AP sdnewsLatest South Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment as of 10:45am July 2.
GRAIN STOCKS

Wheat, corn, soybean stocks all are up in South Dakota

 

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Stocks of wheat, corn and soybeans all are up in South Dakota.

The Agriculture Department says in its latest report that wheat stored in all positions on June 1 totaled 31.6 million bushels, up 45 percent from a year ago. Soybean stocks stood at 24.8 million bushels, up 10 percent over the year. Corn stocks in the state totaled 244 million bushels, up 4 percent.

Barley stocks were up 71 percent to 240,000 bushels, and stocks of oats were up 53 percent to 2.6 million bushels.

HELICOPTER MISHAP

No one hurt in helicopter mishap at Gettysburg resort

GETTYSBURG, S.D. (AP) – No one was hurt when a helicopter that was trying to take off from Bob’s Resort in Gettysburg ended up in a ditch.

Potter County Sheriff Curt Hamburger tells KCCR radio that the helicopter clipped a power line, landed and skidded on a highway and came to a stop in the ditch. It happened about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Hamburger says there was some damage to the helicopter. He declined to release details about who was in the chopper.

HOTEL CRASH

Sport utility vehicle crashes into Sioux Falls hotel lobby

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A woman was injured after an apparent medical problem caused her to crash her sport utility vehicle into the lobby of a Sioux Falls hotel.

Police say the driver cut across several lanes of traffic and over a ditch before crashing into the building about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

No one inside the hotel was hurt. Police say the woman was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not believed to life-threatening.

There was no immediate estimate on damage to the hotel.

OBAMA HONORS TEACHERS

Huron, Bon Homme teachers honored by Obama administration

WASHINGTON (AP) – Two South Dakota teachers are among 108 nationwide to be recognized by the Obama administration for their efforts in teaching math and sciences.

Lindsey Brewer, a math teacher at Huron High School, and Janet Wagner, a science teacher at Bon Homme School, have received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Winners get a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion.

They’re also invited to Washington for an awards ceremony and several days of educational and other events, including visits with members of Congress and the Obama administration.

The award is given annually to outstanding K-12 science and math teachers. The awardees named this week teach seventh through 12th grade.

WORKFORCE CAMPAIGN

South Dakota’s ‘Mars’ marketing campaign drawing job-seekers

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A workforce development campaign in South Dakota that sells the state as being better than the planet Mars is generating traffic to the state’s workforce website.

The focus is a video about Mars. The final graphic reads: “South Dakota. Plenty of jobs. Plenty of air.” Officials say it’s a light-hearted approach to getting young people interested in moving to South Dakota, using the trending topic of colonizing Mars.

It’s been lampooned by late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon. But the Argus Leader reports that since May 1, the state’s workforce website has been visited more than 15,000 times.

Many visitors are from North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Governor’s Office of Economic Development Marketing Director Mary Lehecka Nelson says officials are pleased with the results.

ANTELOPE LICENSES

More antelope licenses to be issued in South Dakota for 2015

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota wildlife officials will make available more antelope hunting licenses this year than in 2014.

The Capital Journal reports that the Game, Fish and Parks Commission has decided on a total of 2,495 tags – an increase of 9 percent over last year.

Antelope numbers in South Dakota have been declining since 2009 due to a string of three severe winters, but Big Game Biologist Andy Lindbloom says the drop-off has stabilized. Hunter success last year was 66 percent, compared with 48 percent in 2013.

Biologists are still trying to determine why antelope populations haven’t rebounded with the last few mild winters. Lindbloom is working with South Dakota State University on projects aimed at getting a better understanding of the antelope population.