Gene Hetland

We talked yesterday about the Powerball jackpot reaching $500 million.

Well, forget that.

The Multi-State Lottery Association, the organization that runs the game, says the Wednesday night jackpot is up to $550 million, but officials also say that could go higher, depending on ticket sales

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Do you have Powerball fever yet?

Millions are expected to get it, in the run-up to the Wednesday night drawing, when the top prize could be up around a half billion dollars.

And the bigger prizes bring in even more ticket buyers

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We were in the grocery store the other day when I heard a store page describe our car. It didn't happen the way the picture shows, but a store parking lot can seem this crowded on the day before Thanksgiving

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You've probably heard or seen the story about the upsurge in diabetes cases in South Dakota.

The report from the CDC says between 1995 and 2010, South Dakota saw an increase in diabetes cases of more than 120 percent

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A few post-election notes:

President Obama says he has not yet scheduled a meeting with the man he defeated on Election Day.

But he says he does want to meet with Mitt Romney before the year is out

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Thursday marks the "Great American Smokeout," the American Cancer Society's annual effort to encourage smokers to quit or make plans to quit.

I'm blessed in that regard, because I didn't grow up around cigarettes

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The answer, of course, is that he wasn't thinking, at least not with his brain.

And it's a shame for everybody involved, because here was a man who was well-respected--a four-star general, for cryin' out loud

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Some Veterans Day programs were held on Monday this year, since the actual day was on a Sunday.

But regardless of how or when it's observed, veterans deserve our thanks and our respect.

I've said before, that at least three of my uncles served in World War I, generally in capacities I've never been told about

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Maybe you've seen or heard the story that The Associated Press carried.on Friday.

It seems a mail carrier in the Denver area reportedly walked past a dead man to deliver the man's mail. The man, according to the story, had collapsed and died by his front door

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The football game on Saturday between South Dakota State and North Dakota State in Fargo, ND is being wagered on by elected officials from the two states.

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