• CONDE, S.D. (AP) -- Authorities are investigating the cause of a weekend house fire in the northeastern South Dakota town of Conde that killed a woman and injured a man.
• No foul play is suspected. The 41-year-old woman and 50-year-old man were not immediately identified. The man was flown to a Minneapolis burn hospital.
• The Spink County Sheriff's Office says the fire broke out about 5 a.m. Sunday, and the house was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.
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• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A monthly economic index for nine Midwestern and Plains states has dropped slightly but still suggests growth over the next three to six months.
• The overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index fell to 57.4 in February from 57.7 in January.
• Looking six months ahead, the business confidence portion of the overall index also dropped last month. It hit a still strong 59.7 in February, compared with 62.2 in January.
• The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline.
• The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota legislative panel is holding a hearing on a measure that would expand the state's domestic abuse laws to cover dating couples who don't live together.
• Current state law defines domestic abuse as harm or the fear of harm committed by family or household members against spouses, former spouses, some relatives, people who live in the same household or people who have a child together.
• The House Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would broaden cover

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