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On election day a sign, with a minimum size of eleven inches by seventeen inches, shall be conspicuously displayed outside of the entrance to any building in which a polling place is located to clearly identify the building as a polling place.
Ohio's population grew by 183,000 people over the last decade to 11.5 million, but it wasn't enough to keep up with fast-growing states in the South.
Ohio has 18 congressional districts that now will drop to 16.
...In November, Democrats lost five out of 10 U.S. House seats they currently hold in Ohio. The remaining five are tightly packed into an area that stretches from Toledo through Cleveland and into Youngstown.
...Among the Ohio Democrats in Congress who could face losing their districts are Cleveland's Dennis Kucinich and Betty Sutton, who represents Lorain and Elyria, plus suburban Cleveland and the Akron area.
Both are in areas that have lost population in the last decade ["Ohio Loses 2 Seats in Congress, Sutton and Kucinich May Go," AP via Morning Journal, 2010.12.21].
Small but deadly: Senate Bill 3 would ban use of the state seal in political campaign literature.Nothing in this Act prohibits the reproduction of the state seal for illustrative purposes by the news media if the reproduction by the news media is incidental to the publication or the broadcast. Nothing in this Act prohibits a characterization of the state seal from being used in political cartoons.
| Date | Event | Location | Time |
| 12/20 | Middle School band/choir concert | High School Auditorium | 7:00 p.m. |
| 12/21 | Boys basketball | Cafeteria | 4:45 p.m. |
| 1/7 | Girls basketball | Cafeteria | 4:45 p.m. |
| 1/10 | Boys basketball | DSU Fieldhouse | 4:45 p.m. |
| 1/12 | Open voting | Elementary Commons | 12:45 p.m. |
| 1/13 | Girls basketball | DSU Fieldhouse | 5:00 p.m. |
| 1/15 | Gymnastics | Cafeteria | Noon |
| 1/17 | Forum | Cafeteria | 7:00 p.m. after Forum |
| 1/18 | Open voting | Elementary Commons | 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. |
| 1/20 | Boys basketball | DSU Fieldhouse | 5:00 p.m. |
| 1/21 | Wrestling (Madison Square Garden) | Cafeteria | 6:00 p.m. |
| 1/25 | Forum | Cafeteria | 7:00 p.m. after Forum |
Yes | 73 (44%) |
No | 74 (45%) |
Still thinking | 16 (9%) |
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed NextGen Project Near Selby, Walworth County, SD (DOE/EIS-0401)
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western Area Power Administration (Western) is issuing this notice to advise the public that it is cancelling the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on an interconnection request by the Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC). BEPC proposed to design, construct, operate, and maintain a 500- to 700-megawatt base load, coal-fired generation facility near Selby, Walworth County, South Dakota, and interconnect it with Western's transmission system, thus triggering a NEPA review of Western's action to allow the interconnection. BEPC has notified Western it is suspending further action on its proposed project [Timothy J. Meeks, Administrator, FR Doc. 2010-32121 Filed 12-21-10; 8:45 am, BILLING CODE 6450-01-P].
Recent headlines here in Madison and in Minnesota highlight our two states’ sharply contrasting value systems. Here in South Dakota, our leaders are telling us we’ll have to cut ecucation funding to balance the budget! There in Minnesota, the finally-elected new governor, a multi-millionaire heir of the Dayton fortune, is acting like a statesman with “noblesse oblige!”
Rather than slashing education and vital services, he’s calling on his own class of affluent “winners” to come up with more income tax to patch their budget holes. How could sister states be so different? Could be a matter of their preferring a number one quality of life where it’s worth the trade-offs: more taxes for better wages, better infrastructure, and no taxes on food, clothing, auctions, and building contracts.
National government publications are rich with “best practices” from other states. As legislators, we brought home numerous “success stories” from meetings all over the country. One of the best that could save us millions is as close as North Dakota! They’ve been doing “electronic monitoring” and intensive probation for quite a few years. Results? 1000 fewer in prison than here, and a ten percent recividism compared with some fifty percent in most states.
Most of our leaders in Pierre know this, so it’s puzzling as to why we don’t adopt this successful approach. Do South Dakotans really believe that converting colleges to prisons has been a better strategy? Do tax-fearing voters really prefer to balance the budget on the backs of our kids?
