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• Ecklund said the presence of immigrants illegally in the country is a failure of the federal government that South Dakota has to deal with.
• "These people are here," Ecklund said. "They're already being born here."
•

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A South Dakota panel has adjusted and passed a measure to ban sex-selective abortions.
• The Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 5-2 to advance the measure. The bill passed the House two weeks ago.
• The bill would make abortions based on the fetus' gender illegal. Physicians who perform such an abortion could be charged with a felony.
• Supporters of the measure say it sends a clear signal that "all life is sacred," regardless of gender. They add that with new gender-testing technology it's important to put these safeguards in place.
• Opponents say the bill has an inherent bias against Asian-American women and would be hard to enforce. They say it's difficult to oppose, because the concept of sex-selective abortions is abhorrent.
• It goes next to the Senate floor.
•

• PHOENIX (AP) -- Anna Johnson, an award-winning journalist with extensive experience working in the U.S. and the Middle East, has been named The Associated Press' deputy editor for the U.S. West, overseeing coverage from 13 states.
• The appointment was announced Wednesday by West Editor Traci Carl.
• Johnson was a reporter and editor based in Cairo from 2006 to 2009. There, she traveled throughout the region to cover Iran's 2009 presidential elections, the Iraq war, Egyptian archaeology and Dubai's economic boom, among other stories.
• "Anna is a talented journalist, skilled manager and natural leader who inspires staff to do high-level journalism," Carl said. "We are thrilled she is joining us in Phoenix."
• In 2009, Johnson moved to Chicago to be the assistant editor on the AP's Central editing desk. She directed a team of about a dozen editors and led coverage in multiple formats for 14 states. She was also part of the team that received the 2011 Associated Press Managing Editors' Deadline reporting award for coverage of the Joplin tornado and the 2010 APME Deadline Reporting award for coverage of the 2009 Fort Hood, Texas, shooting.

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