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ICY ROADS Icy roads lead to ND crashes and death Bismarck, N.D. (AP) Icy roads and bridges led to two deaths and dozens of crashes on North Dakota roads.

The Highway Patrol says a pickup rolled several times on a frosty Interstate 29 bridge deck early Monday, killing the driver.

Authorities said 49-year-old Manuel Perez of Cavalier was thrown out the driver's side window and died of his injuries.

Snow and ice were factors in another pickup crash that killed a Wyoming man east of Bismarck on Interstate 94. His name was not immediately released.

The patrol said the 56-year-old victim from Cody, Wyo., was a passenger in a pickup driven by another Cody man that overturned 6:15 a.m. Monday, between Bismarck and Steele.

DAMAGED DAM-DRAIN Valve on pipe used to drain lake behind dam only half open BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) State officials say they've been unable to drain enough water from a damaged dam that threatens the small southeastern North Dakota town of Kathryn, even though they tried all summer.

They say a valve on the pipe used to drain the Clausen Springs Dam was only partially open.

Assistant state Water Commission engineer Todd Sando says the state had hoped the lake would drop 7 inches over the summer. But it only dropped a couple of inches.

Officials at first thought someone might have tampered with the valve on the outflow pipe, in a bid to keep the water in and improve fishing. They've since determined it was simply set that way, although it's not clear why.

Water Commission construction chief Jon Kelsch says the valve is now fully open but it will take weeks to lower the level of the lake from about 30 feet to 23 feet.

Barnes County Commissioner Harlan Opdahl says breaching dam may be the cheapest and best option to protect the community.

The 55 residents of Kathryn were evacuated for a few days last April after heavy flooding began eroding the dam's spillway, six miles west of the town.

BRIDGE CLOSED Bismarck-Mandan bridge light fixtures damaged BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A heavily traveled bridge linking Bismarck and Mandan was shut down for several hours after a third of its 15 light fixtures were damaged, apparently by a wide vehicle.

State Transportation Department spokeswoman Peggy Anderson said the bridge was shut down Monday morning. It reopened in the afternoon after repairs were finished.

Construction work is being done on the bridge and driving lanes are reduced to 11 feet wide. Anderson said crews reporting to work Monday morning discovered the light fixture damage. She said it apparently happened when a vehicle too wide for the driving lanes hit the poles.

Signs in the area caution drivers of wide loads to use alternate routes.

Anderson said the Highway Patrol is investigating. She said about 18,000 vehicles use the bridge on an average day.

Information from: KFYR-TV, http://kfyrtv.com STIMULUS-ND JOBS Federal money buys teaching, youth summer jobs BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) North Dakota's share of federal stimulus money has helped almost 700 people get a job or keep the one they already have.

A new state report says many of the jobs have gone to hire about 200 teachers and aides who work with children who are poor or have learning disabilities.

The Legislature agreed to spend $571 million in stimulus funds over two years. State budget official Sheila Peterson says about $53.4 million has been spent during North Dakota's current budget cycle. That represents more than $76,000 in spending per job.

About $170 million is reserved for road construction and repairs. About $25 million is going to weatherize homes. Some is being used for new buildings at the University of North Dakota and Minot State University.

About $12 million will finance construction of a water treatment plant near Zap, in Mercer County. It will serve part of a new pipeline system.

AMTRAK-RIDERSHIP Amtrak ridership down, but still 2nd highest year Washington (AP) Amtrak says ridership dropped by about a million passengers over the past year, but it was still the second-highest year in the railroad's history.

Figures released Monday by the nation's intercity rail operator show Amtrak carried 27.2 million passengers during the 12 months ending Sept. 30. Amtrak's record was 28.7 million passengers during the previous year.

Still, ridership was up over two years ago by 5.1 percent.

Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman blamed the decline in ridership to the weakened economy. Business ridership was off in the popular Northeast corridor, although travel on some short distance routes and the railroad's 15 long distance trains was up.

Amtrak's Empire Builder line between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest crosses through North Dakota.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR 4 finalists named for ND teacher honors BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Two of the four finalists for North Dakota Teacher of the Year are biology teachers. One teaches science and one teaches marketing education.

Their names were announced Monday by the state Department of Public Instruction.

They are Mary Eldredge-Sandbo, a high school biology teacher at Des Lacs-Burlington; Craig Erickson, a marketing education teacher at Fargo North; Max Laird, a science teacher at Community High School in Grand Forks and Mike Voglewede, a biology teacher at Northwood.

The 2010 North Dakota Teacher of the Year will be announced by Gov. John Hoeven at the North Dakota Education Association conference Oct. 22 in Grand Forks.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 10-13-09 0200CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list