Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 18

www.argusleader.com BUSINESS STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Company Close Cho Company close Cho Citigroup 47.64 Smithfield 28.95 .03 NorthWestem 31.49 HSBC 83.70 LodgeNet 15.58 Gateway 2.33 Raven 38.18 .41 Daktronics 37.92 500 1.34 1,301.61 6C ARGUS LEADER, SIOUX FALLS, S.D. TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2006 But what Beraanke Co. will do after today's meeting is anv analyst's Ptiess Dow Nasdaq Industrials 29.86 2.76 11.250.11 2,315.58 i they don't know when, and they will be searching for clues about where the central bank is headed after that Under former chief Alan Greenspan, the Fed has been tightening credit in steady, quarter-percentage point steps since June 2004 to keep the economy and inflation on an even keel. Many economists think the Fed will end its rate-raising campaign this year, but BY JEANNINE AVERSA Associated Press WASHINGTON As Ben Beraanke takes the chairman's seat, Federal Reserve watchers wonder how many more interest rate increases are in store. Beraanke and his Fed colleagues are expected to boost America's borrowing costs yet again at the end of their two-day meeting today.

And analysts and thus overall economic activity, the Fed would move to the sidelines sooner rather than later. At the same time, there are concerns that an improving jobs market could lead to rapid wage gains that if not blunted by other economic forces -could spark inflation. There's also concern that elevated energy prices could feed into higher costs for other goods and services, worsening the inflation environment Under those scenarios, higher rates would be warranted. Against that backdrop, some economists think Fed policymakers will shape their statement to give themselves plenty of leeway in the months ahead. "I think the Fed will get rid of the reference about what to do in the future," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's vEconomy.com.

"I think they will make the statement as plain vanilla as possible, and they won't try to send a strong signal one way or the other," he said. At Greenspan's last meeting, on Jan. 31, the Fed bumped up a key short-term rate and said that "some further policy firming may be needed." don think even Fed officials know. "It is difficult for the Fed because there are all these Lynn Reas-er, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group. For instance, the housing market is slowing.

If that were to crimp consumer spending New chief Ben Bemanke will preside over a Fed meeting In which Interest rates probably will be raised. Demolition making way for city's largest Hy-Vee S.D. FUEL PRICES MARCH 2006 Unleaded $2,492 Diesel $2,574 MARCH 200S Unleaded $3,129 Diesel $3,346 Business I Br I Channel 10 finds UPN replacement MyNetworkTV, a new network developed by FOX Television Stations, will be broadcast in Sioux Falls on UTV. UTV, owned by Young Broadcasting will air the network in Sioux Falls on digital channel 11.2 and cable channel 10. It will debut Sept.

5. The network is targeted for adults between ages 18 and 49 and will air 12 hours of programming Monday through Saturday. Included will be Twentieth Television's new primetime dramas "Desire" and "Secrets." UTV had two hours each night of space to fill after the announcement that the WB and UPN would merge to form The CW in the fall. if m. i Ethanol shortfall driving gas cost "i ra-v lmm Help us design stocks page The Argus Leader soon will be redesigning its daily stock listings, and we need your help.

Starting Tuesday, April 4, we will be replacing the current list of prices from the New York Stock Exchange with a summary of stocks of local interest and the most actively traded, as well as major indexes and changes in the commodities and livestock markets. This change will allow us to devote more space to local news. Here's how you can help: If there is a specific stock you would like to see included in the daily listings, please e-mail us at stocksargusleader or send a letter to the Argus Leader, Box 5034, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5034, Attn: Stock Listings. As always, up-to-date prices for all stocks are available online at argusleader.com. Sunday market and mutual listings will not be affected.

RandellBeck, Executive Editor CORY MYERS ARGUS LEADER Demolition worker Tom Koranda uses a backhoe Monday to remove part of the old Kmart building on Minnesota Avenue. Some residents are sad to see Kmart come apart after 43 years BY DOUQ ABRAHMS Gannett News Service WASHINGTON Gas prices might not hit $3 a gallon again this summer, but a shortfall in the gasoline additive ethanol is helping to drive up the price at the pump this spring. As several metro regions in the Northeast and South have switched to ethanol from methyl tertiary-butyl ether as a gasoline additive to reduce air pollution, the price of the corn-based fuel has doubled in a year. Additionally, the change to ethanol-blended gasoline will hamper fuel supply chains in some regions and could cause prices to jump even higher if problems arise, "said David Hackett, an energy analyst at Stillwater Associates in Irvine, Calif. California saw its gas prices jump in 2004 when it switched over to ethanol, he said.

"The transition can be bumpy," he said. "Certainly (the price) is going to be unstable over the next six to eight weeks until May." Every year, gas prices increase in the spring as motorists start driving more and refineries cut production during their changeover from winter to summer blends of gas. While prices stayed flat this week at $2.50 a gallon nationally, they are up 26 cents a gallon so far this year, the Energy Information Administration reported Monday. BY KELLY HILOEBRANDT khildebrargusleader.com"' Parts of the Minnesota Avenue Kmart building came tumbling down Monday as Soukup Construction began demolition of the structure. The dis MS.

