• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A monthly economic index for nine Midwestern and Plains states hit a three-year high in April, suggesting more economic growth over the next three to six months.
• A report issued Thursday says the overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index rose to 60.4 from 58.2 in March.
• Looking six months ahead, the business confidence portion of the overall index jumped to 64.2 in April from 59.0 in March.
• The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline.
• The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has declared May "Beef Month." The tradition extends back 40 years.
• This year's "Beef Month" draws special attention to West River ranchers who lost cattle in a blizzard last October. An estimated 43,000 cattle and other livestock in the state died in that storm.
• Daugaard says the blizzard has revealed ranchers' resilience. He says the state looks forward to their ongoing recovery.
• The month historically recognizes the overall importance of the beef industry to the state.
• South Dakota is sixth in the nation for cattle and calf production.
• Cattle outnumber humans in the state by more than four to one.
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• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- A western South Dakota man who pleaded guilty in a methamphetamine distribution case has been sentence to 10 years in prison.
• U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson says 23-year-old Wilber Sinai Valdovinos-Gil will also spend five years on supervised release.

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