President Barack Obama to Give Commencement Speech in Watertown on Friday

WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) — President Barack Obama checks the 50th state off his list of places to visit with a planned commencement speech in Watertown

The Democrat stopped in South Dakota in 2008 while campaigning for the party's nomination and spoke last year in North Dakota on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation that straddles South Dakota.

But he began the year four states short of having visited all 50, something only three other presidents have done. The White House quickly scheduled trips to Idaho and South Carolina before a Utah stop in April.

Obama plans to pitch his trade policy at Nike headquarters in Oregon and then promote his plan for free community or technical college education Friday at the Lake Area Technical Institute graduation ceremony at the Watertown Civic Arena.

People who aren't among the graduates, family and friends attending Friday's speech in Watertown by President Barack Obama can still watch it live.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting is covering the Lake Area Technical Institute commencement address at the Watertown Civic Arena.

The graduation ceremony begins at 4:00 PM Central time on SDPB2, one of the network's three channels, and on the Web at www.SDPB.org/live .

The ceremony is only open to those with tickets.

An 11-year-old girl in Vermillion who was disappointed that President Barack Obama had waited so long to visit South Dakota sent him a letter telling him so — and the White House tweeted it.

The letter from the girl named Rebecca listed attributes of the state and included a drawing of a broken heart, with the caption "This is my heart because you haven't visited South Dakota!"

The White House tweeted the letter Thursday with the comment, "Rebecca's heart can officially mend when President Obama visits South Dakota [Friday]."

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