Former K-Mart being demolished 13000 ST Minnesota Ave. i IfM 33rd St count store at 3000 S. Minnesota Ave. closed in January after 43 years of business to make way for a new Hy-Vee store that owner of Soukup Construction. They'll use an excavator to tear down the building and sort out recyclable material with a grapple, he said.

Once the rubble is removed, work on the new Hy-Vee supermarket and gas station should begin later this spring. It should open in spring 2007. The new store will be nearly double the size of the current Minnesota Hy-Vee and the largest store in the city for the Iowa-based chain. The supermarket will have expanded food sections along with a connected liquor store. It also will have a Starbucks kiosk, natural foods section and Chinese food restaurant.

The pet and baby departments also will be expanded to offer a variety of items not currently sold in many of the older Hy-Vees. See HY-VEE, page 5C 4IltSt Uvl ChMI Argus Uada ARGUS LEADER FILE PHOTO The South Minnesota Kmart before demolition. The store was a mainstay In Sioux Falls since 1963. will replace the current supermarket just a few blocks up the street. Two other Kmart stores remain open in Sioux Falls.

"The whole project should take about two weeks," said Jim Soukup, MORE ONLINE For video of the Kmart demolition, log on to argusleader.com. LodgeNet offers hockey Sioux Falls-based LodgeNet Entertainment Corp. will now offer pay-per-view hockey to hotel guests. LodgeNet, which offers a variety of sports, entertainment and Internet options to hotels, said it soon will add NHL Center Ice to its Hotel SportsNet service. That service includes on-demand professional and college basketball, ball and baseball programming.

LodgeNet said it plans to have the Hotel SportsNet service in 75,000 to 100,000 guest rooms by the end of the year. HF Financial to pay dividend HF Financial Corporation's board of directors has declared a 10 percent stock dividend payable April 24 to shareholders of record on April 10. HF Financial is the holding company for Home Federal Bank, which has 34 locations in South Dakota and one in Minnesota. The Sioux Falls-based company has total assets of $934 million. -Front staff and wire reports CONTACT US Business Editor Jim Cheesman 331-2316 jcheesmanargusleader.com Ban on U.S.

beef has Japanese eating Down Under U.S. PUSHES TO REOPEN MARKET Aw It FORT WORTH, Texas -The United States is sending a technical team to Japan this week to press for the reopening of what was the largest export market for American beef. After halting U.S. beef shipments in December 2003 over a mad cow discovery in Washington state, Japan resumed imports In December 2005 only to suspend them five weeks later when a New York veal company shipped prohibited bone-in cuts. The Japanese, who consumed $1.4 billion worth of U.S.

beef in 2003, remain extremely wary of the disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, partic- ularly since they have had 23 cases in domestic cattle. On Thursday, Creekstone Farms of Arkansas City, sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has forbidden the company from testing each Black Angus steer for BSE in a move to win back customers in Japan. Creekstone is challenging the department's authority to control access to mad cow test kits. "If BSE testing Is an additional attribute that our customers want, free enterprise should allow us to provide this additional element," said John Stewart, Creek-stone's chief executive.

Knight Ridder Beef eaters Countries with the highest consumption of beef and veal, In metric tons, 2005: BY YURI KAQEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO Like many other Japanese, Kenji Miyoda, savoring one of his favorite lunches a bowl of rice topped with beef from Australia, raw egg and spicy sauce-feels Australian beef is far safer than American beet "It tastes OK, it's cheap, and it fills me up," the 27-year-old banker said gobbling down his $4 meal at Sukiya, a nationwide chain that placed a full-page newspaper ad to declare it's opposed to serving U.S. beef because of safety concerns. Australian beef was once viewed as tough and tasteless compared to its U.S. counterpart, but that stereotype is vanishing on quality upgrades by switching feed to grain, instead of just grass, to cater to the Japanese palate. There's no doubt the Australian beef industry has been the biggest beneficiary from the serious troubles U.S.

beef is facing in regaining consumer acceptance in Japan the world's second largest economy and once a $1.4 billion export market for American beef. ffii United States I 1 fTI European Union I.Mffllllffll -3 China DflPlhT KS3 Brazil mmiiiffli Mexico 2.4 million Source: U.S Foreign Agricultural Service Graphic: Pat Carr, Paul Trap C2O06KRT The discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease in the United States in 2003 prompted Japan to ban U.S. beef. The reopening of the market in December went immediately awry in January, when veal cuts with backbone were found in a shipment Such cuts are eaten in the U.S. but considered at risk for mad cow disease in Japan.

The fumbling, which U.S. See BEEF, page 5C rrsuomotiYiAP Kazukl Ikeda, a 21-year-old college student, eats "gyudon," a bowl of rice topped with beef from Australia, during lunch Friday at a Suklya fast-food restaurant In Tokyo..