No one was hurt in a vehicle fire Monday morning on U.S. Highway 281 south of Warner.

 A northbound sport utility vehicle was destroyed after it caught fire, said Brown County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Tom Schmitt, who was on the scene. He said the fire might have started because the vehicle was driven for a long distance in low four-wheel drive. Doing so can damage vehicles.

 The accident was reported at 10:16 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and 145th Street, which is about three miles south of Warner, said Scott Meints, Brown County Emergency Management director.

 Schmitt said the fire was underneath the vehicle when he arrived, but it quickly spread. He said the northbound vehicle was from Colorado.

 The fire closed the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 281 for about 20 minutes. While some traffic took other roads to go around the fire, most vehicles that came upon the site were backed up on the highway.

The Saturday hours at the Aberdeen post office have not been reduced, but they are changed.

  The Saturday window service hours at the post office are now from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The old Saturday hours were from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 The change was made in October, said postal service spokesman Pete Nowacki of Minneapolis. He was not able to learn why the change was made.

 On Monday through Friday, the Aberdeen window service hours are from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The American News is compiling a list of ways people can volunteer or make contributions during the holiday season.

If you know of holiday-related volunteer opportunities or groups or businesses collecting food, clothes, toys or other items that you would like included in the list, email the information to Anita Meyer at the American News at ameyer@aberdeennews.com.

Oh, boy.

Nineteen babies were born this past weekend at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and there wasn't a girl in the bunch.

Officials at the Minneapolis hospital said on Monday, Nov. 26, that they couldn't recall another time when they've seen so many consecutive baby boy deliveries.

"I'm calling it a statistical marvel," said Lisa Archer, a nurse manager at the hospital.

There's some debate, actually, about just how big a marvel the sequence is, but more on that later.

The boys started coming at 9 p.m. Friday, hospital officials said, and didn't stop until 7 a.m. on Monday. The hospital typically delivers about 225 babies per month.

Collectively, the 19 baby boys weighed in at 115 pounds, said hospital spokesman Ryan Davenport. The babies' range of weight spans 8 pounds from smallest to biggest.

Lay the babies end-to-end, Davenport said, and they'd measure more than 30 feet.

"It feels like the year of the boy," Kelly Rosenbrook, 29, of Minneapolis, whose son Mannix was born on Saturday. Many of Rosenbrook's friends who are pregnant also are expecting boys.

For the month of November, the U hospital has seen 106 boys delivered as opposed to 77 girls.

"The girls have to catch up now," said Dr. Samantha Hoffman, an obstetrician who delivered four of the boys this weekend.

During 2010, there were 34,950 boys and 33,456 girls born across the state, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

At the U hospital

Monday, the streak was broken with the birth of a baby girl named Ladan at about 7:30 a.m. It just so happen that the baby's father -- Mohamed Guled, 37, of Minnetonka -- owns a company called Dauus, which makes diapers.

"I've decided to donate to all the baby boys that were born -- for the next three months -- all the diapers that their parents would need," Guled said during a press conference at the hospital.

Quirky marvels occur every so often in maternity units, but the probability of 19 consecutive baby boys is not as unlikely as some might think, said Lawrence Gray, a professor of mathematics at the University of Minnesota.

If you assume a 50-50 chance of having a boy or a girl, some might be tempted to answer the probability question by simply taking 0.5 to the power of 19, an equation that yields a probability of 1 in about 500,000.

But that's misleading, Gray said, because it shows the probability of 19 consecutive boy births if you happen to walk into a hospital right now and start counting. A better estimate of probability, he said, takes into account the likelihood of an event happening over a fixed period of time within a certain geographic area.

After factoring the average number of births during a year at the U hospital, Gray said, the likelihood of 19 consecutive boy births is more like 1 in 200.

"That's pretty rare for that hospital," Gray said. "But during my lifetime, this is going to happen at some hospital I know if I pay attention."