—Gerald Lange, December 2010
Yeah, Ed, I'm talking to you. If you're done destroying your employees' morale, fix my #*¢$!^& phone!Dear Public Utilities Commission:
I regret that I must trouble you again. However, Qwest has failed to fulfill its statement that the problem of the phantom rings on my phone had been addressed by a repair test at the beginning of November. Ten minutes ago, at about 12:26 a.m. our corded phone emitted yet another phantom half-ring.
The problem now is not so much the annoyance as Qwest's consistent failure, over multiple years, to fulfill a simple request to remove the annoyance. I will contact the Qwest technician spoke with me and left a number on November 4. If there is any attention you can direct toward this matter (again), I will appreciate said assistance. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Cory Allen Heidelberger
Veblen East Dairy
Veblen West Dairy102. Veblen East Dairy is an 8,176 head dairy facility that consists of six total confinement barns and eight manure storage basins. Veblen West Dairy, previously known as MCC Dairy, is a 5,500 head dairy facility that consists of five total confinement barns and five manure storage basins. Rick Millner is the managing partner for the entity that owns both facilities. On October 23, 2009, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (South Dakota DENR) issued a Notice of Violation, Order, and Settlement Agreement.
103. On July 10, 2008, the South Dakota DENR inspected both Veblen East and Veblen West Dairies. During the inspection, it was noted that the basins at Veblen West were at their maximum operating level, and the basins at Veblen East were below the maximum operating level. On July 18, 2008, the South Dakota DENR approved the transfer of ten million gallons of manure from Veblen West to Veblen East. This manure was to be land applied in the fall of 2008 prior to soil freeze, and the South Dakota DENR was to be notified when this was complete. A notification was not received.
104. In April 2009, the South Dakota DENR received notification from the facilities that the basins at both Veblen East and Veblen West Dairies were above the maximum operating level and into the freeboard of the basins. This was confirmed during a May 6, 2009, site inspection by the South Dakota DENR. On May 20, 2009, Rick Millner contacted the South Dakota DENR to inform them that high winds were causing manure spray to blow over the berms of the north basins and that a line of straw bales was erected to keep the spray from leaving the basins. Various correspondence and inspections in the months of June, July, and August indicated that the basins at both Veblen East and Veblen West were above the maximum operating levels and into the freeboard.
105. The Order, issued October 23, 2009, and amended in March 2010, required both dairies to complete a number of requirements, summarized below, to bring the facilities back into compliance:106. On November 17, 2009, the South Dakota DENR performed inspections of Veblen East and Veblen West and also conducted water sampling within the Little Minnesota River (headwaters of the Minnesota River) at areas were there was evidence that discharges had occurred from both dairies. The discharge from Veblen East appeared to reach an unnamed wetland; water sampling confirmed that manure did indeed reach this wetland. Neither of the dairies reported the discharges to the South Dakota DENR as required.
- As soon as possible, remove a sufficient amount of manure to return them to compliance with the freeboard requirements. The Order went on to require the removal of manure from all basins to have no more than one foot of residual material remaining by November 1, 2009. The lowering of the liquid levels in the basins at Veblen West did not happen until December 7, 2009. This lowering of the levels was not sufficient to comply with the October 23, 2009, Order (no more than one foot of manure) but was sufficient to bring the basins back into compliance with the freeboard requirements. Similarly, the lowering of the liquid levels in the basins at Veblen East did not happen until November 23, 2009. This lowering of the levels was not sufficient to comply with the October 23, 2009, Order (no more than one foot of manure) but was sufficient to bring the basins back into compliance with the freeboard requirements.
- Submit calculations and schedules that demonstrated that the remaining storage capacity within the basins at each facility, after the fall of 2009 pump-down, was sufficient to provide 270 days worth of storage. Sufficient calculations and schedules were never received by the South Dakota DENR. Consequently, the South Dakota DENR concluded that the volume remaining after the fall of 2009 pump-down was not sufficient to provide 270 days of storage.
- By November 1, 2009, submit an emergency response plan for each of the facilities to identify procedures to be followed in the event of a spill or release. The South Dakota DENR did receive a plan, but it was not sufficient to comply with the specific requirements of the Order. The South Dakota DENR has not yet received sufficient plans.
