Articles by Travis Kriens
Congressional spending bills include $42 million earmarked for South Dakota projects
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight Three spending bills passed this week through the U.S. Senate that include millions of dollars earmarked for South Dakota projects, according to U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota. Congress is working [Read More…]
Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash Reported Near Centerville
Clay County, S.D.- One person died Friday morning in a two-vehicle crash two miles south of Centerville, SD. The names of the persons involved have not been released pending notification of family members. Preliminary crash information [Read More…]
SDDOT Snowplow Contest Winners . . . Like a Rhinestone Plowboy
PIERRE, S.D. – In South Dakota, this winter it’s not Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy, riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo, but rather Rhinestone Plowboy, riding out in a plow on a snow-filled “roadeo”. The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is [Read More…]
Lawmakers defer bill that would allow school districts to remove violent students
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota lawmakers on the the House Education Committee on Friday unanimously deferred action on a bill to more effectively remove violent children from public school classrooms on a temporary basis. [Read More…]
For Don Barnett, the 1972 flood was ‘tattooed on my brain and on my soul’
Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight Don Barnett, who died Monday at age 83, was the 29-year-old mayor of Rapid City when it was struck by a flood that killed 238 people on June 9, 1972. He received widespread [Read More…]
Tie vote stalls bill to remove governor’s exclusive control of economic development fund
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight A committee of South Dakota lawmakers deadlocked on Friday in Pierre on a bill that would remove an economic development fund from the governor’s exclusive control. A motion to approve the measure tied [Read More…]
South Dakota students to compete in state spelling bee
Carson Walker/South Dakota Searchlight Elementary and middle school students from around South Dakota will compete Saturday, Feb. 7, in the state spelling bee at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell. For the second year, DWU and [Read More…]
Lawmakers clash over identity language while recognizing 250 years of Declaration of Independence
John Hult and Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — South Dakota lawmakers voted to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, but not before adjusting language on Indigenous people and civil rights [Read More…]
Governor pledges transparency in funding decisions that lawmakers might vote to take away
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — A day before lawmakers were set to debate a bill that would dash his exclusive authority to dole out awards from an employer-funded pool of economic development dollars, Gov. [Read More…]
Lawmaker wants longer ‘cooling-off period’ for those who parlay public work into private-sector jobs
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Some state employees who want to go to work for companies doing business with the state will have to wait longer if a new bill becomes law. Republican Sen. Tim Reed, [Read More…]
Kyle Tucker agrees to a $240 million, 4-year contract with the World Series champion Dodgers
Kyle Tucker has agreed to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a person familiar with the deal, bolstering the team’s chance for a third consecutive World Series championship. Tucker [Read More…]
NCAA basketball players and gamblers are charged for allegedly rigging games
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An investigation into a sprawling betting scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games has ensnared 26 people, including more than a dozen college basketball players who tried to fix games as recently [Read More…]
Friday Sports: January 16, 2026
FRIDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 16, 2025 MITCHELL KERNELS — Mitchell Kernels basketball will be at Brookings on Friday night for a doubleheader starting with the girls game at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7:30 pm. [Read More…]
SDSU Rolls to a 90-44 Home Win Over Denver
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota State women’s basketball team made quick work of Denver Thursday night in a 90-44 win over the Pioneers at First Bank & Trust Arena. The Jackrabbits built a double-digit lead [Read More…]
Fens’ Monster Night Leads Coyotes to 99-83 Win Over Kansas City
VERMILLION, S.D. — For the second game in a row, Cameron Fens had a dominant showing as South Dakota basketball earned its ninth win in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center 99-83 over Kansas City Thursday night. Fens broke [Read More…]
New state employee is ‘looking at the bookkeepers’ to catch and prevent problems, legislators learn
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Half a dozen entities comb through South Dakota’s financial records each year to ensure a balanced budget or that details are accurately recorded. South Dakota Compliance Auditor Missy Lock, who was [Read More…]
Health, public safety, foster care can improve with collaboration, tribal leader tells lawmakers
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — South Dakota and the tribal nations in the state can make improvements for health care and public safety during the 2026 legislative session, Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Kathleen Wooden [Read More…]
Thursday Sports: January 15, 2026
THURSDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 15, 2025 MITCHELL KERNELS — Mitchell Kernels basketball will be at Brookings on Friday night for a doubleheader starting with the girls game at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7:30 pm. [Read More…]
Strong First Half Lifts North Dakota State Past SDSU
FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State held South Dakota State to 35.7% shooting in the first half, and kept the Jackrabbits at bay in the second half, en route to a 76-65 victory for the Bison [Read More…]
USD Picks up Home Win over North Dakota 62-39
VERMILLION, S.D. – A slow start for the Coyotes didn’t derail their plans, as South Dakota women’s basketball defeated North Dakota 62-39 Wednesday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The Coyotes (13-5, [Read More…]