Christopher Snowbeck can be reached at 651-228-5479. Follow him at twitter.com/chrissnowbeck. ___

(c)2012 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)

Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at http://www.twincities.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - A North Dakota high school student has been sentenced to prison for his role in a synthetic drug ring that resulted in a handful of apparent overdoses and two deaths.

 Central High School principal Jason Uttermark said those numbers don't paint the whole picture though.

 "This statistic has always befuddled me," he said. "Our ACT scores are always at or above the state average."

 Placement in a remedial class depends on ACT scores, Uttermark said.

 The average grade point average among Central graduates who completed their freshman year at an in-state public university during the 2011-12 school year was 3.07. That is just above the state freshman GPA average of 3.06.

 The Central class of 2011 saw 72 students go to South Dakota public universities. A slightly higher number went to college out of state.

 Uttermark said students who perform well on the ACT are generally those who choose to go to schools out of state, which may explain the high number of students in remedial courses at schools run by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

 "It's unfortunate that this information is going to be out there without explanation," said school board member Mike Miller.

 Uttermark said the numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt.

 "This is based on one thing only," he said. "It's all about the ACT scores."

 In comparison, students who took the PLAN test, which is a preliminary ACT exam of sorts taken during the sophomore year, scored well above the national average.

 The number of college freshmen needing remedial classes has gone up statewide.

 "The trend upward in general is concerning," said school board member Brad Olson.

 Uttermark suggested the school district consider offering a preparatory class for the ACT examination, as some other districts do.

 "I'd like to get that percentage down further," Uttermark said of students needing remedial classes.

 Another solution suggested was to provide additional counseling for students who have lower scores on the ACT. Students can take the COMPASS exam to waive the need for a remedial course.

 Olson observed that students may be spending more time online and less time reading, which might explain the heightened need for remedial reading classes.

 At the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Becky Guffin introduced a new program that provides Aberdeen Public School District students and staffers with electronic books to check out.

 "We were very interested in serving our 21st century readers," she said.

 Staff and students can check books out of a digital lending library run by Overdrive, an e-book distributor.

 Books can be read on a computer or electronic reading device.

 So far, only fiction books are available through the pilot program for students in grades 6-12. The program launched two weeks ago and might be expanded if all goes well.

 The e-books are available at all times and can be checked out during school breaks.

 "This can really impact independent reading habits," said school board member Duane Alm.

 Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls plans to offer courses in medical coding and plumbing starting for the fall 2013 semester. The cosmetology courses are scheduled to start in fall 2015.

 STI officials said there will be an emphasis on African hair as part of the cosmetology curriculum. They said students currently need to travel outside South Dakota and the region to receive that specific training.

 Lake Area Technical Institute at Watertown offers cosmetology courses, as do some private beauty schools in the Sioux Falls area. Lake Area is considered sufficiently distant from Southeast that both public campuses can offer cosmetology.

 The cosmetology program at Southeast is planned to accept 24 students and would be a one-year diploma track, with additional courses available.

 Southeast plans the medical-coding program to be a two-year track for an associate degree in science, with room for 28 students, while the plumbing program would be a one-year diploma program with capacity for 24 students.

 Southeast vice president for academics James Jacobsen told the state board that medical systems in the Sioux Falls area are "very worried" about finding enough people to do medical-coding work in the future.

 Jacobsen said the plumbing program would complement the school's current program in HVAC - heating, ventilation and air cooling - and there is high demand. "There's a huge shortage of plumbers throughout the region," he said.

 Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City received the state board's permission to offer plumbing and HVAC courses as two-semester diploma programs.

 A state Labor Department survey indicates that through 2020 there will be a 23 percent growth in the number of heating, cooling and refrigeration technicians in South Dakota, as well as a 10 percent growth in plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters during that same period, along with a 19 percent growth in helpers for them.

 Greg Hartman, president of Wolff's Plumbing and Heating at Spearfish, was one of several contractors who submitted a letter of support for Western Dakota's proposed addition of plumbing and HVAC programs. He said the plumbing, heating and cooling industry "faces a critical shortage of trained employees entering our industry - both locally and nationally."

