Associated Press

JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT, S.D. (AP) — Jewel Cave National Monument in western South Dakota is hosting a Junior Ranger Day this weekend as part of a series of events in celebration of the 99th anniversary of the National Park Service. Saturday’s Junior Ranger Day will focus on bats and some of their unique characteristics. […]

OLIVET, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota nurse is showing how far trust can go with her work to improve health care in the state’s Hutterite communities. Kerri Lutjens (LOOT’-jens) has spent years serving eight colonies of the Hutterites, a deeply religious people with ancestral ties to the Amish who mainly live in farming communities […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — State prosecutors have dropped the most serious charges against a woman whose boyfriend was killed during a botched robbery in Sioux Falls in December 2013. The Argus Leader ( ) reports the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney’s Office is no longer prosecuting Faith Rasmussen on first-degree burglary and robbery charges stemming […]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new study suggests that nitrates may play a key role in increasing uranium contamination in groundwater. The researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln estimate that nearly 2 million people in California and the Great Plains live over groundwater that has been contaminated with uranium, which can cause health problems. The […]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities in western South Dakota say first responders from North Dakota will assist in the recovery of the body of a woman who went missing in a reservoir after a boat crash. The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office says the North Dakota first responders are bringing an underwater inspection system with […]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — New rules for Powerball in South Dakota mean players have a better chance of winning a prize at the expense of a longer shot at the jackpot. The Legislative Rules Review Committee approved changes to the game Monday. The rules were first authorized by the state Lottery Commission and are set […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota inmate must serve an additional 20 years in prison for strangling his cellmate to death with a homemade rope last year at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Twenty-nine-year-old Douglas Ipsen was sentenced Monday on a first-degree manslaughter charge in the death of inmate Kent Davidson. Judge […]

HOWARD, S.D. (AP) — As a nurse, Elizabeth Blankenfeld has made a professional commitment to helping people. Now, she’s made a personal vow to do the same. Blankenfeld has been deemed a match to donate a kidney to her former high school principal and former Howard School Superintendent Mike Cullen, who has been undergoing dialysis […]

SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) — Economic development officials in Spearfish say plenty of job openings exist for Kmart employees who will soon be out of work. The retailer announced earlier this month that it plans to close the Kmart store in Spearfish, putting 51 employees out of work. The store will begin a liquidation sale on […]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who became unemployed due to severe storms on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in May are eligible for disaster assistance. South Dakota’s Department of Labor and Regulation announced the availability of disaster unemployment assistance on Monday for tribal members whose employment, self-employment or prospective employment […]