Thursday,  May 17, 2012 • Vol. 12--No. 308 • 50 of 60 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 49)

busses.
• She said the bus system is especially helpful for older residents, who account for about one-third of the adult passengers.
• "I think it has just showed them they have independence," she said, noting that buses are wheelchair-accessible and drivers will pick up the disabled at their home.
• "It's like curb side pickup without the curb," she said

SD awarded grant but will wait on exchange

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota has been awarded a $5.9 million federal grant to continue research into the possibility of a state-run health insurance exchange.
• But Gov. Dennis Daugaard says the state will continue to wait for the outcome of the lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul before deciding whether to pursue a state-run exchange.
• The state applied for the United States Department of Health and Human Services grant in March 2012.
• South Dakota has not decided whether to pursue a state-run health insurance exchange.
• Daugaard says receiving the grant does not change its plans.
• The governor says the best case for South Dakota would be if the Supreme Court overturns the bill in its entirety. He says if that doesn't happen.

SD winter wheat production forecast down

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota's winter wheat production is forecast to be down 14 percent from last year.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its May Crop Report that the forecast for 2012 is 57.2 million bushels, down from 66.8 bushels in 2011.
• The 2012 winter wheat yield is forecast at 44 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from last year.
• But harvested acreage is estimated at 1.3 million acres, down 290,000 acres from 2011. And planted acreage at 1.35 million acres is down 18 percent from the previous year.
• Across the country, winter wheat production is forecast at 1.69 billion bushels, up 13 percent from 2011.
• Quarterly milk production in South Dakota totaled 492 million pounds, up 7 per

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