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• "We're hoping this Senate language stays in, otherwise residents in some areas could start essentially being taxed for their own water," Noem said.
• The water provision was included in the Senate version of a larger water projects bill. Negotiations over how to blend House and Senate versions of the bill are ongoing, though lawmakers say they are optimistic an agreement can be reached by the end of the year or early 2014.
• The House passed its version of the water projects bill in October, with a rough cost of $8 billion according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The Senate passed its version, at about $12 billion, according to the CBO, in May.
• Other elements of the bill could also affect South Dakota.
• Noem said she will press lawmakers to retain language from the House bill that would require the Corps to provide more notification to residents in the event it decides it needs to release water to prevent more significant flooding.
• Noem said that one of the biggest complaints she heard two years ago, when the Missouri River flooded, was that residents only had a few days notice ahead of Corps plans to do controlled flooding.
• Congressional leaders, including Rep. Bill Shuster, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, traveled to South Dakota to see the impact of the Corps' decision and held a hearing in South Dakota, Noem said.
• "Chairman Shuster totally understands why that language needs to be included," Noem said. "That's one of those instances where having people there to see the consequences will impact them."
• Other elements of the water projects bill could affect South Dakota in the future. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill would speed the Corps' environmental review process. That would allow many projects to move forward more quickly.
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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A Sioux Falls man has been convicted on federal sex trafficking charges involving homeless teen girls.
• A jury late Thursday found 45-year-old Mohammed Alaboudi guilty on four counts, including one charge of sex trafficking of a child. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
• Federal authorities say the victims were two underage girls and two women. Alaboudi would offer drugs and alcohol to the victims to break down their inhibitions and create dependency on him.

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