 Western Dakota will use advisory boards for both programs. The numbers of students for the two programs isn't formally set yet. WDTI president Mark Wilson said Western Dakota needs to become more involved with the region's construction industries.

A wide-ranging bill to give hunters and fishermen more access to public lands stalled in the Senate Monday after Republicans said it spends too much money.  

 Republicans supported opening lands for outdoorsmen and many other provisions in the bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, but GOP senators blocked the legislation on principle Monday evening in a mostly party-line procedural vote after Senate Budget Committee's top Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, objected to spending on conservation programs included in the bill.   

 The sportsmen's bill would increase land access and allow hunters to bring home as trophies 41 polar bears killed in Canada before the government started protecting polar bears as a threatened species. The legislation would also exclude ammunition and tackle from federal environmental laws that regulate lead, allow bow hunters to cross federal land where hunting isn't allowed, encourage federal land agencies to help states maintain shooting ranges, boost fish populations and protect animal habitat. 

 Sessions said he supported the overall bill but objected to spending on conservation programs that he said violated budget rules. Democrats argued that the bill also raised money for those provisions.  

 The bill also faced some objections from environmental groups over the polar bear imports and exclusions from lead standards.  

 The lead provision threatens public health and the measures ''could set back wildlife conservation efforts,'' said California Sen. Barbara Boxer, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, while acknowledging she supported other provisions in the bill. Boxer was the only Democrat to vote against moving the bill forward Monday.  

 Ammunition and tackle that contain lead are now unregulated under federal toxic substance laws, and the EPA has so far declined to regulate them. The bill would make it law that the Environmental Protection Agency could not regulate ammunition and tackle, leaving those decisions to states. Environmental groups opposing the exemption say that birds on land and water are killed by lead poisoning after eating the spent ammunition and fishing tackle.  

 The polar bear provision would allow the hunters -- two from Tester's home state of Montana -- who killed polar bears in Canada just before a 2008 ban on polar bear trophy imports took effect -- to bring the bears' bodies across the border. The hunters involved were not able to bring the trophies home before the Fish and Wildlife Service listed them as a threatened species.  

 Some animal welfare groups, including of The Humane Society of the United States, say that allowing the polar bears bodies across the border could set a bad precedent and embolden other hunters to try and circumvent threatened or endangered species laws.

PIERRE - After spending $532,604.53 of local funds on a new fuel-farm and hangar drainage improvements for its regional airport since 2009, Watertown officials decided it was time to tap an additional source.

 They received approval Tuesday to withdraw the city's share of money that had accumulated in a state aircraft-tax fund. Under a 1989 state law, a portion of the money is distributed to communities on a proportionate basis according to each airport's fuel sales

 The state Aeronautics Commission gave its go-ahead for Watertown to take the entire $81,378.97 that was due to the city from taxes on past sales of aircraft fuel at the airport.

 "It's their money," commission member Larry Nelson of Rapid City said.

 Watertown Regional Airport manager Erick Dahl submitted the request in mid-November.

 In other action during the conference-call meeting:

• The commission approved relicensing all current public airports in South Dakota, with the exceptions of McIntosh, which has closed, and North Sioux City, where renewal wasn't sought.

• The commission welcomed new member Chad Hatch, a Sioux Falls investment businessman. He succeeds Larry Vetterman of Hot Springs, who had served 13 years.

• Commission aide Kevin Tveidt said he's seeking a publication-quality photo of an airplane at a South Dakota airport with pheasants and pheasant hunters for use on the cover of the new state airport directory.

Steven Lee Roebuck, 31, of 223 S. Main St., Apt. 1A, ingesting intoxicant other than alcoholic beverage, fined $385 and sentenced to 90 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended.

 Michael Lynn Rothacker, 18, Ashton, exhibition driving, fined $120 and sentenced to 10 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; violation of promise to appear, fined $145 and sentenced to 10 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended.

 Jerry Jermaine Brooks, 26, of 918 S. Lincoln St., No. 2, open container, fined $120; violation of promise to appear, fined $145.

