Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

SEVERE STORMS Storms belt western ND Dickinson, N.D. (AP) Cleanup is UNDer way in Dickinson after a storm that destroyed houses, flipped vehicles, uprooted 70-foot trees and knocked out power in some parts of the city.

Some residents say the Wednesday night storm produced two Tornadoes. National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Ayd in Bismarck says a damage assessment team is being sent to the city to make an official determination.

Police Lt. Rod Banyai said authorities know of no major injuries in the city of about 16,000.

To the north, an oil field company's storage building southwest of Williston was demolished, either by a tornado or strong winds.

The Weather Service says tornado touchdowns and strong winds also were reported in several other areas. There were reports of grain bin damage near Glen Ullin in Morton County. In northern Burke County, there were reports of downed power lines, damaged oil storage tanks, a destroyed barn and a destroyed granary.

CAREGIVER-THEFT Grand Forks caregiver faces theft charge GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) A Grand Forks caregiver is accused of stealing more than $1,000 from a man with developmental disabilities and using the money to pay phone bills and buy a flat-screen TV.

Police are looking into whether there might also be other victims and other suspects.

Thirty-four-year-old Julie Amundson allegedly stole from the checking account of a 48-year-old man in the care of Development Homes Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sandi Marshall says Amundson no longer is employed by the company.

Amundson is charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a felony charge that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison. She is free after posting $2,500 bond.

Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com GUNSHOTS-CHARGES Minot man charged in gun incident MINOT, N.D. (AP) A Minot man faces felony charges after allegedly firing two dozen shots from a handgun into his bedroom walls.

Police say 44-year-old Scott Smith is charged with terrorizing and reckless endangerment in the June 26 incident.

Authorities say some of the bullets exited the house and struck other property in the area, including another house, a vehicle and a light pole. No injuries were reported.

Officer Steve Kenny says Smith told police he was upset with some events occurring in his life.

Information from: KCJB-AM, http://kcjb910.com AIRMAN-ASSAULT Airman sentenced in brass knuckles case GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) A Grand Forks Air Force Base sergeant convicted of aggravated assault in a downtown Grand Forks street fight has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Authorities say 25-year-old David Exelbert used brass knuckles in the fight last September, which involved Allen Larsien, a former trainer of North Dakota boxer Virgil Hill.

Exelbert will be on probation for a year following his prison term.

Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com RUGBY CENTER CHANGE County now owns Rugby corrections center RUGBY, N.D. (AP) A Rugby jail and treatment center is now being run by Pierce County under a new name, in a change officials hope will bring financial stability.

Administrator Elaine Little says the Rugby Area Job Development Authority bought the North Central Correctional and Rehabilitation Center from the federal government for a little over $2 million, based its appraised value, and then leased the facility to the county.

Little says the monthly loan payments went from about $40,000 to about $13,000.

She says the center now needs about 80 inmates to cash flow which is about the number it currently has. The center had been struggling because it had fewer inmates than expected.

The center's name has been changed to the Heart of America Correctional and Treatment Center. It has about 30 full-time employees.

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com UND-UAVS UND tests new UAV technology GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) The University of North Dakota's unmanned aircraft engineering team is conducting a series of flight tests at the North Dakota National Guard's Camp Grafton facility near Devils Lake.

They include tests of a new technology that could help integrate drones into commercial airspace, where they are now restricted.

The "sense and avoid" system was developed by Machine Visionaries. Florent Martel, the chief executive and an electrical engineering graduate student, says this is the first in-air test.

All commercial aircraft must carry transponders that broadcast their identity and location. One component of the "sense and avoid" system senses the presence of a transponder on another plane. Another component then automatically steers the drone away from a collision course.

Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com RIVER PATROL Missouri River patrol expanded BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) More officers are patrolling the Missouri River.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Bismarck-area law enforcement officials are teaming up to provide at least one river patrol a day, and more patrol boats during peak times.

Game and Fish Department enforcement chief Bob Timian says officers already have responded to reports of people jumping off bridges, and to complaints of littering. He says more use of the river has brought more problems.

The stepped up enforcement began July 1.

The Legislature approved $200,000 over a two-year period to help pay for it.

Information from: KXMB-TV, http://www.kxnet.com ACLU OFFICE ACLU closes its North Dakota office Fargo, N.D. (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union has closed its North Dakota office.

The organization attributes the closure of the Fargo facility to the poor national economy and to losses major contributors suffered in the Bernard Madoff scandal. The New York financier is serving a 150-year prison term for a giant Ponzi scheme.

State ACLU officials say a board of directors will remain in place in North Dakota and continue the work of former director Jennifer Ring, who lost her job when the office was shuttered.

People seeking to reach the organization now have to call the ACLU's Minneapolis office, which has dedicated a phone line and a part-time staff member to North Dakota issues.

The ACLU is a national organization that advocates and defends rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.

Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-09-09 1100CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list