Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

ND ROAD CLOSED Roadway water damage forces ND highway closure Bismarck, N.D. (AP) Roadway water damage has led North Dakota officials to close a portion of a state highway.

The state Department of Transportation said Saturday morning it has closed state Highway 32 in northeast North Dakota about 10 miles north of the junction with U.S. Highway 2. Officials can't say when it might reopen.

Local traffic is allowed in, but other motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

FLOOD WARNING-NW Minnesota Weather service issues flood warning for NW Minn.

Grand Forks, N.D. (AP) The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for parts of northwestern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota.

The warning covers small streams and runs through noon Sunday.

Trained weather spotters and law enforcement report ditches are running full and many fields are flooded.

The Sandhill River near Climax on Minnesota's western border has jumped 8 feet overnight and continues to rise.

The warning comes after heavy rains fell in the region Friday evening and early Saturday morning.

The warning covers the Minnesota counties of Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk and Red Lake. In North Dakota, it covers Grand Forks and Traill counties.

FLOOD BUYOUTS Analysis shows some buyout homes on high end Fargo, N.D. (AP) An analysis of 310 flood-prone homes in line for government buyouts in the Fargo area shows their average prices are on the higher end.

The Forum says its analysis found that in Fargo, the average value of a buyout home is $212,848, based on city assessment records. The analysis shows that's 58 percent more than the median value of an owner-occupied home listed in the most recent Census survey, figured from 2005 to 2007.

The Forum said the average value of the Cass County buyout homes is $213,020. Clay County's average is $191,457, and Moorhead's is $163,963.

Fargo City Assessor Ben Hushka said the buyout houses often are larger and on larger lots.

County officials say the home prices are not the main factor in how they'll approach buyouts. They say the cost of buying flood-prone properties is cheaper in the long run than protecting them.

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com HIV/AIDS DAY ND observes HIV testing day BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) The North Dakota Health Department is urging people at risk for HIV/AIDS to get tested.

Saturday is National HIV Testing Day.

Denise Larson, HIV prevention coordinator for the state Health Department, says free and confidential HIV testing is available at sites throughout North Dakota, and results are available in 20 minutes.

More information can be found on the department's Web site, at www.ndhealth.gov/hiv.

Officials say more than one million people in the United States are HIV positive, and more than 56,000 new infections occur every year. As of the end of last year, 441 cases of HIV/AIDS had been reported in North Dakota since surveillance began in 1984.

LAWYER SUSPENDED GF lawyer suspended for 60 days GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) A Grand Forks attorney has been suspended from practice for 60 days for working on a case while serving an earlier suspension in 2006.

The state Supreme Court says that Monty J. Stensland failed to tell a client in a 2006 custody case that he was suspended. Court documents show Stensland cashed a $2,800 check from his client.

The Supreme Court ordered Stensland to pay more than $3,800 in court costs.

Stensland was disciplined in 2006 for failure to communicate with a client over bankruptcy paperwork.

He was not available for comment.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 06-27-09 1139CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list