 Kawliga James Diserly, 24, of 601 10th Ave. S.W., DUI, first offense, fined $510 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; speeding, fined $105 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; driving with suspended license, charge dismissed.

 Brett Campbell, 35, Fort Pierre, speeding, fined $105.

 Andrea Marie Myott, 25, Fort Dodge, Iowa, DUI, first offense, fined $510 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended.

 Randy Morris, 53, Groton, no driver's license, fined $285 and sentenced to 30 days in jail with 10 days suspended.

 Alex Garcia, 56, Doland, DUI, first offense, fined $510 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; failure to maintain financial responsibility, charge dismissed.

 Zachary William Herr, 22, of 811 N. Main St., DUI, first offense, fined $510 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; failure to stop after accident causing property damage, charge dismissed.

 Joseph Donald Nash, 16, Mansfield, stop sign violation, fined $120.

 Brandy Marzenell, 28, of 117 10th Ave. S.W., speeding, fined $85.

 Perindus DeQuante Lumpkin, 23, of 616 S. Park St., No. 12, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Anthony David Wylie, 19, of 12885 Pleasant Valley Drive, ingesting intoxicant other than alcoholic beverage, fined $385 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with 58 days suspended; DUI, first offense, fined $510 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended; use or possession of drug paraphernalia, charge dismissed; open container, charge dismissed; no driver's license, charge dismissed.

 Travis James Oxandaburu, 23, of 1224 Third Ave. N.E., No. 11, speeding, fined $145.

 Errin Dyrann Wiman, 33, Mansfield, speeding, fined $105; seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Michael Mason Kane, 58, Cave Creek, Ariz., speeding, fined $105; failure to renew registration during assigned month, fined $120.

 Tyler C. Roe, 19, Redfield, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Jarimey Andrew Halstead, 27, of 219 Sixth Ave. N.E., speeding, fined $125.

 Roberta Leeanne Stoops, 44, of 37881 138th St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Joshua William Hahler, 24, Brentford, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Juan Morios Valdes, 29, Ross, N.D., speeding, fined $110.

 Stephanie L. Wika, 51, of 38502 129th St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 James Lee Couch, 24, of 13641 Chevy Court, no driver's license, fined $120.

 Jacob Jonathan Carrico, 18, of 706 N. High St., improper operation while overtaking vehicle, fined $120.

 Brady James Fuhrman, 19, Mansfield, speeding, fined $105.

 Dennis S. Gelling, 64, of 1901 Country Lane, speeding, fined $105.

 Bubby Lynn Haar, 42, Westport, speeding, fined $85.

 Kari L. Brewer, 27, of 705 N. Lloyd St., first degree petty theft, fined $285 and sentenced to 60 days in jail with 59 days suspended.

 Sandra Anderson Adams, 55, of 1410 S. Eighth St., pet violation, dog/cat at large, fined $92.

 Zacheriah Samuel Gage, 24, of 1007 S. Kline St., speeding, fined $105.

 Hien Thuy Nguyen, 31, of 1575 S. Park St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Rocky Lynn Currington, 52, of 422 18th Ave. N.E., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Susan M. Currington, 51, of 422 18th Ave. N.E., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Jerry Hofer Jr., 32, Sioux Falls, speeding, fined $125,

 Nicholas Loren Jensen, 22, of 833 S. Grand St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Damen Thomas Lone, 18, of 222 S. Greenwood St., No. 14, failure to renew registration during assigned month, fined $120.

 Jordan D. Frost, 22, of 2603 Railroad Ave. S.E., No. 8, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Kelly Edward Tracy, 44, of 1314 S. Melgaard Road, stop sign violation, fined $120.

 Marc Allen Lein, 31, of 115 Seventh Ave. N.E., speeding, fined $85.

 Trever White, 16, of 915 S. Lloyd St., speeding, fined $125.

 James Edward Brandt, 28, of 2103 Fourth Ave. S.E., No. 2, careless driving, fined $492 and sentenced to 30 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended.

