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• The senator also asked that families affected by a wildfire last year be compensated. The April 2013 Pautre Wildfire near the North Dakota-South Dakota border burned 14,000 acres in the two states and caused $10 million of property damage.
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Smoking container sparked Watertown auto body fire
• WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) -- Watertown investigators have concluded that a fire at a business started on the outside of the building near a smoking receptacle for cigarette butts.
• The May 20 blaze destroyed Watertown Ford Chryslers' Auto Body Solutions.
• Investigator Chip Premus told KXLG-FM that this type of fire smolders for a long time before igniting and he recommends using a metal or concrete container, not plastic.
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AP News in Brief
Hagel says China's territorial claims destabilize region; China calls remarks 'groundless'
• SINGAPORE (AP) -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned an international security conference Saturday that the U.S. "will not look the other way" when nations such as China try to restrict navigation or ignore international rules and standards.
• China's territorial claims in the South China Sea are destabilizing the region, and its failure to resolve disputes with other nations threatens East Asia's long-term progress, Hagel said.
• Later, a top Chinese general took issue with Hagel's comments during a brief meeting with the Pentagon chief.
• Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the General Staff, told Hagel, "You were very candid this morning and, to be frank, more than our expectation." He added, "although I do think that those criticisms are groundless, I do appreciate your candor."
• Reporters had to leave the room before Hagel responded. But Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said Hagel told Wang that all regional disputes should be solved through diplomacy, and he encouraged China to foster dialogue with neighboring nations.
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