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Flooding continues across Midwest; how ND DOT mitigates potential flooding problems

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Flooding continues across Midwest; how ND DOT mitigates potential flooding problems


BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Flooding has been devastating in parts of the Midwest recently, impacting the Blue Earth River in southern Minnesota, leading to the closure of I-29 in parts of South Dakota and Iowa, and causing millions of dollars in damages to small towns and farms.

While rainfall for many in North Dakota has been above normal, flooding problems haven’t been widespread.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) tries to prevent problems each year with proper planning for projects.

“Anytime there’s a project that impacts a stream crossing— so that can be a pipe, a box culvert, a bridge— we have to do the hydraulic design to ensure that the minimum opening is met. North Dakota state law has specific requirements of what design event these different types of crossings need to be built to, they are dependent on the roadway classification. So, for instance, our interstate is our highest priority, so it has a larger flood event that we design it to, to help ensure that there’s resiliency for that roadway,” said Lindsay Bossert, assistant bridge engineer at the ND DOT.

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The DOT follows strict design standards, going above state law by planning for 100-year flood events, especially when bridges are involved.

“We have a lot of bridge replacement projects, those we have to design hydraulically to make sure that that opening size is large enough to accommodate these floods. So, a lot of those projects are going on right now,” said Bossert. “We’ve also done quite a bit of grade raises over the past few years. So, we have specific roadways that we see inundate, go underwater quite frequently. So, we’ve really tried to start bringing those above where we see that flood typically occur to ensure that those stay dry.”

I-94 recently flooded from heavy rain near Cleveland, west of Jamestown.

“We are now looking at the hydraulics of that, trying to figure out how high we would need to bring that road up in order to ensure that that flooding doesn’t occur again,” said Bossert.

Being able to rapidly respond to flooding situations starts with preparedness within each DOT district.

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“They visit with their maintenance crews early spring, make sure they’ve got all their signs and barriers ready to go so that we can react quickly if we need to shut down a road. Once the spring melt starts occurring, we typically pay close attention to the water levels at that site. We use USGS stream gauges or cameras to kind of help us track those water levels,” said Bossert.

Safety comes first, so road closures do happen sometimes and damage inspections are required once the water recedes.

Flooding can also delay ongoing construction projects, so DOT contractors need to maintain positive drainage throughout the construction site to mitigate these problems.

Eastern North Dakota is generally the most problematic for flooding. River levels remain high there and across much of the Midwest, with a bit more rain to come before dry conditions are expected in the longer term.

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South Dakota Mines plans $6M geology field station in Nemo

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South Dakota Mines plans M geology field station in Nemo


NEMO, S.D. – South Dakota Mines is planning to build a more than 9,000-square-foot geology field station in Nemo. The new facility will give students a dedicated space to live and collaborate while completing required field camps.

The project is being completed in conjunction with the South Dakota Mines Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement (CARA). Currently, geology students have to commute from the Rapid City campus to remote locations every day to complete their field camps.

The new center is aimed at making the study of Black Hills geology more accessible while providing late-night mentorship and a better space for students to hang out and work together.

“Several years ago we received the generous gift of land in Nemo, and at that moment, you know, that gift of land opened up some opportunities and allowed us to think about what might be possible,” said Marc Vaillancourt, Chief Executive Officer for CARA at South Dakota Mines.

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The new facility is expected to be 9,415 square feet in size.

South Dakota Mines Center for Alumni Relations & Advancement

Vaillancourt says the Black Hills are one of the greatest natural geology classrooms in the world, giving students the opportunity to climb rugged terrain, map complex formations, and wrestle with folds, faults, and intrusions. He emphasized that the field camp is a rigorous requirement, where students spend their days in the field conducting research and geological mapping alongside professors.

“The field station and the field camps… that really is the capstone for a student,” Vaillancourt said, “They’ve spent four years studying the work and what it takes to be a geologist or a geological engineer, and now the last thing, the capstone, is that field camp experience, being there in the weeds, so to speak, in the rocks.”

The new 9,415-square-foot facility will feature dormitories and collaboration spaces, functioning as a classroom embedded in the Black Hills. The project is estimated to cost just over $6 million and will be entirely funded by private donors.

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The Center for Alumni Relations is hosting a public meeting Monday evening to share their vision and answer questions from Nemo residents. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 8, at the Nemo Community Hall.

Per Lundquist

Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.





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SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for June 6, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 6, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 6 drawing

16-32-55-59-64, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from June 6 drawing

08-22-24-37-47, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from June 6 drawing

05-09-13-14-23

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 6 drawing

03-13-18-35-48, Bonus: 04

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Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
  • Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
  • Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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2026 SDHSAA State Softball Saturday Scores

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2026 SDHSAA State Softball Saturday Scores


The 2026 SDHSAA State Softball Championships concluded Saturday from Sioux Falls and Aberdeen. Congrats to Dakota Valley (A), Castlewood (B) and Sioux Falls Jefferson (AA) on taking home state championships.

Saturday Scores

Class AA

7/8th Place
Sioux Falls Lincoln 10, Bishop O’Gorman 8
5/6th Place
Brandon Valley 4, Rapid City Stevens 2
3/4th Place
Harrisburg 10, Sioux Falls Roosevelt 4
Championship
Sioux Falls Jefferson 11, Sioux Falls Washington 0

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Class A

7/8th Place
Lennox 11, Madison 7
5/6th Place
Sioux Valley 9, Beresford 5
3/4th Place
West Central 11, Tri-Valley 1
Championship
Dakota Valley 9, Elk Point-Jefferson 6

Class B

7/8th Place
Avon 13, Florence/Henry 3
5/6th Place
Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy 9, Redfield 3
3/4th Place
Gayville-Volin 7, Hanson 0
Championship
Castlewood 9, McCook Central/Montrose 2

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