KDLT News Syndication http://www.kdlt.com Wed, 16 May 2012 16:09:01 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.kdlt.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.kdlt.com KDLT News Syndication http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17625&Itemid=57 The sole grocery store on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation remained closed Wednesday despite the attorney general of the Oglala Sioux saying a temporary restraining order has been lifted. Oglala Sioux Attorney General Ray Ann Red Owl says she has dismissed the order and it is up to the owners to decide when to reopen the store. The Sioux Nation Shopping Center has been closed since Friday after the tribe filed the order. The tribe claims the store was selling outdated meat. A lawyer for the store said the store should reopen Thursday. The closure has forced reservation residents to shop at convenience stores or travel to grocery stores in other towns. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 15:47:07 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17624&Itemid=57 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 Gov. 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. He says if that doesn't happen. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 15:27:36 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17623&Itemid=58 SIOUX FALLS – In preparation for Thursday’s season opener, the Sioux Falls Pheasants trimmed their roster on Tuesday to 23 players, releasing catcher Matt Powell and pitchers Ben Tootle and Josh Walker.Three returning players and a slew of new faces comprise the 2012 edition of the Pheasants. Veteran Trevor Lawhorn plays third base for his fifth season in Sioux Falls while Joe Anthonsen will field second base for the fourth year. Hartford native and rookie Rob Lind, who joined the club in August last season, will serve as a utility infielder. Three other veterans will help lead the Birds in 2012: outfielders Cristian Guerrero, outfielder Jonny Kaplan and infielder Cesar Nicolas. Kaplan played in Sioux Falls in 2005 and briefly in 2006.Pheasants manager Steve Shirley has named right-hander Mark Michael as the starting pitcher for Opening Night against the Sioux City Explorers at Sioux Falls Stadium. Michael went 8-2 last season with the now-defunct Calgary Vipers. He was sixth among independent North American League pitchers with a 4.17 ERA.The remainder of the starting rotation for the four-game series features Andrew Liebel on Friday, Mitchell Clegg on Saturday and Alan DeRatt in Sunday’s finale.The Pheasants roster may list 23 active players through the 10th day of the season, at which time the roster may have a maximum 22 players.The Sioux Falls Pheasants begin their 20th season at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, May... KDLT News - KDLT Sports Wed, 16 May 2012 14:48:21 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17622&Itemid=58 Augustana's Chelsey Durland and Jenelle Trautmann picked up All-America honors this week from Daktronics Inc., and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, respectively. Durland was selected to the Daktronics All-America honorable mention team, while Trautmann was selected to the NFCA second team.Durland, a utility player for the Vikings, leads the nation in saves with 15 to help Augustana to its first national tournament appearance since 1998. The senior from Maple Plain, Minn., has recorded 17 saves during her career to become Augustana’s all-time leader. She has worked 94.0 innings in the circle for a 1.94 ERA and 6-1 record. Durland, who also spends time at first base, has started 63 games this season and owns a .257 batting average with two doubles and two home runs. This is Durland’s first appearance on the All-America team.A redshirt freshman, Trautmann, leads the Vikings with a .393 batting average and also owns a team-best 59 RBI’s. The native of Hastings, Minn., is tied for the most home runs in a season with 18 and is second on the team with 15 doubles. As a utility pitcher, Trautmann is 20-6 in the circle with a 2.45 ERA in 143.0 innings pitched. She has struck out 124 batters this season and pitched two complete shutouts. Trautmann, who was named the 2012 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Freshman of the Year, also earned spots on the all-conference, NSIC All-Tournament, and all-region teams.No. 16 Augustana was shut out for just the third time this season by the Daktronics Pitcher... KDLT News - KDLT Sports Wed, 16 May 2012 14:45:51 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17621&Itemid=58 Eden Prairie, MN – The 2012 Verizon Vikings training camp will be held in Mankato, MN on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Vikings will report to camp on Thursday, July 26 and hold their first team practice on Friday, July 27. The team will break camp on Thursday, August 16. As more information is known about specific practice times and events it will be posted on Vikings.com. (http://www.vikings.com) KDLT News - KDLT Sports Wed, 16 May 2012 14:41:45 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17620&Itemid=58 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 16 Augustana was shut out by Samantha Derr, the Daktronics Pitcher of the Year, as it fell to No. 3 Kutztown (Pa.), 4-0 in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Softball National Tournament on Wednesday. Augustana, which has been shut out just three times this season, drops to 53-11 while KU improves to 51-5.Ashley Meyer (27-4) started the game for Augustana and gave up four runs on five hits while striking out five. Derr used strong team defense