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500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD57501
(605) 773-3212
MEDIA ADVISORY: Thursday, July 5, 2007
CONTACT: Mitch Krebs or Roxy Everson at 605-773-3212
News Tips for the week of July 9, 2007
PIERRE, S.D. – The following are news tips from offices and agencies within South Dakota State Government:
Saturday, July 7, National Guard Armory, Lemmon, 1 p.m. (MDT) - 854th Quartermaster Company Inactivation Ceremony - Brig. Gen. Keith W. Corbett, assistant adjutant general, will speak at the official inactivation ceremony of the 854th Quartermaster Company at the National Guard Armory in Lemmon. The unit that will replace the quartermaster unit will be Detachment 3, 842nd Engineer Company. This change in force structure is part of the Army National Guard's efforts to move forward in its transformation to a more modular force structure that provides more capabilities to the state in times of emergency, and to the active component in times of conflict. The public is encouraged to attend. For more information, please contact Maj. Orson Ward at (605) 737-6721, cell (605) 431-8753, or Staff Sgt. Pat Froelich at (605) 374-5261.
Sunday, July 8, National Guard Armory, YoungCenter, Spearfish, 3 p.m. (MDT) -842nd Engineer Company Change of Command Ceremony- Capt. Dana Limbo, Sturgis, the commander of the 842nd Engineer Company, will transfer command of the South Dakota Army National Guard engineer unit to Capt. Steven Polzen, Rapid City, during a change of command ceremony on the lawn in front of the armory located at the Donald E. Young Sports & Fitness Center in Spearfish. The 842nd is currently headquartered in Spearfish with detachments in Sturgis, Belle Fourche and Lemmon with approximately 160 assigned personnel. The mission of the 842nd is to provide support with manned horizontal engineer construction equipment. For more information please contact Maj. Orson Ward at (605) 737-6721, cell (605) 431-8753 or Sgt. 1st Class David Burr at (605) 642-6121.
Monday-Friday, July 9-13, Ellsworth Air force Base and Rapid City Civic Center, Rapid City - Weapons of Mass Destruction training exercise - The South Dakota National Guard and three other civil support teams will conduct a joint training exercise at Ellsworth AFB and the Rapid City Civic Center in order to improve the response time and actions taken in the event of a terrorist attack involving the release of a weapon of mass destruction. The South Dakota National Guard's 82nd Civil Support Team, based in Rapid City, and three other civil support teams from North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana will participate in a joint exercise involving a simulated terrorists attack centered on the release of an "unknown" chemical or biological agent. The goal of the exercise is to improve the individual response skills of the participants and increase the participating units' ability to rapidly respond and coordinate efforts to provide support to local and federal emergency management agencies during a crisis situation. For more information please contact Maj. Orson Ward at (605) 737-6721, cell (605) 431-8753, Sgt. 1st Class Don Matthews at (605) 737-6234, cell (605) 431-8521, or Ellsworth Air Force Base Public Affairs at (605) 385-5056.
Monday, July 9, Pierre, 4 p.m. (CDT) – The Department of Labor’s Cosmetology Commission will be holding a meeting at 111 East Capitol. To view the meeting agenda, visit: http://www.state.sd.us/dol/boards/cos/calendar.htm. For more information, call 773-6193.
Tuesday, July 10, Pierre, 8 a.m. (CDT) – The Department of Labor’s Electrical Commission will be holding a meeting at the Ramkota River Centre, located at 920 West Sioux Avenue. To view the meeting agenda, visit: http://www.state.sd.us/dol/Boards/electrical/about_commission.htm. For more information, call 773-3573.
Tuesday, July 10, Sioux Falls, 10 a.m. (CDT) – The Department of Labor’s Board of Accountancy will be holding a meeting by conference call. To view the meeting agenda, visit: http://www.state.sd.us/dol/Boards/accountancy/meetings_and_agendas.htm. To find conference call locations, please visit: http://www.state.sd.us/dol/Boards/accountancy/boardmtg.htm. For more information, call 367-5770.
Tuesday, July 10, Ft. Pierre, 5 p.m. (CDT) – Gov. Mike Rounds, Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) John Paul Woodley and Great Plains Tribal Leaders will hold a joint media briefing at the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Place located at 709 West Fort Chouteau Road (along North Highway 1806). The media briefing will summarize discussions which occurred during the day when the Great Plaines Tribal Leadership, representatives of the Missouri Basin States and Gov. Rounds met with Assistant Secretary Woodley and Brigadier General Gregg F. Martin (Commander and Division Engineer, Northwest Division). General items of discussion for the meeting include operation of the Missouri River and its impacts on human and health concerns, protection of local water supplies, need for changes in the current Master Manual, the affect of drought on reservoir levels, recreation and the reduction in hydroelectric power supply. The meeting is being hosted by Wakpa Sica and the Missouri River Association of States and Tribes. For more information, contact Mitch Krebs, 773-3212.
