9 Broadcaster Press July 28, 2015 www.broadcasteronline.com High Temps MASABA Celebrates SD Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of & Two Years Injury-Free Americans With Disabilities Act PIERRE, S.D. – Sunday marks the 25th anlist of some of South Dakota’s ADA anniverHumidity In week in regards to workplace safety. On July 9th, the MASABA employees reached a major milestone last niversary of the Americans with Disabilities sary events.) Act (ADA). Celebrations of the signing of the “With all the events custom manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment Mid-Summer successfully completed its second straight year without a ADA by President George H.W. Bush on July place throughoutcelebratoryit’s cleartaking the state, South 26, 1990, are taking place across the nation Dakota’s communities are making great loss time accident. “We’ve always held employee safety as Climate the highest priority at MASABA. We want every MASABA andGov. Dennis Daugaard proclaimed July strides to realizeAct,”dreamstatethe Americans South Dakota. the of with Disabilities said Department team member to go home at night, and I’m extremely proud of Human Services Secretary Gloria Pearson, of them for this accomplishment,” MASABA President, Jerad 26, 2015, as “Americans with Disabilities Act Outlook Higman, commented. Day.” He highlighted the significance of the who spoke at the July 13 event in Sioux Falls. BROOKINGS – Higher temperatures and humidities across eastern South Dakota produced heat indexes reaching the 100 to 110-degree range throughout the first few weeks of July. “Fortunately, the occurrences did not extend for several days, which would have had larger potential impacts on people as well as livestock in the state,” said Dennis Todey, South Dakota State Climatologist & SDSU Extension Climate Specialist. Todey says some summerlike conditions may remain in the state according to the July 16, 2015 long range climate outlooks released by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Although temperatures are predicted to be cooler than average in states south of South Dakota, our state has about equal chances of being cooler or warmer than average,” Todey said. “This is a slight shift away from previous outlooks which had South Dakota in the cooler than average outlook.” However, he added that the current climate outlook remains consistent with nearer term computer models which have been staying a bit warmer during July. “Through the middle of the month, most of the state is still below average for July temperatures,” Todey said. What The Outlook Means For Crops? He added that unless conditions turn very warm soon, the overall impact on crops may be minimal to slightly positive. “Most of the corn in South Dakota is reaching its reproductive phase, which is the part of the growing season where the most yield can be lost more quickly if conditions are too hot and/ or dry,” explained Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension Climate Field Specialist. “Overall temperatures have been warm, but not too high to accumulate much stress.” According the latest USDA-NASS reports, corn is slightly behind in development. Edwards said the additional heat will help move crop development along a little more quickly. “The precipitation outlook has also shifted from wetter to equal chances of below and above average for most of the state. The better chance for wetter conditions is along the Nebraska border and to the south of us,” she said. She adds that current precipitation totals are generally OK to wet across the state; with the exception of a few locations in eastern South Dakota which continue to be slightly dry. “The heat and limited soil moisture could start causing some issues in these mostly isolated areas,” Edwards said. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map reflects this issue with continued pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions in a couple areas of eastern South Dakota. El Nino Is Still A Player Looking ahead to the fall and winter, El Nino is still a player in the outlooks. “The current outlooks very much reflect El Nino conditions,” Todey said. “Winter continues to have a good likelihood of being above average in temperature for South Dakota and surrounding areas.” Edwards added that El Nino could create a small potential for harvest issues because a wet fall is more likely. “With crops developing at a reasonable rate, this is not a major concern right now,” she said. “Development and harvest should not be impacted greatly. But this should be monitored for changes for potential crop drying and harvesting issues.” To learn more, visit iGrow.org. Legislative Report From Senator Arthur Rusch Representing District 17 (Clay & Turner Counties) SENATOR ART RUSCH The 2015 session of the South Dakota Legislature concluded on March 30, 2015, but there have been numerous events since which have kept legislators busy. The Republican members of the Senate caucused in Pierre to select new leadership due to