SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, Feb. 27 -- Avera Health, an integrated health system, issued the following news: Five Avera hospitals earned spots in a list of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States. The Chartis Center for Rural Health evaluates hospital nationwide. The five Avera facilities include: * Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell, S.D. * Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, S.D. * Avera St. Luke's Hospital, Aberdeen, S.D. * Avera St. Mary's Hospital, Pierre, S  more

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota, Feb. 27 -- Avera Health, an integrated health system, issued the following news: Five Avera hospitals were listed among the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States. The Chartis Center for Rural Health evaluates hospitals nationwide. The Avera facilities include: * Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital, Miller, S.D. * Milbank Area Hospital Avera, Milbank, S.D. * Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital Rock Rapids, Iowa * Floyd Valley Healthcare, Le Mars, Iowa   more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 27 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on Feb. 26: Governor Kristi Noem announced that Jeffrey Clines will join her cabinet as Commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT). The appointment will be effective April 6. "Staying on top of our technological needs is so important in today's environment," said Noem. "Jeff's diverse background will position him well to lead BIT in a way that ensures we are attracti  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 25 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: Governor Kristi Noem signed the following pieces of legislation: * HB1020 - An Act to revise certain provisions regarding the use of exemption certificates. * HB1024 - An Act to make an appropriation for the payment of extraordinary litigation expenses and to declare an emergency. * HB1027 - An Act to make an appropriation from the coordinated natural resources conservation fund to the State  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 26 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on Feb. 25: Governor Kristi Noem signed legislation to change the names of South Dakota's four postsecondary technical institutes to better align the schools with other institutes around the nation. HB 1083 renames technical institutes to technical colleges. "South Dakota's technical programs produce top-quality graduates for South Dakota's workforce and help ensure our businesses have the lead  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 28 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on Feb. 27: Governor Kristi Noem signed legislation to better protect and help victims of human trafficking in South Dakota. "People are not for sale in South Dakota," said Noem. "For years, I've worked to build systems that protect our state from the horrors of human trafficking, and this bill takes another step in the right direction. I'm grateful for the overwhelming bipartisan support we re  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 27 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on Feb. 26: Governor Kristi Noem signed legislation to protect South Dakota's public waters and prevent the spread of invasive species. HB1033 works to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) by requiring the inspection and decontamination of boats. "Each year, thousands of South Dakotans and tourists enjoy the beauty and peace of South Dakota's lakes and rivers. It's a major econo  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 28 -- The South Dakota Department of Transportation issued the following news release: The South Dakota Transportation Commission awarded 27 Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Replacement Bridge Improvement Grants (BIG) totaling approximately $14 million to local governments at their meeting in Pierre. Grant recipients are: Aurora County, Beadle County (2), City of Belle Fourche, Bon Homme County, Brookings County, Butte County (3), Davison County, Day County, Hamlin   more

PIERRE, South Dakota, Feb. 28 -- The South Dakota Department of Transportation issued the following news release: South Dakota Department of Transportation officials say the reconstruction of Highway 52 from Tabor to Springfield will be delayed from a 2020 construction year to 2021. The delay is due to the Highway 37 shoulder widening project north of Springfield that was unable to be finished in 2019 due to wet weather and will be completed in 2020. Highway 37 will be the main detour route d  more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, Feb. 26 -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: Two South Dakota State University mechanical engineering professors are part of an international team of scientists and engineers working to uncover details about how the universe was formed. Associate professors Stephen Gent and Greg Michna are using SDSU's high-performance computing cluster to predict how argon circulates within the particle detectors to be constructed 1 mile beneath the earth's surf  more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, Feb. 28 -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: South Dakota State University researchers, graduate students and SDSU Extension experts from the Department of Animal Science and Department of Dairy and Food Science will present a variety of research results at the joint meetings of the American Society of Animal Science Midwest Section and the American Dairy Science Association Midwest Branch in Omaha, Neb., from March 2-4, 2020. "We are very proud   more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, Feb. 26 [TNSmedicalresearch] -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: Older adults on a diet designed to help patients with high blood pressure reaped benefits beyond those anticipated by South Dakota State University researchers. Assistant professor Cydne Perry of the Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences sought to evaluate whether adults age 65 and older on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, or DASH, with a prescribed protein  more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, Feb. 26 -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: South Dakota State University Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Mary Kay Helling was named one of 25 semifinalists for the Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award. The award was announced Sunday at the 39th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience in Washington, D.C. The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition recognizes individuals on the nation's   more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, Feb. 26 -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: South Dakota State University undergraduate students will tell legislators about landscape architecture and food science research at the Student Poster Session March 4 in Pierre. Junior Anthony Miller of Dell Rapids and senior Gabriel Heller of Aberdeen will explain how their landscape designs integrate green infrastructure, such as rain gardens, retention ponds and swales, to help manage stormwater ru  more

VERMILLION, South Dakota, Feb. 26 -- The University of South Dakota issued the following news on Feb. 24: Across rural communities in the United States and in the state of South Dakota, citizens do not always have access to convenient health care. Nationally, 20 percent of the population resides in rural areas, and only nine percent of physicians do. South Dakota proactively faced this challenge by expanding slots at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and creating the Fro  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 29 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: Scott C. Breuninger, Ph.D., has been named dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College effective July 1. Breuninger currently serves as director of the University Honors Program and associate professor of history at the University of South Dakota. "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Breuninger to VCU," said Gail Hackett, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at VCU.   more