Holiday Travel Planning: AAA says September is the sweet spot for booking Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year trips, urging South Dakotans to lock in flights, hotels, and rental cars now as holiday inventory tightens. Agriculture & Water Policy: Interior is expanding a Prairie Pothole Wetland easement review after feedback from North Dakota farmers and ranchers, aiming to give more certainty on older easements. Workforce & Food/Agriculture Careers: SDSU’s CAFES Career Fair returns Oct. 7 with 118+ employers, heavily focused on ag, livestock, crop science, and food processing, plus internship recruiting. Power & Infrastructure: Regulators are weighing about 160 miles of new transmission lines along eastern South Dakota under the PowerOn Midwest Project, with multi-billion-dollar costs and a 2034 target. Postal Logistics: The USPS will upgrade the Sioux Falls plant to a Regional Processing and Distribution Center starting Jan. 1, 2027, aiming to keep more mail in-state and cut delivery times by 1–2 days. Energy Costs & Farming: Record diesel prices are fueling renewed calls for a diesel export ban, with farmers warning of pressure on operating costs and food prices. Generic Drug Settlement: South Dakota AG Marty Jackley urges consumers to check eligibility and file claims for compensation tied to a multistate settlement over illegally inflated generic drug prices. Local Business/Tech: Madison, S.D., city leaders discussed a proposal for a bitcoin mining facility that could add revenue by offsetting electricity costs. Mining Update: Coeur Mining provided an exploration update on its New Afton and Rainy River operations in Canada, including a record 2026 exploration spend.