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floods, in addition to drought, can stop river traffic.
• Locks and dams built along the upper Mississippi River starting in the 1930s have helped balance the ups and downs of the waterway. Also, the corps spends months each year dredging the river bottom, adding depth so barges don't scrape. Dredging in the middle-Mississippi began a month early, in July, because of the drought, said Mike Petersen of the corps office in St. Louis.
• The corps also plans to use explosives to remove two rock formations on the river bottom in southern Illinois that can impede barges during low-water periods, though that work isn't expected to start until February.
• Trade groups for river interests are asking Barack Obama's administration for a presidential declaration that would force the corps to maintain the existing Missouri River flow and expedite removal of the rock formations.
• Without a presidential declaration, Farhat said there's little the corps can do given the congressional mandate to work on behalf of the Missouri River basin.
• "Basically we have a manual and we're required to follow it," Farhat said. "And there's nothing in that manual that talks about providing support to the Mississippi River."
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Police seeking man who robbed Sioux Falls casino
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Police are looking for a man who robbed a Sioux Falls casino early Saturday.
• The suspect was described as a man dressed entirely in black. He was carrying a pistol.
• Police say he took money from the casino and ran away.
• No injuries were reported.
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Burros sold with bison at auction in western SD
• CUSTER, S.D. (AP) -- Pregnant heifers and breeding bulls aren't the only animals for sale at western South Dakota's Custer State Park. Seventeen burros also are up for bidding Saturday during the annual buffalo auction.
• The park's donkeys, which aren't native, were once used for rides to the top of Harney Peak. That stopped decades ago, and the burros were released into the park.
• Visitors Services Coordinator Craig Pugsley says the donkeys quickly became popular with park-goers. He says they're Custer's second-most beloved animals, af (Continued on page 22)
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