News
Biden’s newest student loan repayment plan temporarily blocked by Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday slashed the Biden administration’s latest efforts to provide student debt relief to millions of borrowers to go forward while the appeals process unfolds. The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan provided lower monthly loan payments for borrowers and lessened the time it takes to pay off […]
Fast-track law enforcement training status returned to Western Dakota Tech
A new program director from North Carolina and a series of protocol changes have put Western Dakota Technical College back in the good graces of the state’s Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission. Commissioners unanimously voted to reinstate the Rapid City school’s articulation agreement during a virtual meeting Wednesday after hearing from that new […]
Special Counsel Smith files new indictment in Trump’s Jan. 6 case
WASHINGTON — Adjusting for the U.S. Supreme Court’s sweeping presidential immunity decision last month, U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a fresh federal indictment alleging former President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election in his favor. In a superseding indictment filed in the late afternoon, Smith emphasized the private nature of […]
U.S. Education Department outlines testing period for phased rollout of new FAFSA form
WASHINGTON — With the U.S. Department of Education using a staggered approach in opening up the 2025-26 application period for federal financial student aid, the agency said Tuesday it will partner with a small number of community-based organizations to participate in the first testing period beginning Oct. 1. Earlier in August, the department said it […]
Otter Tail Power raising fee on electric customer bills to pay off projects
A monthly fee on electrical bills will increase by $4.14 for the average Otter Tail Power residential customer starting next month. Increases will vary for the rest of the company’s customers. The company’s website says it serves approximately 13,500 residential, commercial and industrial customers in northeastern South Dakota. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s three […]
Noem commutes sentences for two convicted of murder
Gov. Kristi Noem commuted the sentences of two people convicted of murder and issued 45 more pardons since February. Since taking office in 2019, Noem has commuted the sentences of 27 people and pardoned 341. Her first commutation of the summer was granted to 70-year-old John Proctor on July 24. Proctor has served 51 years […]
DOJ looks to revive classified documents case against Trump, argues judge’s dismissal was ‘flawed’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal appeals court to reverse the dismissal of a case alleging former President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents at his Florida home after he left the Oval Office. The appeals process could take months, likely closing the door on any movement in the classified documents […]
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 […]
Sturgis rally tax collections total $1.4 million, which is down from last year
Tax collections attributed to the recently concluded 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally were $1.4 million, which was down 3% from last year, according to estimates released Tuesday by the state Department of Revenue. State sales tax collections were $790,805, state tourism tax collections were $271,322, and city sales tax collections were $337,374. The collections came from […]
After lawsuit from SD and other states, judge pauses protections for undocumented spouses
WASHINGTON — A Texas federal judge late Monday sided with 16-Republican led states, including South Dakota, to temporarily block a Biden administration program that grants deportation protections for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and a potential pathway to citizenship. The ruling by Judge J. Campbell Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District […]
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. […]
Scientists at underground lab announce progress in hunt for dark matter
Scientists at a deep underground lab in South Dakota say they’ve made an advancement in their quest to understand dark matter. The invisible substance is estimated to make up 85% of the mass in the universe, but it’s never been directly detected. A leading dark matter candidate is weakly interacting massive particles, known as WIMPs. […]