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In the aftermath, he had been wounded at least five different times by fragmentation and concussion grenades in the chest, arms, right calf, knee, right and left thighs.  Eighty-three fragments were later removed.  He never complained and refused medical evacuation until his men were settled into their night defensive positions.  Born on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian reservation in 1917, Woodrow Wilson Keeble joined the North Dakota National Guard in 1942 while the Chicago White Sox were trying to recruit the big athlete.  He served with Company I, 164th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, the first US Army unit on Guadalcanal. They...

MOST of what we know about dinosaurs has been pieced together from fossilised bones and teeth. But the unearthing of a mummified dinosaur in the US, with preserved skin and apparent soft tissue, has the potential to unlock biological secrets millions of years old.The remains of the duck-billed hadrosaur are in such good condition - with its skin almost entirely intact - that it has already revealed the creature ran faster and was far more muscular than previously thought. But the remains could offer an even greater insight into the evolution and biology of dinosaurs. [snip]

Amazing find of dinosaur 'mummy' Scientists now think these dinosaurs were more muscular than previously thought Fossil hunters have uncovered the remains of a dinosaur that has much of its soft tissue still intact. Skin, muscle, tendons and other tissue that rarely survive fossilisation have all been preserved in the specimen unearthed in North Dakota, US. The 67 million-year-old dinosaur is one of the duck-billed hadrosaur group. The preservation allowed scientists to estimate that it was more muscular than thought, perhaps giving it the ability to outrun predators like T. rex. The researchers propose that the dinosaur's rump was 25%...

Maybe the most controversial film heading to this month's Sundance Film Festival concerns the rape of a 12-year-old girl while Elvis Presley is heard singing in the background. "HoundDog," written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier, is already getting more advance attention than "Chapter 27," the film about Mark David Chapman murdering John Lennon. That's because the character played by 12-year-old actress Dakota Fanning, who made her mark six years ago in "I Am Sam," is raped onscreen. Kampmeier doesn't show the actual rape, but it's quite clear, from sources who've seen the film, that as scripted and directed, the scenes...

LONDON (AFP) - Fans have rushed to buy the first "new" Beatles album for a generation -- a radical remixing of some of the group's most famous songs -- more than 35 years after the break-up of the iconic band. "Love", which has the backing of surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, comprises 26 of the Fab Four's hit songs, but many of them mixed together using previously unheard material from the studio. "I hope this will help people to hear Beatles music again," said Giles Martin, son of the group's original producer Sir George Martin who is often...

Child actress Dakota Fanning is set to shock fans in new movie 'Hounddog.' The film features Dakota semi-nude in child rape scenes. The controversial film written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier is a dark and violent story set in American's rural south and the 12-year-old's mother and agent are convinced her gritty performance is Oscar-worthy. Agent Joy Osbrink was quoted in the New York Daily News, "It's not just the rape scene the whole story is challenging Dakota as an actress. And I've never been so proud of her in my life. I've seen the dailies, and in every scene...

MANKATO, Minn. -- More than 20 American Indians rode into downtown Mankato on horseback while dozens more completed a relay run that began at Fort Snelling to commemorate the 144th anniversary of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. On Monday, the riders, who had set out from the Lower Sioux reservation near Morton four days earlier, formed a circle around four drummers on the site of the execution. Tribal leaders delivered a message of hope, The Free Press reported. "This is not about the chaos of a war,'' said Sheldon Peters Wolfchild, chairman of the Lower Sioux Community. "It's...

A North Dakota man is facing stiff penalties after riding around in an electric shopping cart in a grocery store while drunk. Police arrested Clifford Mattson in Devils Lake, N.D., for allegedly operating the Rascal-styled shopping cart around a Leevers grocery store Monday (June 27) while drunk. While the cops couldn't nab him for driving under the influence -- though if it'd been a Zamboni, he'd have been busted (read full story) -- he was slapped with misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct. Police say his shopping-cart swerve-a-thon endangered other shoppers. He faces up to $500 in fines and 30 days...

