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Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden is appointing a new economic development commissioner and moving the current commissioner into a deputy role. Joe Fiala, the current commissioner of the Governor’s Office of [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline route as proposed in its permit application is “not viable,” South Dakota regulators determined Tuesday in Pierre. The Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 to deny the company’s [Read More…]

Shalina Chatlani / Stateline As Republicans in Congress consider cutting the federal share of Medicaid funding, states are weighing numerous options to scale back their programs. But voters in three states have significantly limited those [Read More…]

Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch REDFIELD, S.D. – On five occasions this year, librarian Sarah Jones-Lutter has left the quiet, comfortable confines of the historic Redfield Carnegie Library and made her voice heard [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight At least $134 million in federal conservation funds approved by Congress and awarded for conservation-related projects across South Dakota were frozen in the early days of the Trump administration. A recent [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota continued to expand its industrial hemp footprint in 2024 as Texas quickly gained ground, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Hemp Report. As defined in the 2018 Farm [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight Jaimie Bartmann planned to quit her job in education. She loved being a paraprofessional in the Montrose School District in southeastern South Dakota, but after nine years assisting teachers and students, [Read More…]

A police chase in Brookings, ended in a rollover early Sunday morning, injuring 24-year-old Brandon Kendall of Mitchell. The incident began when a Brookings police officer attempted to stop Kendall’s vehicle for speeding. Kendall, who [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight The scene outside Thursday’s Watertown Rotary luncheon turned raucous in the presence of South Dakota’s senior U.S. senator. Not long after the event, staffers urged Republican U.S. Senate Majority Leader John [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight SIOUX FALLS – Keeping cattle waste out of the river that runs through the state’s largest city will cost about $11 million over the next five years, and the city will [Read More…]

Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden hasn’t said whether he’s running to keep his office next year, but his actions during the first few months of his administration suggest he could reshuffle expectations [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight Majority Leader Scott Odenbach waved his hand behind him, gesturing to the lawmakers’ lobby just a few paces beyond his desk on the House floor. “I would ask anyone in [Read More…]

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight SIOUX FALLS – Attendees of a Tuesday evening town hall focused on the impact of Trump administration policies voiced worries about federal funding cuts, the impact of tariffs and a [Read More…]