Articles by J.P. Skelly

Makenzie Huber-SD Searchlight A program supporting rural and first-generation college students pursuing graduate degrees in biomedical research at the University of South Dakota is among the victims of Trump administration grant cancellations upheld recently by [Read More…]

A 27 year old woman from McCall, Idaho died in a single motorcycle crash seven miles south of Keystone Saturday evening. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety reported around 5:05 pm, the driver of [Read More…]

Becky Haenfler, a middle school English Language Arts teacher at the Avon School District, has been named the 2026 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. Secretary of Education Joseph Graves made the announcement at a [Read More…]

South Dakota’s public university system continues its upward momentum in student enrollment. This marks the fourth consecutive year of targeted system growth and the second successive year with more than 36,000 students – a notable [Read More…]

Mitchell Technical College has announced a record-breaking enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester, with 1,344 students enrolled—an 8.6% increase over last fall’s total of 1,237. This marks the highest enrollment in the college’s history and [Read More…]

Josh Haiar-SD Searchlight SIOUX FALLS — Emotional testimony spilled out Wednesday as about 75 people pleaded with South Dakota social services officials to halt a proposed rule change that testifiers said could drastically slash Medicaid [Read More…]

Josh Haiar-SD Searchlight South Dakota is at the epicenter of this fall’s bird flu season with a total of 134,900 turkeys at three facilities already killed to contain the spread, and reports coming in about [Read More…]

Around 1,000 people gathered at the new High Plains Processing plant to celebrate its completion. Governor Larry Rhoden praised the investment. “It’s just part and parcel with what we’ve done in South Dakota,” said Rhoden. [Read More…]

The Mitchell School Board is working on updating a policy regarding fund-raising for a variety of activities involving students. Superintendent Joe Childs says fund-raising has evolved over the years. “We just wanted to begin with [Read More…]

Avera Queen of Peace Hospital has announced Althea Rehfeldt, RN, is the most recent recipient of its quarterly nurse recognition program called the DAISY Award. The DAISY Program honors and celebrates the skillful and compassionate [Read More…]

Three South Dakota schools have been selected as National Blue Ribbon Schools. This prestigious award recognizes schools for their excellence in overall academic performance or for their progress in closing the achievement gap among student [Read More…]

The Lake Mitchell restoration project is now on hold. In a news release, Mayor Jordan Hanson says the South Dakota Department of Ag and Natural Resources informed the city it will be required to complete [Read More…]

A South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation review has determined three officers were justified in their use of force during a pursuit and hostage situation that occurred Tuesday night, Aug. 5, in Haakon County. “Tribal, [Read More…]

Trick or Treaters will have one less opportunity to grab goodies this Halloween Season. Mitchell Middle School’s annual Trunk or Treat event is ending. Middle School counselor and Unfiltered Reality Advisor Traci Moore says Trunk [Read More…]

Dakota Wesleyan University announced this week that Dr. Tressa Wede, associate professor of education at DWU, has been appointed to the new position of Director of Education and Community Engagement.  Wede’s new role is funded [Read More…]

Molly Wetsch South Dakota News Watch By the end of 2026, South Dakota residents from the far corners of the Black Hills to the southeastern tip of the state could be sharing an energy provider. [Read More…]

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Dakota Wesleyan University a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling more than $1.5 million to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and [Read More…]

A family-owned hardware has been named the 2025 All Star for South Dakota by HBS Dealer Magazine. Thune True Value Hardware and Appliance Center has been serving Mitchell and the surrounding area for more than [Read More…]

South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota’s beleaguered secretary of corrections has resigned. Gov. Larry Rhoden told South Dakota Searchlight that Kellie Wasko delivered the letter announcing her Oct. 20 departure on Tuesday, though the letter is [Read More…]

Ethan School District School Board Members Paula Vogel and Shawn Jerke were honored by Associated School Boards of South Dakota with the Distinguished Service Award, which honors school board members for reaching milestone years in [Read More…]