PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Construction will begin this fall on an airport terminal at Pierre to replace one that's 50 years old. The $12.7 million project will be mostly paid by the state and federal governments. Pierre's share is just under $2 million.

HURON, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota State Fair opens today in Huron under the theme "From Memories to Milestones." This is the 125th anniversary of the fair. It runs through Monday.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The chief of staff to Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was suspended about three weeks without pay before pleading guilty in a June drunken driving case in Brookings. The revelation about Tessa Gould's case follows last week's reports that Republican House candidate Kristi Noem has had 29 traffic violations since 1989.

(9/01/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Officials from two federal agencies are holding a meeting in Fort Pierre today to seek public comment on President Barack Obama's initiative aimed at finding ways to reconnect people to the outdoors.

Acting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould and Agriculture Department Undersecretary Jay Jensen will take part in the meeting.

(9/01/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota's Health Department is reporting a spike in human cases of West Nile virus. Nine people are infected with the mosquito-borne virus. The state had 17 human cases all of last year.

(09/01/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre is displaying a collection of 16 hats of all shapes and varieties. They range from a pheasant-feathered women's hat from the 1950s to an Air Force flak helmet from the Vietnam War.

(8/31/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The state Board of Pardons and Paroles is one of four paroling agencies nationwide chosen as a Learning Site the National Parole Resource Center. The South Dakota board will receive technical assistance from the national group that it can use when deciding whether to award or revoke parole, as well as help in supervising parolees.

(8/31/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Democratic Party has created a Web site dedicated to Republican congressional candidate Kristi Noem's poor driving record. She's previously said that she's not proud of her driving record and was disheartened that it was diverting the discussion away from other issues.

(8/31/10) SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Recent hot, dry weather has South Dakota farmers worried about the condition of many of their crops. The Agriculture Department in its weekly crop and weather report says 17 weather stations across the state reported no precipitation, and another 16 reported less than one-tenth of an inch of rain.

(8/31/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Six properties in South Dakota have been added to the National Register of Historic Places because of their age and historic significance. They range from a 99-year-old barn near Baltic to the old Rapid City High School.

(8/30/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A Mexican man suspected in the killing of a South Dakota teenager is due in court today for a change-of-plea hearing. Alexander Salgado previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death last November of 16-year-old Jasmine Guevara, whose body was found in the trunk of a burned car near Mitchell.

(8/30/10) SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The director of the U.S. Geological Survey will be in Sioux Falls this week to visit the EROS Data Center. Earlier Wednesday, Marcia McNutt and Sen. Tim Johnson will be in Brookings for a round-table discussion on South Dakota State University's partnership with EROS, which is the main federal repository for satellite images.

(8/30/10) PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A program designed to help Native American and other underrepresented K-12 students in their transition to post-secondary education has been renewed. The South Dakota College Access Challenge program will provide $1.5 million annually for the next five years to inform students and families about post-high school opportunities.

(8/30/10) HURON, S.D. (AP) - Residents who need to renew their driver's licenses will be able to do so at the South Dakota State Fair. The booth in the Expo Building also will have information on the additional documents required by federal law to obtain or renew a license.