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MITCHELL, S.D. — The city of Mitchell is reminding residents and visitors of parking restrictions and street closures ahead of the Corn Palace Festival, which runs Wednesday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 30. Parking restrictions [Read More…]

More workers than retirees drove South Dakota’s growth

Amina Aidarkhanova/South Dakota News Watch For years, retirees have been closely associated with South Dakota’s recent population growth, especially in communities known for recreation, slower pace of life and features of lifestyle. But migration data [Read More…]

State of South Dakota faces lawsuit over proof-of-citizenship voter registration law

John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight A nonprofit organization and a Sioux Falls voter filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court over the implementation of South Dakota’s new proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration. Senate Bill 175, passed [Read More…]

South Dakota ranked hardest-working state in America

South Dakota has been ranked the hardest-working state in the country in a new WalletHub study. The 2026 report compared all 50 states across 10 measures of work ethic, including average workweek hours, employment rates, [Read More…]

MTC fall is semester is off and running

Mitchell Technical College opened its fall semester on Monday. “Our enrollment looks strong,” said MTC president Theresa Kriese. “We should have a good count at the end of next week. We usually wait for the [Read More…]

Mitchell School Board tackles policy review

The Mitchell School Board took a deep dive into policy series 1000-1200 as part of its annual review. Superintendent Joe Childs says it’s critical for the board to stay up to date on policies. “There’s [Read More…]

South Dakota school district creating different path to graduation

For high school students who aren’t thriving in a traditional classroom, a South Dakota school district is trying a different approach. Gold Prospect Academy is a new alternative high school in the Lead-Deadwood school district [Read More…]

Codington County Flock cameras removed following vandalism

Codington County has pulled the plug on its four Flock License Plate Reader cameras in the county due to repeated vandalism. Sheriff Brad Howell says the County Highway Department was removing the fourth and final [Read More…]

Pine Ridge man convicted of federal drug crime

A federal court jury has convicted a 41 year old man from Pine Ridge of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City. The verdict [Read More…]

South Dakota’s cybersecurity program is running out of time, money as local governments face attacks

Pennington County residents haven’t been able to access some services since a cyberattack knocked out county computer systems in July. The water system in Rapid City, which is part of Pennington County, was among the [Read More…]

Solutions-based programs filling resource gaps in schools

Elena Tittel/South Dakota News Watch SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Two expanding grassroots efforts are supporting South Dakota schools by providing kids with experiences they might not otherwise receive. Among them: a Book-A-Month Club, field trips, [Read More…]

Senator Mike Rounds subjects Postal Service to multiple pressure points

Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight About two years ago, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, started hearing increasing complaints about slow mail delivery. Veterans weren’t receiving their prescriptions on time, he said, or medications got lost [Read More…]

Avian flu affects 77,700 South Dakota birds, raising state’s four-year outbreak total to 8.1 million

Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Bird flu has returned to South Dakota, with federal officials confirming detections in two flocks this month after nearly a month without U.S. cases. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus — [Read More…]

Western South Dakota lawmaker takes plea deal to drop road-damage charge from felony to misdemeanor