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sent to the University of North Texas for identification using DNA testing.
• Attorney General Marty Jackley said a mechanical test showing that the 1960 Studebaker was in third gear -- the highest -- points away from foul play, but investigators will weigh other evidence before drawing a conclusion.
• ___
• Pine Ridge legalizes alcohol
• Members of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation narrowly voted in August to end prohibition and sell alcohol on the tribal land.
• The ban had been in place for most of the reservation's 124-year history, with supporters arguing that legalization would only exacerbate the impoverished tribe's problems with domestic abuse, suicide, infant mortality, unemployment and violent crime.
• But opponents noted that liquor stores in Whiteclay, Neb., a speck of a town along the reservation's border, sell millions of cans a beer a year.
• Under the law, the tribe will own and operate stores on the reservation, and profits will be used for education and detoxification and treatment centers, for which there is currently little to no funding.
• Federal law bans the sale of alcohol on Native American reservations unless the tribal council allows it. Pine Ridge legalized alcohol for two months in 1970s, but the ban was quickly restored. An attempt to lift prohibition in 2004 also failed.
• ___
• Pheasant population
• South Dakota wildlife officials in August said a tally of young pheasants across the state indicated that bird numbers are down 64 percent from 2012. The tumble was blamed on months of persistent drought in 2012, a cold and wet spring in 2013, and less bird habitat.
• Conservation groups such as Pheasants Forever used the data to urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill and strengthen conservation policies.
• The drop also has been felt by hunters this season.
• Gov. Dennis Daugaard in December announced the formation of a task force to find a balance between modern agricultural practices and wildlife-oriented land conservation. He made the announcement during his first-ever Pheasant Habitat Summit in Huron.
• ___
• Economic development
• South Dakota lawmakers passed a bipartisan economic development plan in March that is intended to help recruit projects to the state.
• Legislators pledged $7 million to kick-start the funding. But the program, called

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