Dakotans managed to avoid being labeled among the clumsiest Americans in 2013 in an index compiled by SquareTrade. North Dakota was the fourth clumsiest state in 2012 but avoided a top 10 ranking this year. South Dakota did not appear on either year’s list. Monday, SquareTrade, a provider of online warranties on goods, released the results of its annual Clumsiest States Index.

(NPN) – Fewer than 400 South Dakotans have obtained health care insurance through the healthcare.gov from Oct. 1. to Nov. 30, 2013.

One of the highest-elevation regions in the world provided a significant share of South Dakota’s legal permanent residents in 2012, according to statistics from the federal Homeland Security Department. “Other” led the number of legal permanent residents in the state at 291, and Ethiopia had the single largest number of legal permanent residents at 193.

South Dakota has the 10th highest number of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program since 2009, according to statistics released Tuesday by the U.S Department of Agriculture. In all, since 2009, 516,350 acres in South Dakota have been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program through 10,507 contracts.

While there is much debate about the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and insurance, the legislation is credited with getting more doctors and other health professionals into the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, according to a new report. The National Health Service Corps received a funding boost under the ACA, which meant more loan repayments for health care providers who agree to practice in underserved areas.

(NPN) – If you were to guess that South Dakota counties bordering Minnesota and Iowa have a lower effective property tax rate on homes, you’d be wrong. A new study by the Brookings Institution analyzing homeowner property tax rates has some surprising results for South Dakota, in both in-state and state-to- state comparisons.

(NPN) – South Dakota’s hospital wereslightly above the national average for being penalized on Medicare billings, according to a study released earlier this.

Membership in the Episcopal Church in South Dakota dropped by 4.3 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to a new report by the Episcopal Church. Colorado, Iowa, Montana and North Dakota saw modest gains in membership from 2011 to 2012, with the remaining dioceses in the Episcopal Church’s Province 6 — Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming and South Dakota — experiencing decreases ranging from less than 1 to more than 4 percent.

Minnesota is energy efficient. South Dakota, not so much, according to a new report on the most and least energy efficient states. South Dakota tied with Mississippi and Alaska as the 47th most efficient — or third least efficient — states. Neighboring Minnesota nearly cracked the top 10 as the 11th most efficient state, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

You’re a felon so you can’t vote in the 2014 election that’s just one year away. Not necessarily. It depends upon where you live.

South Dakota has one of the lowest overall cancer rates in the United States, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control study.

With the temporary increase in SNAP food assistance running out today, what are the SNAP numbers for South Dakota?

More than 4,000 South Dakota veterans could see their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits reduced Nov. 1 when the temporary increase in SNAP benefits runs out. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities did a state-by-state analysis of veterans living in SNAP households and released its report Monday.

South Dakota is one of the few states that has no statewide ban or fine for texting while driving, according to a survey of state laws by Mother Jones magazine.