Latest South Dakota news, sports, business and entertainment:

FALSE ALARMS Bogus alarms might bring fines in SF SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Bogus burglar and robbery alarms are becoming such a nuisance for the Sioux Falls Police Department that city officials are considering charging a fee to cover the cost of responding to repeated unfounded reports.

Police say about 1,900 burglar and hold-up distress alarms have been triggered so far this year, and they responded to 2,415 such calls last year. Ninety-nine percent of them were false.

Officer Greg Schmidt says police expect the problem to worsen as the city continues to grow.

The Police Department is working on a draft ordinance designed to reduce the number of false alarms. Details have not been finalized, but Schmidt says the proposal will include fines, similar to systems set up in Mitchell and Rapid City.

Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com SMOKING APPEAL State won't appeal smoking ban ruling PIERRE, S.D. (AP) The state has decided not to appeal a judge's decision that allows South Dakota's new smoking ban law to be referred to a public vote in the 2010 election.

The decision was announced Friday by Attorney General Marty Jackley and Secretary of State Chris Nelson.

The law would ban smoking in bars and casinos. Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Trandahl ruled last week that opponents had collected enough signatures to force a public vote.

Bar and casino owners had collected signatures to refer it to a vote, but the matter went to court after Secretary of State Nelson ruled that enough petition signatures were invalid to keep it off the ballot.

MOBRIDGE BANK ROBBERY Alleged bank robber to be charged federally ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) A woman accused of robbing a Mobridge bank will be charged in federal court.

Walworth County State's Attorney Christopher Jansen says he is turning over the case of 50-year-old Sonja Mae Brown to federal authorities.

Brown was arrested Nov. 10 after a reported robbery at the Mobridge Dacotah Bank. Authorities say she was captured when she tried to leave the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

Brown is charged with grand theft and robbery at the state level. Police have said Brown is believed to be from Fort Yates, N.D.

Information from: Aberdeen American News, http://www.aberdeennews.com KOSHER SLAUGHTERHOUSE-TRIAL Judge rules no bail for plant manager Rubashkin Iowa CITY, Iowa (AP) A federal judge has ruled that a convicted former kosher slaughterhouse manager must remain in jail until his sentencing.

U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade ruled Friday that former Agriprocessors, Inc., manager Sholom Rubashkin is a flight risk and must stay in jail until he is sentenced on 86 counts of financial fraud.

Reade hasn't set a sentencing date.

Rubashkin was allowed out on bail before his trial, but Reade has ruled that he presents a greater flight risk now that he's been convicted.

His lawyers have asked Reade to toss out that verdict, claiming prosecutors violated rules set by the judge.

Rubashkin was convicted on the financial fraud counts last week in a set of charges that followed an immigration raid at the Agriprocessors plant in May 2008.

DOUBLE FATAL SD Highway Patrol determines driver in fatal crash PRESHO, S.D. (AP) The South Dakota Highway Patrol says 16-year-old Maci M. Busack of Kennebec was the driver of a pickup involved in a fatal crash Nov. 13 on old Highway 16 west of Presho.

Busack and 19-year-old Alexis Bowsher of Minot, N.D., were killed in the one-vehicle rollover.

Initially, investigators had been unable to determine which of the occupants was driving at the time of the accident.

CASTLEWOOD FATAL Man dead in two-pickup crash WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) Hamlin County Sheriff Dan Mack said one man died early Friday when two pickup trucks collided on Highway 22 east of Castlewood.

Mack's office said 34-year-old Gerald Meyer of Milbank was killed.

The other driver, 61-year-old John Hessedence of Hazel, was hospitalized.

RODEO SENDOFF NFR sendoff set for Saturday BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. (AP) Rodeo supporters plan a Saturday send-off for contestants heading to the National Finals Rodeo Dec.

3-12 in Las Vegas. Organizers say the public can meet the competitors and get their autographs.

Scott Reder, chairman of the Black Hills Roundup Committee, says the region has some of the best competitors in the nation.

Six contestants set to attend the evening event are: J.J. Elshere of Quinn, who is in fifth in saddle bronc riding, Bryce Miller of Buffalo, who is in seventh place, Shaun Stroh of Dickinson, N.D., eighth place, Chad Ferely of Oelrichs, 15th place, Jesse Bail of Camp Crook, who is in 12th place in bull riding, Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, eighth place in barrel racing.

Information from: Black Hills Pioneer, http://www.bhpioneer.com O'HANLON APPOINTMENT O'Hanlon appointed AP Great Plains news editor NEW YORK (AP) The Nebraska news editor for The Associated Press has been named to the new position of Great Plains news editor.

Kevin O'Hanlon is one of six editors in charge of an expanded multistate territory as part of a restructuring of the AP's U.S.

news management. He will oversee coverage of Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

O'Hanlon joined the AP in Dallas in 1995 and worked in the Cincinnati bureau before being named Lincoln correspondent in 1998.

He became Nebraska news editor in 2007.

He also has worked for newspapers in Nebraska, South Dakota, Michigan and Ohio.

The job of North and South Dakota News Editor Dennis Gale and Bismarck, N.D., Correspondent Phyllis Mensing have been eliminated as part of the consolidation.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-21-09 0202CST | save this article / add to your favorites list