Crews blast ice on Mo River to clear jam

BISMARCK (AP) — A demolition crew blasted Missouri River ice Wednesday to force a thick ice jam to move south. Officials likened the move to pulling a giant plug to drain flood waters away from southwest Bismarck. “We are cautiously optimistic,” Bismarck Mayor John Warford said after the string of explosives went off in the river ice about 4 p.m.