Author
Day care loan celebrated as example of federal lending partnership’s rural impact
Ages and Stages Daycare is the only child care center in Clear Lake, a town near Watertown with a population of 1,218. The owner planned to sell, and longtime employee Hailey Freeman was able to buy the center earlier this month with a $105,000 low-interest loan through GROW South Dakota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture […]
Challenger criticizes congressman for celebrating project after voting against some of its funding
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson is taking criticism from his opponent for celebrating a water system’s progress this month, after he voted against a bill three years ago that provided some of the system’s most recent funding. Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Democratic President Joe Biden signed in 2021. […]
State committee plans needs assessment for remainder of $54 million in opioid settlement funds
South Dakota has received over $18 million in national opioid settlement funds since 2022, spending $3 million so far on efforts to track, treat and prevent opioid abuse in the state. It’s the beginning of over $54 million the state will receive within the next two decades. The national opioid settlement was reached in 2021 […]
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe expands public safety partnership with South Dakota Highway Patrol
The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe has expanded state law enforcement’s ability to assist federal officers on the central South Dakota reservation, agreeing this month to a unique partnership between the state and a tribal nation. The agreement allows the South Dakota Highway Patrol to respond to calls on the Crow Creek Reservation upon the tribe’s […]
Former state employee pleads not guilty in $1.8 million theft case
An Iowa woman who formerly worked for the South Dakota Department of Social Services pleaded not guilty Tuesday to stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the department’s Division of Child Protection Services over the course of 13 years. Lonna Carroll, 68, of Algona, Iowa, is charged with two felony counts […]
State board OKs study of potential 911 consolidation
The South Dakota 911 Coordination Board commissioned a study Monday into the feasibility of consolidation among the 32 separately managed dispatch centers in the state. Some state senators pressed the issue of consolidation during the 2024 legislative session, hoping to encourage regionalization in exchange for an increase in the phone-customer surcharge that funds 911 operations. […]
Noem appoints Joe Fiala to lead economic development office
Gov. Kristi Noem appointed longtime economic development official Joe Fiala as the new Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) commissioner Wednesday. The department is charged with recruiting, retaining and expanding business within South Dakota, including funding business projects in the state and incentivizing out-of-state businesses to relocate. “Joe has been a great member of our […]
At long last, Lewis and Clark water arrives for Madison
MADISON — After waiting nearly 35 years, Madison is the last South Dakota city to connect to the tri-state Lewis and Clark Regional Water System. Local leaders, South Dakota’s three congressmen and economic leaders gathered to celebrate the city’s connection on Wednesday. Madison’s roughly 6,000 residents tapped into the system earlier this month. The pipeline […]
‘Illegal cannabis’ cuts into medical marijuana sales, growers tell committee
The state’s legislative oversight committee on medical marijuana was thrust into the world of synthetic THC on Monday as members heard complaints about how loosely regulated, hemp-derived products are affecting South Dakota’s medical marijuana industry. The Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee heard from business owners and the State Public Health Laboratory director during a meeting in […]
Justice disparities on South Dakota reservations need attention, US attorney general says
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday during a visit to South Dakota that national crime rates have declined, but challenges remain on tribal reservations in the state. “We know that progress in some communities has not been the same,” Garland said. “Progress across the country is still uneven. Of course, there is no level […]
Proposed changes to Indigenous education standards available for public comment
The South Dakota Board of Education Standards will soon review proposed changes to the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings, a set of standards meant to introduce Native American culture, traditions and history into public schools. The proposed changes are meant to make the standards “more navigable for teachers,” Indian Education Advisory Council Director Fred Osborn told […]
Kennedy submits signatures to appear on South Dakota presidential ballot
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to being placed on South Dakota’s presidential ballot in November. Kennedy’s campaign said it submitted roughly 8,000 signatures to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office on Tuesday, the deadline to submit signatures for independent presidential candidates in the state. The campaign had to submit at least […]