The US Navy christened its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) in a ceremony at Austal USA’s Mobile, Alabama facilities on Saturday, May 18. The future USS Pierre is the second US Navy ship named in honour of the capital city of South Dakota. Following delivery, it will join its...
South Dakota
FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: New railroad sidings opened in South Dakota
South Dakota became the 40th state to join the Union in 1889. It ranks 16th in size among the 50 states, encompassing 77,123 square miles. It averages 10 people per square mile, and its total population is only about 900,000 people. (By comparison, the population density in Georgia is 149 people per square mile and 253 per square mile in California.)
South Dakota has a strong agricultural base, which remains the largest industry in the...
FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: I-29 serves the Great Plains and upper Midwest
Interstate 29 (I-29) is a generally north-south interstate highway that serves the Great Plains region and the upper Midwest between Kansas City and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The highway’s total length is 755.51 miles.
In the south, I-29 begins at Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70. It runs northward to the U.S.-Canada border near Pembina, North Dakota. The highway follows the course of three major rivers, each of which forms the borders of U.S. states. The southern...
South Dakota short line among winners of RAISE grants
The Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E), a Genesee & Wyoming short line in Rapid City, South Dakota, is involved in a project that has just received a $22 million federal grant.
The South Dakota freight capacity expansion project will upgrade 163 miles of the RCP&E main line between Fort Pierre and Rapid City in order to improve freight flows between western South Dakota and Wyoming. The project received the $22 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/south-dakota-short-line-among-winners-of-raise-grants
South Dakota waives hours of service to help petroleum resupply
South Dakota has responded to the issue of a tight market for fuel tanker trucks by extending allowable hours of service for petroleum deliveries until Aug. 16.
Although the declaration is a state override of federal rules, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said such an action is legal.
“Governors are able to issue emergency declarations,” Duane DeBruyne, a FMCSA spokesman, said in an email to FreightWaves.
Additionally, a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/south-dakota-waives-hours-of-service-to-help-petroleum-resupply
Alaska, South Dakota secure funding for rail projects
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced more than $6.9 million in funding for freight rail projects in Alaska and South Dakota.
Monday’s announcement by FRA follows a tweet by President Donald Trump, who said separately on Saturday that he would be issuing a presidential permit granting the construction of a freight railroad between Alaska and the Canadian province of Alberta (see below).
More than $1.2 million will go to two projects in rural Alaska as part of the special...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/alaska-south-dakota-secure-funding-for-rail-projects
Ex-payroll clerk accused of swiping funds from trucking company
The former billing and payroll clerk for a South Dakota trucking company has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 16 counts of wire fraud.
The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, claims that Sheila Verbrugge, 50, used her position to divert funds from her employer into her personal accounts.
She pleaded not guilty in federal court on Aug. 25.
According to court records, Verbrugge worked for Blachowske Truck Line, headquartered in Brandon, South Dakota, for...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ex-payroll-clerk-accused-of-swiping-funds-from-trucking-company