- Submit a design report that uses actual water usage and system operation for each facility to assess if the manure management system capacity meets the requirements of the South Dakota General NPDES Permit (270 days of storage). The South Dakota DENR has not received an adequate report to address this issue.
107. Inspections on November 17, 2009, and January 8, 2010, at both facilities revealed that depth markers (designed to clearly identify the maximum operating levels of the ponds) were missing or were broken off.
108. Inspections on July 10, 2008, and January 12, 2010, at Veblen West and December 7, 2009, and January 8, 2010, at Veblen East noted stockpiles of used sand and manure solids in areas not authorized by the permits for the facilities.
109. Inspections on January 8, 2010, and January 12, 2010, at Veblen West and January 8, 2010, at Veblen East indicated that manure application had taken place to fields not identified within the approved manure management plans for the dairies. Also, both dairies had insufficient records of land application dating back to 2008 and including all of 2009.
110. The MPCA has also received complaints about and photos of these facilities, specifically regarding the lack of freeboard, potential for overflow, and pollution resulting from improper land application of manure. The MPCA has received these complaints as the facilities sit at the head of the watershed of Big Stone Lake, located at the border of Minnesota (Big Stone County) and South Dakota.
[Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, In the Matter of the Request for Denial of Contested Case Hearing Requests and Denial of Reissuance of NPDES/SDS Permit No. MN0068594 for The Dairy Dozen – Thief River Falls, LLP (Doing Business As: Excel Dairy) Concentrated Animal Feedlot Facility, Excel Township,Marshall County, Minnesota, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order, 2010.12.14]
Discover the Unexpected™: Lake County bucked the statewide trend and landed in the lowest national quintile for compensation growth. Statewide, average compensation per job increased 1.3%, from $32,702 to $33,136. Total compensation statewide went down 0.7%. But in Lake County, the average wage decreased 1.8%, from $28,993 to $28,466. Total compensation in Lake County dropped 6.6%.
Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, patriotic champion of 9/11 first responders... unlike Senator John Thune.Fifty-seven Democrats voted for the bill and 41 Republicans opposed it. Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, switched his vote to 'no' at the last moment, a parliamentary move that allows him to bring the measure up again for a vote ["9/11 health 'Zadroga bill' fails in Senate test vote," AP via SILive.com, 2010.12.09].
I'm a 40 year old retired cop from the First Pct. in lower manhattan. I was there the morning of 9/11 and worked over 2,100 hours in the pit the months that followed. My breathing ailments are too long to get into and I understand I will be heavily medicated for whatever time I have left. I'm writing this and urging passage of this bill for my kids sake. (Ages 8 & 6)What's done is done but at least give me the peace of mind of knowing they will be taken care of. Ret. PO Dave Smith.
I am one of the forgotten rescue workers who spent weeks and months in the "pit". I do not seek glory or a pat on the back for what I did. I live with the choices I made. I wouldn't change a thing except I hate to see my family watch me deteriorate. I can't do things I used to, I have no energy, I can't breathe, I can't sleep. I am waiting for the inevitable and it sucks. I never smoked and now I am on all kinds of respiratory meds and a machine at night. Please pass this bill, I am not the only one in this position. Passage will help the people and families of those who dedicated their time and for some, their lives, to help others in need. God Bless America!
"I can tell you, whoever votes against 9/11 responders a couple of days before Christmas is truly un-American," said John Feal, a former New York Police Department supervisor who lost a foot when a steel beam fell on it during in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center and who launched the non-profit Feal Good Foundation to lobby on behalf of first responders [Laura Mascaro and Tina Susman, "GOP under Pressure for Opposition to 9-11 Responders Bill," Los Angeles Times, 2010.12.20].
Request to extend City Community Development loan on the Heartland Tech Center between the LAIC and the City of Madison.
Current SituationRequest of new terms
- 3% interest only has been paid to City for 5 years
- LAIC has paid the City approximately $41,700 in interest payments
- Principal amount is $287,500 -- no payments on principal have been paid
To date nearly 60 jobs have been created at the Heartland Technology Center. The initial intent was to build a spec building that would create jobs and bring a new company to the community utilizing DSU students.
