Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM): Monday afternoon, Sioux Falls police officers were called to Firehouse Subs at 5200 E. Arrowhead Parkway for a Strong Arm Robbery. Reports say the unidentified victim was punched numerous times in the face by another man. The suspect took the victim’s keys and cell phone before running off. The keys were recovered in a field nearby and the cell phone was recovered a short distance away. No detailed description of the suspect has been made available, other than he was a larger, white male with a darker complexion.

The victim suffered facial injuries from the assault. Police are investigating the incident as an aggravated assault, anyone with further information is asked to call police.

PIERRE, SD (KELO AM) – State Sen. Dan Lederman has resigned his seat in the South Dakota State Senate. Lederman, a Dakota Dunes Republican, also serves as assistant majority leader.

“Dan Lederman has been a vigorous advocate for his constituents and for South Dakota,” said Gov. Daugaard. “He will certainly be missed, and I wish the best to him and his family.”

Lederman has served in the state Senate since 2011, after serving one term in the state House. He was elected assistant majority leader in 2013.

Lederman represents District 16, which includes all of the Union County, and southern and eastern portions of Lincoln County, including the cities of Worthing, Canton, Beresford and Hudson.

His resignation was effective after the adjournment of the legislative session today.

Lederman’s resignation creates a vacancy that will be filled by gubernatorial appointment. The Governor is asking the public to nominate candidates to fill the position. 

Those wishing to be considered for the appointment, or to offer nominations, should contact Grace Kessler in the Office of the Governor at 605-773-3661. Nominations should include the candidate’s name, current address, telephone number and relevant background information.

Gov. Daugaard expects to name an appointee by late spring or early summer.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Sioux Falls Police say a 28-year-old male driver suffered non-life threatening injuries in a rollover accident early this morning at West Benson Road and North Oklahoma Avenue.

Officers first contacted Jeremiah Estep when he was allegedly passed out in his car in the Flying J parking lot.

Police say Estep woke up and fled speeding out of the lot.  Twenty minutes later they found him in the rollover.

Estep is charged with his third D-W-I, driving revoked and careless driving.

SIOUX FALLS (KELO AM) Tonight at Sioux Falls O'Gorman High School is one of the most important town hall meetings of the year.  This is a chance to discuss underaged drinking and driving with your children. During Prom and end-of-year activities, our children are most vulnerable to the ill effects of underage drinking and driving.

Darci Jensen, Executive Director of Prairie View Prevention Services said it best: "It's never too late to have the talk." 

 Panel members will share their personal experiences with the consequences of underage drinking and driving as well as underage drug use. They will identify how these issues affect all members of the family and community.

There will be an opportunity for parents, youth, and other community members in the audience to share ideas for preventing young people from using alcohol and drugs. 

Speakers include:                                                                                                                                 Dr. Marcia Nelson, Keystone Treatment CenterTom Wollman, Lincoln County State's AttorneyDave Jansa, Face It Together Sioux Falls

Disturbing facts include:                                                                                                                         30.8% of high school students have had one or more alcoholic drink in the past 30 days.

17.2% of high school students have had 5 or more drinks within in and hour in the past 30 days.    

12.8% of high school students have taken prescription drugs not prescribed to them.                        

56.9% of high school students get prescription drugs from a relative or friend.                                  

South Dakota ranks fifth in the nation for underaged drinking.      

The Town Hall meeting is from 7 - 8 P.M.

O'Gorman Performing Arts Center                                                                                                       3201 S Kiwanis Ave                                                                                                                             Sioux Falls, SD 57105  

For questions call: (605) 331-5724

Greg Belfrage interviewed Darcy Jensen which can be heard at: http://kelo.com/podcasts/greg-belfrage-show/935/darcy-jensen-discusses-parents-matter-campaign/

SIOUX FALLS, S.D;. (KELO AM) - The next superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District will be Dr. Brian Maher now superintendent at Kearney, Nebraska.

Board President Kent Alberty says Dr. Maher will take over July 1^st.

Maher says he and his wife are very excited about plunging themselves into the Sioux Falls community and he's excited about working for what he calls a "Lighthouse" school district. 

Maher says his initial approach in Sioux Falls will be to learn about all the programs currently in the schools without pre-judging them, and to build relationships.

Alberty says Maher, during Board interviews, stressed the importance of building student success. Maher told the board how important the succees of the staff is to the success of the students. Alberty says Maher sees himself as a teacher/administrator.

Maher will spend some time in the district before the official transfer.  Alberty says the contract has not been finalized.

Maher and his wife have three children.  The two daughters are teachers and he says the son spends part of the year playing in the Canadian Football League.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The Minnehaha County Commission today appointed Doug Ode to fill a vacancy on the Planning Commission.

There were no less than four candidates interested in the position which is unusual according to Commissioner Gerald Beninga.

Beninga says for most of the voluntary positions on county advisory boards there's usually just one applicant. 

