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• Member governors unanimously selected Sandoval Wednesday, the last day of a three-day annual conference in Colorado Springs. The conference has included discussions on dealing with wildfires, drought, and energy development in the West.
• Sandoval had been serving as co-chair of the group. He is replacing Colorado Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper as chair.
• Oregon Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber will be co-chair of the group.
• Ten Western governors attended the conference.
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USD to break ground for new sports facilities
• VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) -- The University of South Dakota is preparing to start work on a $66 million project that includes a new arena.
• The school has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for Tuesday afternoon, south of the DakotaDome. Construction work is to start in earnest in late July, athletic director David Herbster told the Argus Leader newspaper (http://argusne.ws/1n5YAOb ).
• The heart of the project is a 6,000-seat arena for basketball and volleyball. It will be connected to the DakotaDome by a science, health and research lab that will include classrooms, clinical areas, office space and a weight room. An outdoor soccer and track facility also is planned.
• The state Board of Regents approved the project late last year. It should wrap up before the start of the 2016-17 academic year.
• "The key is that we're going to have the track completed in 2015, before the Summit League outdoor meet we're hosting in 2016," Herbster said. "And we're going to have the arena operational before the 2016 school year. That's on a standard timeline. If we get good weather, they could both be done sooner than that."
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Senators want bison declared national mammal
DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Senators from the Dakotas are among those making another attempt to have the bison declared the national mammal, citing the animal's historical significance and importance to Native Americans.
• South Dakota's Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson said the goal is to recognize its cultural, ecological and economic impact.
• "The bison has played an important role in our nation's history, holds spiritual significance to Native American cultures, and remains one of our most iconic and en (Continued on page 20)
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