- Would like to extend the loan for 15 year term w/10 year balloon
- Principal amount would be for $280,000
- 4% interest
- Monthly payments of approximately $2,100
- New payment schedule to begin on January 15 2011 as a ACH into City account.
The facility mission was reestablished and it became an incubator for new entrepreneurs and businesses. InfoTech, Logic Lizard, SBS, CAHIT, and the 2010 Research Center are a few of the businesses that have been housed at the facility.
In January of 2011 SBS will be graduating from the incubator and moving into a new facility, Washington Plaza II, and creating 40 new positions over the next several years. We are currently working on an expansion of one of the new tenants to take the existing space.
The mission of the incubator is to provide affordable space for a business to grow and mature. That has been accomplished and continues to work as designed.
The LAIC makes this request on behalf of job growth and job sustainability for Madison.
This strikes me as a very bad argument. There are all kinds of reasons why one solider might be disinclined to trust another. He's Irish, or a Democrat. She's a privileged White girl, or a Red Sox fan. It is one of the jobs of soldiers, sailors, marines, etc., to judge their fellows by their competence and loyalty and nothing else. We expect our armed forces to do their job in harm's way, which means in the face of a kind of fear that us civilians can scarcely imagine. Compared to that, nervousness about a fellow warrior's sexual orientation seems like pretty small potatoes [Ken Blanchard, "It's Time to Dump DADT," South Dakota Politics, 2010.12.18].
For some, the news was bittersweet. That was the case for a 28-year-old West Point Army captain who resigned from active duty this spring after wrestling for years with deprivation, loneliness and half-truths. His boyfriend was sitting next to him.
"Oh God, oh God," the decorated captain, who served two tours in Iraq, said by phone from Dallas as the vote neared. "My heart was thumping."
Text messages began pouring in as soon as the tally was announced.
"So when are you back on active duty?" wrote a straight intelligence officer who served with him in Iraq in 2009.
"LOL. I dunno," the captain responded.
"Let me know so I can get stationed there," the intelligence officer wrote back. "I work with a lot of morons. It'd be nice to have a battle [buddy] with some common sense and discipline again" [Ernesto Londono, "Gay Troops Cautiously Optimistic Following 'Don't Ask' Repeal," Washington Post, 2010.12.19].
Once in Washington, Noem says she hopes to serve on the agriculture committee.
"But then we'll go on from there. Maybe commerce; energy will be extremely important. We'll see what we can do and we'll be on the one that's best for South Dakota," Noem said [Shawn Neisteadt, "Noem Reflects on Campaign, Looks Forward," KELOLand.com, 2010.11.03].
| South Dakota Labor Stats, 2002-2010 | ||||
| Area | Jobs Gained | Job Gain % | Workers Gained | Worker Gain % |
| Statewide | 17470 | 4.3% | 24315 | 5.8% |
| Statewide Seasonal | 18220 | 4.5% | 24480 | 5.8% |
| Aberdeen MiSA | 1080 | 5.0% | 1215 | 5.5% |