The Planning Commission considers rezoning and conditional uses and advises the County Commission.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The Minnehaha County Election Review Committee today offered 13 recommendations in an effort to avoid hours-long delays election night.

Committee Chair Bruce Danielson says the Commission should purchase a third ballot scanner.

Danielson says both of the new voter scanning machines were proved fallible.  Now, Danielson asks, will the resolution board have to be convened to hand count all the ballots?

The recommendations also include providing more resolution boards election night and making sure the voter list, or data base, is controlled only by the County Auditor's Office.              

In last November's election, Minnehaha County’s results weren’t final until 9:15 the morning after polls closed,  The Commission will review the recommendations before approving any.

PIERRE, SD (KELO AM) – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the Flandreau Police Department has been awarded $10,000 for a police service dog, kennel and equipment to be used in drug investigations. The money was awarded out of the Drug Control Fund. The award will assist local law enforcement in drug control and apprehension purposes.

“The Drug Control Fund allows law enforcement to combat controlled substance abuse by funding local programs with monies seized from drug arrests,” said Jackley. “These funds will assist the Flandreau Police Department to better protect its communities.”

“We are very thankful for the generosity of the Attorney General’s Office in assisting in the purchase of our new detector canine as combatting drug abuse is a principal priority of the Flandreau Police Department,” said Sergeant Anthony Schrad.

If you have any additional questions contact Sara Rabern at (605)773-3215

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO AM) – State Sen. Tim Rave has announced his resignation from the South Dakota State Senate. Rave, a Baltic Republican who serves as senate majority leader, is resigning to accept a position with Sanford Health as enterprise vice president for public policy.

“I am very sorry to see Sen. Rave go,” said Gov. Dennis Daugaard. “Tim is widely respected by his peers, who chose him to serve as speaker of the House and as senate majority leader. As Dell Rapids natives, Linda and I were always proud to have Tim as our legislator. I wish him and his family the very best.”

Rave has served in the state Senate since 2011, after serving four terms in the state House. He served as speaker of the House from 2009-11 and as senate majority leader since 2013, making him the only South Dakota legislator to have held both positions.

Rave represents District 25, which includes north and east Minnehaha County, including the cities of Dell Rapids, Baltic, Garretson, Colton, Lyons, Valley Springs and Rowena. It also includes the area in eastern Sioux Falls near South Sycamore Avenue and East 26^thStreet.

The resignation was effective March 31 and will create a vacancy that will be filled by gubernatorial appointment.  The Governor is asking the public to nominate candidates to fill the position. 

Those wishing to be considered for the appointment, or to offer nominations, should contact Grace Kessler in the Office of the Governor at 605-773-3661. Nominations should include the candidate’s name, current address, telephone number and relevant background information.

Gov. Daugaard expects to name an appointee by late spring or early summer.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The Chamber is holding a Sioux Falls School Board Candidate and Issue Forum tonight at 6:30 at the Instructional Planning Center.

Chamber spokeswoman Amy Smolik says the first hour is dedicated to the three candidates.

Smolik says the audience can submit questions and people can also call in questions at 367-7900 and those will be handed to the moderator.          

Candidates include incumbents Todd Thoelke and Kate Parker along with challenger Randy Dobberpuhl.

The school start date forum follows at 7:30.

Asentee voting for the April 14th election is now available at the Minnehaha county Auditor's offioce.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Graduation ceremonies for thirteen Fire Rescue cadets are tomorrow afternoon in downtown Sioux Falls.

Battalion Chief Michael Clauson says the cadets will become probies 

Clausen says they're on probation for their first year when they will be assessed and tested.  He says probies can dismissed for any circumstances at any time during that period

Clausen says after a year probies become rookies and are continually tested academically and physically.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Good Friday’s Annual Sioux Falls Prayer Breakfast features speaker E.J. Swanson who lost a luxury life but eventually realized it’s meaningless.

Event Chair Eric Ellefson says Swanson’s story is one of hardship and triumph.

Ellefson says everyone knows that money doesn't bring happiness and says there's obviously some turmoil and tragedy in his life.  Ellefson says Swanson will describe how he found meaning in Christ.    

 The Prayer Breakfast is seven Friday morning at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall.

Doors open sat 6:30 a.m. and breakfast is at 7 a.m. 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) -The good news about Sioux Falls resident’s blood pressure is that more folks are getting screened.

But Mary Michaels with the Health Department says the results are not a pretty picture.  Michael says of last year's results, only a third of those screened had good to satisfactory blood pressure. She says that means two-thirds had blood pressure readings in the high risk cagtegory.

Michaels says over 9,000 residents had their blood pressure checked during "The Big Squeeze."

Michaels says screening locations for this month’s “The Big Squeeze” campaign can be found at thebigsqueezesf.org.

Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) – Both sides of the Sioux Falls School start date had their time to drum up support for their cause on Wednesday night at a forum sponsored by the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, and SFEA. Panelists included Roosevelt student Kyle Seimers, Barb Newitt, and Adam Morrison arguing against the change, and Wendy McDonnel and Rhonda Lockwood arguing for the change. Each side was allowed one student representative, however those in favor of the “No” vote didn’t have one present.

