NORTH DAKOTA

Deadly tornado classified EF5

A deadly tornado that tore across southeastern North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF5 with winds topping 200 mph, the strongest classification of tornado and the first confirmed on American soil in a dozen years, meteorologists said Oct. 6.

The June 20 twister near the town of Enderlin killed three people and at its largest was 1.05 miles wide, carving a path across the prairie for just over 12 miles. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks estimated the tornado’s winds reached 210 mph, according to the newly released analysis.

The 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado in Oklahoma holds the record of the strongest winds ever recorded in the U.S. at 321 mph.

Since the National Weather Service began using Enhanced Fujita scale in 2007, there have been 10 tornadoes categorized as EF5. The 12-year gap between top-of-the-scale ratings is the longest since the agency started keeping records in 1950. The earlier tornadoes were assessed using an older version of the EF scale called the Fujita scale.

Determining a tornado’s strength usually takes days or weeks, as meteorologists study the damage to buildings and trees. This case took much longer because of the unusual damage to rail cars, including one that was picked up and hurled far from the rest. The meteorologists worked with engineers and wind damage experts to conduct additional surveys and forensic analysis to determine the EF5 rating, up from the initial estimate of EF3.

The last recorded EF5 tornado was on May 20, 2013, in a town outside Oklahoma City, killing 24 people and injuring more than 200 others. That tornado tore through hundreds of homes, a school, hospital and bowling alley in Moore, where nearly a decade later, droves of moviegoers lined up to watch the 2024 film “Twisters.”

NEBRASKA

Public to fund private school tuition

OMAHA — After years of failed attempts, Republicans in Nebraska have enacted a measure that uses taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition, despite voters repealing a newly-passed state law that would fund private school tuition with state dollars.

Republican Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order opting the state into a federal school choice tax credit program included in President Donald Trump’s tax and budget bill passed in July.

The measure is remarkably similar to one the state legislature passed in 2023 to allow corporations and individuals to divert millions of dollars they owe in state income taxes to nonprofit organizations, which would in turn award that money as private school tuition scholarships. Lawmakers axed the measure the following year after opponents gathered far more signatures than was needed to ask voters to repeal it. The legislature then passed a new law funding private school scholarships directly from state coffers.

The new federal law that Pillen opted into allows individual taxpayers to direct up to $1,700 in federal income taxes owed to scholarship-granting groups to be used for eligible K-12 private school expenses. But unlike Nebraska’s 2023 proposal, the federal measure allows even high-income households to receive public money for private school costs. Eligibility extends to families earning up to 300% of the area median gross income, according to the Nebraska State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

Nebraska voters in November repealed the school choice law passed earlier that year.

Pillen said that opponents are wrong when they say the publicly-funded private school scholarship scheme will take money away from public schools, saying the federal school choice measure comes “at no cost to the state.”

WYOMING

Community college could change name

CHEYENNE — Nearing its 60-year anniversary, members of the Laramie County Community College Board of Trustees have decided it’s time for a refresh, which may include a new name.

LCCC started in 1968 as a full-service, comprehensive community college, with offices and classrooms in several locations in downtown Cheyenne and other parts of the city, according to its website.

At a meeting Sept. 17, board members voted in favor of renaming the county’s only community college, though no new name has been chosen.

Lisa Trimble, LCCC vice president of advancement, said this change has been in the works for more than two years. During that time, independent research was conducted, including brand-awareness surveys, focus groups and public input across Wyoming, northern Colorado and neighboring states.

According to a news release, the studies show that while people have pride in LCCC’s mission and programs, many — especially those living outside Wyoming — were confused about the location of the main campus.

Trimble said members of the public often think LCCC’s main campus is located in Larimer County, Colorado, or located in the city of Laramie, Wyoming, because there is a smaller campus there, as well as an outreach center in Pine Bluffs.

The change is not only meant to improve location clarity, but also broaden appeal and better reflect LCCC’s role in workforce training, academic offerings and campus environment, according to the release.

ARIZONA

Bear visits grocery store

ORO VALLEY — A bear surprised shoppers at a southern Arizona grocery store when it walked through the front door and ran around inside for a few minutes before exiting the building.

The bear was seen in the neighborhood near the Fry’s location for a few days and then was spotted again Sept. 29 behind the store before entering it.

Right before entering the store, the animal bumped up against the automatic doors and managed to eventually walk in, said Darren Wright, a spokesperson for the Oro Valley Police Department.

“It just ran around,” Wright said. “I don’t think it did any damage.”

A video taken by a shopper showed a man looking for the bear inside the store. After peering down at his phone, the man looked up to find the bear within several feet of him. The bear ran away from the man.

The animal was seen at some point in the store’s produce section but isn’t believed to have taken anything. An officer who was nearby arrived at the store and worked to get people out of the building. Authorities lost track of the bear after it left the store.

“We have had several bear sightings in Oro Valley,” Wright said. “We occasionally get them coming out of the desert. But this is the most interesting interaction we have had with one.”