the resignations of Senator Tim Rave of Baltic, who had been the Republican Majority Leader, and Senator Dan Lederman of Dakota Dunes, who had been the Assistant Majority Leader. At the caucus, Senator Cory Brown of Gettysburg, who had been the President Pro Tem of the Senate, resigned from that position and was selected as the new Republican Majority Leader and Senator Jim White of Huron , was selected as the new Assistant Majority Leader. Senator Gary Cammack of Union Center was elected as the new President Pro Tem of the Senate. The President Pro Tem of the Senate presides over the Senate in the absence of the normal presiding officer, who is Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels. During the session, I served as a member of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. At the end of May the members of the Senate and House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees took a two day bus tour through Northeastern South Dakota to view some of the agricultural practices in that part of the state as well as some of the activities of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Game Fish and Parks. Among the things that we toured or viewed during those two days were some of the Game Fish and Parks CREP acreages (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) and conservation practices of the 2015 Leopold Conservation Award winner. Also on the first day we toured the Brown County Landfill, the Blue Dog State Fish Hatchery and one of the Alban Dairy facilities. The second day of the tour we viewed the AgFirst Grain and Agronomy facility at Aurora and the SDSU Dairy Plant and Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab at Brookings. The Disease Research lab was particularly interesting because of the work they are doing on the bird flu that has devastated the poultry industry in some areas. That day we also saw the Brookings Wastewater Treatment Plant and a site where the Game Fish and Parks is working with local landowners to prevent goose depredations in their fields. We also toured Lake Thompson and viewed some of the areas where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working with the South Dakota Wildland Fire Agency with prescribed burns to improve the health of the prairie. I have also been appointed as a member of the South Dakota Code Commission which is responsible for keeping our State Codified Laws up to date and make sure that all new laws enacted by the legislature are placed in the proper part of the codified laws. The South Dakota Codified Laws consist of 62 sections of laws printed in 40 volumes including the indexes. The Code Commission met in Rapid City in June and renewed our contract with West Publishing Company to continue printing the South Dakota code, approved the renumbering of the code sections dealing with evidence and decided which volumes of the code should be reprinted in their entirety this year. USD Receives $1.1 Million Grant VERMILLION, S.D. –- The University of South Dakota received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Education Department to support low-income, first-generation and students with disabilities with academic need. The TRIO Student Support Services Program grant will help USD provide a variety of resources and services to 140 students each year over the the next five years, including: free tutoring, personal and career counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment programs, financial and economic literacy, and financial aid and scholarship assistance. “The goal of the program is to increase recruitment, retention and graduation of qualified students,” said Kimberly Grieve, vice president of student services and dean of students. Grieve and Michael Suing, who works in student services, prepared the grant proposal that received a rare perfect score. Applications for Fall 2015 classes will be taken in the next couple of weeks. YOUR RADIATOR HEADQUARTERS! anniversary by celebrating “the contributions Americans with disabilities have made to our state” and the intent to “rededicate ourselves to empowering every individual with equal access and equal opportunity.” (Visit dhs.sd.gov to view Executive Proclamation online.) The city of Sioux Falls hosted a celebration July 13, and other cities across South Dakota are hosting their own events through the end of the month, including Aberdeen, Brookings and Rapid City, to name just some. Celebrations will include everything from public mayoral proclamations and ice cream socials to medical equipment drives and picnics. (Visit dhs.sd.gov to access an online “The state continues to develop and promote the equal opportunity, independence and full participation of people with disabilities in our neighborhoods, communities and society.” The ADA and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age and religion. The ADA and ADAAA also assure equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities for access to businesses, employment, transportation, state and local