The use of cameras, buzzers and intercoms is the new normal in Belle Fourche schools, reports KOTA's MyTown site and KOTA TV.

The move to boost security at school entrances comes in reponse to school shootings recurring around the country, administrators said. The school district has also hired a resource officer.

Of South Dakota's 528,621 registered voters, 348,201 voted in Tuesday's election, for a 66 percent voter turn out, the Rapid City Journal reports.

This year marks the second presidential election with declining voter turnout statewide. One political science expert is not surprised, noting the state's blockbuster 2004 U.S. Senate race between Democrat Tom Daschle and Republican John Thune.

A Dakota Poll released this week shows South Dakota voters plan to vote for an additional penny in sales tax by a margin of 67% to 30%, according to a Dakota Poll press release.

Voters are more optimistic about the economy and whether the state is on the "right track" than they were two years ago.

The agency kicked off its annual fundraising push with entertainment from area middle and high school students at a gathering of about 175 supporters, the Black Hills Pioneer reports.

The campaign kick-off was combined with the first Northern Hills Day of Caring, where volunteers spread out to complete various improvements.

For more information, visit the United Way of the Black Hills website.

Parades in four towns and a picnic in Spearfish are being planned to welcome home South Dakota National Guard soldiers who have been deployed to Afghanistan, the Black Hills Pioneer reports.

Yellow ribbons are up and organizers are seeking parade vehicles, although the exact date of return is not yet known.

Visitation to both private and public attractions are up in 2012 over 2011, the Black Hills Pioneer reports, with increases ranging from 8 percent to 25 percent depending on the category of attraction and geographic area.

Private attractions across the state report more visitors, while demand for hotel rooms and requests for vacation information also are up, the South Dakota Tourism Department says.

A new a 60-foot pre-cast concrete structure that meets all FEMA and state Department of Transportation requirements, has been built over Indian Creek in Butte County and should be ready for traffic during the third week of September, the Black Hills Pioneer reports.

The new bridge was needed after fire destroyed the original, 52-year-old wooden bridge in 2009, and floods washed away a low water crossing in 2011.

Pipeline Plastics will build a new facility to manufacture high density polyethylene pipe, the Black Hills Pioneer reports.

The pipe is used in the energy industry, and Belle Fourche was chosen for its proximity to North Dakota's Baaken oil fields, a company spokesman said.

Visit the Pipeline Plastics LLC website by clicking here.

We know the health and vitality of a community are directly linked to the community's information infrastructure. The Black Hills Knowledge Network began as a project to help move local information through this infrastructure, giving decision-makers and leaders current and background information on the issues of today. Did you know that states that scored higher in a civic health study also had lower unemployment rates? This is good news for South Dakota.

MidContinent awarded $1,000 to the Black Hills Chapter of the Red Cross to pay for emergency communications. The grant will help the Red Cross document the needs of disaster victims, communicate with First Responders and coordinate disaster relief operations across 38,000 square miles in the Black Hills region. More information on the award and chapter's activites is available from the Black Hills Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collected data for 49 of the counties in South Dakota on variables such as mortality rates, smoking, obesity, healthcare coverage, number of primary physicians and more to rank each county as to how healthy its citizens are. The county with the highest ranking in South Dakota is Brookings County. For the counties in the Black Hills Knowledge Network area, Lawrence County ranked the highest as the 18th healthiest in South Dakota.

Attempts by legislators to override Governor Dennis Daugaard's veto of Senate Bill 157 have failed in the South Dakota House of Representatives. The bill prevented local governments from restricting outdoor advertising, which would have invalidated the digital billboard ban passed by Rapid City voters in 2011. The Senate voted 26-7 to override the veto, but the House of Representatives fell four votes short of the two-thirds majority required to override with a 43-24 vote.