Latest News

Amid rash of school threats, authorities encourage reporting while warning of penalties for sharing
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight Students who see a school threat on social media should report it to authorities, but those same authorities want students to know that sharing threats on social media could be [Read More…]

Home Explosion in Gary, South Dakota Leaves Two Seriously Injured
A home explosion in Gary, South Dakota, left two individuals seriously injured on the morning of September 30, 2024. Emergency crews were dispatched to the 800 block of Lac Qui Parle Street, where the two [Read More…]

FEMA disaster application deadline approaching for Davison, Lincoln, Turner and Union counties
South Dakotans in Davison, Lincoln, Turner, and Union counties impacted by this summer’s severe storms have two weeks remaining to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline is October 15, 2024. How Individuals can Apply [Read More…]

Wind turbine technicians top South Dakota’s list of fastest growing jobs
The fastest growing occupation through 2032 in South Dakota will be wind turbine service technicians, according to new projections from the state Department of Labor and Regulation. The department recently released its occupational employment projections for the [Read More…]

Group starts petition urging Noem to reconsider rejection of $69 million in federal energy funding
South Dakota Searchlight – A statewide advocacy group has launched a petition urging Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to reconsider her rejection of nearly $69 million in federal energy rebates for South Dakotans. The national Home Energy Rebates [Read More…]

Dakota State University’s Paulson Center Secures Second SBA Cybersecurity Grant
Dakota State University’s Paulson Cyber and Economic Development Center has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program. This grant will help small businesses enhance their [Read More…]

Watertown’s Bramble Park Zoo Loses Accreditation Due to Outdated Facilities
Watertown’s Bramble Park Zoo has been denied accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), primarily due to outdated animal enclosures and holding areas that no longer meet AZA’s updated standards for size, complexity, [Read More…]

Off-Duty Officer Heroically Rescues Victims in Fiery Two-Vehicle Crash Near Larchwood, Iowa
Six people were injured in a fiery two-vehicle crash near Larchwood, Iowa. The accident occurred when Lance Haugen of Glendive, MT, failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a Chevy Traverse driven by [Read More…]

Mitchell’s “Creative Way” seeking artists
Attention artists! Mitchell Creative Way has a city-block long canvas waiting for you. It’s located in the alley between East Fourth and Fifth Avenues next to Wells Fargo Bank. Stan Sherwood is a local artist. [Read More…]

Sioux Valley Elementary kindergarten teacher Amy Verhelst named South Dakota’s top teacher.
PIERRE, S.D. – Amy Verhelst, a kindergarten teacher at Sioux Valley Elementary School in Volga, has been named the 2025 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. Secretary of Education Joseph Graves made the announcement at [Read More…]

Empowering and connecting women in agriculture
Kristi Hine/ South Dakota News Watch MITCHELL, S.D. – While reflecting on the need to build her own network within the South Dakota agriculture industry, Rebecca Blue began to wonder if other women in ag [Read More…]

Former Governor lauds the success of the Build Dakota scholarship
Mitchell Technical College hosted a 10 year anniversary celebration of the Build Dakota Scholarship Thursday. Former Governor Dennis Daugaard played a role in moving the idea forward. “I would have never, ever foreseen how much [Read More…]

DANR Announces Over $24 Million for Statewide Environmental Projects, Including $13 Million for Mitchell
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) announced the Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved $24,416,257 in loans and grants for drinking water, wastewater, and solid [Read More…]

South Dakotans in Congress request study of Missouri River pipeline to western part of state
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight The three members of Congress representing South Dakota introduced House and Senate bills Wednesday to require a federal feasibility study for a potential water pipeline from the Missouri River to the Black Hills. The legislation would [Read More…]

South Dakota Lottery revenue projected to fall by $4.7 million
Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Lottery revenue is expected to drop by $4.7 million this fiscal year, largely due to falling sales of number-picking lotto games. Lottery sales are typically the state government’s third largest source [Read More…]

Build Dakota Scholarship earns kudos from a special visitor
One of the most recognizable supporters of technical education paid a visit to Mitchell Technical College Thursday to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Build Dakota Scholarship program. Mike Rowe is best known as [Read More…]

South Dakota Child Abduction Response Team holds a child abduction exercise
The South Dakota Child Abduction Response Team this week held a child abduction exercise in Pierre. “The Child Abduction Response Team is essential in any child abduction case, and these exercises help hone our investigative [Read More…]

Sinkhole lawsuit dismissed. Appeal planned
A judge in South Dakota has thrown out a lawsuit brought by dozens of neighbors in a Rapid City-area subdivision whose homes were built above an old, underground mine linked to sinkholes in the neighborhood. [Read More…]

The South Dakota Corrections Department has launched a pilot program for messaging and video visits
The South Dakota Department of Corrections has implemented a pilot program that may lead to the reintroduction of messaging and video visit options for incarcerated offenders, their family, and friends. The testing began at the [Read More…]

South Dakota Technical Colleges Hit Enrollment Highs
South Dakota’s technical college system is experiencing a five-year high in headcount, with 7,407 students enrolled in one of the state’s four technical colleges this fall. Numbers are bolstered by a strong class of first-year [Read More…]
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