 Cory Geffre, 38, of 2206 17th Ave. S.E., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Roman R. Skowron, 48, of 603 N. Third St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Brandon J. Engleking, 31, of 203 Eighth Ave. S.E., speeding, fined $85.

 Hsay Nay Eh Hgay, 23, Groton, speeding, fined $85.

 David L. Pigors, 61, Groton, speeding, fined $85.

 Mitchell Lee Tarbox, 14, of 1613 Ninth Ave. S.W., failure to stop after accident with unattended vehicle, fined $145 and sentenced to 10 days in jail with all of the jail sentence suspended.

 Brandon Tyrel Buyer, 19, Armour, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Jaymi Ann Hixon, 24, of 12867 Nature Trail, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Jesus Guerra, 35, of 4 Eighth Ave. N.W., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Matthew Ray Bartelt, 28, Waubay, speeding, fined $105.

 Kyle Fredrick Myers, 20, of 813 S. Park St., driving with suspended license, fined $370 and sentenced to 30 days in jail with 10 days of the jail sentence suspended; no proper license plates on vehicle, fined $120 and sentenced to 30 days in jail with 10 days of the jail sentence suspended.

 Randal R. Pfutzenreuter, 67, Hecla, failure to stop upon entry from alley, driveway or private road, fined $120.

 Troy Kennison, 30, of 704 S. 10th St., speeding, fined $145.

 Les Sumption, 52, Bath, seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Kolton Douglas Carlson, 15, of 620 S. Lawson St., seat belt violation, fined $25.

 Dennis R. Voeller, 64, Frederick, unsafe/illegal backing, fined $120.

An Aberdeen man authorities said intended to distribute significant amounts of synthetic drugs pleaded not guilty to a host of charges Tuesday.

 Brandon J. Messmer, 36, requested a jury trial. He faces 11 charges in all, including:

• Two counts of possession of with intent to distribute bath salts.

• Two counts of possession of with intent to distribute synthetic cannabis.

• Two counts of possession of bath salts.

• Two counts of possession of synthetic cannabis.

• Two counts of keeping a place for the sale or use of illegal drugs.

• Conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabis.

 The keeping a place charges are felonies, each punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The other charges are felonies each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

 Lori Ehlers, chief deputy state's attorney, said the roughly 2 pounds of synthetic cannabis and quarter pound of bath salts sent in for testing after the Aug. 8 raid that led to the charges were, at the time, the largest amounts ever sent to the state lab.

 Messmer had been released on a $20,000 bond, but is back in jail again because he broke a bond condition. In court, he admitted he huffed from an air duster can, such as those used to clean computer keyboards.

 In other court news:

• Robert C. Vandeputte, 21, of Aberdeen was granted a suspended imposition on two felony drug charges. That means the incidents won't go on his record if he follows probation rules.

 Vandeputte previously pleaded guilty to possession of the designer drug called 2-CI, which is a hallucinogen, and possession of with intent to distribute more than an ounce but less than 8 ounces of marijuana. He was given identical sentences on each charge: 60 days in jail, four years probation and $804 in fines and fees. The jail terms will be served concurrently. He must also make restitution stemming from testing costs and damage caused by hit-and-run accidents, though the hit-and-run charges and other counts were dismissed in return for his guilty pleas.

 Ehlers, who requested a prison term for Vandeputte, noted that on April 14, after his initial arrest earlier that month, Vandeputte had three hit-and-run accidents on his way to work. Those accidents damaged three vehicles and a gas line, she said. Chris Dohrer, Vandeputte's court-appointed attorney, noted Vandeputte's young age and that he had already spent five months in jail in requesting the suspended imposition and probation. Vandeputte said he used to be blinded by his addiction, but that he now wants to turn his life around and attend college.

 Judge Tony Portra ultimately gave Vandeputte another chance, but ordered the 60 days in jail in addition to the time Vandeputte's already served.

