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clinics have to charge insured patients more to offset losses in charity care.
• "Their health care costs will be paid somewhere, and it will be paid out of South Dakotans' pockets," said Sen. Stan Adelstein, R-Rapid City.
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• ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- A judge has dismissed the remaining charges against two Aberdeen residents on trial in an alleged witness-tampering case because of a lack of evidence.
• The American News reports Judge Gene Paul Kean dismissed witness tampering and perjury-related charges filed against former Brown County prosecutor Brandon Taliaferro and Shirley Schwab, a former court advocate for juveniles and families on Thursday. Both charges were felonies.
• The two were accused in a case in which prosecutors say a sexual abuse victim was influenced to give false testimony.
• The judge had earlier dismissed misdemeanor charges in the case.
• Lawyers for Taliaferro and Schwab called the charges a "tragedy" and a "travesty of justice."
• Prosecutor Mike Moore tells KOKK he was disappointed and while he respected the judge's ruling, he disagreed with it.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota health official says nine people have died as a result of the flu so far this year.
• State Epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger says this year's flu activity is occurring earlier and at higher levels than in the past.
• All of the people who died from the flu were over the age of 75.
• The state has reported that 135 people have been hospitalized with the flu so far. There have been 469 confirmed cases in the state.
• Kightlinger says it's not too late to get a flu shot.
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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota man has pleaded guilty to hitting and running over a person several times with his car.
• U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson announced Thursday that 27-year-old Ryan Wright pleaded guilty to a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

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