Dashel is interviewing an author. He is amazinginly DULL. This is the person who perpetrated gridlock the first years of the Bush presidency? The shadow? He is so smaller than life... (and this is Trent Lott's friend.)

As a game of political chicken shapes up between freshman U.S. Sen. John Thune and the White House, the biggest casualty could be President Bush’s agenda. With strong backing from the national GOP and the president, Thune defeated Tom Daschle, the Democrat’s number-one man in the Senate, in a race that saw South Dakota become one of the nation’s most contentious political battlegrounds. Thune and his supporters were able to out Daschle as the liberal obstructionist he really was — as opposed to the moderate he played on the county-fair circuit. Daschle’s charade didn’t always work, but he could at...

It keeps getting messier for "The Insider" host Pat O'Brien. The celeb chronicler checked into rehab Sunday, just as an embarrassing string of dirty voice-mail messages, which expressed a taste for hookers, cocaine and adventurous (if possibly unhygienic) sex, became public. His reps do not deny that O'Brien made the calls. Now sources say O'Brien was reprimanded several times for sexual harassment during his time as co-host of rival show "Access Hollywood." A witness says O'Brien actually licked co-host Nancy O'Dell's face at an "Access Hollywood" Christmas party. At the same event, he was seen groping reporter Shaun Robinson's behind....

PIERRE, S.D. - Gov. Mike Rounds has signed a bill that defines new crimes, repeals antiquated crimes and revises the elements of many existing crimes. The bill was drafted last year by the state Criminal Code Revision Commission, which spent months reviewing hundreds of criminal laws. Legislators made several changes to the measure, but the bulk of it was untouched. It has been three decades since the last major overhaul of the state criminal code. With one exception, the new code will be enacted July 1, 2006. Beginning this July 1, the measure will restore gun rights after one year...

WASHINGTON — When giving thanks this year, think of Lena Woebbecke. She and many others paid a terrible price for misreading the prairie sky on the afternoon of Jan. 12, 1888. That day was unseasonably balmy, by prairie standards — some temperatures were in the 20s — and many children scampered to school without coats or gloves. Then, at about the time schools were adjourning, death, in the shape of a soot-gray cloud, appeared on the horizon of Dakota Territory and Nebraska.

<p>Sen. Tom Daschle made a final pass before tearful supporters Wednesday, thanking them for their help in his unsuccessful re-election campaign and telling them their work is not finished.</p> <p>"This is a difficult morning, and I don't want anybody in this room to feel angry or sad, because all of those challenges that motivated us to do what we wanted to do in elective office are still out there," Daschle told 300 people at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.</p>

Tuesday, the prized U.S. Senate seat wrested away from McGovern by Abdnor in 1980 and regained by Daschle in 1986 passed to Abdnor’s protégé, John Thune. There is some irony in all of this. Abdnor, a common and salt-of-the-earth man who made up in honesty and principle what he lacked in oratory skills, defeated the state’s best known politician and its most famous native son. Now Daschle, minority leader of the Senate and the Democrats’ most powerful member of Congress, has been retired by Abdnor’s disciple, Thune. If there is any poetic justice in this for Abdnor, he’s not admitting...

The first time Craig Nilles voted, he was a high school senior in West Fargo. This year, as a Concordia College student, Nilles says he's casting his ballot in Minnesota, where the race for president is a close one. "In North Dakota, it is going Republican no matter how I vote," Nilles said. "Why not vote where I can make a difference?"

Religion plays prominent role in South Dakota's Senate race PIERRE, S.D. - In political ads that have run on radio and television recently, Eric Kline of Aberdeen has praised Republican Senate candidate John Thune as a person of faith and a "servant leader." The references were intended to let voters know that Thune holds strong religious beliefs, said Kline, a former high school and college basketball star who now is an elementary teacher in Aberdeen. He said the words were his own, not scripted by the campaign. "I feel like I've gotten to know the heart of John, and the...

