Cops find doughnut sender; 16-hour crawl to safety; toy gun complaint

By TOM GRIFFITH

Rapid City Journal

DEADWOOD, S.D. (AP) — A Deadwood woman and her puppy barely got to safety Sunday night, arriving at her back door a whisker ahead of a sprinting mountain lion.

Virginia Potter had taken her Welsh Corgi, Shorty, out in her yard about 7 p.m. when the 6-month-old pup began to bark.

"We have a group of bunny rabbits that live under the shed in the backyard, so I didn't think much of it," Potter, 45, told the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/1OazkTN ). "Shorty usually barks at them and I said, 'Shorty, be quiet.'"

Seconds later, Potter watched in awe as a full-grown adult male mountain lion leaped over her white picket fence, then bounded over a second fence and headed straight for her and her dog.

"I screamed bloody murder and started high-tailing it toward the house with Shorty on my heels, and we got to the house at the same time," Potter said, nearly breathless almost a full day later. "It was 2 feet away when we got to the door, and it was huge.

"I have never been that scared in my life," she added. "It was terrifying."

Deadwood Police Chief Kelly Fuller said two of his officers went to Potter's home in the Claim Jumpers Mobile Home Park.

"We responded," Fuller said, "and officers observed a freshly killed deer and two mountain lions in the area. An officer took a shot at it and missed."

The chief said police then removed the dead deer. Potter said officers stayed at her home for nearly three hours, waiting for the cat to return.

Fuller said it wasn't unusual for police to receive reports of mountain lion sightings in Deadwood this time of year.

"We're starting to get a fair amount of them," he said. "As deer and other food sources begin moving into town, the mountain lions tend to follow. Our sightings generally go up this time of year."

After examining police reports, Fuller said mountain lions were spotted Dec. 9 at Whistler Gulch Campground; Dec. 12 near City Hall; last Wednesday near Gordon Park when a domestic cat was killed; and New Year's Day near the Deadwood Recreation Center.

Several years ago, Deadwood Police and state Game, Fish and Parks officers shot and killed a 150-pound male mountain lion near the playground of the Lead-Deadwood Elementary School after it had killed a deer, dragged it up a driveway and buried it in a garden. That massive lion was later sent to a taxidermist and found a permanent home in Deadwood's Adams Museum.

"This latest lion has been very aggressive, and we believe it killed someone's pet," Fuller said. "Then last night, the report we got was it was acting aggressively toward a resident and her dog. This behavior indicates a problem cat that is showing no fear of humans.

"It's been pretty brazen," the chief added. He advised anyone who spots a mountain lion to "make themselves as big and imposing as possible. Make a lot of noise. I wouldn't turn my back on it and run. That might trigger the predator instinct."

Fuller said police only reluctantly shoot mountain lions, and instead often use rubber bullets in their shotguns to "haze" them out of town and instill a fear of humans.

"We realize they share the area with us," he said. "As long as they're good neighbors, we don't have a problem with them. They are a magnificent animal, and they have their place here. But our job is about public safety, and sometimes we have to take action."

For Potter, that action will come none too soon.

"I'm so scared for the kids in the neighborhood," she said. "I always thought if I was out there, no wild animal would come up to us, but that was not the case. Now the cat is going after people, and I want to know what GF&P is going to do. When they start going after people it's a different story."

Potter said she had already purchased a "pee pad" so Shorty won't have to go outside to do his business. And, she said she was planning to buy a stun gun, and will not take her dog outside early in the morning or after twilight.

"We just won't give him a reason to have lunch here," Potter said of the mountain lion, shaking her head. "We're not going to be on his menu."

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A northwest Missouri man held on to a secret for three weeks to give his wife the Christmas surprise of a lifetime.

Robert Bowlin, of Platte City, won a Missouri Lotto jackpot in early December, splitting a $4 million prize with another person who correctly matched all six numbers.

Bowlin, a retired operating engineer, discovered he had won Dec. 3. He notified a financial adviser and a CPA but otherwise didn't tell anyone until Christmas, when he told his wife.

He collected his winnings Dec. 29. The father of three and grandfather of two says he hasn't made any plans for his winnings.

