Wednesday,  April 23, 2014 • Vol. 16--No. 279 • 29 of 38

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• Nealy all of South Dakota's winter wheat crop is rated either fair, good or excellent.

SD deputy called hero after lake rescue

• VOLGA, S.D. (AP) -- A Hamlin County deputy came to the rescue when a father and son fell into Lake Poinsett while trying to retrieve a football.
• Dan Overbo and his 9-year-old son fell into the freezing water Monday morning when their canoe tipped about 60 yards from shore.
• "It was so incredibly cold," Overbo said. "The ice just came off (the lake)."
• Overbo got his son into the canoe and tried to push the waterlogged boat to shore but wasn't making much progress.
• "I was yelling for help and I asked my wife, 'Am I making any ground?'" Overbo said.
• A neighbor heard the calls for help and alerted Deputy Jon Barthel, who lives near the Overbos' lake home. Barthel ran to the scene, jumped into the water and pulled the father and son to shore.
• "He just didn't think twice about it -- he came flying in the water, came right out to us and pulled us, really, to safety," said Overbo, who lives in Volga.
• Overbo and his son spent about 20 minutes in the water. They were checked out at a Watertown hospital and released.
• "In my eyes, (Barthel) is a true hero and really a blessing," Overbo said.
• Barthel said he was just doing his job.
• "We need to show people that we will always be there for them, no matter what the situation," he said.

Rapid City Council OKs texting-while-driving ban

• RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- The Rapid City Council has approved a ban on texting while driving that is stricter than state law.
• Under the state ban approved by the Legislature this year, drivers can be ticketed for texting violations only if they are stopped for another traffic offense. In Rapid City, police officers can pull a motorist over simply for texting while driving.
• The city law was approved Monday night and will go into effect in mid-May. The statewide ban goes into effect July 1. The fine for a violation is the same for both -- $100.

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