Local News
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Boaters Barred from River
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Boaters have been warned to stay off the Big Sioux River and its tributaries in Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. City and county officials asked Gov. Mike Rounds to issue the No Recreation Warning. It is targeted at those who see a flooded Big Sioux as a chance to do some whitewater rafting. The river level continues to fall but remains high enough to create white water conditions in some areas. Authorities are worried about having to make rescues if boaters get into trouble. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Watery Rescue SW of City
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Four people were rescued early Thursday after a pickup truck went off a gravel road and plunged into a flooded ditch southwest of Sioux Falls. The truck, discovered by a sheriff's deputy around 12:40am, became partially submerged. Emergency crews used a ladder to make a bridge from the road to the window of the vehicle. No one was hurt. The Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office says the driver, 20-year-old Trevor G. Bye of Corsica, ws arrested and jailed for first-offense driving while intoxicated, and the three others in the truck were cited for underage consumption of alcohol. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Daugaard Outlines Economic Plan
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard says if he becomes South Dakota's next governor, he will work to improve the state's business climate, educate workers for modern jobs and make state government more responsive. Daugaard says he believes Gov. Mike Rounds, who is term-limited, has done a good job in economic development. But Daugaard says officials need to re-evaluate development strategy periodically. Daugaard is among five candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor. Others are state Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, state Sen. Gordon Howie of Rapid City, former Brookings Mayor Scott Munsterman and Buffalo Gap rancher Ken Knuppe. State Sen. Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls is the only Democrat in the race. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Medical Marijuana to be on Ballot
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakotans will be asked to vote on legalizing marijuana for use in treating pain, nausea and other health problems. The secretary of state's office has approved a petition seeking a statewide vote on the proposal in November. One of the organizers of the petition drive, Emmett Reistroffer of Sioux Falls, has said supporters collected 30,000 signatures, far more than the required 16,776 valid signatures. A similar measure narrowly failed in the 2006 election, when it received 48 percent of the vote. But Reistroffer says support formedical marijuana has grown among South Dakotans in the past few years. Fourteen states have legalized medical marijuana. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Flooding in Claremont
CLAREMONT, S.D. (AP) - The northeast South Dakota town of Claremont has been hard-hit by overland flooding. Several families have been forced to leave their homes. On Tuesday the one remaining road into the town went under water, though residents have continued to use it. Brian Nietert, who lives just west of the town of 500 people, says in his 20 years there he has never before had water in his house. Many rural residents have been using tractors and all-terrain vehicles to get to town. Sixty-one-year-old Carol Hanse calls it an adventure. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Woman Sentenced for Child Abuse
ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - An Aberdeen woman has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for abusing a young child in August. Stephanie Picotte, 25, also was given a suspended eight-year prison sentence on Tuesday and ordered to serve four years of probation for abuse or cruelty to a minor under age 7. She had previously pleaded guilty. Attorneys in the case say Picotte was drunk when she threatened or injured a 5-year-old. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
