• BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- A man accused of killing another man in North Dakota received a bad conduct discharge from the U.S. Army in February.
• Twenty-five-year-old Theo Crowe, of Trenton, is charged with murder in the apparent death of 18-year-old John Swain, who had recently moved from Sioux Falls, S.D., to Bismarck. Swain went missing in mid-May and his body has not been found. Crowe does not yet have an attorney.
• An Army official tells The Bismarck Tribune that Crowe was court-martialed about two years ago at Fort Hood, Texas, on allegations involving theft, drugs and assault.
• Swain's father, David, tells the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls that he and his wife adopted John from Hong Kong when he was 3 years old. He says his son moved to Bismarck to find work.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Officials are investigating the cause of a fire in Pierre that damaged a business and two upstairs apartments.
• Fire Chief Bill Alexander says two people who were in one of the apartments when the blaze started Wednesday evening escaped unharmed.
• The fire started in a cardboard storage area behind Capital Sports and spread to the building. Damage was mostly contained to the building's exterior, though there was smoke damage inside the business and the apartments.
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• LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Great Basin National Park is the latest star in a series of specialty U.S. quarters.
• The back of the quarter features a picture of a bristlecone pine tree emerging from rocky ground, with the name of the park emblazoned above the picture. The coin entered into circulation earlier this month.
• Great Basin is located in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border. It was established in 1986 and draws about 100,000 visitors each year.
• It's known for its ancient forests and prime stargazing conditions.

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