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SEVERE STORMS Weather service confirms EF-3 Tornado in Dickinson DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) Dickinson residents suspected a tornado and now it's been confirmed.

The National Weather Service ranks Wednesday night's twister as an EF-3, meaning winds of around 150 miles an hour.

Governor John Hoeven says as many as 100 National Guard soldiers are being assigned to help with security and cleanup. He says it's "truly remarkable" that no one was killed or seriously hurt.

Hoeven and Senator Byron Dorgan say Stark County residents already area eligible for federal aid under an emergency disaster declaration issued for spring flooding. A Federal Emergency Management Agency office is expected to open at Dickinson's Prairie Hills Mall by Saturday.

Inspectors estimate about 20 homes are unsafe to life in. Hoeven says dozens of others could have significant damage.

Parts of Dickinson's south side have been closed off because of potentially dangerous conditions while cleanup continues.

The weather service says the worst damage was along and south of the Heart River, on either side of state Highway 22, south of Dickinson's Interstate 94 business loop.

FALCON FUGITIVES Fugitive operation nets 69 ND arrests Fargo, N.D. (AP) Federal officials say they arrested 69 people in North Dakota during a monthlong national campaign to round up fugitives.

Operation Falcon targeted people wanted on felony charges.

Officials say more than 200 North Dakota warrants were cleared in the investigation.

The operation led to the arrests of a Fargo-area couple accused in a recent crime spree. Officials say Robert Stephens, who was wanted on 11 separate warrants, and his wife, Tracey Hayek were arrested on June 24. Stephens faces drug charges.

Federal marshals say Hayek was wearing a wig and had several fake ID cards when she was apprehended.

STIMULUS-ROADS Stimulus funds to help ND roads after flooding FARGO, N.D. (AP) North Dakota is dividing $105 million in federal stimulus money for roads and bridges among nearly 100 projects.

State transportation officials say most of the projects were already on a priority list, but the federal money will allow them to be completed sooner than expected.

The biggest chunk of money, about $19 million, will go toward a 13-mile Interstate 94 paving project in the Dickinson area.

Greg Mayo of Mayo Construction in Cavalier says the state has a backlog of roads that need repair. He says the stimulus money will help catch up on some of that work.

Congress allocated more than $16 billion for road and bridge projects throughout the country.

GAS ROYALTIES DISPUTE ND Supreme Court rules in natural gas dispute Bismarck, N.D. (AP) North Dakota's Supreme Court says an energy company did not shortchange a group of more than 300 landowners on their natural gas royalty payments.

The high court unanimously upheld a district judge's ruling in favor of Petro-Hunt LLC, of Dallas.

A group of property owners disputed the company's method of figuring royalty payments from natural gas it produced from beneath their land.

Petro-Hunt subtracted its costs for processing the gas before it made royalty payments. The landowners argued the company should have absorbed those costs.

The Supreme Court also rejected arguments that Petro-Hunt should have had to pay royalties on natural gas it used to operate some storage facilities.

UNIVERSITY-PETITIONS U of North Dakota petition restrictions upheld BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) The state Supreme Court has affirmed the University of North Dakota's restrictions on people who want to circulate petitions on college property.

Roland Riemers of Emerado had argued the rules violated his free-speech rights.

Three years ago, Riemers was circulating an initiative petition aimed at changing North Dakota's child custody laws.

The university allowed Riemers to take the petition around campus. But he first had to fill out forms to get access to the campus and to visit student apartments.

Riemers was barred from walking up to people at the student union and asking them to sign. He had to sit behind a table.

A district judge upheld the policies, and the North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously affirmed the earlier ruling.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-10-09 0200CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list