Latest North Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

FORT HOOD-FLAGS ND governor directs agencies to lower flags Bismarck, N.D. (AP) Gov. John Hoeven has directed all government agencies in the state to fly the U.S. and North Dakota flags at half-staff until Veterans Day in honor of the victims of the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings.

Hoeven's order issued Friday was in accorDance with a directive issued by President Obama.

Veterans Day is next Wednesday.

A shooting Thursday at the U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, left 13 people dead and more than two dozen wounded. Among the injured was the suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who remained hospitalized in a coma Friday.

Devils Lake-Valley City Devils Lake, Valley City officials to meet DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) The mayor of Devils Lake has sent a letter to his counterpart in Valley City to discuss flood control, and commissioners of both cities plan to meet next week.

The meeting is scheduled Tuesday at Devils Lake City Hall. Mayor Fred Bott says Devils Lake officials believe Valley City can be a crucial partner.

Before the meeting, commissioners from both cities plan to tour the swollen lake.

Bott says Devils Lake officials don't want to pass problems downstream but they believe both communities must consider the impact if the lake continues to rise.

Devils Lake has more than tripled in size after years of wet weather. Valley City officials worry about the effects of sending lake water downstream into the nearby Sheyenne River.

Information from: KZZY-FM, http://lrradioworks.com DENTIST SLAYING Bail set at $1M for man accused in dentist slaying Fargo, N.D. (AP) Bail has been set at $1 million cash for a man accused of killing a Fargo dentist in a murder-for-hire scheme.

Cass County deputies drove Michael Nakvinda from Oklahoma City after his arrest there last weekend.

The 41-year-old Nakvinda (nak-VIN'-dah) appeared in court in Fargo on Friday morning. Judge Georgia Dawson set bail and scheduled a Dec. 3 preliminary hearing.

Nakvinda requested a single-person cell during his appearance.

Cass County jail officials say Nakvinda is being housed in a wing that has all single cells.

He is charged with murder, robbery, burglary and theft in the beating death of Philip Gattuso late last month.

Gattuso's father-in-law, 63-year-old Gene Kirkpatrick of the Oklahoma City area, has refused to waive extradition. He faces conspiracy charges.

Authorities say Kirkpatrick hired Nakvinda, who was his handyman, to kill Gattuso because he did not like the way Gattuso was raising his granddaughter after her mother died.

SPOUSE KILLING-TRIAL Trial delayed in wife-killing case BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A judge has delayed the trial of a 78-year-old cancer patient charged with killing his wife of nearly 50 years.

Matthias Zimprich's trial has been set for Dec. 2-11 in Bismarck. His attorney, Thomas Dickson, says he's still reviewing evidence in the case.

Judge Bruce Romanick agreed Friday to reschedule the trial for March. A new date has not yet been set.

Zimprich is accused of killing his wife, Ludwina, in their Bismarck home in May. An autopsy showed she died of multiple blows to the head. Prosecutors say the murder weapon was a hammer.

Zimprich has pleaded not guilty to Class AA murder. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Attorneys say Zimprich has been held without bail and has left jail only for his wife's funeral, for chemotherapy and radiation treatments and a mental health examination this week. They have not released results.

CHILDREN AND CAR HEIST Authorities say 2 children unhurt in stolen car DUNSEITH, N.D. (AP) Rolette County authorities say two young children escaped injury when a naked teenager stole a car with them inside.

Michelle Allery said she had buckled her 4-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter into their car seats Thursday morning in Dunseith and went back to her house to get her baby. She said she came out in "just a matter of minutes" to see the car taking off with the children inside.

Allery said she ran after the car. She said the driver stopped the car and dropped her daughter out the window, then took off. She said the driver pulled over again a few blocks later and put her son on the side of the road.

Sheriff Tony Sims said the 16-year-old drove across the baseball field behind Dunseith High School, through the dugout and crashed into a fence. He was found clinging to the fence.

Sims said charges against the boy include car theft, kidnapping and alcohol consumption. The sheriff said he plans to recommend the case be transferred to adult court.

Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com Mandan marijuana Big marijuana bust in Mandan MANDAN, N.D. (AP) The Highway Patrol says it seized 110 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Mandan.

Authorities said a 24-year-old California man and a 20-year-old Wisconsin man are in jail.

They said the marijuana was packed in heat-sealed bags in the utility boxes of a service-type truck.

The patrol said the marijuana was discovered by a patrol dog after the truck was stopped for a traffic violation Thursday night.

The street value of the marijuana is estimated at more than $100,000.

Information from: KFGO-AM, http://kfgo.com WEFALD RETIRING Judge Robert Wefald says he'll retire next year BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) South Central District Judge Robert Wefald says he's retiring at the end of next year.

Wefald, a former state attorney general, was elected to the bench in 1998. In a letter to state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle, he said he will retire when his second six-year term ends on Dec. 31, 2010.

The Supreme Court will decide whether the judgeship should stay in the South Central District or be transferred to another district. The district has eight judges serving its 12-county area.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-06-09 1600CST | save this article / add to your favorites list