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as necessary."
• Propane shortages began late last year due to supply disruptions and a late harvest. The problem has been exacerbated by recent cold weather across much of the nation, which has increased demand and driven up prices.
• As of midday Wednesday, fewer than two dozen people had come to the two reservation shelters, but Archambault and Tribal Emergency Management Director Elliott Ward fear the problem could worsen.
• "Many families don't have enough resources to heat their homes when propane costs rise above $3.50" a gallon, Archambault said, adding that the price has been about $4. "When the price of propane reaches $6 there's going to be a dire need -- life or death."
• Both states have been experiencing overnight low temperatures below zero in recent days, though the forecast heading into the weekend calls for overnight lows near the border in the single digits above zero.
• A tribal program that helps low-income people heat their homes has only $1 million available this winter, down from $2.5 million last winter because of federal budget cuts. The tribe will be seeking help from the state and federal governments, Archambault said.
• "We're in dire straits here. We're in need of assistance," he said. "If there's any way we could get some, that would be a blessing."
• U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said in statements that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is allowing truck drivers who transport propane in the region to work longer hours, to help alleviate the shortage. Governors in both Dakotas issued state-specific waivers earlier this month.
• Archambault and Kuecker said no one on the Standing Rock reservation has reported any medical problems due to a lack of heat, and Kuecker said none of the other three American Indian reservations in the Rapid City chapter's territory has reported any problems due to the propane shortage.
•

• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- The Pennington County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a 65-year-old Rapid City man who died when his vehicle crashed through the ice on a stock dam near the airport.
• Milton Stromer was pulled from the water Tuesday afternoon and taken to a Rapid City hospital where he was pronounced dead.
• An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death.

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