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Explaining the lawsuit against South Dakota’s abortion-rights ballot measure
Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight A new court fight over South Dakota’s abortion-rights ballot measure could hinge on a complicated answer to a simple question: Does a set of six-year-old petition requirements still exist? The court [Read More…]

‘Firehose’ of information confronts legislators studying internet use by children and AI
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight Hundreds of bills about artificial intelligence and internet use by minors have been filed in statehouses in recent years. Even Heather Morton, who tracks state legislation as an analyst for the [Read More…]

Minnehaha auditor plans recount of two elections; commissioner calls timing ‘irresponsible’
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight The top election official in South Dakota’s most-populated county continued to cast doubt Tuesday on past election results reported by the county, while explaining plans to recount the results of two [Read More…]

Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for 27 Years for Sex Trafficking
Odarie Massiah, a 34-year-old man from Sioux Falls, has been convicted of Sex Trafficking of an Adult by Force and Coercion. On Monday, he was sentenced to 27 years and three months in federal prison, [Read More…]

Meade County Fatal UTV Crash North of Rapid City Claims Life of 47-Year-Old Man
Meade County, S.D.- A 47-year-old man died Monday afternoon in a single vehicle crash six miles northeast of Piedmont, SD. The names of the persons involved have not been released pending notification of family members. Preliminary [Read More…]

Capital Murder Trial Approaches for Joseph Hoek in Moody County
The capital murder trial of Joseph Hoek, accused of killing Moody County Deputy Sheriff Ken Prorok in a hit-and-run incident, is set to proceed in Moody County. The next hearing is scheduled for June 20 [Read More…]

For child care workers, state aid for their own kids’ care is ‘life-changing’
Elaine S. Povich/Stateline SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Child care worker Marci Then, 32, looked over at two 4-year-olds in her care who were tussling over a toy plate in a model kitchen set. “Are we sharing?” [Read More…]

Names Released in Meade County Fatal Crash North of Sturgis
Meade County, S.D.- An 83-year-old woman died Friday morning when a trailered boat came unhitched and collided with her vehicle head-on near Sturgis, SD. Preliminary crash information indicates Carol J. Olson, the driver of a 2016 [Read More…]

Anti-Abortion Group Sues Over Petition for Abortion Rights Amendment in South Dakota
An anti-abortion rights group, Life Defense Fund, has filed a lawsuit against the backers of a constitutional amendment designed to protect abortion rights in South Dakota. The lawsuit alleges that the Dakotans For Health petition [Read More…]

‘Somebody has to pay, ultimately’: Legislative committee begins study of rising property taxes
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Total property tax payments during the last decade in South Dakota have increased by nearly 60% for homes, 47% for commercial property and 28% for agricultural property. Some legislators hope to [Read More…]

Name Released in Charles Mix County Fatal Crash
Charles Mix County, S.D.- A 19-year-old man died Friday morning in a single-vehicle crash near Delmont, SD. Preliminary crash information indicates Hadley W. Wallace, the driver of a 2012 Ford Escape, was traveling southbound on 401st Ave near [Read More…]

Access to health care limited in South Dakota rural and reservation areas
Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch SISSETON, S.D. – All it took in spring 2024 was two small, unrelated medical service interruptions to put women’s health at risk and expose the fragility of the [Read More…]

South Dakota courts aim to improve language access as diversity, interpreter needs grow
Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Interpreter use in South Dakota courtrooms has more than doubled in the last decade, according to the Unified Judicial System. Requests for translation services, which cost the state more than $26,000 [Read More…]

Democrats nominate PUC candidate at state convention
South Dakota Searchlight The South Dakota Democratic Party has nominated Forrest Wilson, of Lead, as its candidate for the Public Utilities Commission in the Nov. 5 general election. Wilson is the director at the Lead-Deadwood [Read More…]

Sturgis Fatal Crash Involves 83-Year-Old Woman
Meade County, S.D.- An 83-year-old woman died Friday morning when a trailered boat came unhitched and collided with her vehicle head-on near Sturgis, SD. The names of the persons involved have not been released pending notification [Read More…]

The unsaid words that matter most in Noem’s feud with tribes
Kevin Woster – Words matter. And for Gov. Kristi Noem and her relationship with Native American tribes, two words could matter most of all: “I’m sorry.” I’ve been thinking about the importance of apologies and [Read More…]

Failure to make domestic violence arrests draws demerits for Bennett County sheriff’s deputy
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight The state’s police commission has ordered a Bennett County sheriff’s deputy to take part in remedial training because of his mishandling of domestic violence cases. The Law Enforcement Officers Standards and [Read More…]

Biofuel plants a significant source of air pollution in Midwest, study finds
Christopher Ingraham/Minnesota Reformer A report out this week finds that biofuel refineries, which are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Midwest’s corn-producing states, emit significant amounts of compounds that foul the air and threaten public health. The study was [Read More…]

Official shares data on South Dakota’s multi-family housing spree, tight labor market
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Six thousand five hundred new housing units worth $1.4 billion were built in South Dakota last year, a state economic development official said Wednesday, helping alleviate rising home costs. “Our building [Read More…]

Second Juvenile Charged in Huron Woman’s Murder
A 15-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Nichole Klich in Huron, South Dakota. This marks the second juvenile charged in the case; a 15-year-old boy was previously [Read More…]
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