From P&D and AP Reports

A winter storm that movedacross several Midwestern statesMonday brought fierce windsand light snow that was easilyblown around, leaving travelersstranded and closing someschools and businesses.

Heavy snowfall was notexpected, but strong winds wereblowing around what was falling— or had already fallen in thelast several days — in theDakotas, Iowa, Nebraska andMinnesota, creating whiteoutconditions in some places. Icebuildup on power lines also wasa problem in some areas.

The weather remained a areal problem across the Yanktonarea Monday as high winds andlight snow caused difficulties.

A no-travel advisory remainsin effect for much of CedarCounty, Neb., because of blizzardconditions.

Several schools postponedclassed and many events werescrubbed. The University ofSouth Dakota called off classesat 4 p.m. Monday.

Crews in the Dakotas,Nebraska and Iowa were continu-ing efforts to restore electricity toabout 13,000 people, mostly inrural areas.

Conditions were so bad inNorth Dakota, that officials

advised people not to travel atall. Portions of Interstate 94 wereclosed in the southern part of thestate because of zero visibility

BY NATHAN JOHNSONnathan.johnson@yankton.net

The Yankton City Commission intro-duced a conceptual plan Monday forimprovements at the Memorial Parkpool and will seek input from the publicbefore approving it.

After a discussion of the proposedmaster plan for the facility, the commis-sion agreed to put the issue on its Feb.22 agenda for a public hearing.

During the 2009 budget process, thecommission directed a pool committeeconsisting of commissioners PaulineAkland, Bill Ellingson, David Knoff andPaul Lowrie, as well as city staff, todevelop a master plan for the facility’sfuture. The committee drew upon com-ments given by the public during anOctober 2007 meeting, as well as theopinions of its members, to plot thepool’s future. It cost approximately$7,500 for Associated Pool Builders toput together the conceptual design andcost estimates.

The two-phase plan is estimated tocost $5.7 million.

Yankton Parks and RecreationDirector Todd Larson said pains weretaken to bring the cost in under the$6.3 million price tag for the 2005 plan,which was opposed by 76 percent ofvoters during an opt-out election.

“We kept trying to cut things and cutthings, but then we never could fullyaddress all the different issues that weheard from the public and the commis-sion,” he said.

The first phase of the plan, which isestimated to cost $3 million, wouldinclude the construction of a $1 million

zero-depth pool next to the currentOlympic-sized pool, a $128,000 bathhouse area and a $224,000 concessionstand among other features.

In the second phase, estimated tocost $2.7 million, approximately$930,000 would be spent to expand thenew bath house area into a full-fledgedentranceway on the north side of thefacility, $380,000 would be spent on twoslides, $209,000 would be spent on asplash pad feature and a new parkinglot would be constructed on the northside.

“The condition of the bath house isa concern we’ve continued to hearabout,” Larson stated. “As you talk anaquatic facility, the bath house on thenorth side is a better fit than having abath house on the west side, whichblocks sunlight later in the day. Themain entrance and a new bath housewould be built on the north side of the

facility (next to a new parking lot along21st Street).”

The conceptual plan was publishedin the Saturday edition of the Press &Dakotan and will be available on thecity’s Web site atwww.cityofyankton.org.

A couple of former city commission-ers were critical of the process used toproduce the master plan.

Charles Murphy, who led the opposi-tion to the $6.3 million pool opt-outbefore being elected to the commissionfor one term in 2006, said the recentprocess was closed to the public. Poolcommittee meetings were not publi-cized regularly, he said.

“The citizens have no idea what isgoing on,” Murphy said. “I think youshould have more than a meetingbefore you vote on it.”

■ Catholic Schools Week PlansTaking Shape In Hartington.PAGE 7

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Printed onRecycled Newsprint

Printed with

SOY INK

River City Recycling This Week

NORTH of 15th St.

■ HHUUNNHHOOFFFF:‘Much Is AtStake ForYankton’.

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VIEWPOINTS

INDEX

RECYCLING

INSIDEtoday

WEATHER

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■ REVENUE: Yankton ShowsGrowth In 2009.

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TOMORROW

Democratic Leaders Join Up In Health Care Fight/PAGE 12TUESDAY, January 26, 2010 12 PAGES

(USPS 946-520) © 2010, Yankton Media, Inc.

YYAANNKKTTOONN DDAAIILLYY

The Oldest Daily Newspaper Of The Dakotas • www.yankton.net VOLUME 135, NUMBER 23675 CENTS

44

9 a.m.

1144

3 p.m.

Mostly dry and partly sunny

BY CHET BROKAWAssociated Press Writer

PIERRE — Three groupsopposed to a $10 billion oilrefinery planned for southeast-ern South Dakota have asked ajudge to overturn a stateboard’s decision to grant theproject an air quality permit.

The Board of Minerals andEnvironment granted the per-mit in August after finding thatHyperion Resources, based inDallas, had met the require-ments set in state laws and

rules. Board membersendorsed the stateEnvironment Department’s rec-ommendation to issue the per-mit for what would be the firstnew U.S. oil refinery built since1976.

