The Bismarck Tribune from Bismarck, North Dakota • B1

1 DAKOTA Thursday, augusT 16, 2018 bismarcktribune.com sECTION JACK DURA Bismarck Tribune Little information is available two weeks after the body of Olivia Lone Bear was recovered from a submerged truck near New Town. Her funeral was held Aug. 6, and she was laid to rest south of New Town. Her brother, Matthew Lone Bear, said a new tip line has been established with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which took the lead from tribal police in February in in- vestigating Olivia Lone disap- pearance. Beyond that, nothing new, he said.

probably hear noth- ing for at least another week and a Matthew Lone Bear said. His family received au- topsy or toxicology reports. The FBI continues to process the truck pulled from Sanish Bay on Lake Sakakawea. FBI spokesman Michael Kuls- tad said the BIA and FBI continue their joint investigation, with no updates regarding the case. Matthew Lone Bear said about 200 people took part in a memo- rial walk last week across the Four Bears Bridge, in honor of his sister.

all proud of our grand- mother. She got out there and kind of led the walk, even slow he said. Olivia Lone Bear, 32, was last seen Oct. 25, 2017, driving the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 in downtown New Town. On July 31, her body was recovered from inside the vehicle found by volunteers us- ing a boat with sonar.

Her family identified her by tattoos. The tip line for information re- lated to her death is 701-226-3433. Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Family awaits autopsy results GIGI WOOD Forum News Service FARGO Minnesota utility customers will receive rebates as a result of federal legislation, but whether North Dakotans will get money back remains unclear. Utility companies across the country paid lower taxes after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed in December.

Since then, states have been ordering those companies to pass on the savings to customers. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission last week directed state utility companies to return $200 million to customers in the form of refunds. Xcel customers in Minnesota will get a one-time credit on their bills. A typical Minnesota electric- ity customer who pays $85 to $90 a month will receive a credit of about $45. North Public Service Commission, which regulates util- ity companies, is in the process of calculating the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on North Dakota customers.

work and see what the numbers produce and if that will, in fact, result in a Public Service Commissioner Brian Kro- shus said. Once the analysis is complete, the three-member commission will vote on the issue. Kroshus said a re- fund to customers is likely, unless unforeseen circumstances impact utility profitability. If the calculations point to a cus- tomer refund, there are several ways the money could be distributed, in- cluding mailing out rebate checks, using the money to hold down fu- ture rate increases and reducing the costs of ongoing projects. Xcel officials are in talks with the Public Service Commission about those potential distribution meth- ods.

been visiting with reg- ulators to see how it would be ap- said Mark Nisbet, principal manager of Xcel Energy. Dave Sederquist, the North Da- kota regulatory affairs manager for Xcel, said one possible way to repay gas customers would be to use the money to help pay for cleanup of a former manufactured gas plant in Fargo. Sederquist said no dead- line for the decision on how to dis- tribute a potential rebate, but Xcel expects to have a laid by October. The St. Paul Pioneer Press con- tributed to this story.

Utility rebate for North Dakotans undecided after cuts TOM sTrOMME, TRIBUNE JESSICA HOLDMAN Bismarck Tribune A local theater company hopes to enthrall audiences in their ren- dition and investigation of the mysterious death of Captain Meri- wether Lewis. On October 11, 1809, Lewis was discovered dead, having suffered two gunshot wounds. One to his head and one to his was it suicide or murder? TruNorth Theatre, founded in 2017, is putting on a production of Hal Oakley play Stand at 7 p.m. Friday and Satur- day, Aug. 23-25, and 2 p.m.

Aug. 26, at the High Prairie Art and Science Complex, 1810 Schafer Bis- marck. This will be the second show of the season. connection with Lewis and Clark is very deep in this Ar- tistic Director John Clemo said. Following the Louisiana Pur- chase of the modern day western United States from the French, Lewis was tapped to help lead an expedition, along with William Clark, into the unknown including a stint at Fort Mandan near modern day part of the Corp of Discovery.

