Articles by Travis Kriens

John Hult/South Dakota News Watch Nearly two months after Gov. Kristi Noem used a photo of him as alleged proof that cartels have overrun tribal communities, a Rapid City man accepted a plea deal this [Read More…]

Alex Brown/Stateline For decades, states have relied on gas taxes to provide much of the money to maintain roads and bridges. But as cars become more fuel efficient, and some Americans switch to electric vehicles, [Read More…]

Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday in Wagner, South Dakota, according to the FBI. While specific details of the incident remain undisclosed, the FBI confirmed the investigation is ongoing. The Wagner [Read More…]

Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight A federal judge is declining, for now, to stop a lawsuit in state court against South Dakota’s abortion-rights ballot measure. Judge Karen Schreier signed her order Friday. She said a state court should [Read More…]

John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley hopes a new basic law enforcement training course that prioritizes tribal recruits will prove the state could host regional training for Native American [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight A company aiming to produce aviation fuel from ethanol in South Dakota has contributed $167,000 to defend a new carbon dioxide pipeline law that voters could be asked to reject in November. The [Read More…]

Kelcie Moseley-Morris Clinic closures in the wake of the Dobbs decision and questions about the legality of emergency contraceptives, including disinformation that some are abortion drugs, may have contributed to a sharp drop in the [Read More…]

On Sunday morning, Sioux Falls police arrested a woman for arson after she set a car and a tree on fire. The incident occurred at 10:45 a.m. near 2nd Street and Prairie Avenue. The woman [Read More…]

Allison Winter, States Newsroom WASHINGTON — The stalemate over the current farm bill may be solidifying a new era in farm politics as it joins the last three farm bills in a trend of delays [Read More…]

John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight A Fulton-area farmer will have a chance to argue that a federally designated wetland on his property is actually regular farm ground thanks to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. [Read More…]

Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom WASHINGTON — Public health officials have diagnosed a Colorado farm worker with the country’s fourth human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the [Read More…]

John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight A recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court limiting the deference to regulators in courtroom disputes is likely to have widespread implications for farmers and ranchers in South Dakota. The 6-3 decision [Read More…]

Kevin Woster, South Dakota Searchlight It’s enough to make a grown man cry. And one of my friends did just that during a recent school board meeting here in Rapid City as he was trying [Read More…]

The Mitchell Congregational Church of Christ, known for its acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, has faced multiple incidents of vandalism. The first incident occurred last summer when the air conditioning system was sabotaged. In May, [Read More…]

The South Dakota Department of Health is distributing $500,000 to nearly 200 cities, tribes, and counties to enhance mosquito control measures and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. The funding amounts were determined based [Read More…]

Greta Goede/South Dakota News Watch High school journalism courses no longer count toward South Dakota’s general merit-based scholarship, though schools can seek a waiver, and teachers in the state haven’t been told why. “There was [Read More…]

Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch Federal health officials have commissioned Moderna to develop a vaccine to protect people from an avian influenza that has been circulating in dairy cattle in recent months. U.S. Department of Health [Read More…]

In the early hours of Wednesday, Sioux Falls Police and the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident at a Get-n-Go convenience store on the 600 block of S. Minnesota Ave. At approximately 3 [Read More…]

On June 26, 2024, the Lead Police Department began investigating the death of a 37-year-old male resident. Police and EMS responded to his residence and pronounced him dead at the scene. The next day, on [Read More…]