(Continued from page 25)

typically would be, Calhoun said. And because of earlier concerns about the river's passability, the Cargill arm loaded some northbound barges to only an 8-foot draft, knowing that for every foot of reduced draft 200 fewer tons -- or 13 percent -- gets shipped.
• Cargo Carriers also declined other business and cleared out some equipment north of St. Louis, fearing a river closure would trap those assets, Calhoun said.
• "The good news is that it hasn't gotten as bad," Calhoun said.
• At AEP River Operations, many of the company's 3,100 barges and roughly 100 towboats were parked while the river was falling, said Marty Hettel, senior manager of bulk sales. But the corps' work at Thebes -- and more-promising river gauge forecasts -- prompted AEP to press idled vessels into action, giving the company as much as 350,000 tons of capacity in the next couple weeks.
• Still, "it's a hold-your-breath moment," said Lynn Muench of the American Waterways Operators trade group. "We're not out of the woods."
•

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The South Dakota Supreme Court says a Rapid City man sentenced to life in prison for raping a minor is entitled to additional proceedings in circuit court to determine if he was properly convicted.
• John Rolfe was convicted in 2011 on three counts of first-degree rape and 12 counts of possession of child pornography. Circuit Judge Thomas Trimble sentenced Rolfe to three life sentences for rape and 120 years for possessing child pornography.
• Trimble closed Rolfe's trial to the public when the child victim testified.
• The Supreme Court says Trimble must make specific findings on whether the courtroom should have been closed. If the judge finds the closure was justified, he can enter a new judgment of conviction. If the trial was improperly closed, Rolfe would get a new trial.
•

• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota man accused of running a prostitution ring has pleaded guilty to charges.
• Thirty-six-year-old Jeramy Caron, of Summerset, was charged with promoting prostitution and pimping in Pennington County two years ago. He was accused of bringing women from several states to work as prostitutes in Rapid City hotels.

(Continued on page 27)