(Continued from page 26)

• State Deputy Agriculture Secretary Trudy Wastweet said her agency supports the bill because it protects the livestock industry. South Dakota has 1.2 million hogs, 275,000 sheep and 3.8 million cattle, she said.
• "Farmers and ranchers focus every day on providing the best care for their livestock, not just because it's good business, but because it's the right thing to do," Wastweet said.
• Shari Crouch Kosel, of South Dakotans Fighting Animal Cruelty Together, a 3,000-member organization that has pressed for a felony animal cruelty law, said more than 40 people from within the state had a hand in writing the bill.
• "This bill is good for South Dakota because it is a South Dakota bill," she said.
• Anita Lee, of Hereford, was the only person to testify against the bill in Tuesday's hearing. She said elevating abuse of an animal to a felony could have severe impacts on convicts, including a loss of the right to vote or the loss of a professional license.
• Lee suggested that the bill be delayed a year while its possible affects are studied.
• But lawmakers and other said all felony convictions carry consequences, and most rights are restored after a convict completes a sentence.
• Officials representing a range of agricultural associations testified in support of the bill.
•

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Changes in the Missouri River levels caused by cold temperatures have forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase the amount of water being released out of Gavins Point dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border.
• The Corps says the dam has been releasing 16,000 cubic feet per second. The target winter release is 12,000 cubic feet per second.
• The Corps adjusts the amount of water released from dams along the river in response to conditions.
• The Corps says it expects to bring down the amount to less than 13,000 cubic feet per second in the next two weeks as milder temperatures move through the region.
• Last year, releases were limited because the Corps was conserving water as the region recovered from drought. That affected barge traffic along the river.
•

(Continued on page 28)