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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Sioux Falls police are looking for a soda machine thief.
• Authorities say numerous machines have been pried open and stolen from over the past couple of months.
• The total losses from damage and theft is around $20,000.
• The most recent crime happened Saturday when a man pried the bill acceptor from a soda machine outside Fast Car Wash. Police released a surveillance image of the suspect.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. would be allowed to raise rates for its natural gas customers in the Black Hills while cutting charges for its customers in eastern South Dakota, according to a proposed settlement reached by the company and the state Public Utilities Commission's staff.
• The PUC's commissioners were scheduled to meet Tuesday to decide whether to accept the settlement reached between its staff and Bismarck, N.D.-based MDU.
• The settlement consolidates MDU's customers in the Black Hills and eastern South Dakota into one rate jurisdiction. The agreement would mean MDU's customers overall would pay about 2 percent more, less than the company's original proposed increase of 3.3 percent.
• The company's 47,600 residential customers in the Black Hills area would pay about 4.3 percent more, while its 7,200 customers in eastern South Dakota would pay about 4.1 percent less.
• MDU originally wanted to boost residential rates by 6.3 percent in the Black Hills and cut rates by 2.8 percent in eastern South Dakota.
• MDU had raised rates on an interim basis on July 22. Because the settlement would authorize a rate increase on Dec. 1 that's less than the interim rates, a refund plan would be developed after approval of the settlement.
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