by KU, including a triple play, to improve to 29-3 for the season as she limited Augustana to four hits.Only one inning produced scoring for KU as they put up four off Meyer in the top of the second. Derr started the offense for KU with a single up the middle and moved to second on a walk by Maria Isgro. Left fielder Brianna Knipe then drove a shot over the right-center fence to put KU up 3-0. The fourth run of the inning was scored by Jackie Hetzler, who doubled and later came home after a ground ball out by Kelly Strittmatter.Augustanaleads the nation with 80 home runs but had only extra-base hit from Chelsi Winskowski, who was 1 for 2 with a double.Augustana’s biggest threat came in the bottom of the second when Jenelle Trautmann and Lindsay Spanton led off with back-to-back singles, but Kelsey Kalkman lined out to third baseman Kelly Fitzgerald, who put in motion a 4-3-6 triple... KDLT News - KDLT Sports Wed, 16 May 2012 14:37:45 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17619&Itemid=57 South Dakota's winter wheat production is forecast to be down 14 percent from last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its May Crop Report that the forecast for 2012 is 57.2 million bushels, down from 66.8 bushels in 2011. The 2012 winter wheat yield is forecast at 44 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from last year. But harvested acreage is estimated at 1.3 million acres, down 290,000 acres from 2011. And planted acreage at 1.35 million acres is down 18 percent from the previous year. Across the country, winter wheat production is forecast at 1.69 billion bushels, up 13 percent from 2011. Quarterly milk production in South Dakota totaled 492 million pounds, up 7 percent from the same quarter last year. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 14:32:18 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17618&Itemid=57 Former South Dakota Sen. Jim Abdnor died Wednesday morning at the age of 89.Abdnor was moved into Dougherty Hospice in Sioux Falls last week, where he passed away. In a statement, his family says he was at peace, surrounded by friends and family.Abdnor served six years in the Senate, from 1981 to 1987, after defeating George McGovern. The Kennebec native lost a reelection bid to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Abdnor also served four terms in Congress from 1973-1981, and before that was lieutenant governor for Gov. Frank Farrar.A visitation is scheduled at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, with a prayer service at 6 p.m., at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. The funeral will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Lutheran Memorial Church in Pierre. Sen. John Thune will give the eulogy.Abdnor will be buried Saturday afternoon at 4:30 at the Kennebec Cemetery in his family's plot. A reception to be held in the school gymnasium afterward. Thune said in a statement that he learned everything he knows about politics from Abdnor. He was a hardworking and effective fighter for South Dakota, and one of the most decent and genuine people to ever hold elective office, said Thune. He was a mentor and a friend and I will miss him greatly. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 12:13:16 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17617&Itemid=57 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. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 11:48:42 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17616&Itemid=57 Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City is getting a new president. Mark Wilson works with South Dakota's Education Department, serving as director of the state Office of Learning and Instruction. The 45-year-old Wilson will begin his duties at the tech school on July 1, pending approval Thursday by the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education. Wilson holds a bachelor's degree from Valley City State University and a master's from the University of North Dakota. Former WDTI president Craig Bailey left the school in January after three years. He said at the time he did not resign nor was he fired. Officials did not elaborate. WDTI is the only tech school in western South Dakota. Schools also are located in the eastern cities of Mitchell, Sioux Falls and Watertown. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 11:34:21 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17615&Itemid=57 Efforts to engage Minnesota teenagers in pregnancy prevention may be paying off. Several projects across the state are working with teens to bring pregnancy rates down. Experts say those efforts are working, as the birth rate among Minnesota teenagers has plunged nearly 40 percent in the past two decades. Mary Jo Chippendale, who follows birth rates for the state health department, says some of the more obvious explanations don't fully explain what's happening. While sex education classes tout abstinence, Chippendale says there hasn't been a big change in sexual activity over the last 10 years. And the abortion rate among Minnesota teens ages 15 to 19 has declined at a similar pace as the birth rate. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 10:51:09 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17614&Itemid=57 A 43-year-old woman has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for stealing money from the northwest Iowa city of Storm Lake. Lee Martin was sentenced Monday for felony theft. A second felony charge was dropped as part of Martin's plea deal. Martin pleaded guilty last month to taking more than $68,500 between December 2010 and November 2011. She worked for the city for 21 years and was office manager for Storm Lake Public Safety Buena Vista County Attorney Dave Patton says there is no minimum sentence, so Martin could be released on parole as soon as a few months from now. