Fire officials say icy roads slowed response time
COLUMBIA, S.D. (AP) – Fire officials in Columbia say icy roads hampered efforts to reach a house fire. Officials say the Saturday afternoon blaze destroyed the Shad Albrecht residence in Columbia, north of Aberdeen. Columbia Fire Chief Corey Mitchell says that no injuries were reported, although two adults and at least one child were home when the fire broke out. Mitchell says the icy roads made it difficult for firefighters to reach the home before significant damage occurred, and high winds caused the fire to spread rapidly. It took firefighters about four hours to put out the fire.
Rapid City mayor announced re-election with rally
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – Rapid City Mayor Sam Kooiker picked his 39th birthday to start his next campaign. Kooiker announced his bid for re-election Saturday with a small rally near Halley Park. He and family members held up campaign signs and waved to passing motorists. Kooiker was first elected to city council in 2002. He ran for mayor in 2007, but lost in a runoff to Alan Hanks. Kooiker defeated Hanks in 2011. Kooiker says his goals for the next two years are improving infrastructure, economic development and streamlining city government.
New Ellsworth Air Force Base leader set to start
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – A new commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota is expected to take over next month. Colonel Kevin Kennedy, the director of the Air Force Strategic Studies Group at the Pentagon, will succeed Colonel Mark Weatherington in the job. Weatherington has served for two years as commander of the 28th Bomb Wing. Kennedy has worked in the Air Force as a B-1 instructor pilot, squadron weapons officer and weapons school instructor. He has 3,200 in the B-1 and T-38 jets. Before attaining his post in the pentagon, Kennedy served as 28th Bomb Wing Chief of Safety, 34th Bomb Squadron Commander, and 28th Operations Group Deputy Commander. Base officials would not talk about Weatherington’s next assignment.
Gun show vendors capitalize on demand for bullets
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Firearms dealers at a South Dakota gun show say hunters are bursting for bullets. This weekend’s Sioux Falls show is the fifth of 11 events scheduled by the Dakota Territory Gun Collectors Association this year in both Dakotas. Vendors say they’re cashing in on the demand for ammunition. Tom Raines, president of the South Dakota Shooting Sports Association, says people tend to hoard when they expect a shortage of something. Raines says he doesn’t believe it’s a real crisis, but “an emotional sort of thing.” Gun dealer Vic Carter, of Castlewood, says ammunition factory representatives have told him to expect shortages to continue for at least six months. Carter says people are buying bullets no matter what the price.
Authorities say SD prison inmate dies in custody
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota correction officials say a man serving time for possession of child pornography has died in the state prison. Authorities say 48-year-old Jon Kendall of Aberdeen died Saturday night. Kendall pleaded guilty in Brown County to three counts of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced in December to five years in prison. State officials say they are investigating Kendall’s death, which is standard procedure when an inmate dies while in custody.
South Dakota ranks 12th in personal income
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota ranks 12th in the nation for personal income. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says that South Dakota’s personal income from 2000 to 2011 grew by 82.5 percent. This is greater than the national growth rate of 51. 4 percent. Since 2000, South Dakota’s per capita personal income has increased by 67.4 percent. The state’s per capita personal income in 2011 was $44,217. State Labor and Regulation Secretary Pam Roberts says South Dakota ranked 36th in 2009 in the midst of the recession. She says that the state has improved dramatically in a few years.