government programs and services, and telecommunications. GEN: South Dakota Launches FeaRed Marketing Campaign VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota’s athletic marketing department is pleased to announce the 2015-16 FeaRed campaign. The campaign will guide the department’s visual message across multiple platforms for the 2015-16 school year. “FeaRed is the result of a process that began in March as a portion of a larger marketing plan,” said Joe Thuente, South Dakota’s director of marketing and promotions. “Our mission was to establish a theme that would allow us to brand all 17 of our athletics programs together as one department. We worked with Alison Buckman from University Marketing and Creative Services to develop mock ups and ultimately design the FeaRed logo.” The FeaRed campaign will provided a consistent branded message across the entire athletic department. The intent of the campaign is to build brand awareness while increasing ticket sales and fan interest. The theme will be carried across multiple platforms including posters, advertisements, game programs, media guides and social media content. The theme is also part of a larger effort to enhance the game day atmosphere for Coyote fans. Fans will be able to join the conversation by using the #FeaRed hashtag across social media platforms. Additionally, fan photos shared on Twitter or Instagram using #FeaRed have a chance to appear on the “Coyotes on Instagram” page in football and basketball programs. Stay tuned to official South Dakota Coyotes social media accounts on Thursday and Friday for the release of fall sports posters. Striving To Achieve A Broad, Stable Tax Base BY GOV. DENNIS DAUGAARD: On June 30th, South Dakota state government closed the books on the 2015 budget year. For the fourth year in a row, the state general fund budget ended with a surplus, with both higher revenues and lower expenditures than budgeted. I have made it a priority to balance our budget each year with emphasis on conservative revenue projections. Other states often use rosy revenue numbers, debt or budget gimmicks to appear balanced, but South Dakota balances its budget honestly. Our largest revenue source is our sales and use tax. Unfortunately, some sales made to South Dakota residents are able escape the sales tax. This creates inequity, and is unfair to retailers in our state who must compete at a disadvantage. Currently, only businesses with a “substantial nexus” or physical presence in South Dakota must collect sales tax on goods purchased online. Out-of-state Get your ad in the.. retailers, who are not physically located in South Dakota, have no such obligation. The current system doesn’t make sense, and it even discriminates among online purchases. If you buy a new iPod at your local retailer, you pay the sales tax. If you buy it online at BestBuy.com or WalMart.com, you pay the sales tax, because those businesses have retail operations in South Dakota. But if you buy your iPod from Amazon.com, you don’t pay sales tax – simply because Amazon has no warehouse or other physical location in South Dakota. If South Dakota retailers have to pay sales taxes, their competitors online should as well. This is not imposing a new tax. It is asking online retailers to pay the tax that is already legally due on these sales. Several pieces of legislation awaiting action or planned for introduction in Congress attempt to address this disparity. Consumers already owe sales and use tax on the goods they purchase. The legislation simply provides states the authority to enforce existing state and local sales and use tax laws and eliminates the competitive advantage enjoyed by remote retailers at the expense of local businesses. I am thankful for the South Dakota congressional delegation’s attention to this issue. Senator Thune, Senator Rounds and Congresswoman Noem understand that a good tax system does not give an unfair advantage to some. Whether by adding online retailers to the tax rolls, encouraging business growth or getting the unemployed back to work, we should strive to achieve a broad, stable tax base. Online shopping has given every South Dakotan access to more goods and services than ever before, if they are willing to pay for shipping. There is nothing wrong with this. We should not, however, disadvantage our local retailers or our state budget by allowing outof-state online businesses to avoid paying sales tax. Streamlined legislation is crucial, if we want to allow South Dakota’s main street businesses to remain viable and competitive. Romsdahl’s Repair & Remodel Classifieds Today! CALL: 624-4429 or FAX: 624-2696 EMAIL: classifieds@plaintalk.net ONLINE: BroadcasterOnline.com DROP BY: 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion Carpentry, Interior & Exterior, Painting, Refinishing, Drywall, & Ceramic Tile Free Estimates 605-670-2161 17th Annual Antique & Muscle Tractor • Great Parts • Great Warranty On-Hand & In-Stock! NO WAITING! 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