Articles by Travis Kriens
Montana inmates sue South Dakota based jail food service for Hepatitis C exposure
Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan A recent lawsuit filed in federal court says that a contracted food preparation company operating the meal service for the Cascade County Detention Center saw an inmate who experienced a nosebleed [Read More…]
Iowa judge pauses Summit opponents’ lawsuit while proposed permit changes proceed
Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch The Iowa Utilities Commission will have to decide whether Summit Carbon Solutions can change the ending destination for its carbon sequestration pipeline before a case against the company’s permit can [Read More…]
South Dakota High School Basketball Media Poll – December 22, 2025
The South Dakota Prep Media Basketball Poll for the week of Dec. 22 is listed below, ranking the top-five teams, the team’s record, points received and ranking in the previous poll. First-place votes are listed [Read More…]
ICE’s year in South Dakota, from small towns to Operation: Prairie Thunder
Molly Wetsch/South Dakota News Watch Five months after Operation: Prairie Thunder officially began, the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s collaborative anti-crime and immigration enforcement effort will continue into the new year, the governor’s office has confirmed. [Read More…]
Monday Sports: December 22, 2025
MONDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 22, 2025 MITCHELL KERNELS — Mitchell Kernels boys basketball defeated Rapid City Central on Saturday 53-42 to improved to 2-1 on the season. Colton Smith finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, [Read More…]
No. 2 Texas Wins at South Dakota State 70-51
BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State basketball put up a fight, but No. 2 Texas eventually pulled away from the Jackrabbits to win 70-51 Sunday afternoon at First Bank & Trust Arena. The Longhorns remain perfect [Read More…]
South Dakota hotel owner found liable for discrimination against Native Americans
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The owner of a South Dakota hotel who said Native Americans were banned from the establishment was found liable for discrimination against Native Americans on Friday. A federal jury decided [Read More…]
J.J. McCarthy gets injured as the Vikings hand the Giants their ninth loss in a row
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy had already injured his right, throwing hand by the time he ran for a touchdown. Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell asked the rookie quarterback if he was OK, though the [Read More…]
International student numbers decline in South Dakota amid immigration crackdown
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight International students face plenty of questions amid federal immigration policy changes, said Beth Riley, director of South Dakota Mines’ Ivanhoe International Center. Should they risk going home to see family, or [Read More…]
Late Surge Spurred by Neuendorf Pushes DWU Past Valley City State
VALLEY CITY, N.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Men’s Basketball traveled to North Dakota to face the Valley City State Vikings in the second matchup of their home-and-home out-of-conference series. The Tigers and Vikings kept close pace for [Read More…]
South Dakota Falls 106-76 on the Road to Kansas State
MANHATTAN, Kan. — South Dakota basketball had its two-game win streak snapped by Kansas State Saturday, falling 106-76 to the Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. Isaac Bruns paced the Coyotes with 19 points and had five rebounds. It [Read More…]
No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan Stuns No. 3 Campbellsville in Hawaii
HONOLULU — No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan delivered one of the most impressive wins of its season Friday, rolling past No. 3 Campbellsville (Ky.) 83-55 in women’s basketball action at the Shark Tank in Honolulu. The [Read More…]
Milwaukee Holds On In Close Win Over South Dakota State
MILWAUKEE – Two Panthers scored over 20 points as Milwaukee defeated South Dakota State, 88-87, in a non-conference contest inside Fiserv Forum on Friday. Milwaukee jumped ahead 15-4 in the opening five minutes of the matchup. [Read More…]
Attorney general charges inmate, former penitentiary employee in one of eight fatal prison overdoses
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight The November overdose death of a state prison inmate in Sioux Falls has drawn charges for a former Department of Corrections medical staffer and a man who’s already serving a 65-year [Read More…]
Company that hired state’s former head of economic development benefits from $69 million in aid
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Steve Westra was South Dakota’s commissioner of economic development four years ago when the office first agreed to provide financial assistance for a CJ Schwan’s company project. After leaving state government, [Read More…]
US Army Corps says oil should keep flowing through Dakota Access Pipeline in long-awaited study
Amy Dalrymple, Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday issued a long-awaited Dakota Access Pipeline environmental impact statement, recommending that the pipeline keep operating but with some new conditions for [Read More…]
Friday Sports: December 19, 2025
FRIDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 19, 2025 MITCHELL KERNELS — Mitchell Kernels basketball hosts Rapid City Stevens for a doubleheader at the Corn Palace on Friday night. The girls game starts at 6 pm, followed by the [Read More…]
South Dakota Women Pick Up 71-44 Win Over UTRGV in Malibu Classic
MALIBU, Calif. – The Coyote women’s basketball program snapped a three-game losing skid with a 71-44 win over UTRGV Thursday evening inside Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif. It had been a quiet last couple of [Read More…]
Shutdown-delayed analysis shows rising unemployment in half the states; South Dakota has lowest rate
Tim Henderson/Stateline September unemployment rates rose in 25 states and fell in 21 compared with last year, the government reported Dec. 11 in a shutdown-delayed analysis. The largest increase compared with September 2024 was in Oregon, where [Read More…]
State tallies $43,000 in trooper overtime costs during Operation Prairie Thunder
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight The South Dakota Department of Public Safety says a saturation patrol initiative has had a minimal impact on the Highway Patrol’s budget. Operation Prairie Thunder, announced in July by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, [Read More…]