Bowlin purchased his winning ticket from Trex Mart 2 in Tracy, which will receive $2,500 for selling one of the winning tickets.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Sixty-two percent of 811 applicants passed the Michigan bar exam for lawyers last summer.

University of Michigan law school led the way with 33 of 36 graduates passing the July test, followed by Michigan State University at 76 percent, Wayne State University at 74 percent and University of Detroit-Mercy at 59 percent.

Cooley law school had the most graduates taking the test — 265 — but only 40 percent passed.

The statistics, after appeals, come from the Michigan Board of Law Examiners, which oversees the test. It's given twice a year.

By JOSH MONIZ

Post-Bulletin

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A former Mayo doctor is calling it "a Christmas miracle" that he survived being trapped overnight Dec. 19 on a frozen North Dakota field after breaking his leg on a hunting trip.

Rochester resident Richard Olsen said the biggest lesson from his accident is people shouldn't let fear and uncertainty prevent them reaching out to see if someone is all right, something Olson said probably saved his life.

Olsen, who retired as a Mayo Clinic developmental pediatrician in 2010, is recovering at Mayo Clinic-Saint Marys Campus.

"We are so grateful to my dad for fighting so hard to get back to us alive," said Sarah Brown, his daughter. "It's still kind of hard to wrap our heads around what he went through."

Olsen was hunting on a cousin's land near Watford City, N.D., in the sparsely populated western portion of the state. On Dec. 19, he tried a new spot and forgot to bring his cell phone, the only time on the trip. He trekked more than half a mile with two dogs to a harvested wheat field.

Eyes fixed on the horizon in anticipation of another pheasant taking flight, he stepped on a thin crust of snow clumped on blown-over brush above a drainage trench. It collapsed and dropped him four feet to the bottom.

"I knew immediately I was in trouble and I was going to hurt myself," Olsen said. "I was suddenly picking up a lot of speed."

His left leg hit first, taking the brunt of his weight and momentum before snapping the femur above the knee. Doctors later determined it had displaced by two inches.

After "a considerable amount of cussing," he lay on his side to reach for his shotgun, unloaded it and used it as a makeshift crutch. He spent an hour and a half climbing the earthen trench backward to keep pressure off his bad leg.

When he was partly up, he slipped and slid back down, slamming into a large rock and wedging the foot of his injured leg.

"I told myself that if I didn't get myself out of that ditch, I wasn't going to have a very good night," Olsen said.

He worked his foot free and climbed more slowly and cautiously out of the trench.

Olsen immediately realized the enormity of the task before him. The accident occurred about 4 p.m., and it was nearing 7 p.m. with the road far away as the sun was setting.

Olsen focused on crawling to safety. Even with his gun crutch, hopping was impractical. Instead, he sat down and pushed himself backward less than 40 inches at a time with his good leg.

"I've always been stubborn. We all face moment when we must be very persistent. Skidding across the prairie on my backside was worth it (to get back to my family)," Olsen said.

Progress was exhausting and required frequent breaks. He navigated around entangling brush and more than 30 frozen puddles, to avoid getting soaked. He also made a wide detour around a pond.

Temperatures dropped to the teens overnight, and snow melted and soaked his gloves and boots, dripping water each time he pushed backward. He knew he was at risk of going into shock from hypothermia and developing frostbite. His hands and foot soon were completely numb.

"There were many times during the night where I wondered if I could keep on trucking," Olsen said, wiping away some tears during the interview.

His dogs were the one humorous element in his ordeal. They had been playing in the field and eventually came up to him, trying to lay on his back and bad leg to absorb some of his body heat. The dogs also periodically howled at distant coyote sounds.

The dogs eventually ran back to the heated trailer and were rescued.

Olsen finally reached the barbed-wire fence near the road around 8 a.m. on Dec. 20, about 16 hours after the accident. His vehicle and trailer were visible on the other side, yet he was far from saved.

A steep ditch with snow and heavy brush stood between the fence and the road. He feared his exhausted and rapidly freezing body wouldn't be able to climb out of the ditch, leaving him below a driver's sight line. After not finding any access points to the road, he decided to sit by the fence and wave down a driver.

