Latest South Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

FATAL FIRE House fire leaves Belvidere couple dead BELVIDERE, S.D. (AP) Authorities have identified a husband and wife as the victims of an early morning house fire in southwestern South Dakota.

Jackson County Sheriff Ray Clements Jr. said 80-year-old Thomas Carrico and his 79-year-old wife, Helen, died in Monday's fire in Belvidere.

The fire was reported just before 1 a.m. Monday by an off-duty deputy from Florida who spotted the fire as he drove along Interstate 90.

Authorities say the fire destroyed four vehicles, a camper and an unattached garage as well as the house. Firefighters were able to keep the blaze away from a nearby propane tank and a neighbor's home.

Clements said authorities believe a minivan parked between the house and garage caught fire and spread.

MISSING MAN FOUND Body of missing Pierre man found PIERRE, S.D. (AP) Authorities say they've found the body of a missing Pierre man, but say foul play isn't suspected in his death.

Stanley County Sheriff Brad Rathbun said authorities found the body of 65-year-old Ronald Wham floating in the Missouri River north of Pierre and Fort Pierre on Monday afternoon. They had been looking for him since Nov. 7.

Stanley County Deputy Coroner John Luce says he has not made a decision on whether to ask for an autopsy.

Wham was last seen on the morning of Nov. 7. His wife reported him missing that night. Searches were conducted on the ground and from the air.

Authorities said Wham had been taking prescription medication for a medical condition and that he hadn't taken that medication with him.

Information from: KCCR-AM, http://www.todayskccr.com HIGHWAY FUNDING Lawmakers endorse road funding publication PIERRE, S.D. (AP) South Dakota lawmakers have approved the preparation of a document that will help explain to the public why a legislative committee recommended substantial increases in taxes used to support state and local roads.

A study committee last month recommended a 10-cent-a-gallon increase in the state gas tax, a 1 percent increase in the excise tax on vehicle sales, and a boost in the annual vehicle registration fee. That proposal will be considered by the legislative session that opens in January.

The Legislature's Executive Board agreed Monday to have legislative staff prepare a summary explaining how revenue has declined while the cost of building and maintaining roads has risen substantially.

The summary will be placed on the Legislature's Web site.

RUSHMORE SUPERINTENDENT Acting superintendent named at Mount Rushmore VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) A spokesman for Mount Rushmore National Memorial says Superintendent Gerard Baker is on an unexpected medical leave and that an acting superintendent has taken over for the next several weeks.

Spokesman Nanvit Singh says John Scott was brought in from ArKansas, where he's the superintendent at Pea Ridge National Military Park.

Singh says Scott is a National Park Service veteran who has worked at Yellowstone National Park, Lake Meade National Recreation Area and Crater Lake National Park, among others.

Scott could be in the temporary job until as long as mid-December.

Singh says even though tourism has slowed down at the monument, much planning and programming for next year is under way.

Information from: South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

STATE INVESTMENTS Stock market improves state trust fund payouts PIERRE, S.D. (AP) State Investment Officer Matt Clark says gains in the stock market means two trust funds likely will be able to contribute money to help finance next year's state budget.

The education Enhancement Trust Fund and the health care Trust Fund are not providing any money for the current state budget because of heavy losses last year.

But Clark told the Legislature's Executive Board on Monday that the two trust funds have earned about 14 percent so far during this budget year. He says if those gains hold through the end of December, about $3.9 million would be available for health care and $13.8 million would be available for education in the budget year beginning next July.

The South Dakota Retirement Fund's assets have gained 16.6 percent since July 1.

CROP REPORT Continued dry weather aids harvest SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Dry weather continued last week in South Dakota, and the weekly crop report indicates progress in harvesting.

The report, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says 93 percent of the Soybean crop had been harvested as of Sunday 17 percentage points more than a week earlier.

The Corn crop is listed at 27 percent harvested. That compares to a five-year average of 82 percent.

Fifty-nine percent of the sunflower crop had been harvested as of Sunday, about the same pace as last year.

The report says two-thirds of the corn crop is in good or excellent condition.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-17-09 0200CST | save this article / add to your favorites list