Local News

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Late-night comedian Jay Leno poked fun at South Dakota tourism, and state Tourism Secretary James Hagen was among those laughing.

In a short sketch on "The Tonight Show" Tuesday night, Leno ran a fake advertisement for South Dakota tourism. It implored watchers to spend a week in South Dakota.

The narrator said, "Spend a week in South Dakota. On Monday, see Mount Rushmore. On Tuesday, see Mount Rushmore again. On Wednesday, visit the gift shop at Mount Rushmore. And on Thursday, relive your first experience, at Mount Rushmore."

Hagen tells the Rapid City Journal he loved the Leno bit and also the exposure it gave the state. He says his department is planning a humorous response to Leno pointing out other things tourists can do in South Dakota.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - An extension to the Sioux Falls bike trail has been completed.

A new two-and-one-half-mile stretch provides access for residents of the city's west side to the main loop at 41st Street, 49th Street and the railroad bridge near 57th Street.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was planned for Thursday afternoon.

Multiple city departments started working to pave the west side of the Big Sioux River levee from Marion Road to 57th Street in front of Sertoma Park after the levee-raising project wrapped up late last year,

The city worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to widen the top of the levy to accommodate a 10-foot wide asphalt path with gravel shoulders.

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) - Authorities are still trying to round up some wayward buffalo that escaped from a ranch in northwest Iowa.

About 200 buffalo broke out of their pen at the Frick and Joe Buffalo Ranch in Sibley on Sunday. The animals have since been spotted in five counties - Lyon, Osceola, Sioux and O'Brien counties in Iowa and Nobles County in Minnesota

Lt. Seth Hofman of the Osceola County sheriff's office says the buffalo are "really, really fast."

Officials have corralled most of the herd, but more than 30 are still on the loose. One was seen early Wednesday near Sheldon, some 20 miles south of Sibley.

No injuries have been reported, but motorists are asked to be careful while driving in the area.

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota State University pre-med student has won an award for his research examining development of premature lungs.

Brian Wynia, of Sioux Falls, is one of 10 students from across the nation to receive the Bruce Award from the American Physiological Society.

Wynia's research looked at the role of caveolin-1 in lung development in mouse development. Caveolin-1 is a significant protein involved in cell signaling and maintenance of cellular homeostasis. The hope is that the research could one day advance treatment for poorly developed lungs in premature infants.

The APS Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship sponsored Wynia's research. He worked with postdoctoral fellow Olga Chernaya and Richard Minshall, associate professor of pharmacology and anesthesiology at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The funeral for former U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor will be Saturday in Pierre.

Abdnor, the South Dakota Republican who ousted George McGovern from the Senate in 1980, died Wednesday at the age of 89. He had been in hospice care recently.

U.S. Senator John Thune, who describes Abdnor as a mentor, will give the eulogy at the 11:30 a.m. funeral at Lutheran Memorial Church. On Friday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., family members will hold a visitation at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.

Abdnor was a four-term congressman when he unseated McGovern, Democrats' 1972 presidential nominee. But he lost his seat after one term to Tom Daschle.

A brother and sister preceded Abdnor in death, but nieces and nephews scattered across the country regularly visited him in Sioux Falls.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - U.S. Senator John Thune says everything he knows about politics that is good he learned from former Senator Jim Abdnor.

Abdnor, the South Dakota Republican who ousted George McGovern from the Senate, died Wednesday in Sioux Falls at the age of 89. He had been in hospice care recently.

Thune calls Abdnor his mentor. He says Abdnor was a hardworking and effective fighter for South Dakota, and one of the most decent and genuine people to ever hold elective office.

Abdnor was a four-term congressman when he unseated McGovern, Democrats' 1972 presidential nominee. But he lost his seat after one term to another prominent Democrat, Tom Daschle.

Abdnor was a teacher, farmer and World War Two veteran before polit

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota has been awarded a $5.9 million federal grant to continue research into the possibility of a state-run health insurance exchange.

But Governor Dennis Daugaard says the state will continue to wait for the outcome of the lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul before deciding whether to pursue a state-run exchange.

The state applied for the United States Department of Health and Human Services grant in March 2012.

South Dakota has not decided whether to pursue a state-run health insurance exchange.

Daugaard says receiving the grant does not change its plans.

The governor says the best case for South Dakota would be if the Supreme Court overturns the bill in its entirety.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says the state's share of a multistate settlement with the Skechers USA Inc. footwear company is nearly $72,000.

Skechers will pay $40 million in customer refunds to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that it made unfounded claims about the benefits of its shoes. The company also will give $5 million to the states for costs associated with the multistate investigation.

The settlement was announced Wednesday. Skechers does not admit to any wrongdoing.

By CHET BROKAW

Associated Press

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Jim Abdnor, the South Dakota Republican who ousted George McGovern from the Senate, has died.

His family said in a statement that Abdnor died Wednesday at the age of 89. He had been in hospice care recently.

Despite three decades in public service, Abdnor never mastered the art of public speaking. But he served on the Senate Appropriations Committee and earned a reputation for helping farmers and winning South Dakota water projects and other benefits.

Abdnor was a four-term congressman when he unseated McGovern, Democrats' 1972 presidential nominee, in 1986. But he lost his seat after one term to another prominent Democrat, Tom Daschle. Abdnor was a teacher, farmer and World War II veteran before politics.

SELBY, S.D. (AP) - Five teenagers are in custody after allegedly running away from a treatment center, stealing guns and a vehicle and holding up a gas station in Selby, in north-central South Dakota.

Authorities say the teens ran away from a Corson County treatment center on Monday, rummaged through cars and found guns in Mobridge then broke into an auto shop east of the town and stole a van.

The robbery in Selby occurred about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the teens pointed a shotgun and a rifle at the clerk and fled with cash and tobacco. An officer in Potter County later pulled them over. Authorities say the teens tried to flee on foot. Three were caught immediately and the other two after a search by land and air.