Upon their return to the civilized areas of the United States, they were proclaimed as national heroes but the play focuses on Meriwether the man with faults to overcome. is where the story becomes Executive Director Tim- othy Rosin said in an email. here out there are two conflicting accounts of what became of Lewis. One is that the Captain became more and more addicted to the use of laudanum and alcohol which lead to a downward spiral leading to his suicide. The second, is that he became a debt riddled, anxious and somewhat disorganized civil servant and that he was The questions asked in the play: How does a person live in the shadow of their own achieve- ments? How could Meriwether Lewis top his achievements as Captain of the Corp of Discovery? How does one handle the struggle of being first real super- star? What pressures were there to continue as a success? How did these things come together and lead to the death of Captain Lewis Meriwether? Stand was originally staged in 1979 and has been on It took him years to track down the script and get permission to produce it.

fell in love with this play the first time I read he said. Clemo said he believes there is a fearful symmetry in the lives of Lewis and the playwright, Oakley both rising stars cut short. Lewis was found with a bullet wound to his head and one to his stomach but the hotel wife would change her story of the event several claiming she had seen Lewis crawling back to his quarters after hearing a gunshot and another reporting Lewis had been arguing with a group of men and had challenged them to a duel. Paper reports at the time also vary. In the fall of 1978, Oakley had been out drinking after working TruNorth Theatre to perform the tale of Captain Meriwether Lewis CHERYL MCCORMACK Bismarck Tribune The Bismarck City Commission approved changes to the Renais- sance Zone develop- ment plan, including new restric- tions on commercial lease projects in buildings not previously ap- proved as Renaissance Zone proj- ects.

criteria for projects that are only leases that are not within a building previously rehabbed through the program those re- quirements have gotten a little said city planner Daniel Nairn. minimum investment threshold went up by $10 per square foot and the authority wanted to see, basically, some assurance that the exterior of the building would be rehabilitated as well as the interior lease space to some Under the new policy, if the lease space is within a building previously rehabilitated or constructed as an approved Renaissance Zone project, no minimum level of investment is required. For leases in buildings not previously approved as Renaissance Zone projects, a minimum invest- ment of $40 per square foot in cap- ital improvements, or permanent cosmetic improvements based on the square footage of the entire lease space, is needed. The building, also, must not contain any known structural de- ficiencies that may compromise the investment made in the lease space. The Renaissance Zone Au- thority may require an inspection or affidavit if there is reason to believe such deficiencies may exist.

A second substantive policy change approved by the commission Tuesday night relates to residential new construction Renaissance Zone projects. all projects needed to meet a $150 per square foot mini- mum said Nairn. Under the new policy, new con- struction projects include a mini- mum investment of $150 per square foot for commercial projects, or $100 per square foot for residential. The minimum investment for mixed-use projects is determined by a weighted average of the proportion of residential and commercial area to the total building area. Therefore, a project 80 percent commer- cial and 20 percent residential would require $140 per square foot in in- vestment.

Mayor Steve Bakken, the only council member who voted against changes to the development plan, asked Nairn what impact the Re- naissance Zone Program has had on tax base. had, over the course of the program, approximately $62 million in investments made through proj- ects that were approved through this program. The taxable value of the entire district grew from approxi- mately $100 million to $200 million during the course of this said Nairn. on that, it does appear as if this has been effective and we do continue to have projects each year and adding to the tax The development plan, which governs the administration of the Renaissance Zone Program, was first adopted in 2000. Thus far, the plan has been updated nine times.

Reach Cheryl McCormack at 701-250-8264 or cheryl.mccormack@ bismarcktribune.com. Renaissance Zone plan tweaked City commission approves commercial lease project changes uNITEd Way day OF CarINg Production will delve into mysterious death of the famous explorer Funeral, memorial walk honors Olivia Lone Bear Lone Bear Above, from left, Becky Haider, Jackie Lannoye, Tiffany Perrin an Katie Perrin paint yellow circles and fill in the color on the playground at Jeanette Myhre Elementary School in Bismarck on Wednesday as part of the United Way Day of Caring. painting circles so when our kids line up it provides structure for personal said Tiffany Perrin, a teacher at the south Bismarck school. She noted the lines are where the students line up with their class in the morning and for lunch and recess. Please see MErIWEThEr, Page B2.