During the next half an hour, he waved wildly and shouted until his voice was hoarse, but six vehicles passed without stopping. He said he doesn't blame those drivers, who either didn't realize he needed help or were fearful for their own safety.

"People get reluctant to stop from someone because of all the stuff you hear in the news," Olsen said.

Bryant Duncan, a trucker hauling wastewater for an oil drilling company, was returning from a long shift and noticed Olsen's vehicle. He had seen it the night before but assumed it was a survey crew that returned early. He saw Olsen waving, but the angle made it look like he was standing in tall grass and shouting to someone else, so he kept driving.

At the last moment, he noticed two unusual things. First, the truck had a layer of frost. Second, he barely saw Olsen's feet in the grass, meaning he wasn't standing.

"Honesty, I felt like it was God who told me that man was in a bind," Duncan said. "I believe God put me in just the right position to realize the man was hurt."

He stopped his truck, reversed it, and ran up to Olsen, who was completely white with a light blue tint and a clearly injured leg.

Duncan was able to determine Olsen, who was crying in relief, was trying to tell him about the injury and being outside all night. He wrapped Olsen in a sleeping bag and blankets after calling police.

Olsen was taken by ambulance to Trinity Health Hospital in Minot, N.D. He was stabilized and underwent extensive surgery on his leg. He later was flown to Saint Marys Hospital, where his family celebrated Christmas in his hospital room.

"When they got me to the hospital in Minot, my red blood cell count had dropped to eight. I don't think I would have survived if he hadn't stopped," Olsen said. "I am so grateful to him."

Olsen is undergoing physical therapy for his leg. He suffered serious frostbite on his fingers.

"I expect I have quite a long time before I'm going to be able to get up and move around. But the worst part is already behind me," Olsen said. "In my view, it was a Christmas miracle — for my family and everyone else involved in this."

Duncan downplayed his role in saving Olsen, saying it is common for Montana residents to check on someone on the side of the road.

"I'm glad the man was able to get back to his family for Christmas," Duncan said. "That right there was the best possible Christmas present I could have received."

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — A federal lawsuit that's led by a central Minnesota beekeeper is seeking to make the Environmental Protection Agency label insecticide-coated seeds as a pesticide.

The change sought by the lawsuit would curb use of neonicotinoid pesticides that beekeepers say are inadvertently killing their colonies, Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1PKZcs4 ) reported. Neonicotinoids are widely used on soybean and corn seeds, but the use isn't included in pesticide regulations.

Beekeeper Jeff Anderson is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Wednesday. He said dust that's kicked up when the seeds are planted drifts onto hives and kills bees.

Anderson said state or federal regulators can't protect his bees because the EPA says the seeds coated by insecticide are exempt from pesticide labels. The labels include information on EPA restrictions and requirements for safe application.

"In order for state regulators to be able to take action there has to be a label and then a violation of the label," he said. "If there was a label then it would give our regulators the ability to take corrective action when that actually occurs."

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include environmental advocacy group Center for Food Safety, beekeepers in South Dakota and Pennsylvania, and farmers from Kansas an Pennsylvania.

Center for Food Safety attorney Peter Jenkins said neonicotinoid insecticides sprayed on fields are regulated and labeled with restrictions, but neonicotinoid-coated seeds aren't considered a pesticide use and are therefore exempt from use rules. He believes this exemption has led to an overuse of insecticide-treated seeds.

An EPA spokesperson said the agency doesn't typically comment on pending litigation.

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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — A hospital in Sheboygan is providing parents with a new option to connect with their newborns while the infants remain in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The parents can see and talk to their babies through video-calling technology while they are away from Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center. The hospital introduced the option for parents a month ago, after working through legal and security considerations, Sheboygan Press Media (http://shebpr.es/1JXFV2c ) reported.

Staci Krahn, a registered nurse in the neonatal unit, said she wanted a way for parents to be able to see their newborns when they're gone. She had the idea to use a camera to capture moments like bath time, but saw online that a hospital was using live video technology to connect families.

"We started with connecting mothers with their babies with a Polaroid camera," said Megan Shuartsman, a nurse manager at the hospital. "It started with that picture, then it took a step further. This lets them watch their baby, which they want to do."

