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Winners, losers begin to emerge from South Dakota’s property tax scrum
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota lawmakers in Pierre have property tax proposals aplenty to discuss, built upon 19 ideas from a tax relief task force and others from the governor and individual legislators. On Thursday, they [Read More…]
South Dakota regulators approve wind farm that will be the largest in the state
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota regulators approved a permit Thursday for a $750 million, 333-megawatt wind farm spread across approximately 110 square miles of private land. The site selected by Philip Wind Partners, a [Read More…]
Soda ban for food stamp recipients would cost South Dakota $248,000 annually, report says
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight Barring the use of food stamp benefits for soda purchases would cost South Dakota taxpayers $310,000 in the first two years, according to a fiscal impact statement released Thursday evening by the South [Read More…]
‘Not the same town anymore:’ ICE surge hit businesses in Worthington, where 1 in 3 are immigrants
Alex Baumhardt/Minnesota Reformer WORTHINGTON — Typically about 10 to 15 cars and their new owners drive off the lot each month at Los Partners Auto Sales in Worthington, a small city in southwest Minnesota where [Read More…]
Meade County fatal crash
Four teenagers were injured, one fatally, in a single vehicle crash Sunday evening in Sturgis. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety reported the 15 year old male driver of a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling [Read More…]
Legislative proposal would require data centers to get permits from neighboring cities and counties
Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — A legislative proposal related to a situation in the Sioux Falls area would require data centers in South Dakota to obtain an additional permit from a neighboring city or county, if [Read More…]
Lawmakers endorse adding school coaches as mandatory reporters of abuse and neglect, but not clergy
Seth Tupper and John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight Debates about which types of authority figures should be mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect ended in one proposal’s failure and another’s advancement Wednesday at the South [Read More…]
State Senate advances measure asking voters to authorize mobile sports betting
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — The South Dakota Senate voted 23-10 on Wednesday to approve a resolution that would ask voters to legalize mobile sports betting and capture tax revenue from it to reduce property taxes. [Read More…]
Federal judge declines to intervene in South Dakota attorney general’s fight against abortion ads
Meghan O’Brien-SD Searchlight A federal judge declined to intervene Wednesday against South Dakota Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley’s attempt to shut down a national nonprofit’s abortion-rights ad campaign. Jackley asked a South Dakota state judge in December [Read More…]
Manderson man convicted of first-degree murder and other charges
A Federal Court Jury in Rapid City recently convicted a 52 year old man from Manderson of First Degree Felony Murder, Assault With Intent to Commit Arson, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Arson. [Read More…]
School cellphone ban stays alive in South Dakota Legislature
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — A bill aiming to ban student cellphone use in South Dakota schools has a chance to be debated on the state Senate floor after the Senate Education Committee voted 5-2 on [Read More…]
Democratic candidate for governor plans to lean on South Dakota’s ‘core values’
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight SIOUX FALLS — Bringing a Democrat back to the South Dakota Governor’s Office will mean building a coalition of support for education, small business, family farms and affordable health care, the party’s [Read More…]
Utility company leader tells audience that data centers will extend fossil fuel usage
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight SIOUX FALLS — The rapid growth of electricity-hungry data centers will extend the life of existing fossil-fuel power plants and result in more being built, according to NorthWestern Energy President and [Read More…]
Governor approves deregulating gun silencers in South Dakota
Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill Tuesday that deregulates gun silencers by removing them from the state’s definition of a controlled weapon. Unregistered possession of a controlled weapon is a felony, which [Read More…]
Legendary Sculptor Dale Lamphere and Wife Jane Murphy Gift to SD Hall of Fame Copyright for Dignity Earth & Sky
The South Dakota Hall of Fame announced today that it has received the copyright to the image of Dignity of Earth & Sky, the iconic sculpture created by Sculptor and 1987 South Dakota Hall of [Read More…]
Leader of South Dakota Democratic Party announces his campaign for governor
South Dakota Searchlight Dan Ahlers, the executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said Monday that he plans to run for governor. Ahlers said in a news release that he’ll formally launch his campaign [Read More…]
Governor vetoes bill that would ban lab-grown meat, but says he’d support a moratorium
Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — Gov. Larry Rhoden vetoed a bill Monday that would effectively ban lab-grown meat in South Dakota, but also suggested a moratorium on the products as a compromise approach. The vetoed bill [Read More…]
Governor signs two bills that could boost emergency medical staffing
Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight A pair of bills aimed at strengthening emergency medical services in South Dakota earned Gov. Larry Rhoden’s approval on Monday. Rhoden said in a statement that “EMS teams are on the [Read More…]
Excess school taxes and minimum state funding: Lawmakers move education funding bills forward
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — An attempt to make it easier to refer excess school property taxes to voters passed the South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee with a 6-3 vote on Monday at [Read More…]
Sioux Falls 5th grader wins South Dakota State Spelling bee
By Carson Walker South Dakota News Watch MITCHELL, S.D. – A 5th grade student from Challenge Center Elementary School in Sioux Falls won the 2026 South Dakota State Spelling Bee Saturday in the 19th round. [Read More…]
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