Seimers began her opening statement by saying the change in the start date would greatly affect student activities, particularly sports “While the Sioux Falls School calendar might change, the SDHSAA calendar won’t.” Meaning practices would start at the same time, ending the summer for many students well before school would start. She added that nearly a quarter of football games and half of the soccer matches for each school would be played before students report for class.

Lincoln High School teacher Adam Morrison said the current calendar just works. “Our schedule provides a competitive advantage for students on tests regulated by the College Board. The board writes those tests and sets their dates nationally, they cannot be changed locally.” He said, adding a change in schedule would affect nearly 1,200 students who plan to take those tests for college placement.

Wendy McDonnel, who spearheaded the petition drive last spring, said this all came about because those in charge failed to hold an open dialogue on the issue. “There was plenty of time to compromise, talk to the parents and families and survey them, [but] that was ignored,” McDonnel said as part of her opening statement. Lockwood added that she feels confident that the kids will get a quality education, no matter when school opens; saying education begins with the parents.

Next week’s ballot has been called somewhat confusing, those wishing to leave the school calendar as it is should vote “Yes”, while those in favor of a later start date need to vote “No.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A 14 year old Sioux Falls girl says she was approached by a man as she was walking to school near 2nd Avenue and 13^th Street Wednesday morning.

Officer Sam Clemens says the man was yelling at the girl from a car before he got out and tried grabbing her.  Clemens says the suspect tried reaching between the girl's legs but he did not touch her. He says she kept her head down and continued walking so she didn't get a good look at him.

Investigators hope someone in traffic saw the incident and will call police.

A friend of the girl's mother saw the teenager crying and stopped to help her.  The woman took the girl home where police were called

Clemens says the girl could give a minimal description.  She says it was a Native American wearing blue jeans that got out of a white four-door car.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Each year Sioux Falls welcomes close to 400 refugees through the Department of State and Lutheran Social Services.

Director of the Center for New Americans, Tim Jurgens, says the Annual Taste of Cultures April 18^th is a fundraiser.  Jurgens says the funds stay in Sioux Falls and help refugees with food, daycare, rent or utlility bills.

Jurgens says food from around the world will be served, traditional music and dances will be performed and raffle prizes inlcluding original artwork will be offered.

Tickets are $40 and VIP tickets are $80 and available online at LssSD.org or call 605-444-7502 or 1-800-568-2401, ext. 7502            

Jurgens says L-S-S helps refugees become acclimated and self-sufficient in their new country.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - The City launched the SiouxFallsHasJobs website directing users to over 2,000 open positions.

Mayor Mike Huether says workforce recruitment is his top priority.  Huether says he's reminded daily of the thousands of jobs that remain unfilled adding that business leaves opportunity and money on the table.

Director of Community Development Darrin Smith says the campaign will get more people to move to Sioux Falls and will help current residents to find the career they've been looking for.             

Huether says the website has the most comprehensive collection of available jobs in Sioux Falls.

PIERRE, SD (KELO AM) – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that Circuit Court Judge Brad Zell has denied Rodney Scott Berget’s recent motion to delay his execution. Judge Zell found that Berget’s motion was outside of his court’s jurisdiction. Berget had filed a Motion to Amend Warrant of Execution and a Motion for Stay of Execution on January 30, 2015.

The United States Supreme Court denied Berget’s petition Writ of Certiorari on March 2, 2015.

Berget is scheduled to be executed between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., during the week of Sunday, May 3, 2015, through Saturday, May 9, 2015, inclusive, at a specific time and date to be selected by the Warden of the State Penitentiary.

“I believe that due process has been satisfied. The State is prepared to carry out Berget’s sentence consistent with the existing warrant. Justice for Berget’s brutal killing of a corrections officer requires that he serve his capital sentence,” said Jackley.

Berget may seek the right to file additional habeas proceedings in order to stay the sentencing date.

SIOUX FALLS, s.d. (KELO AM) - The goal of the two-week Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce membership drive is to bring 90 new businesses into the fold.

Chamber Ambassador Joey Rotert says membership is an investment.

Rotert says the Chamber strives to bring more workers and their families to Sioux Falls.  More families, Rotert says, means more consumers and the Chamber can help businesses get them into the shop.

Rotert says the membership drive runs through Friday, April 10.         

There are more than 2,200 companies in South Dakota’s largest coalition of businesses.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A Sioux Falls woman lost $3,000 after she bought a car on EBay that wasn’t delivered.

Officer Sam Clemens says the 42-year-old’s money order was sent to West Virginia and was cashed last month.

Clemens says investigators have a name and an address but they'll have to determine if they're real or if a scammer stole someone's identity.  He says EBay investigators will work along side detectives.       

Clemens says you have to do your homework before committing to any online purchase.