Oostburg couple Nicholas and Kris Wychesit's newborn child Mason was born in the hospital Dec. 20, nearly seven weeks early, and will spend several weeks in the neonatal unit. The Wychesits make daily trips to the hospital, but have used Apple's FaceTime to connect with Mason when they can't visit in person.

"What they thought of to do with FaceTime for the parents to see their baby is unbelievable," Nicholas Wychesit said. "It gives you peace of mind. It's just comforting to see that he's doing good."

Families can also use other video-calling options such as Skype or Google Hangouts. Parents can give permission for two other people to video call newborns, allowing grandparents or siblings to connect with them.

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Information from: Sheboygan Press Media, http://www.sheboygan-press.com

ZION, Ill. (AP) — Police outside Chicago say man shot by officers after taking photographs of schools has died.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force Detective Christopher Covelli says officers dispatched to north suburban Zion for a suspicious person Wednesday morning began chasing the man on foot and a struggle ensued in which the man was shot. He was pronounced dead at a Waukegan hospital.

Covelli says the man appeared to be wearing body armor.

The man's name hasn't been released, nor have those of the officers involved in the shooting.

Zion Police Chief Steve Dumyahn says no other suspects are at large.

At least seven schools were placed on lockdown during the incident.

In April, a Zion police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old fleeing officers after trying to illegally buy a gun.

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A mother has complained to her son's Pontiac school after the boy received a toy gun as a gift during a class project.

WXYZ-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1kLfBBN ) that Brieanna Johnson went to Herrington Elementary School to complain about her 6-year-old son bringing home the gun after the school organized businesses to bring children gifts.

Johnson says the principal apologized and had no idea about the toy gun.

Superintendent of Pontiac Schools Kelley Williams says the district will work to improve communication with donors and have employees inspect gifts before they are handed to students.

Johnson says she doesn't allow her son to play with toy guns after the death of Tamir Rice, a Cleveland boy who was shot by police when they thought his replica gun was real.

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Information from: WXYZ-TV, http://www.wxyz.com

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Using a private vendor for Kansas' standardized tests as a legislative panel is recommending would boost costs, according to a state education official.

For more than 30 years, the University of Kansas' Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation has written and administered the state's tests in math, reading and other subjects.

But the interim legislative panel says the "the wisdom of continued funding" of Kansas' state testing contract with the university should be reconsidered. The panel is calling in its draft recommendations for the state to seek a test provider without ties to federal or state government and that it pay for all students to take the ACT, The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1RsF9R3 ) reports.

Deputy education commissioner Brad Neuenswander said Tuesday that schools would appreciate the state paying for high-schoolers to take the ACT, because it would ensure no student who wants to take the college entrance exam is prevented by poverty. Some school districts, including Kansas City, Kansas, already foot the bill for students to take the ACT in high school.

But Neuenswander said if legislators want to throw out KU's tests and make the ACT college entrance exam and related ACT tests for younger students Kansas' official state tests, this would cost "much more" than the university charges.

The Kansas State Department of Education says the state has the second-cheapest state tests in the nation, with a price tag of about $6 for one student taking one test. The average nationwide is about $30 per test, the department said.

The most recent year's contract with KU was worth $5.8 million. Neuenswander said the cost should decrease because the current contract included costs related to a recent, major redesign of some of the tests.

Kansas hasn't sought a formal cost bid from ACT Inc. The department most recently produced an estimate for adopting ACT tests in December 2013. The estimated cost was between $4.2 million and $4.5 million to rely on ACT Inc. for math, reading, science and writing tests. But the state would need another vendor for its other tests, including history/government, tests for gauging the English language progress of non-native speakers and tests for students with severe learning disabilities. Kansas' contract with KU currently includes all of these tests.

Relying on ACT Inc. for some of the tests and KU for the rest would cost upwards of $6.2 million, according to the 2013 estimate. If legislators want to avoid the university completely in favor of exclusively non-public test developers, Neuenswander said he expects the price would be higher.

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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison Police have identified the California man who sent officers coconut doughnuts after he was kicked out of a football game.