| Brookings MiSA | 1495 | 8.8% | 1735 | 10.0% |
| Dewey-Ziebach LMA | 45 | 1.4% | 160 | 4.6% |
| Huron MiSA | 600 | 6.8% | 630 | 7.0% |
| Mitchell MiSA | 265 | 2.1% | 405 | 3.2% |
| Pierre MiSA | 820 | 7.2% | 930 | 8.0% |
| Rapid City MSA | 2220 | 3.6% | 3415 | 5.4% |
| Sioux Falls MSA | 9540 | 8.4% | 12115 | 10.5% |
| Spearfish MiSA | 1115 | 9.3% | 1300 | 10.5% |
| Vermillion MiSA | 470 | 6.8% | 530 | 7.4% |
| Watertown MiSA | 220 | 1.2% | 420 | 2.3% |
| Yankton MiSA | -85 | -0.8% | 75 | 0.6% |
| Counties | ||||
| Aurora | 95 | 6.6% | 120 | 8.1% |
| Beadle | 600 | 6.8% | 630 | 7.0% |
| Bennett | -35 | -2.6% | -15 | -1.1% |
| Bon Homme | -335 | -10.2% | -300 | -8.9% |
| Brookings | 1495 | 8.8% | 1735 | 10.0% |
| Brown | 1095 | 5.6% | 1225 | 6.1% |
| Brule | -15 | -0.5% | 15 | 0.5% |
| Buffalo | -50 | -10.1% | -20 | -3.7% |
| Butte | 310 | 6.3% | 385 | 7.6% |
| Campbell | -85 | -9.2% | -90 | -9.4% |
| Charles Mix | -200 | -4.7% | -135 | -3.1% |
| Clark | 0 | 0.0% | -20 | -1.1% |
| Clay | 470 | 6.8% | 530 | 7.4% |
| Codington | 205 | 1.4% | 370 | 2.4% |
| Corson | -10 | -0.7% | 10 | 0.7% |
| Custer | 390 | 8.9% | 460 | 10.2% |
| Davison | 140 | 1.3% | 270 | 2.5% |
| Day | -245 | -8.3% | -200 | -6.6% |
| Deuel | -20 | -0.8% | 25 | 1.0% |
| Dewey | 30 | 1.2% | 155 | 6.1% |
| Douglas | 75 | 4.5% | 90 | 5.2% |
| Edmunds | -15 | -0.7% | -15 | -0.7% |
| Fall River | 70 | 2.0% | 125 | 3.4% |
| Faulk | -30 | -2.6% | -25 | -2.1% |
| Grant | -85 | -2.0% | -25 | -0.6% |
| Gregory | -125 | -5.1% | -110 | -4.3% |
| Haakon | -90 | -7.3% | -85 | -6.8% |
| Hamlin | 15 | 0.5% | 50 | 1.8% |
| Hand | -55 | -2.9% | -60 | -3.0% |
| Hanson | 130 | 7.4% | 135 | 7.5% |
| Harding | 45 | 5.9% | 55 | 7.1% |
| Hughes | 725 | 7.6% | 800 | 8.2% |
| Hutchinson | -25 | -0.7% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Hyde | -35 | -4.5% | -30 | -3.8% |
| Jackson | -5 | -0.4% | 25 | 2.1% |
| Jerauld | 200 | 16.5% | 205 | 16.5% |
| Jones | -40 | -5.4% | -40 | -5.3% |
| Kingsbury | -185 | -6.1% | -140 | -4.5% |
| Lake | -395 | -5.9% | -255 | -3.7% |
| Lawrence | 1115 | 9.3% | 1300 | 10.5% |
| Lincoln | 4780 | 29.7% | 5265 | 32.0% |
| Lyman | -40 | -2.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Marshall | 130 | 6.8% | 155 | 7.9% |
| McCook | -345 | -11.9% | -295 | -9.9% |
| McPherson | -150 | -11.9% | -140 | -10.8% |
| Meade | -570 | -4.6% | -370 | -2.9% |
| Mellette | -20 | -2.2% | -5 | -0.5% |
| Miner | 50 | 4.4% | 70 | 5.9% |
| Minnehaha | 5655 | 6.3% | 7650 | 8.4% |
| Moody | 5 | 0.1% | 110 | 2.9% |
| Pennington | 2790 | 5.6% | 3785 | 7.5% |
| Perkins | -170 | -9.8% | -155 | -8.7% |
| Potter | -65 | -4.7% | -55 | -3.9% |
| Roberts | 335 | 7.5% | 405 | 8.7% |
| Sanborn | -185 | -12.2% | -170 | -10.9% |
| Shannon | -100 | -2.8% | 125 | 3.3% |
| Spink | 160 | 4.9% | 170 | 5.1% |
| Stanley | 95 | 5.3% | 120 | 6.5% |
| Sully | 45 | 4.6% | 55 | 5.6% |
| Todd | 245 | 7.6% | 350 | 10.3% |
| Tripp | -200 | -6.4% | -210 | -6.5% |
| Turner | -550 | -12.1% | -505 | -10.8% |
| Union | 505 | 7.1% | 645 | 8.8% |
| Walworth | 10 | 0.4% | 55 | 2.0% |
| Yankton | -85 | -0.8% | 75 | 0.6% |
| Ziebach | 15 | 1.8% | 0 | 0.0% |
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