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 10:04:47 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17613&Itemid=57 The Pierre City Commission has finalized contracts with the union representing two groups of city employees, and Rapid City and its firefighters have come to an agreement on wages. Both disputes have been ongoing for about two years. The Pierre dispute involves the city's non-administrative civilian employees and some workers in the police department. The city declared an impasse in 2010 and imposed a contract but the state Supreme Court eventually ordered negotiations to resume. City and union officials in Rapid City say the proposed agreement there was the result of a bargaining process that began shortly after a court ruling in the firefighter union's favor in January. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 09:05:57 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17612&Itemid=57 A blaze at a particle board plant in Rapid City was quickly knocked down by employees and firefighters. Officials say the Tuesday fire at the Dakota Panel plant happened in a structure used to collect dust from a processing area. Employees used on-site fire hoses to contain the flames to the structure until firefighters arrived. The blaze was knocked down in about half an hour. No one was hurt. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:27:11 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17611&Itemid=57 A South Dakota man charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at his fiancée has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault. Attorney General Marty Jackley says 39-year-old Ronald Berens Jr. of Fort Pierre faces up to 25 years in prison because he is considered a habitual offender. He is to be sentenced June 26. Authorities say the April 29 shooting began as a domestic violence incident at the residence Berens shared with his fiancée. Berens was accused of firing one shot inside and two more outside. One of the shots hit a home. No one was hurt. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:23:17 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17610&Itemid=57 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 the north central South Dakota town of Selby. 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 asearch by land and air. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:20:05 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17609&Itemid=57 The Mitchell City Council is looking at a pared-down plan to improve and expand the Corn Palace. A plan unveiled in January was estimated to cost at least $35 million, but a committee has presented the city council with a new plan that would cost between $10 million and $12 million. Doug Dailey, chairman of the Next Generation Corn Palace Committee, says the panel knows the first plan was excessive. The new plan would renovate the adjacent City Hall to become part of the Corn Palace. It also would update the building to add street-level mosaic tiles, an observation area, improved lighting and a new dome. The building is hosts sports and other events. Its exterior is decorated with murals made of corn. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:16:06 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17608&Itemid=57 Sen. Tim Johnson is praising the Senate's passage of legislation to renew the charter of the Export-Import Bank. The bill reauthorizes the bank for three years and raises its lending cap from the current $100 billion to $140 billion. Johnson, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, says the higher lending authority will ensure the Export-Import Bank can grow to meet the future needs of American exporters. The South Dakota senator calls the bill an important step in supporting American businesses and workers. Johnson says a failure to reauthorize the bank would have put American exporters at a steep disadvantage to their international competitors and put at risk nearly 300,000 American jobs. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:12:50 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17607&Itemid=57 Government agents and officials from the private sector are gathered in Sioux Falls to learn about human trafficking and how to stop it as part of South Dakota's annual Homeland Security Conference. The annual two-day conference provides training in handling such sensitive situations. It's set to wrap up Wednesday. The sessions are held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center and have focused on drug cartels, explosive devices, extremism and information management. KDLT News - KDLT News Wed, 16 May 2012 08:10:08 +0100 http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17606&Itemid=58 Louisville, Kentucky has become Augustana's home away from home this week. The city is hosting the D-II softball and women's golf championships that the Vikings are participating in. KDLT's Mark Ovenden and photographer Max Jensen are there and will have reports on the two teams throughout the week.Follow KDLT Sports at @KDLTSports (http://twitter.com/#%21/kdltsports) and KDLT Weekend Sports Anchor Kolbe Nelson at @KolbeNelson (http://twitter.com/#%21/kolbenelson) for opinions, links, and updates on Twitter. And don't forget to check out the KDLT Sports Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com//pages/KDLT-Sports/241115535916452) KDLT News - KDLT Sports Tue, 15 May 2012 22:53:10 +0100