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250,000 times during normal and higher-water years, but only about 100,000 to 150,000 times during low-water years.
• When the water level is low, pushing water downstream could be catastrophic to upstream fishing and recreation industries that rely upon the Missouri. It also could mean more costs to the state, which would once again have to make renovations to infrastructure along the river so people can access it while its level dips ever lower.
• South Dakota's tourism and fishing industry is so vital to our economy. We do not pretend to know the economic importance of Mississippi River shipping, but we do know that its survival should not come at South Dakotans' expense.
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Red Cloud Indian School wins Lakota Language Bowl
• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- Students from a school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have won this year's Language Bowl that is part of the Lakota Nation Invitational.
• The students from the Red Cloud Indian School beat out the other teams to win the bowl, which focuses on the use of the Lakota language.
• Topics covered during the bowl included the environment, ceremonial terms, biology and sentence structures.
• Team member Savannah Jensen says all the students are interested in the Lakota culture and the language. She says her teacher encourages the students to use the language outside of the classroom.
• The Lakota Nation Invitational is in its 36th year in Rapid City. The event brings together students from predominantly Native American schools to compete in basketball, wrestling, language and knowledge competitions.
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Midwest, Plains bankers see rural economy growing
• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Rising commodity prices and lower energy costs are boosting rural business in Midwestern states and the northern Plains, according to the newest monthly survey of small-town bankers.
• The Rural Mainstreet Index released Thursday climbed in December, the fourth straight month of growth.
• "This is the healthiest reading that we have recorded since well before the national economic recession began," said Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha who oversees the survey.
• The index ranges from 0 to 100, with 50 representing "growth neutral." It's based on a survey of rural bankers in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mis (Continued on page 21)
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