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Noem Proposes 4% Increase in State Aid to Education for FY2025
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has suggested a 4% boost in state aid to education for fiscal year 2025, affecting teacher salaries and various education components in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. Currently at 7% [Read More…]

Unresponsive Man Found Dead in Rapid City, Investigation Underway
A man was discovered unresponsive near New York Street and E. North Street in Rapid City at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. Medical units confirmed his death, and the Rapid City Police Department, in collaboration with [Read More…]

Credit Card Skimmers Found at Walmart Stores in Rapid City
The Rapid City Police Department received reports of credit card skimmers placed at both Walmart stores on January 9. The skimmers, located at checkout lanes, have the potential to capture credit or debit card information. [Read More…]

Amtrak ambition: The lonely quest to break SD’s resistance to passenger rail
John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight – You can’t reach Mount Rushmore by passenger rail. Or the Badlands. Or Wall Drug. Or just about anywhere else in South Dakota. It’s one of two states in the [Read More…]

State’s Open Meetings Commission hasn’t met for three years
Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight – A state commission that hears complaints about transparency in government meetings has not met since December 2020, and the attorney general is taking steps to reactivate the group. There [Read More…]

Wild Oak Golf Course in Mitchell to Open Front 9 in Spring 2024
In an email on Friday morning to Great Life members, Wild Oak Golf Course in Mitchell announced that they will open the front 9 in the Spring of 2024. “We want to apologize for all [Read More…]

Closure of South Dakota State’s Dairy Research Facility Due to Unachievable Renovation Costs
South Dakota State University officials have announced the closure of the Dairy Research and Training Facility by June due to updated renovation cost estimates exceeding $28 million. The fundraising goal for the renovations was deemed [Read More…]

State electric vehicle charger plan is four short of target
John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight – A pool of settlement money from Volkswagen has helped add four new fast-charging stations for electric vehicles in South Dakota, with another two under construction. But four promised charging [Read More…]

South Dakota Lawmakers Propose Consolidation of Aging Nursing Facilities Amid Staffing Shortages
South Dakota lawmakers are considering House Bill 1014, advocating for the consolidation of aging nursing facilities grappling with mid-century infrastructure and staffing shortages. The bill allows long-term care centers to apply for state assistance and [Read More…]

South Dakota Legislative Panel Advances PSYPACT for Cross-State Telehealth Mental Health Services
A South Dakota legislative panel has moved forward with a proposal to join the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), aiming to facilitate telehealth mental health services across state lines. The compact allows clients to receive care [Read More…]

Irish Senator Presents Flag in South Dakota Legislature, Highlighting Historic U.S.-Ireland Relationship
Irish Senator Mark Daly, a special guest in the South Dakota Senate, presented the Irish flag to Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden and Speaker of the House Hugh Bartels as part of the American Irish State [Read More…]

Gymnastics Supporters Seek Appeals Court Intervention to Preserve Program in Sioux Falls School District
Supporters of gymnastics have filed a brief urging the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a South Dakota court order preventing the Sioux Falls School District from eliminating its gymnastics program. The school district [Read More…]

20 South Dakota schools participating in E-sports pilot season
PIERRE (Dana Ness) — A pilot season for esports in South Dakota is helping high schools work out the technical kinks as well as building a foundation of mentors for the future. At its meeting [Read More…]

South Dakota Tourism Achieves Record-Breaking Success in 2023
South Dakota’s tourism industry experienced remarkable growth in 2023, setting new records in visitor spending and total visitation. According to a study by Tourism Economics, visitors spent $4.96 billion, marking a 4.9% increase from 2022. [Read More…]

Pierre Man Pleads Not Guilty in Stabbing Death Case of Rapid City Teen
David Shangreaux Jr., a Pierre man, has pleaded not guilty to charges of First Degree Murder, Second Degree Murder, and Aggravated Assault in connection to the stabbing death of 17-year-old Evie Maxey. The incident occurred [Read More…]

House panel defeats year-round daylight saving time proposal
John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight – A House panel shot down an effort to switch South Dakota’s time zones one step east from November to March each year. The prime sponsor of House Bill 1009, Rep. [Read More…]

Maverik Retailer to Retire Kum & Go Brand After 60 Years of Ownership
Maverik, the Utah-based retailer, is set to retire the Kum & Go brand by 2025, ending over 60 years of Krause family ownership. The decision follows Maverik’s acquisition of the Iowa-based chain with approximately 400 [Read More…]

Brookings Resident Arrested After Hit-and-Run Involving Wheelchair, Allegedly Pulls Knife on Police
22-year-old Jamison Lee Stein of Brookings is facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, after a hit-and-run incident involving a motorized wheelchair. Stein, identified as the operator of the vehicle, fled [Read More…]

Native nations with scarce internet are building their own broadband networks
Madyson Fitzgerald – On the Hopi Reservation’s more than 1.5 million acres of desert landscape in northeast Arizona, most residents live in villages atop arid mesas. Below ground, there’s a network of copper wires that [Read More…]

Primaries for attorney general, term limits for PUC nixed by House panel
John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight – The House State Affairs Committee nixed two proposals Wednesday in Pierre that would have affected the choices of South Dakota voters. The first defeat, which came on an 8-5 vote, [Read More…]
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