Enbridge says it has fixed pierced aquifer near oil pipeline

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge Energy said it has stopped the flow of spilled artesian groundwater that began a year ago when workers installing the Line 3 oil pipeline in northwestern Minnesota punctured an aquifer.

The spill near Enbridge’s terminal in Clearbrook was one of the worst environmental accidents during construction of the 340-mile pipeline in Minnesota. Workers dug too deeply into the ground and the rupture resulted in a 24 million gallon groundwater leak.

The company told the state Department of Natural Resources that it stopped the uncontrolled leak on Tuesday. The DNR said it will monitor the repair and the investigation remains ongoing. The agency is looking at further restoration, mitigation and penalties.

The White Earth Band of Ojibwe and other pipeline opponents have been doing their own investigation, including drone footage, to check for further water impacts. They are calling for more accountability and details about the incident.

State regulators ordered Enbridge to pay $3.3 million and fix the damage. The company missed a deadline in October and paid an additional $40,000.

Line 3 starts in Alberta, Canada, and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing Minnesota en route to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The project was pronounced complete in September.

Hundreds take state-paid nursing assistant training

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of Minnesotans are taking advantage of the state’s offer to cover the cost of training to become a certified nursing assistant.

The state has used $3.5 million in federal relief funding to pay for students’ tuition, textbooks and certification exams in hopes of alleviating staffing shortages in long-term care facilities and veterans’ homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 500 Minnesotans have enrolled in state training programs offered through the Minnesota State college system and HeartCert, a private provider, the Star Tribune reported.

“We’re on our way toward meeting and even exceeding our goal of 1,000 new nursing assistants,” Minnesota Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson said during a news conference Wednesday. “That’s not to say the work is done … If every one of these students obtains a certification and employment, we still have a need for 14,000 additional nursing assistants in the state.”

Another private training provider, OnTrack, will soon be able to train up to 100 more people, Olson said. Additionally, there are 319 Minnesota high school students registered for a certified nursing assistant course taught in their schools, Olson said. About 130 could be certified by March.

Nursing assistants are the sixth highest in-demand job in Minnesota and earn a median wage of about $37,300 per year, according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Bankers survey: Rural economy stays strong in 10 states

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states remains strong, according to a new monthly survey of bankers in the region released Thursday, but those bankers said they have growing concerns about the rising costs associated with running farms.

The overall Rural Mainstreet economic index fell in January to 61.1 from December’s 66.7. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy.

“Solid grain prices, the Federal Reserve’s record-low short-term interest rates, and growing agricultural exports have underpinned the Rural Mainstreet Economy,” Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said.

Bankers surveyed listed their top concern for farmers in 2022 as rising inflation that’s driving up the prices of farm supplies, from fuel to fertilizer. Disruptions of the delivery of farm supplies ranked second among bankers’ concerns, and rising interest rates ranked third.

“Inflation is a serious problem here,” Jim Eckert, president of the Anchor State Bank in Anchor, Illinois, said for the report. “Gasoline prices have nearly doubled since November 2020.”

Jim Brown, CEO of Hardin County Savings Bank in Eldora, Iowa, said that rising costs “have raised our average farmer break-even points,” but that current commodity prices still have most farmers showing moderate gains.

Despite the concerns, bank CEOs are optimistic about the next six months. The survey’s confidence index rose to 61.1 from December’s 55.2.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Woman identified 27 years after remains found in Michigan

WRIGHT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The body of a woman found in a western Michigan ditch has been identified 27 years later.

Authorities using DNA and genealogical tests learned that the remains were Shelly Rae Kephart, also known as Shelly Rae Christian, the Ottawa County sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Christian was 29 in 1993 when she went missing from Hennepin County, Minnesota. Rabbit hunters discovered the remains in 1994, about 12 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Although as investigators it’s exciting to have such a breakthrough, we want to acknowledge it’s also a sad time for the family,” Capt. Jake Sparks told The Holland Sentinel.

Christian was the victim of a homicide. Anyone with information is urged to call (877) 887-4536.

“Until you know whose death you’re investigating, it’s very, very difficult to do an investigation,” Sparks said. “Maybe we have someone who steps forward and says, ‘Yes, I knew her,’ an old roommate or coworker who can provide some answers, and we can try to drill down into it and figure out who was in her life at the time.”

Health official: Omicron has not peaked in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The COVID-19 omicron variant has yet to peak in Wisconsin, even as there are encouraging signs it is waning in parts of the northeastern United States where it was first detected, the state’s chief medical officer said Thursday.

Hopefully, the state is at or near the peak even though the data does not yet show it, said Dr. Ryan Westergaard during a conference call.

The state’s seven-day average number of new cases hit another new high, at 18,836, while hospitalizations statewide were down by 115 over the past seven days.