Justice
Former state employee accused of stealing $1.8 million from Child Protection Services
An Iowa woman who formerly worked for the South Dakota Department of Social Services is accused of stealing an estimated $1.8 million 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 of aggravated grand theft. She was arrested […]
Program seeking temporary homes for kids in court system struggles with recruitment, retention
Rich Ohm was going to say no. He and his wife are busy with their Watertown-based business, their children are all grown, and they aim to spend up to two months each year traveling out of the country for missions. But he surprised himself — and his wife. He said yes to becoming the first […]
Some legislators lukewarm on Noem’s plan to spend $81 million surplus on prisons
Some South Dakota legislators aren’t sure they’re ready to support Gov. Kristi Noem’s plan to devote an $81 million budget surplus to prison construction. The future women’s prison in Rapid City is estimated to cost $87 million, and already has funding from the Legislature. The state has also allocated $567 million from state and federal […]
Judge dismisses lawsuit against abortion-rights ballot measure
SIOUX FALLS — A judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit challenging South Dakota’s abortion-rights ballot measure, saying the litigation should have targeted the Secretary of State’s Office rather than only the group that petitioned the measure onto the ballot. The losing party vowed to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, leaving South Dakota […]
Federal judge dismisses Trump classified documents criminal case
MILWAUKEE — The federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump was dismissed Monday by a Florida judge on the grounds that the Department of Justice unlawfully appointed special counsel Jack Smith. The order, while likely to be appealed, makes the possibility even more remote that Trump will be tried before the election on […]
Victims and shooter identified in assassination attempt on Trump
The FBI said early Sunday it had identified the man who shot former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks was killed at the scene. Trump was pronounced safe shortly after the incident. Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, who was […]
Tribe disbands security task force, cites financial struggles
FORT THOMPSON — The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe has disbanded a security task force formed a year ago after the homicide of a young man in Fort Thompson. Task force members were not sworn law enforcement officers, but responded to public safety incidents to de-escalate situations and provide aid. The Crow Creek tribe doesn’t have […]
Expansion of antitrust enforcement in agriculture is a hopeful sign for farmers and ranchers
I’m a fourth-generation Brown County farmer and cattle rancher determined to make it possible for my children to be fifth-generation family farmers. That’s why I’ve been advocating since the 1980s for enforcement of antitrust laws protecting family farmers and ranchers from abuse and market manipulation by meatpackers. Now, as president of South Dakota’s largest agriculture […]
Counties hit with $74,000 in plaintiffs’ attorney fees for trying to restrict petition circulators
Two South Dakota counties whose policies violated petition circulators’ First Amendment rights to political speech had to fork over a combined $74,000 in attorney fees and costs for the lawyer representing the group that sued them. On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered Lawrence County to pay Dakotans for Health’s attorney, Jim Leach, $19,238.90 in fees […]
Missouri leads seven states, including SD, challenging transgender health care protections
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is leading a coalition of seven states — including South Dakota — challenging a rule by the Biden administration that would preempt state restrictions on gender-affirming care. Filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Wednesday, the states are seeking to block the regulation and […]
Statewide South Dakota 911 outage caused by hurricane in southern US, provider says
A second statewide 911 outage this year is suspected to have been caused by Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Texas on Tuesday night and damaging network infrastructure, according to South Dakota’s 911 telecommunications provider Lumen, formerly known as CenturyLink. Investigations into the cause are still ongoing, said spokesman Matthew Villarreal. “Our techs worked hard to […]
State says six inmates injured in fights at prison in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD — The South Dakota Department of Corrections says six inmates were hurt at a prison in Springfield following an overnight bout of unrest. Agency spokesman Michael Winder said Wednesday morning that the inmates suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries in fighting that began Tuesday evening at Mike Durfee State Prison. His emailed message said “several inmates” were […]