Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

STARVED BABY TRIAL Prosecution rests in teen's manslaughter trial Bismarck, N.D. (AP) Prosecutors have rested their case against a woman charged with manslaughter in the death of her infant daughter.

Stevie Buckley's trial began Tuesday. The 18-year-old Buckley is charged in the Feb. 4 death of her 6-month-old daughter, Kyra, who authorities say was starved and dehydrated. Buckley also faces drug charges.

The prosecution rested on Wednesday after calling three doctors to testify.

Dr. Robert Bathurst, an emergency room physician, says Kyra was the sickest child he'd seen in 38 years of practicing medicine. He says Buckley seemed indifferent about her daughter's condition.

Buckley testified and said she always fed her daughter formula.

Buckley says she also fed her baby rice cereal and apple juice but the child did not like it.

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com FLOOD PROTECTION-NORTH Flood plans make people north of Fargo uneasy CAVALIER, N.D. (AP) Officials in northeastern North Dakota get a bit uneasy when they hear talk of billion dollar flood protection projects in the Fargo area.

Pembina County Commissioner Andy Adamson worries about more water coming toward his county. Pembina is the final North Dakota town the Red River passes before it flows into Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg.

The Army Corps of Engineers says Fargo-area officials must decide by December whether they want diversion or levee projects.

The Red River Basin Commission is holding public hearings in the region to gather information and comments on what kind of permanent flood protection would work for the entire basin.

Officials in northeastern North Dakota worry they won't have enough time to make their views known.

Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com INNOVATE ND Innovate ND competition starting BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Innovate ND competition is kicking off its fourth year.

The statewide program is designed to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a business.

North Dakota Commerce Director Shane Goettle says the competition is open to anyone.

The top 20 entries get a chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of potential business investors.

Five top prizes of $100,000 are awarded, as well as a variety of business services and investments. Enrollment runs through Nov. 20.

Information from: KCND-FM, http://www.prairiepublic.org Flu CASES Flu cases going up in ND GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) State health officials say the number of confirmed flu cases in North Dakota more than doubled over the past week, and most of them likely are the swine flu or the new H1N1 strain.

Health Department figures released Wednesday show 1,216 flu cases identified, compared with 563 last week.

State epidemiologist Kirby Kruger says many of the cases are reported by doctors doing quick tests, and he says the confirmed cases are only a small percentage of the cases out there. He says some schools have reported absentee rates as high as 20 percent.

The flu continues to hit young people hard. Of the 1,200 cases identified, nearly 1,000 are reported among those ages 19 and younger.

Kruger says more flu vaccine is expected to be available soon, and officials are asking people to be patient.

Information from: KNOX-AM, http://knoxradio.com SOUTHEAST JUDGESHIP Jamestown attorney chosen for new ND judgeship BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A Jamestown attorney has been chosen for a new state district judgeship.

Gov. John Hoeven on Wednesday appointed Thomas Merrick to the job. Merrick becomes one of the seven judges in the Southeast Judicial District.

The district covers 11 counties in southeastern North Dakota and includes the cities of Jamestown, Valley City and Wahpeton. Merrick will be one of the two judges based in Jamestown.

The 59-year-old Merrick is a native of Indiana. He was an Air Force captain and his final posting was at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. He graduated from the University of North Dakota law school in 1983 and went on to practice law in Jamestown.

The Legislature approved two new district judgeships earlier this year. Hoeven is still considering three finalists for a judgeship in Minot.

Merrick and assistant Stutsman County prosecutor Jay Schmitz were the finalists for the Jamestown job.

WORKERS COMP-BLUNT APPEAL ND Supreme Court hears appeal of former work comp director BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota's Supreme Court is reviewing the appeal of a former state workers compensation director who was convicted of misspending more than $26,000 in agency money.

Sandy Blunt was convicted of a single felony charge last December. He was given a two-year deferred sentence, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and perform a thousand hours of community service.

In Supreme Court arguments Wednesday, attorney Mike Hoffman argued Blunt should have been acquitted because Judge Bruce Romanick threw out part of the prosecution's case.

Blunt was accused of giving a firefighters' group a $15,000. But Romanick ruled there wasn't enough evidence that Blunt broke the law in that instance.

Hoffman says Burleigh County prosecutors lumped together a series of alleged offenses to charge Blunt with a serious felony.

Burleigh County prosecutor Cynthia Feland says the firefighters' grant was only one example of Blunt's habit of misspending Workforce Safety and Insurance money.

CELL PHONE REFURBISHING CHARGES Company headed for trial DEVLIS LAKE, N.D. (AP) A judge has found enough evidence to put a cell phone refurbishing company on trial on theft charges in an alleged scheme involving its former site in Devils Lake.

Ramsey County State's Attorney Lonnie Olson says one count alleges Quality One Wireless LLC ordered more than $12,000 worth of computers, canceled the order, and then billed the city for the full amount.

Olson says the second count accuses the Orlando, Fla., company of ordering more than $150,000 worth of equipment and sending it to Florida while billing the city of Devils Lake for it.

A preliminary hearing on a third charge of defrauding secured creditors is scheduled for Nov. 23.

A trial date for the theft charges has not yet been set. Quality One Wireless operated in Devils Lake for about a year before closing in January 2008.

Information from: KZZY-FM, http://lrradioworks.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 10-22-09 0201CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list