 The 2-CI charge is a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine. The marijuana charge is a felony punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

• Michael S. Bice, 22, of Aberdeen pleaded guilty to improperly obtaining the prescription drug morphine. He was sentenced to 29 days in jail and two years probation. He must also pay $504 in fines and fees and make restitution of $108 for testing costs and $450 in buy money. He was granted a suspended imposition of sentence. That means the incident won't go on his record if he follows probation rules.

 Bill Gerdes, Bice's attorney, said Bice had a prescription for morphine, but that in August 2011, he got more of the painkiller than he was entitled to. Ehlers said Bice gave the extra pills to others.

 The crime is punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a  $20,000 fine. In exchange for his guilty plea, two charges of distribution of morphine were dismissed.

• Nathan C. Ruff, 29, of Ottumwa, Iowa, pleaded not guilty to felony drunken driving and a misdemeanor charge of speeding.

 The third drunken driving charge is punishable by as much as two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

Editor's note: In the original article, the time was wrong. It has been changed.

 Construction has already begun on the multimillion-dollar residence hall project, according to a news release from the college. The exact cost of the project was not available.

 The first part of the residence hall is expected to be completed in time for the fall semester, with the other part expected to be completed by December 2013, according to the release. In total, the residence hall will be able to house 150 students, according to the release.

 An athletic training/wellness center will also be added to the Strode Center. The addition will house the athletic training program and weightlifting equipment for staff and students. Presentation also plans to expand the campus greens into what is now the Strode parking lot.

 Each suite will have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen area and a common room, according to the release.

 "We feel that this venture will not only improve the quality of life for our students, but also help us in recruiting future students," said Tim Beckham, director of marketing and public relations at the college.

People who leave improper items at landfill drop sites near Aberdeen will be charged an administrative fee under a Brown County ordinance that received final approval during Tuesday's commission meeting.

 Improper dumping at the fairgrounds and South Fifth Street/rural fire station drop sites has long been a problem. But earlier this fall, the landfill installed surveillance cameras at both locations. The video cameras allow county officials to zoom in on a vehicle to look at the licence plates of violators.

 The charge for a first-time offender would be $100. The maximum fee allowed under the ordinance change would be $500.

 For now, people who leave improper items at the drop sites get a visit from the sheriff's department. With final approval, the updated ordinance goes into effect Dec. 26. In the past, leaving improper items at the drop site has been a misdemeanor.

 If the administrative fee is not paid, offenders would be served with a summons and complaint ordering them to court.

 The dump sites are for general household waste and, in designated areas, leaves and grass. Items not accepted include branches, ash, carpet, tires, couches, mattresses, wood, dry wall, rock, concrete, shingles, construction debris, appliances, commercial and business waste, electronics such as televisions and computer gear, air conditioners, liquids, wood and steel posts and wire. Those items should be taken to the landfill, as should items that can't fit in the trash bins.

 In other action Tuesday, the commission:

Approved an operating transfer for $1.6 million from the general fund to the highway department budget. The money is a portion of the department's 2012 regular budget; however, Jan Weismantel, highway superintendent, said she will likely go over budget this year - perhaps by a couple hundred thousand dollars.

 The highway department's approved budget for this year is $7.5 million.

 Weismantel said the department is now working on widening County Road 5 near Hecla using free clay to build up the road's shoulders. Crews are also blading roads and mowing.

Approved accepting an $8,500 grant from the state. The money was used to help move the 24/7 Sobriety Program from the sheriff's office to the old Extension building on First Avenue Southeast.

Rescinded a resolution that created a special fund that the state's attorney's office could tap for conviction-related expenses. The fund had $5,500 in it, but money for the expenses has been taken from the state's attorney's regular budget in recent years.

Approved previous meeting minutes, claims, plats, a lease agreement, routine personnel changes and an abatement.

With Aberdeen City Council members, approved first reading of a rezoning of 2208 135th St. from agricultural to mini-ag.

It's been known for a long time that eating grapefruit and taking certain prescription oral medications - including the cholesterol drugs atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin as well as some cancer and heart drugs - don't mix. 

On Monday, the team of researchers who discovered the dangerous interactions nearly 20 years ago reported that the number of drugs that can cause serious reactions when mixed with grapefruit increased dramatically between 2008 and 2012, from 17 to 43, as new drugs have been introduced. 

