Latest South Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

SWINE Flu-DEATHS 4 more swine flu-related deaths in SD SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) The state Health Department has confirmed four more swine flu-related deaths in South Dakota, bringing the total to 13.

Details on where the latest deaths occurred weren't immediately available.

Deaths have previously been reported in Shannon, Todd, Minnehaha and Pennington counties. The latter case involved an 8-year-old boy from Rapid City.

The virus, also known as H1N1, can cause a high fever, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion, and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

The department's data shows nearly 1,700 South Dakotans have tested positive for the flu strain. That's nearly 400 more confirmed cases than last week.

Information from: KELO-TV, http://www.keloland.com MISSING INMATE Search on for SD prison inmate PIERRE, S.D. (AP) Authorities are searching for a South Dakota prison inmate who failed to show up at his work release job.

State officials say 50-year-old Mark Irish left the Rapid City Minimum Unit on Thursday morning but never showed up for his job.

He's believed to be in a 1994 dark green Chevy Suburban with the license plate number 2PN132.

Authorities say Irish is serving a sentence of nine years and 10 months on drug charges. He's described as 6-feet tall, weighing about 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

MARSHAL NOMINEE Thielen recommended for marshal's job SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Sen. Tim Johnson has recommended to the president that Paul Thielen of Rapid City be appointed U.S. marshal in South Dakota.

Thielen currently is a senior investigator and deputy U.S.

marshal in Rapid City.

The U.S. marshal's job is among certain federal jobs that change hands when a new president takes office.

Johnson earlier had recommended Randy Seiler for the job, but the senator says Seiler withdrew from consideration after taking a promotion within the U.S. attorney's office.

KOSHER SLAUGHTERHOUSE-TRIAL Rubashkin testifies in trial, denies charges SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) The former manager of an Iowa kosher meatpacking plant says he never intentionally violated federal laws but admits he made some mistakes.

Sholom Rubashkin faces 91 charges of bank, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and ignoring orders to pay cattle providers in the time required by federal law.

Rubashkin took the stand Thursday in his trial in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls. He says questionable financial practices at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville, Iowa, can be blamed on his oversights or actions by other employees.

Rubashkin testified he never read an agreement for a $35 million line of credit to the plant before signing it. Former employees have testified that Rubashkin told a worker to falsify sales invoices to collect larger advances.

Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com CONGRESSWOMAN-INDIAN ISSUES0106 SD Rep: White House addressing Indian issues SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says the White House is demonstrating a renewed commitment to addressing the chronic problems plaguing Indian Country.

Herseth Sandlin has reintroduced legislation aimed at improving coordination between tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies and increasing accountability standards.

President Barack Obama thanked the South Dakota representative for her leadership on the issue Thursday during his speech to the Tribal Nations Conference in Washington.

Herseth Sandlin says the House and Senate are increasing funding for Indian issues. And the White House has a dedicated Indian affairs liaison in Jodi Archambault Gillette, who is helping to coordinate interagency cooperation.

health care-AARP Seniors' lobby endorses House Dem health care bill WASHINGTON (AP) The AARP has officially endorsed the House Democratic health care bill. It gives a major boost to the legislation two days before a historic vote.

AARP Senior Policy Adviser John Rother says the measure closes the coverage gap in Medicare prescription benefits, puts strict limits on what health insurers can charge older workers too young for Medicare and creates a voluntary, long-term care insurance program.

AARP South Dakota State Director Sarah Jennings says more than 14,000 South Dakotans who are ages 50 to 64 are now priced out of the health insurance market. She says that's unacceptable.

Jennings says the bill is a "critical step" in providing affordable health care choices for all South Dakotans.

AARP has about 40 million members nationwide. Officials with the seniors lobby said the organization lost 150,000 members since July 1 because of the group's support for health overhaul. But in that time, it also registered 2.7 million new members and renewals.

Officials said they were confident their members would see the bill's benefits.

LAKE RESCUE Man and woman are pulled out of Pelican Lake WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) A Codington County Search and Rescue crew pulled a man and a woman from the 41-degree waters of Pelican Lake Wednesday afternoon after their canoe capsized.

Officials were told by a caller that two people were in the water one holding on to a paddle and the other to the overturned canoe.

The search and rescue workers used a boat and a pair of jet skis to find the canoe and rescue the victims.

Authorities say the unidentified people had spent at least 30 minutes in the frigid water.

The two were taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not released.

Information from: Watertown Public Opinion, http://www.thepublicopinion.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-06-09 0202CST | save this article / add to your favorites list