Police initially refused to give out Eyal Binshtock's name but released it Wednesday in response to open records requests.

Police said in November that Binshtock traveled from Los Angeles to see the Badgers play Northwestern at Camp Randall Stadium. Officers threw him out after he tried to sit with friends in another section.

Binshtock sent police 240 coconut doughnuts, saying in an email to officers that he wanted to show gratitude for police but disdain for his treatment. So he sent doughnuts, which are good, but with coconut toppings, which he said no one likes.

Binshtock didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — A man wounded by police during a domestic disturbance call is a fugitive after leaving a Joplin hospital against medical advice.

Joplin police Capt. Bob Higginbotham says 49-year-old Jeffrey Hill was in serious, if not critical, medical condition when a friend helped him leave Freeman Hospital West in a wheelchair on Dec. 21. Police said officers shot Hill, who is white, on Nov. 30 when he attempted to run over an officer with a vehicle.

The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/1JXsWgN ) reports that Hill was not under guard at the hospital at the time because he hadn't been arrested in the incident. But a warrant has been issued charging him with violating his parole.

Higginbotham says the friend who helped Hill leave the hospital didn't violate any laws.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Oakland County sheriff's deputies accused of excessive force can be sued in the case of a doctor who was hit with a Taser and handcuffed during a dispute over his father's death.

An appeals court on Wednesday said the deputies don't have governmental immunity. In a 2-1 decision, the court affirmed the ruling of an Ann Arbor federal judge.

In 2013, Rick Kent was in poor health when he died at the Commerce Township home of his son, Dr. Michael Kent. The doctor's wife called authorities to report a natural death.

Michael Kent became upset when emergency medical technicians arrived and said they must do everything to try to save his father unless there was a do-not-resuscitate order.

Deputies said Kent was a threat. The appeals court disagreed.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — The North Platte City Council has approved a plan to eradicate pigeons and the health and sanitation problems they present.

On Tuesday the council approved an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Health Inspection Service that includes use of a toxicant and trapping and shooting some of the birds.

Officials say the toxicant does not stay toxic after the birds die, so people or pets that come in contact with the carcasses are not in any danger.

The North Platte Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/1n3Wnc7 ) there are an estimated 4,000 pigeons in the city. A USDA official says the city's anti-pigeon plan can reduce that population by 90 percent.

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Information from: The North Platte Telegraph, http://www.nptelegraph.com

NIOBRARA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say they're seeking a man who disarmed a police officer in northeast Nebraska, pointed the gun at the officer and then ran.

On Wednesday Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said 25-year-old David Hoffman has not been caught yet.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office says on its Facebook page that it's believed he may have left the area. The search began after a Niobrara officer tried to arrest Hoffman Tuesday afternoon on a Knox County warrant.

The patrol and other agencies joined the search for Hoffman as Niobrara schools and some businesses were locked down. Officers searched cabins and other buildings at Niobrara State Park.

The warrant says Hoffman's charged with burglary and theft. Court records don't list the name of an attorney who could comment on Hoffman's behalf.

MORRICE, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a police dog has died after apparently being struck by a vehicle in Shiawassee County.

The Argus-Press of Owosso reports (http://bit.ly/1O8STvO ) Reggie, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd, apparently escaped from the Morrice Police Department chief's yard on Dec. 23 and died along with a second dog.

Chief Matt Balsley kept Reggie at home and trained him. He says the K-9 "was one of a kind" and "made a big imprint."

Sabre, a 3-year-old German shepherd owned by Balsley, also died. Balsley this week described it as a "freak accident" and suspects the person responsible may not have seen the dogs. He says there were no reports that someone had struck an animal.

Balsley says he believes the dogs may have pushed open a latch on a gate to escape.

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Information from: The Argus-Press, http://www.argus-press.com

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sentencing is scheduled for April for a St. Louis health inspector who has admitted in federal court that he accepted a bribe from a grocery store owner in connection with his job.

Fifty-year-old Kevin Huntspon of St. Louis pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony bribery county.

Huntspon admitted that a year ago, he accepted $200 in cash from the unnamed grocer.

Hired by the city in 2004, Huntspon was placed on forced leave after he was charged. He faced a termination hearing, though it wasn't immediately clear Tuesday if he's still employed by the city.