Writing in a review in the journal CMAJ, the scientists urged physicians who prescribe these medications to learn more about the drugs' interactions with grapefruit juice.

The culprit ingredients in grapefruit juice, wrote pharmacologist David Bailey of the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario and co-authors, are a group of chemicals known as furanocoumarins, which are also found in the Seville oranges sometimes used in marmalades, in limes, and in pomelos (but not in Valencia or navel oranges.) 

Furanocoumarins bind to - and thus, inactivate - an enzyme called CYP3A4 that is important for breaking down some drugs. If the enzyme is inactivated, too much of these medications can remain in a patient's system for too long, resulting sometimes in dangerous side effects including sudden death, kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems.  

In all, more than 85 drugs are thought to interact with grapefruit, the team wrote, 43 of them in dangerous ways. Eating a single grapefruit or drinking as little as just under 7 ounces of grapefruit juice can be enough to meaningfully alter the concentration of drugs in a patient's body, the team wrote. The precise number of people who suffer these effects is unknown.  People older than 45 are believed to be at greater risk because they buy the most grapefruit, and also take the most prescription drugs.

 "Unless health care professionals are aware of the possibility that the adverse event they are seeing might have an origin in the recent addition of grapefruit to the patient's diet, it is very unlikely that they will investigate it," Bailey and colleagues wrote. "We contend that there remains a lack of knowledge about this interaction in the general health care community."

The researchers provided a list of drugs that interact with grapefruit in their paper, and also offered advice to doctors on how to mitigate risk for patients, including suggestions for alternative treatments.

More than 150 Northern State University students will share their voices tonight in a Holiday Choral Concert at First Presbyterian Church.

The students are members of the NSU Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.
 Timothy Woods, who conducts both groups, said the church is "really a special place" for such a concert.

"That's a wonderful room to hear a choir," he said.

He doesn't know where he's going to put all of the students in the church.

"But it's going to be a sight, to have 150 kids singing at you," said Woods, director of choral activities at Northern.

When the two choirs assembled for the first time at the beginning of the school year and Woods took a look at them, "I immediately thought, 'We have to do some Russian music.' "

So the groups will open tonight's concert with "Bogoroditse Deve," Rachmaninov's version of "Ave Maria,"  which "just will be stunning in that room."

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the church at 318 S. Kline St. 

More than half the music will be holiday music. The evening will be highlighted by Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols," which usually is performed with harp and women's voices, Woods said.

But Northern's Allan Jacobson has prepared "A Ceremony of Carols" for the piano, and Woods will also use male singers.

The Chamber Singers will perform two pieces that they'll sing Sunday in Hoven at the ninth annual Christmas on the Prairie.

Also tonight, the NSU students will perform a piece by composer William Hawley in the round.

The evening will end with a South African Christmas carol, called "Come Colours Rise," which was written for Nelson Mandela and the celebration of the end of Apartheid.

The song begins, "Neath summer skies this Christmas morn," Woods said. "And you immediately know that you're not in South Dakota."

Former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds will announce his plans for the 2014 U.S. Senate race tomorrow.

The Republican from Pierre has not previously said whether he is going to run for the seat now held by Democrat Tim Johnson. According to a news release, Rounds will announce his decision tomorrow. He's planned three stops across the state - in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Pierre, an indication that seems to point toward his seeking the six-year term.

Rounds served as governor from 2003 through 2011. Previously, he served as a member of the South Dakota Senate, representing District 24. He's currently president and chief executive officer of Fischer-Rounds and Associates, an insurance and real estate business headquartered in Pierre.

Johnson, a Democrat and South Dakota's senior senator, has not announced whether he will seek re-election.

A Tuesday flight into the Aberdeen Regional Airport was canceled because of excessive fog, said Mike Wilson, airport manager.

The National Weather Service website listed a quarter-mile of forward visibility because of the fog, he said. A half-mile of forward visibility is required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, Wilson said.