Under Rounds, Daugaard, Jackley adult and teen binge drinking off the charts

Hey, Governor Daugaard: it's time for you to pardon Bob Newland.

As the map shows, more than 30% of adults in North Dakota and South Dakota admitted to binge drinking during the previous month. Those in surrounding states had high rates of binge drinking, as well.

Read it here.

A change in Nebraska law that allows petition organizers to pay circulators by the signature, instead of by the hour has fired up cannabis rights advocates.

Supporters said they've started gathering signatures to place the issue on the November 2016 ballot. Despite significant hurdles, activists from the Omaha chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws said the new petitioning law will make a difference. "It's still a mighty task, but this helps us tremendously," said Bryan Boganowski, the founder of Omaha NORML. Organizers hope to replicate the efforts of last year's successful ballot campaign to increase the minimum wage, which relied heavily on financial support from unions and wealthy Democratic donors. [Associated Press]

There is some debate in South Dakota Democratic circles about whether Bill Maher's planned appearance helps or stunts the party's chances of a resurgence or if the issue might be better advanced by the fledgling South Dakota Progress.