Latest News

McCook Lake flood recovery bill advances to House appropriations committee
Josh Haiar-South Dakota Searchlight State lawmakers advanced a bill 12-1 on Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre to establish a fund for the cleanup and restoration of McCook Lake, the site of devastating flooding in [Read More…]

Gov. Rhoden Signs 14 Bills into Law
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed the following 14 bills into law: SB 1 updates references to certain federal motor carrier regulations; SB 2 increases civil penalties for commercial driver violations; SB 5 permits a sheriff to [Read More…]

Wagner Reinstates 10 p.m. Curfew for Minors Starting March 3
Wagner, South Dakota, will reinstate its curfew for minors beginning March 3, 2025. The curfew will require minors to be home by 10 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and by midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. A [Read More…]

DWU announces 2025 Performing Arts Hall of Fame inductees
Dakota Wesleyan University will soon enshrine its second class of honorees into its Performing Arts Hall of Fame. This designation acknowledges the contributions and support of performing arts by alumni and friends of the university. [Read More…]

Ten Commandments mandate defeated in the State House of Representatives
House lawmakers narrowly rejected Senate Bill 51 on Monday, putting a halt to a measure that would have required South Dakota public schools to prominently display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The bill had already [Read More…]

Rebecca Erickson appointed new Davison County Clerk of Courts
Rebecca Erickson has been appointed by First Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Cheryle Gering as the new Davison County Clerk of Courts. Erickson is replacing Barb McKean, who is retiring after more than 16 years of [Read More…]

Multi-million dollar lease for three decades scrutinized in Pierre
Austin Goss-SDBA The state of South Dakota will pay approximately $200 million more in office rental costs over the next 30 years under two leases with a Rapid City-based developer. The contracts, signed during former [Read More…]

Attempted kidnapping investigation
We’re learning more regarding an attempted kidnapping Thursday afternoon. Mitchell Police were called around 3:35 to the 1700 block of North Kimball for an attempted kidnapping. Responding officers were told the suspect was no longer [Read More…]

Arkansas Man Arrested After Standoff With Law Enforcement
A man from Arkansas was arrested Thursday after a standoff that occurred at a residence north of Witten in Tripp County. The Attorney General’s reported law enforcement officers had served an arrest warrant and a [Read More…]

House defeats bill requiring public schools to set policies for chaplain visits, services in South Dakota
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight A bill requiring public school districts in South Dakota to set policies allowing chaplains to serve within school buildings failed in the South Dakota House of Representatives in a 49-18 vote. [Read More…]

Lawmaker loses vice chairmanship after trying to defund Huron schools over bathroom issue
Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE — A firestorm of criticism Wednesday forced a South Dakota lawmaker to lose a committee vice chairmanship and withdraw his bill to defund the Huron School District, which he filed in reaction [Read More…]

State Lawmaker slammed for proposing de-funding the Huron School District
A West River lawmaker’s proposal to defund the Huron School District has sparked widespread backlash at the South Dakota State Capitol. His one-sentence House Bill 1224 would have prohibited the state from sending general fund [Read More…]

Former Prison Employee Sentenced To Prison For Sexual Contact with Prison Inmate
A former state prison employee has been sentenced to 90 days in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of a Prohibited Sexual Act Between a Prison Employee and Prisoner. 36 year Cassandra Jelsma [Read More…]

Avera Queen of Peace Hospital now offering robot-assisted surgery
Mitchell’s Avera Queen of Peace Hospital recently began offering robot-assisted, laparoscopic surgery. John Lyle is Director of Perioperative Services. He says it’s a boost to surgeons. “It allows them more precise visualization but also more [Read More…]

Randall Community Water District pipeline project to Mitchell making progress
A major rural water pipeline project with the Randall Community Water District coming to Davison County is poised to begin. Kyle Peters of A-1 Development Solutions updated county commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting. “By and large, [Read More…]

Man charged with threatening Governor Larry Rhoden
A man from Rapid City has been arrested on state charges for threatening Gov. Larry Rhoden. 28 year old Hudson Wheeler was arrested Monday and charged with one felony count of Threatening or Intimidating a [Read More…]

Vanessa Klock Named Cycle Source Magazine’s Woman of the Year
From: Cycle Source Magazine Vanessa Klock, CFO and Vice President of Klock Werks, has been honored with Cycle Source Magazine’s Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to the motorcycle [Read More…]

Lutheran Social Services calls Musk’s illegal payment claims ‘completely baseless’
BY STU WHITNEY South Dakota News Watch The leader of South Dakota’s primary refugee resettlement program has condemned online attacks by tech billionaire Elon Musk regarding the legality of the organization’s federal funding. Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, [Read More…]

Hutchinson County fatal crash
A 24 year old woman from Yankton died and a passenger was injured in a single vehicle crash nine miles south of Freeman late Monday morning. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety reported the [Read More…]

Ballot measure battle could curtail South Dakota’s direct democracy
BY STU WHITNEY South Dakota News Watch Has South Dakota soured on direct democracy? The answer to that question will be partly answered during the 2025 legislative session, as Republican lawmakers continue a recent trend [Read More…]
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