The Sierra Club and localgroups Save Union County andCitizens Opposed to OilPollution have filed a lawsuit instate court arguing that thepermit should be thrown outbecause it does not address

BY NATHAN JOHNSONnathan.johnson@yankton.net

The unemployment rate for Yanktondropped almost 1 percent in December.However, it was accompanied by a decreasein the number of people in the community’slabor force.

Ultimately, Yankton held on to its statusof having the highest unemployment rate inthe state among first-class cities.

According to data released by the SouthDakota Department of Labor, Yankton had a

6.4 percent unemployment rate in December.The number of unemployed stood at 475.

Noting that Yankton’s labor force droppedfrom 7,560 in November to 7,405 inDecember, Yankton Economic DevelopmentDirector Mike Dellinger said the decreasewas not due to a lot of hiring.

“The percentage point drop isn’t neces-sarily because of any large recall of workers,but I think it’s more along the lines of peoplefilling lower-wage opportunities that areavailable, people are dropping off the unem-ployment rolls because their benefits havebeen extended or expired, or people have

moved away from the regional economy tofind opportunity elsewhere,” he said.

Dellinger said there are a couple hundredjobs available in the area currently, andsome manufacturers are requiring people towork overtime.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t enough jobsto go around for everybody that is unem-ployed,” he said. “But things seem to be pro-gressing.”

Rapid City had the second-highest unem-ployment rate in the state with 6.1 percent,or 2,180 people.

The unemployment rate for YanktonCounty was 5.2 percent, or 600 people. Thatis down from 5.7 percent in November.

Court Asked To OverturnHyperion Air Permit

Yankton Jobless Rate FallsCity Is Still Highest Among S.D. Cities

City Introduces Pool Plan

BY RANDY DOCKENDORFrandy.dockendorf@yankton.net

The Army Corps ofEngineers is undertaking a his-toric review of the authorizeduses of the Missouri Riverbasin, a move that could great-ly affect Yankton.

The five-year Missouri RiverAuthorized Purposes Study(MRAPS) could have hugeimplications for keeping inplace — or totally overhauling— the eight current purposesof the Missouri River.

Congress has directed theCorps to review the 1944 Flood

Control Act. The act authorizedimplementation of the Pick-Sloan Plan. The plan includedconstruction of mainstem damsand reservoirs along theMissouri River.

The study’s goal is to deter-mine if changes are warrantedfor the eight current purposes:flood control, hydropower,water supply, irrigation, naviga-tion, recreation, water qualityand fish and wildlife. The studyincludes infrastructure operat-ed by both the Corps andBureau of Reclamation.

So far, hearings have not

BY BEN FELLER AND ANDREW TAYLORAssociated Press Writers

WASHINGTON — Facing voter angerover mounting budget deficits, PresidentBarack Obama will ask Congress to freezespending for some domes-tic programs for three yearsbeginning in 2011, adminis-tration officials saidMonday. Separately, Obamaunveiled plans to help amiddle class “underassault” pay its bills, savefor retirement and care forkids and aging parents.

The spending freezewould apply to a relativelysmall portion of the federal budget, affect-ing a $477 billion pot of money availablefor domestic agencies whose budgets areapproved by Congress each year. Some ofthose agencies could get increases, otherswould have to face cuts; such programsgot an almost 10 percent increase thisyear. The federal budget total was $3.5 tril-lion.

The three-year plan will be part of thebudget Obama will submit Feb. 1, senioradministration officials said, commentingon condition of anonymity to reveal pri-vate details.

The Pentagon, veterans programs, for-eign aid and the Homeland SecurityDepartment would be exempt from thefreeze.

The savings would be small at first,

Corps LaunchesHistoric Review Of

Mo. River Uses

■■ COURT, Page 11 please

Winter Storm Brings Fierce Winds

■■ STORM, Page 11 please

SHAUNA MARLETTE/P&DWinter weather blanketed the area with blizzard-like conditionsagain on Monday forcing snow days for schools, road closures andcancellations across the area. Winds are expected to die down overnight but arctic cold air is expected to slide into place for the restof the week. Pictured are semi-trucks waiting for Highway 81 toopen up to the south so they can continue on their routes.

KELLY HERTZ/P&DCommissioners Judy VanDerhule and Dave Carda look over proposed plans forthe Memorial Park pool during Monday’s Yankton City Commission meeting.The commission will hold a public hearing to discuss the estimated $5.7 millionmaster plan Feb. 22.

Obama

PresidentSeeks FreezeOn Part OfU.S. Budget

■■ BUDGET, Page 12 please

■■ JOBS, Page 11 please

■■ RIVER, Page 5 please

Five-Year Study Set To Possibly DetermineChanges In Current River Purposes, Policy

■■ CITY, Page 11 please

Two FormerCommissionersCriticize Process