MOLL ASSAULTED                                     AUG 19/08

 K X M C T.V'S CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER, PERRY MOLL, WAS ASSAULTED LATE YESTERDAY MORNING WHILE 'JUST DOING HIS JOB' NEAR SIMONSONS STATION STORE ON SOUTH BROADWAY.

 MOLL TOLD POLICE OFFICER AARON MOSS THAT HE WAS FILMING THE TRAFFIC FLOW ON SOUTH BROADWAY AROUND 11:30 A M FOR A NEWS STORY, WHEN HE WAS APPROACHED BY AN UNKNOWN MAN WHO STRUCK HIM IN THE FACE WITH HIS FIST AND KNOCKED THE VIDEO CAMERA FROM HIS HANDS.

MOLL SAID THE MAN NEVER SAID A WORD TO HIM PRIOR TO OR FOLLOWING THE ASSAULT...

 THE BLOW CAUSED A BRUISE AND SWELLING TO MOLL'S RIGHT EYE.

 MOLL WAS ABLE TO GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF HIS ASSAILANT TO OFFICER MOSS, WITH OTHER POLICE OFFICERS LATER LOCATING 44 YEAR OLD RANDY JOSEPH GRUBICH OF SPARKS NEVADA.

 A POLICE REPORT INDICATES THAT GRUBICH WAS UN-COOPERTIVE AND HAD TO BE SUBDUED..

 GURBICH WAS CHARGED WITH SIMPLE ASSAULT AND DISOBEYING A MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER AND TAKEN TO THE WARD COUNTY JAIL.

 BOND ON THE TWO CHARGES IS 800 DOLLARS.

POLICE SHIFT COMMANDER SERGEANT CHAD EAGLESON SAID THIS MORNING THAT GRUBICH IS STILL BE IN HELD THE JAIL, AWAITING AN APPEARNCE ON THE CHARGES....

PRES CANDIDATES

     N-D will have at least four presidential candidates

     BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota will have at least four presidential candidates this fall.

     Aside from the Democratic and Republican candidates – the Libertarian and the Constitution parties will be competing for North Dakota's electoral votes.

     Secretary of State Al Jaeger says the two parties turned in petitions months ago to have their own columns on North Dakota's statewide ballot.

     Chuck Baldwin is the Constitution Party's candidate for president. Baldwin is a Baptist minister in Florida and a radio talk show host.

     Former federal prosecutor and Georgia Republican congressman Bob Barr is the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate.

     Supporters of consumer advocate Ralph Nader are also circulating petitions to put Nader's name on the North Dakota ballot in the fall. Nader's North Dakota coordinator says his backers should have the four-thousand signatures they need by early September.

 AIRPORT BOARDINGS

     North Dakota airport boardings increase in July

     BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Airline boardings at North Dakota's eight commercial airports increased 8.6 percent in July from the previous year.

     The state Aeronautics Commission says the 65,761 passengers was the highest total in the past 10 years.

     Williston had the largest percentage increase over the year at 48.3 percent. Fargo had the biggest increase of passengers, with 4,814.

     Bismarck and Minot were the only airports that saw boardings decrease over the year. Bismarck had the largest percentage decrease, at 6.2 percent, and also the largest drop in passengers, with 1,090 fewer passengers over the year.

     Minot had 27 fewer passengers over the year, a drop of less than 1 percent.

 CROP REPORT

     Agency says small grains harvest in full swing

     FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The Agriculture Department says North Dakota's small grain harvest is well under way.

     The agency says in its weekly report that 28 percent of durum wheat has been harvested. That's behind last year but on pace with the average.

     The agency says spring wheat was 33 percent harvested. That compares with 59 percent last year and 49 percent on average.

     Barley was 56 percent harvested and oats were at 57 percent harvested

     The agency says hot, dry conditions last week helped haying progress. The second cutting of alfalfa was 66 percent complete, and the harvest of other hay was 92 percent complete. The hay crop

condition was rated 59 percent very poor or poor.

