• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota officials say a new initiative is helping people who receive unemployment benefits get back to work more quickly.
• State Labor Secretary Pam Roberts says the new effort began May 1. She says 92 of the 186 people taking part are now in new jobs or are pursuing other opportunities and no longer getting benefit checks.
• The initiative requires all people who receive unemployment benefits for more than 10 weeks to seek one-on-one assistance from a Labor Department office.
• Roberts says department officials help people in the program identify careers in

demand, seek training and apply for appropriate job openings. She says there are more than 11,000 job openings in South Dakota, and the program helps businesses get the skilled workers they need.
•

• MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) -- A Lakota and Anishinabe (Ah-nee-shee-nah-beh) storyteller is presenting a traditional Lakota hoop dance at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Saturday.
• Kevin Locke says his goal of the performance is to raise awareness of the unity human beings have.
• The hoop dance is a tradition among Plains Indians. It's a celebration of the annual rebirth of nature that occurs every spring.
• The hoops represent unity. The four colors of the hoops -- black, red, yellow and white -- represent the four directions, seasons, winds and the four human races. All 28 hoops interlock to form an interdependent sphere.
• Locke's performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Memorial amphitheater.
•