(Continued from page 18)

• No one wants to watch someone sitting at desk all day, she said. Simonian's production company is looking for anyone who is a "survivalist, ranger, sheriff, cowboy, rancher, hunter or tracker" or who works at any other outdoor-related job. Not all of those are jobs, but we get her point that someone who is not a desk-jockey makes for more interesting television.
• "The Dakotas are hot now. It's kind of like the last great frontier of television that no one has really tackled yet," Simonian told the Journal.
• Simonian said she's looking to cast her show mostly with men from western South Dakota because West River landscapes are "going to look better."
• We've said the same thing about West River for years.
• If Simonian can interest a network in her concept, the show would likely cast four men and be shot as a documentary, following them around in their jobs and lives. "A day-in-the-life kind of situation," she said.
• Other states such as Alaska and Texas have had their star turns. Now it could be South Dakota and its people with its own TV show.
• We're ready for our close-up.
• ___
• The Daily Republic, Mitchell. Dec. 19, 2012
• Missouri River history is repeating
• Funny how history repeats itself, and especially on the Missouri River.
• Just a few years ago, Oahe Dam, near Pierre, was so low that once-useful boat ramps were hundreds of yards from the nearest water.
• Then came 2011, when record flooding nearly sent water over the top of Oahe's huge wall.
• And now, heading into 2013, we're back where we were -- low water levels due to drought conditions.
• The Daily Republic recently published a report that outlined how some governors and members of Congress are pleading with President Obama to issue an emergency declaration that would force the Corps of Engineers to send Missouri River through the dams to aid the Mississippi River shipping industry.
• Federal law does not mandate that the Missouri be managed for the benefit of the Mississippi, so for now, there's not much that can be done. That is, unless Obama buckles to the pressure of those who represent downstream business.
• After the terrible floods of 2011, it seems odd to say this: The water levels of the Oahe Reservoir are too precious to be wasted on downstream interests.
• Fishing use of the Oahe Reservoir corresponds to water levels. According to the state Department of Game, Fish and Parks, anglers visit the river about 200,000 to

(Continued on page 20)