Wednesday,  Dec. 11, 2013 • Vol. 16--No. 148 • 13 of 33

News from the

SD DOT releases traveler app for iPhones

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The South Dakota Transportation Department has released a traveler information app for smartphones using the iPhone operating system. An app for Android phones was released earlier this year.
• "The South Dakota 511 mobile application is one more way to help South Dakotans travel safely," Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist said in a statement. "Travelers' safety is our greatest concern, especially during the holiday season."
• The 511 app provides the same information as the Transportation Department's SafeTravelUSA website, but in a format compatible with cellphones. Current information on road conditions, highway closures, travel advisories and construction projects is available for all interstates and all U.S. and state highways in South Dakota.
• As users move through the highway network, the app displays their location on the state map. The map also shows the location of Transportation Department roadside cameras and enables users to view images from more than 50 locations throughout South Dakota.
• The app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes store by searching for SDDOT 511 or by directly accessing the app at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sddot-511/id740828340?ls=1&mt=8 .
• The Android app can be downloaded from Google at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.meridian.metsdot .

Spearfish annexation rejected in public vote

• SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) -- Voters in the Spearfish area have rejected the proposed annexation to the city of about a square mile of land in Spearfish Valley.
• About 55 percent of the 1,225 people who voted Tuesday opposed the annexation of 635 acres.
• City officials who pushed the annexation said residents in city limits pay to provide emergency services in the outlying area when Lawrence County officials can't respond.
• Opponents of the proposal said they didn't ask for city services and didn't want them. They collected referral petition signatures to force the public vote.

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