Wednesday, July 11, Watertown, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (CDT) - The Department of Labor’s Northeast Area Career Center will hold a 4-hour Job Hunting Tips Workshop at 2001 9th Avenue Southwest, Suite 200. The workshop will cover the basics of: goal setting and assessing skills; how to and where to look for work; filling out applications; resume development; interviewing techniques; and job retention/employee loyalty. This workshop is provided at no charge. To register, call 882-5131.
Wednesday-Thursday, July 11-12, Milbank, 8:30 a.m. (CDT) – DENR’s Water Management Board will consider several water permit applications when the board meets at the Milbank Visitors Center, 1001 East Fourth Avenue. Applications will be considered from Otter Tail Corporation, Patrick Van Buskirk, Matthew Van Buskirk, Merlyn Van Buskirk, United Land Management, and the Fall River Water User District. The board will consider a petition for declaratory ruling on Clear Lake's outlet elevation in Marshall County. The board will also consider findings of fact, conclusions of law and final decision in the matter of a water permit application from the City of Lennox. For a complete agenda, visit www.state.sd.us/denr/Boards/2007/wmb0707.pdf. For more information, contact Eric Gronlund, DENR, at 773-3352.
Wednesday, July 11, Pierre, 9 a.m. (CDT) – The Department of Labor’s Plumbing Commission will be holding a meeting at Kneip Conference Room 1, located at 700 Governors Drive. To view the meeting agenda, visit: http://www.state.sd.us/dol/Boards/plumbing/about_commission.htm. For more information, call 773-3429.
Wednesday-Friday, July 11-13, Madison - The Governor's New Teacher Academy will be held at Dakota State University in Madison. The academy is designed to provide first- and second-year teachers with professional support and networking opportunities, which can be vital to keeping them in the profession. Gov. Mike Rounds is scheduled to address the group at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) on July 12 in the Technology Classroom Building Auditorium. For information, contact Mary Stadick Smith, Department of Education, at (605) 773-7228.
Thursday, July 12, Huron, 9 a.m. (CDT) - The South Dakota Department of Labor’s Huron Career Center will be holding a Job Search Assistance Program (JSAP) at 380 Illinois Avenue Southwest. The JSAP is designed to assist and train job seekers on how to find and secure employment. Some of the topics included are networking, the hidden job market, resumes, applications, and proper interview techniques. It is provided at no charge and open to the public. Parties interested in attending should register by calling (605) 353-7155. For more information, visit www.sdjobs.org.
Thursday, July 12, Pierre, noon (CDT) – The Zaniya Task Force July meeting will be held at the Ramkota. The Zaniya Task Force was created by House Bill 1169 during the 2007 Legislative Session. The purpose of the task force is to examine South Dakota's uninsured population and to offer opportunities for health care coverage to the uninsured. The task force will meet the second Thursday of each month through September 2007. For more information, contact Kevin Forsch, 773-3212.
Thursday-Friday, July 12-13, Pierre, 1 p.m. (CDT) - The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Commission will hold its July meeting at the Ramkota RiverCentre in Pierre. The commission will consider finalizations for antelope, East River deer, refuge deer, early fall Canada goose and youth waterfowl hunting seasons. Proposals before the commission include waterfowl hunting seasons and rules governing falconry. Information about items up for consideration and the commission’s agenda can be found on the GFP Web site at www.sdgfp.info.
Thursday, July 12, Rapid City, 2 p.m. (MDT) – Gov. Mike Rounds will address this year’s GEAR UP participants at the Dahl Fine Arts Center. GEAR UP is a pre-college enrichment program being held at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. GEAR UP is designed to encourage more Native American students to pursue higher education and to provide the students and their families with academic and social support to reach that goal. The program – part of Governor Rounds’ 2010 Education Initiative – is a partnership between the SD Department of Education and the Oceti Sakowin Education Consortium. For more information, contact Mitch Krebs, 773-3212.
Friday, July 13, Sioux Falls, 8 a.m. (CDT) – DENR staff will be among speakers at a training conference entitled "Construction Law for Architects and Engineers." DENR topics include Understanding Water Management Regulations and Issues and Accommodating Existing Site Contamination in Design and Construction. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holiday Inn City Center, 100 West 8th Street in Sioux Falls. For more information, contact Kim McIntosh, DENR, at (605) 773-3296 or Albert Spangler, DENR, at (605) 773-3351.
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