He faces up to a decade in prison when sentenced April 5.

WINTERSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The owner of an eastern Ohio salon says he received a water bill for more than $4,000 for the month of November.

Scott Gargiulo, owner of Neo Hair Design in the Jefferson County village of Wintersville, tells WTOV-TV (http://bit.ly/1Z7wzNC ) that he has never been charged more than $100 in 14 years.

Gargiulo says he's been charged more than $6,000 over 90 days.

A county water department employee reported seeing the meter "spinning like a top" and said Gargiulo had a bad leak.

Gargiulo says plumbers have not found any leaks and that he won't pay that much without proof of a leak. He says he wants a new meter.

The water company says they will work with Gargiulo on the bill if a leak exists.

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Information from: WTOV-TV, http://www.wtov9.com

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's economy is continuing a downward dive due to low crop prices and a sustained oil industry slump, the state Tax Department reported Wednesday.

North Dakota's taxable sales and purchases — a key indicator of economic activity in the state — were $5.7 billion for July, August and September. That's nearly 25 percent less than what was collected in the third quarter of 2014 and the lowest for the quarter since 2011.

Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said the most of the drop is due to a decline in oil activity that's a result of lower crude prices, and was expected. Records show that 10 of 15 industries reported decreases during the third quarter of 2015. Mining and oil extraction recorded the biggest year-on-year decrease for the third quarter — 53 percent — dropping from $1.3 billion in 2014 to $651 million in 2015.

Taxable sales and purchases were down $1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2015 compared to the year prior, the first such drop in several years following mostly double-digit growth.

"The third quarter being down is absolutely not a surprise," Rauschenberger said. The fourth-quarter report, which won't be published until April, will likely show similar declines, he said.

If the 2015 year-end numbers are as expected, it will mark the first time since 2009 the state will have recorded weaker taxable sales and purchases than the year prior, Rauschenberger said.

"With exponential growth like we've had, we were bound to see negative numbers sooner or later," he said.

The two largest components of state taxable sales and purchases — wholesale trade and retail trade — both dropped sharply in the third quarter. Wholesale trade sank 32.5 percent, to $1.3 billion, while retail trade decreased 6.5 percent, to $1.69 billion.

Rauschenberger said low commodity prices not only negatively affected the agriculture and energy industries, but also wholesale and retail trade.

"The decrease in spending statewide is a direct outcome," he said.

Williston, in the heart of the oil patch, had been leading North Dakota in taxable sales and purchases since 2011, when it surpassed the state's biggest city of Fargo. Williston took in $528.9 million in taxable sales and purchases in the third quarter, which trailed the $722.8 million that Fargo collected.

North Dakota's taxable sales and purchases are key in forecasting budgets, and officials are preparing for the economic fallout. The state's budget director last month ordered an updated revenue forecast last month and has said agencies "very likely" will have to trim spending due to lower-than-expected tax collections from a decrease in oil drilling in the state.

The state's last forecast was completed in March, when state lawmakers used its assumptions to finish work on state government's current two-year budget.

Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp said agencies may be asked to cut budgets, depending on what the fresh revenue forecast shows. It is expected to be released later this month.

Overall tax revenues through November are $152.2 million less than projected for the two-year budget cycle that began on July 1, data show. Most of the drop comes from weakened sales tax revenue, which provides the biggest share of the budget for North Dakota government. And the decline in sales tax revenue is directly related to the decrease in oil rigs, which have dropped by two-thirds over the past year.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker wants Wisconsin's attorney general to challenge President Barack Obama's gun control plan.

Walker said in a statement Wednesday that he believes Obama overstepped his authority when he announced an executive action to expand mandatory background checks to gun shows, flea markets and online sales.

Walker says Obama has created uncertainty for law-abiding citizens who want to sell guns and could deprive millions of Americans of their gun rights without any indication of imminent danger.

He called the plan an illegal act. He asked Attorney General Brad Schimel to review the plan as soon as it's released and to take any and all legal measures to challenge it.

Schimel issued a statement saying he's asked his attorneys to review Obama's order and he will determine the next steps.