Those footsteps Sen. Tom Daschle is hearing are from his own record catching up with him. For the first time since he was elected to Congress in 1978, Daschle is facing a candidate who is using his own words and voting record against him. Former Congressman John Thune is doing such a good job of defining - accurately - who Tom Daschle really is, we'll leave that to him... When Daschle became Senate Democratic leader, it wasn't because he promised to become more partisan. He has been one of the most partisan Democrats in Washington for 26 years, but it...

Evangelical vs. Catholic mirrors presidential race A Republican evangelical is highlighting his push to ban gay marriage in the U.S. Constitution in his neck-and-neck race against a Catholic Democrat and former altar boy who has had trouble with bishops due to his position on abortion. Does that sound like the 2004 presidential race? It's also South Dakota's U.S. Senate race. Republican John Thune has put the hot-button cultural issues of gay marriage and abortion in the forefront of his campaign to unseat Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. The noticeable role religion is playing in the Daschle-Thune race is part...

The actions of Daschle's colleagues might reflect their opinion of his chances. Assistant Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been currying favor among his colleagues, contributing $1 million from his own reelection campaign to the NDSC. He has made no secret of his ambition to become Minority Leader if Daschle is not returned to the Senate.

Tom Daschle held an open-door meeting in Wessington Springs on December 10, 1993, where I asked him whether he supports legalized abortion because he doesn't believe a human life begins at conception or because he doesn't believe it's necessarily wrong to kill an innocent human being. He didn't answer the question, but his response insinuated that those who oppose legalized abortion want to punish the mothers. The mother has already lost hundreds of dollars and her child, and she may spend years dealing with the emotional consequences. The people who ought to be punished are the physicians who become millionaires...

GOP wants Daschle-Bush hug pulled By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer Last Updated: Thursday, September 2, 2004 8:14 AM MDT The Republican National Committee doesn't want to see that warm embrace shared by President Bush and Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., eight days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At least they don't want to see it in Daschle's re-election TV ad that went on the air a week ago. An RNC lawyer fired off a "cease and desist" missive to the Daschle campaign Tuesday afternoon. "You are using the picture in a manner that could create the misleading impression...

Daschle, Thune to debate during ‘Meet the Press' Last Updated: Wednesday, August 4, 2004 10:30 PM MDT South Dakota's U.S. Senate race, already topping the national marquees, will get a solid hour of national TV attention on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Sept. 19. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., accepted the invitation on Tuesday. His Republican challenger, former Rep. John Thune, had previously accepted an invitation to two "Meet the Press" debates, one in September and another in October, his campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, said. Daschle campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said the October date offered was the Sunday before the...

Thune narrows fund-raising gap with Daschle Mike Madden Argus Leader published: 07/16/2004 WASHINGTON - Republican John Thune raised more money than Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle in the year's second quarter, narrowing Daschle's financial edge in one of the nation's most closely watched Senate campaigns. Thune raised $3.8 million from April 1 to June 30, while Daschle raised $3.1 million, according to campaign finance records due Thursday to federal officials. Daschle still finished the quarter with more cash in the bank, with $5.5 million. Thune had $3.9 million. Thune's campaign said the second-quarter performance proves the former House member will...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio state representative wants to see President Ronald Reagan's image added to Mount Rushmore. Rep. Ron Young, R-Painesville, introduced a resolution Monday requesting Congress to add the former president's image to the South Dakota landmark. Reagan died Saturday at the age of 93. He was the nation's 40th president, and is credited with putting an end to the Cold War with the Soviet Union. "During the years of President Reagan, America laid to rest an era of division and self-doubt. Because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny," Young...

Report Regarding NRLC Role in Defeat of South Dakota Legislative Effort to Ban Abortion and Challenge Roe v. Wade Wed, Mar 31, 2004 TO: CONCERNED PRO-LIFERS DATE: March 31, 2004 FROM: Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel, Thomas More Law Center RE: REPORT REGARDING THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE’S ROLE IN THE DEFEAT OF SOUTH DAKOTA’S LEGISLATIVE EFFORT TO BAN ABORTION AND CHALLENGE ROE V. WADE INTRODUCTION Over the past week, the Thomas More Law Center has received numerous inquires questioning National Right to Life Committee’s (NRLC) role in the defeat of South Dakota’s House Bill 1191 (HB1191), designed to ban...

