Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

RUGBY FATAL Patrol IDs 75-year-old Rugby man killed in crash RUGBY, N.D. (AP) The Highway Patrol has identified the 75-year-old Rugby man who died in an accident on U.S. Highway 2 in northern North Dakota.

The patrol said Robert Bosch was driving a 1990 Oldsmobile westbound about two miles east of Rugby when he rear-ended a semi that was making a left turn about 6:45 p.m. Friday.

A 71-year-old FEMAle passenger was taken to a Minot hospital for treatment of her injuries.

VALUE-ADDED GRANTS Deadline nears for value-added grants Bismarck, N.D. (AP) Federal Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is urging farmers and business owners to apply for grants to add value to the commodities they produce.

The deadline to apply is Monday.

The Agriculture Department earlier this year announced $18 million in value-added grants. The money can be used for feasibility studies, marketing and business plans, or for working capital. Applicants must provide matching funds equal to the amount of the grant requested.

Vilsack says the grant program will strengthen rural economies and create jobs.

CRIME GRANT Three Affiliated Tribes eye crime prevention grant BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) The Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota are hoping to receive a grant that would help with crime prevention on the reservation.

The tribes are seeking an Operation Weed and Seed grant through the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Justice Department and the Community Capacity Development Office, the partner agency, are to control violent crime, drug trafficking and drug-related crime in designated high-crime neighborhoods. The agencies also seek to provide a safe environment where crime and drug use is non-existent or minimal.

Grants are capped at $1 million.

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com MOTT-BUYOUTS Mott flood victims apply for FEMA aid MOTT, N.D. (AP) A federal program that buys out flood-damaged homes has drawn nine applicants in the southwest North Dakota town of Mott.

Ken Davis with the Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council says about 15 homes were eligible for the voluntary Federal Emergency Management Agency program.

Hettinger County was declared a federal disaster area last spring because of damage caused by the flooding of the Cannonball River.

Davis says Mott will be competing with other areas, including Fargo, that are eligible for a piece of the $16 million FEMA has for the program throughout the state.

Information from: The Dickinson Press, http://www.thedickinsonpress.com EMBATTLED NUCLEAR BASE New commanders at embattled ND base vow perfection MINOT, N.D. (AP) New commanders at Minot Air Force Base are promising perfection after a rash of mistakes involving the nuclear arsenal there.

Col. Douglas Cox blames the foul-ups over the past two years on lax attitudes surrounding maintenance of the arsenal. Cox and Col.

Ferdinand Stoss talked to The Associated Press in an interview last week at the North Dakota base.

Stoss is the new commander of the 91st Missile Wing, which handles the base's 150 Minuteman III missiles. He says the base's nuclear mission "demands perfection." The lapses in Minot included the 2007 cross-country flight of a B-52 bomber mistakenly armed with nuclear missiles. The theft of a launch code device followed, as did the discovery of missile crew members sleeping on the job.

COUGAR KILLED mountain lion shot in vacant lot in Bismarck BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Police have shot a mountain lion that wandered inside the Bismarck city limits.

The 100-pound male was killed near the former Home Depot building about 7:30 p.m. Friday.

A man called the North Dakota Game and Fish Department after he and family members saw the cougar cross a street and go into a vacant lot. Two wardens asked for assistance from police, who shot the animal with a shotgun while it sat on a rock pile.

Wardens are still determining its age, where it came from and why it was in city limits.

Warden Bruce Burkett said there is no concern of another mountain lion being in the area.

Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-29-09 1101CST | save this article / add to your favorites list