WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it expects to award a discretionary grant for the restoration, rehabilitation and improvement of wildlife habitat in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The award ceiling for this funding opportunity is $10 million. The agency said the grant was associated with a) education and b) natural resources. The funding is open to state governments.   more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Midwest Regional Information Office issued the following news release: South Dakota's only large county, Minnehaha, reported employment growth of 1.2 percent from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that in June 2  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis issued the following news release: State personal income increased 3.8 percent at an annual rate in the third quarter of 2019, a deceleration from the 4.4 percent increase in the second quarter, according to estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (table 1). The percent change in personal income across all states ranged from 15.2 percent in South Dakota to 1.9 percent in West Virginia and Wyoming.  more

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, Dec. 17 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: South Dakotans are putting low-interest disaster loans to good use in their recovery from September's severe storms, tornadoes and flooding. These federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are being used to: * Make home repairs not covered by insurance; * Replace clothing, appliances, vehicles and other personal  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release: The National Transportation Safety Board (http://www.ntsb.gov/) issued its preliminary report Tuesday for its investigation of the Nov. 30, 2019, crash of a Pilatus PC12 in Chamberlain, South Dakota, which killed the pilot and eight passengers and injured three others. The airplane was registered to Conrad & Bischoff, Inc., and operated by the pilot as a personal flight from Chamberlain Municipal  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued the following news: President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint a new expert member to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). He intends to nominate Jay D. Vogt, South Dakota State Historic Preservation Officer, to replace Expert Member Dorothy Lippert. The White House made the announcement (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-ap  more

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, Dec. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: If you received a letter from FEMA saying you are not eligible for federal disaster assistance, you may wonder what happened. The letter will explain why the decision was made. Missing documentation and not enough damage to essential living space are among the most common reasons one can initially be found ineligible. Examples of missing docume  more