitive tariffs went into effect over the summer.