Latest News

The South Dakota House of Representatives has approved a package that would require each school district in the state to set a $45,000 floor for the average teacher salary starting July 1, 2026. The legislation [Read More…]

Yankton County, S.D.- A 45-year-old man died Saturday evening in a two-vehicle crash in Yankton County. Preliminary crash information indicates a Ford van driven by Michael J. Myers of Sioux Falls was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of [Read More…]

Marissa Apodaca from Sioux Falls was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. She was one of 24 co-conspirators, with 14 of them from South Dakota. Apodaca pleaded [Read More…]

  John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight PIERRE – Lawmakers peppered the Department of Corrections secretary with questions on Wednesday morning about the growing gap between initial and current price points for two new state prisons. [Read More…]

Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch A company that wants to help ethanol producers harness their carbon dioxide emissions to produce an additional renewable fuel says its technology is a viable alternative to proposed carbon dioxide [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight The number of students graduating from South Dakota high schools is declining. And fewer of those graduates are enrolling in any higher education, let alone attending one of South Dakota’s [Read More…]

Brad Reay, a Pierre man convicted of first-degree murder for killing his wife, has died at age 64 in the Jameson Annex infirmary in Sioux Falls. The South Dakota Department of Corrections announced his death, [Read More…]

John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight A long distance rail study from the Federal Railroad Administration includes new maps showing two possible South Dakota passenger rail routes. The routes would run through Sioux Falls and Rapid [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight The week of Valentine’s Day, in this humble reporter’s opinion, is the best week of the legislative session. It’s not just because lawmakers exchange candy with cute, punny messages on [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight An ongoing effort to create open primary elections received some big contributions from South Dakotans in 2023, and also received a little more than half of its donations from a Colorado-based [Read More…]

Yankton County, S.D.- A 45-year-old man died Saturday evening in a two-vehicle crash in Yankton County. The names of the people involved have not been released pending notification of family members. Preliminary crash information indicates a Ford van was [Read More…]

BISMARCK — A trial expected to shed new light on a federal agency’s management — and potential mismanagement — of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests kicked off Thursday in federal court. North Dakota is seeking [Read More…]

John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight Fewer people than expected are signing up for Medicaid through an expansion backed by voters in 2022, and the state Department of Social Services is adjusting its budget to reflect the [Read More…]

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that a Yankton man has been sentenced to 85 years in prison after he had earlier pled guilty to First Degree Manslaughter in connection to [Read More…]

The Biden administration will send close to $1 billion to airports across the country to upgrade terminal facilities, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday. Among the recipients are the city of Spearfish and the Standing [Read More…]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg on Wednesday urged the state Supreme Court to dismiss an effort to suspend his law license, arguing that he took responsibility and acted professionally [Read More…]

Seth Tupper, Makenzie Huber – South Dakota Searchlight A bill to include South Dakota in a summer food program for children advanced to the next step of the legislative process Wednesday in Pierre, while legislation [Read More…]

Logan Culhane, a Black Hills State University student, will be appearing on Season 22 of American Idol. The season will premiere Feb. 18, and Culhane will be featured in one of the audition episodes. Culhane [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations officially adopted the revenue projections for the remainder of fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 on Wednesday morning at the Capitol. The committee [Read More…]

Seth Tupper, South Dakota Searchlight A bill requiring public schools to raise teacher pay with no promise of new state funding passed a legislative committee Wednesday in Pierre. Nobody testified against the legislation, but several lobbyists [Read More…]