     Stockwater supplies were rated 49 percent adequate to surplus, compared with 84 percent last year and 69 percent on average.

 COLLEGE PRESIDENTS-DRINKING AGE

     College presidents seek debate on drinking age

     UNDATED (AP) - Presidents of about 100 of the nation's

best-known colleges want lawmakers to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. They say current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

     The movement is called the Amethyst (AH'-muh-thist) Initiative. It started recruiting college presidents more than a year ago to spark a national debate about the drinking age.

     Amethyst is a type of quartz. In the ancient Greek language, the word amethyst means not intoxicated.

     Spokesmen for the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University say their schools were asked to join the fight for a lower drinking age. They declined.

     N-D-S-U athletic director Gene Taylor and U-N-D spokesman Peter Johnson say North Dakota already has a high rate of binge drinking among college students.

     College administrators who have signed on to the program are facing criticism.

     Mothers Against Drunk Driving claims that lowering the drinking age would lead to more fatal car crashes.

 HUNTING CHARGES

     Outfitter sentenced on hunting charge

     BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Streeter outfitting business has been sentenced to 18 months probation and ordered to pay $5,000 on a federal charge of false labeling of wildlife.

     Brenda Schlecht, owner of Coteau Prairie Waterfowl, Whitetail, and Upland Bird Hunts, pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday.

     Federal prosecutors say the outfitter allowed clients to take more waterfowl than the limit by recording daily possession limits under guides' names.

     In state court in June, the company was ordered to pay about $30,000 in restitution to 17 groups of clients for charges stemming from the lack of proper licensing.

 INSURANCE COMMISH-DISASTER FUND

     Schneider proposes disaster fund

     GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - Democratic Insurance Commissioner candidate Jasper Schneider says the state should set up a disaster fund to help communities when natural disasters strike.

     The Fargo lawyer says the amount of the fund could be determined later. He says that if elected, he would work with legislators to set it up.

     Schneider Is running against Republican Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm.

     Hamm says the proposal raises a lot of unanswered questions.

     Hamm says he wonders how large the fund would be ... how it would be financed ... and whether it would be used to benefit private property owners as well as public property.

     The Insurance Department's current operations are financed by taxes on insurance policies issued to North Dakota policyholders.

 FIRE DANGER

     Officials warn of fire danger

     WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) - Officials say a fire that started in a burn barrel near Williston scorched about three acres of grassland before it was brought under control, and they are warning people against controlled burns and pit fires early this week.

     Williston Rural Fire Chief Dave Benth said Sunday's fire northwest of Williston was quickly contained. But he said crews spent at least an hour mopping up the hot spots because of the dead trees and other vegetation in the area. He said temperatures were in the 90s at the time.

     Williams County Emergency Director Ed Lodwig said fire danger levels are expected to be high over the next three days. He said officials are starting to see farm equipment fires.

 UNLICENSED ATTORNEY

     North Dakota judge disbars attorney

     BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A man accused of misrepresenting himself as a licensed lawyer has been disbarred by a North Dakota federal judge.

     U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland says Howard Kieffer

(KEE'-fur) admitted that he's not a graduate of an accredited law school, nor he is a member of any state bar.

     Hovland says in an order that Kieffer can never practice law in North Dakota.

     Kieffer did not return voice messages left at his office in Santa Ana, California.

     Authorities said Kieffer was caught by one of his clients accused in a Minnesota child pornography case. Joel Wells says he paid Kieffer $37,000, but decided to look into his background after Kieffer repeatedly ignored his requests.

     Court documents show that Kieffer was admitted to practice law in North Dakota federal court in March 2007, on claims that he was licensed in California. Those claims were not true.

 GOVERNOR BLOOD DRIVE

     Hoevens hosting blood drive

     BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Governor Hoeven and North Dakota first lady Mikey Hoeven are hosting a blood drive today.

     It's being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the governor's residence in Bismarck.

     United Blood Services is sponsoring the event. Donors must be at least 16 years old.

     Donors will be treated to pizza, ice cream and door prizes.

     (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

 AP-NY-08-19-08 0331EDT