Latest News

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on children that Jackie Hendry, producer and host of South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s “South Dakota Focus” will write for South Dakota News Watch. Each month, [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight A $3 million program created by the state in 2021 to reduce agricultural pollution in the Big Sioux River has attracted two sign-ups, while drawing criticism for duplicating existing local projects. [Read More…]

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts a substantial increase in crop production in South Dakota, particularly in corn and soybeans. The forecast anticipates a record-breaking 28% rise in corn production, reaching 850 million [Read More…]

As a daytime mission center in Rapid City approaches closure, approximately two dozen individuals are urging the city council to address the needs of the homeless population facing the upcoming winter. The closure has raised [Read More…]

Jason Honetschlager is set to appear in federal court next month, facing charges of producing child pornography. Arrested on November 8th in Milbank, South Dakota, he is accused of coercing an individual under 18 into [Read More…]

Minnehaha County received only one application for a medical marijuana dispensary license during the recent application period, with Shangri-La LLC of Brandon submitting the proposal. The locally-owned company, in partnership with a national firm, is [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Brooke Rollag cannot work without child care. The mother of four is the economic development director for the Lake Area Improvement Corporation in Madison. Her job is to understand what businesses [Read More…]

The South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled against a circuit judge’s decision to set aside a jury’s verdict in a contested will case involving the estate of reclusive farmer Russell Tank. The verdict favored Tank’s [Read More…]

57-year-old Jay Adams, Jr., from Sisseton, pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a 1992 cold case from Roberts County. Adams acknowledges using blunt force trauma in a crime characterized as premeditated and deliberate, committed in [Read More…]

South Dakota’s Grand Gateway Hotel, previously under DOJ scrutiny for discriminatory actions, is facing fresh accusations of anti-Indigenous practices. A lawsuit filed by the White family claims their reservation was canceled due to racial discrimination, [Read More…]

A grain elevator fire erupted in Chandler, Minnesota, triggered by an explosion, with emergency crews responding just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Multiple fire departments, including mutual aid from surrounding agencies, are involved. One person [Read More…]

The National Park Service (NPS) has implemented new rules in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, prohibiting helicopter tours over Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park. Commercial flights are required to maintain a [Read More…]

Activists gathered at the Pennington County Administration Building on Tuesday to call for the resignation of State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel, citing a perceived lack of justice for Native Americans, particularly in the controversial plea deal [Read More…]

A man and woman engaged in a carjacking in Arlington and an attempted one in Volga, South Dakota, prompting an extensive search by law enforcement. The suspects threatened a person with a rifle, stole a [Read More…]

In northeastern South Dakota, a surplus of corn has led to logistical challenges as harvest season concludes. Farmers are dealing with long wait times at elevators, limited operating hours, and an abundance of corn piles. [Read More…]

Bart Pfankuch and Mark Andersen/South Dakota News Watch STURGIS, S.D. – During the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions in the food production supply chain and workforce sometimes led to empty grocery shelves, pushing some consumers to turn [Read More…]

Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is considering a semester-long certificate program for medical marijuana dispensary workers. The proposed curriculum includes courses on medical marijuana laws, pharmacology, ethics, compliance in dispensing, and a [Read More…]

Isaiah Dubray, a Sioux Falls man, has been sentenced to life in prison for a violent attack in a central Sioux Falls apartment building. In October 2022, Dubray stabbed and killed a man, leaving a [Read More…]

On November 14, a fatal collision between a car and a bicycle occurred at the intersection of East Main Street and Anderson Street in Vermillion. The bicyclist, identified as Clayton Lehmann, a 67-year-old professor at [Read More…]

SIOUX FALLS, John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight — Minnehaha County commissioners signed off on a settlement agreement Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing them of violating the First Amendment rights of people collecting signatures for ballot [Read More…]