<p>PIERRE - An effort to define marriage in South Dakota was defeated in the state Legislature on Monday even though it enjoys the support of four of every five lawmakers.</p> <p>Backers of the proposal hoped to form a bulwark against a recent court decision in Massachusetts and developments in other states that allow gays and lesbians to legally marry. But the language of the 39-word bill, which would make civil unions and domestic partnerships illegal in South Dakota, proved too vague for lawmakers. It was defeated 12-1 by the House State Affairs Committee.</p>

South Dakota issues concealed carry permits which are valid throughout the entire state.  South Dakota also has a statewide preemption law that forbids municipal government from passing their own ordinances.  However, Sioux Falls has passed their own ordinance that violates South Dakota law.=======================================ARTICLE IV. WEAPONS Sec. 26-51. Carrying concealed weapons.      No person shall carry concealed about his person any pistol or other firearm, slingshot, brass knuckle or knuckles of other material, or any sandbag, dagger, Bowie knife, razor, dirk knife, or other dangerous or deadly weapon, or any instrument or device which when used is likely to produce death...

WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- The ethical saga surrounding South Dakota's largest newspaper took another turn away from resolution as spokespersons for Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) ignored calls to clarify the relationship between their boss and the political reporter of the homestate newspaper, the Argus Leader. Calls from Talon News to Steve Hildebrand, manager for Daschle's re-election campaign and Steve Erpenbach, Daschle's State Director were not returned yesterday. A Sioux Falls businessman touched off the controversy last week when he called for the Argus Leader to disclose the relationship between its political reporter David Kranz and Sen. Daschle that...

Conservatives have won the tax cutting argument--can we agree on that? I mean, like the President said, we are no longer asking about WHETHER we're going to have a tax cut...the question is how BIG the tax cut is going to be. Now, from what I understand, there are FOUR RINOs holding up the big tax cut our Commander in Chief wants. Those four RINOs? Lincoln Chaffee, John McCain, Olympia Snowe, and George Voinovich. The focus has been on Snowe and Voinovich, because they are the ones who've said "yes" to at least some of what the President wants. Withouth...

I was reading through the South Dakota Secretary of State website for information about contest between Thune and Johnson, and I came across this gem, when researching the types of recounts and who can request them. (Code Section 12-21-8. ------------------------------------------------- 12-21-8. Precinct recount on petition by voters of precinct. When within ten days after an election any three registered voters of a precinct file with the officer in charge of the election a petition, duly verified by them, setting forth that they believe that the official returns from such precinct as to a specified candidate or as to a specified...

For Immediate Release, 11/1/2002 For More Information, Contact: Brooke Bohnenkamp (605) 773-3215 Arrest Expected in Voter Fraud Investigation (Pierre) – Attorney General Mark Barnett announced today that Becky Red Earth-Villeda, also known as Maka Duta, will be arrested in the ordinary course of events for alleged forgery of absentee ballot applications. “Maka Duta will be arrested in the ordinary course of events,” said Barnett. “No evidence has been obtained that shows she has cast or made an attempt to cast actual ballots.” Maka Duta will be charged in Minnehaha County on multiple counts of forgery. The Division of Criminal Investigation...

<p>Tom Daschle predicted Wednesday (11/6/2002) that Johnson's 500 vote win over Thune will result in a recount.</p>

South Dakota is the only state in the Midwest with more, actually quite a bit more, tourist dollars spent in it by others, than its people spend outside it in other parts of the world. It has many very good and very small and well regarded low cost colleges both public and private. Believe it or not, it passes Mass. as having the highest share in entire USA of out of state college students coming TO it, as opposed to its own students going away. The climate is much less bad, particularly in the western third, and it has the...