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Activists fail to convince Board of Elections to move toward hand-counting
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight The state Board of Elections did not approve petitions Wednesday from activists who want to move the state toward hand-counting ballots. A Republican state Senate candidate, Rick Weible, of Elkton, petitioned [Read More…]

Groups argue in federal court for local control of pipeline routes
A federal judge has wrongly limited the authority of county and state officials to restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines for public safety, according to several groups that are challenging the judge’s recent decisions. [Read More…]

New solar will help keep power on during scorching summer, report says
With some parts of the country already facing heat waves, the organization in charge of setting reliability standards for the American electric grid is warning that a scorching summer could lead to a shortage of power generation in [Read More…]

Low-wage states with cheap housing dominated the post-pandemic jobs boom
Tim Henderson, Stateline More than half of the nation’s jobs created in the past five years have come in two states: Texas and Florida. They’re at the forefront of a job creation revolution in which [Read More…]

State prison offenders Adam Poor Bear, Ryan Shot With Arrow placed on escape status
Two state prison offenders have been placed on escape status. Adam Poor Bear and Ryan Shot With Arrow left the Rapid City Minimum Center without authorization on May 29. Poor Bear, age 30, is a [Read More…]

$32 million sales tax loss made up for with lost money, state investments, contractor taxes
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Despite a $32 million dip in sales tax revenue, South Dakota has collected about $115 million more in total revenue this year than it did the previous July through April. That [Read More…]

Black Hills highway closure to upend summer holiday traffic
Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch PACTOLA RESERVOIR, S.D. – Angie Weaver, who co-owns the Pactola Marina in the Black Hills, remains hopeful that the full closure of U.S. 385 won’t sink her summer [Read More…]

Medicaid unwinding deals blow to tenuous system of care for Native Americans
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, KFF Health News About a year into the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility after the COVID-19 public health emergency, more than 20 million people have been kicked off the joint federal-state program for low-income [Read More…]

Pronouns and tribal affiliations are now forbidden in South Dakota public university employee emails
A new South Dakota policy to stop the use of gender pronouns by public university faculty and staff in official correspondence is also keeping Native American employees from listing their tribal affiliations in a state [Read More…]

$300 million statewide high-speed internet initiative enters final stretch
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight About 91% of South Dakota has access to broadband service, putting the statewide ConnectSD high-speed internet initiative in its final stretch. “That’s a lot of work, look at that,” said [Read More…]

Kristi Noem’s Cape Canaveral Visit Sparks Democratic Protests Amid Controversy
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s appearance at a Brevard County Republican Party event in Cape Canaveral faced protests from Democrats. The backlash centered on an incident from Noem’s book, “No Going Back: The Truth on [Read More…]

South Dakota Supreme Court Reverses Lower Court in Agricultural Land Zoning Dispute
The South Dakota Supreme Court reversed a circuit court decision regarding an agricultural land zoning dispute involving MRose Development’s request to rezone land near Swan Lake in Turner County for lakefront housing. Turner County had [Read More…]

As Memorial Day arrives, bill unveiled in Congress to assist Purple Heart recipients
Ashley Murray, States Newsroom WASHINGTON — When a Purple Heart recipient named Pat reached out to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray in November to inform her that he couldn’t transfer his GI bill benefits to his [Read More…]

Rodent or riparian restorer: East-west views diverge as state considers beaver protections
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight Some Black Hills residents have a growing appreciation for large rodents with environmental engineering prowess: beavers. The admiration spans from foresters to anglers and ranchers. It stems from beavers’ role [Read More…]

South Dakotans grow frustrated waiting for state to apply for $69 million in energy rebate funding
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight Kelly Moore, of Piedmont, planned to leverage a federal rebate program to cover 30% of the cost of his new $10,000 energy-efficient heat pump. But he said Statewide Energy Manager [Read More…]

Brandon Woman Sentenced On Grand Theft By Exploitation Charge
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a Brandon woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all of that time is suspended, after earlier pleading guilty to one count [Read More…]

U.S. House panel debates nutrition benefit changes in GOP farm bill proposal
Allison Winter, States Newsroom WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee clashed late into the evening Thursday over funding for food and nutrition programs as part of Republicans’ sweeping proposal for [Read More…]

Republican runs afoul of anti-abortion groups after labeling their phone calls a ‘scam’
Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight A top Republican state official has run afoul of anti-abortion groups after labeling their recent phone operation a “scam.” The controversy started May 13 with a news release from South Dakota Secretary of [Read More…]

Poll: Trump has sizable lead in South Dakota but shy of 2016 and 2020 numbers
Stu Whitney, South Dakota News Watch SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Republican nominee Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by nearly 20 points in South Dakota but is struggling to get more than half of the [Read More…]

Name Released in McCook County Fatal Motorcycle Crash
Union County, S.D.- A 55-year-old man died Saturday afternoon in a single-vehicle crash six miles north of Montrose, SD. Preliminary crash information indicates Chad C. Bauer was driving a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle and headed southbound on [Read More…]
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