South Dakota Searchlight • 3rd January 2026

A New Year’s resolution for South Dakota: Stop flushing dollars, then pinching pennies • South Dakota Searchlight

There was nothing under the tree this Christmas for South Dakota’s schools, state employees and health care providers.
Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden proposed no funding increase for them in the next state budget.
“Because our revenues haven’t grown much, we have to keep them flat this year,” Rhoden said during his annual December budget address.
Hearing that news so close to the holidays, I was reminded of the climactic movie scene in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” when a wife takes her...

South Dakota Searchlight • 17th December 2025

Health Department warns of measles exposure in Rapid City • South Dakota Searchlight

The South Dakota Department of Health is warning the public about a potential measles exposure at the Rapid City Regional Airport. 
The notification came as the agency’s website lists three new measles cases in the state since November.
The new cases are the state’s first since June, and they raise the number of confirmed measles infections this year in South Dakota to 15.
At the Rapid City airport, the potential exposure was caused by a Butte County resident with a confirmed measles infection,...

South Dakota Searchlight • 12th December 2025

Wounded Knee Massacre site protection bill passes Congress • South Dakota Searchlight

The U.S. Senate sent President Donald Trump a bill Thursday that would protect a portion of the Wounded Knee Massacre site on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, sponsored the legislation in the House, where it passed in January. Sen. Mike Rounds sponsored the legislation in the Senate, where it passed Thursday, with Majority Leader John Thune as a cosponsor. Both are Republicans from South Dakota.
Johnson released a statement saying “the time is now here to prop...

South Dakota Searchlight • 9th December 2025

Governor: 'Not much I’ve seen that I could support’ in legislative property tax proposals • South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has his own idea to reduce property taxes, does not sound impressed with 19 recommendations from a legislative task force.
“I’ve realized that there’s not much I’ve seen that I could support,” Rhoden told South Dakota Searchlight during a visit to Rapid City last week.
The governor’s own proposal, which he announced in March, would authorize an optional sales tax for counties. The revenue would be used to reduce property taxes for homeowners. 
“And I’ll say th...

South Dakota Searchlight • 5th December 2025

New prison’s programs will reduce state's world-leading rate of incarcerated women, official says  • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — No other place in the world incarcerates women at a higher rate than South Dakota, according to research by a prison-focused nonprofit, and the construction of a second women’s prison in the state could be viewed as a continuation of that trend.
The new leader of the state’s prison system said Thursday it’s the start of a turnaround.
“It’s not going to show overnight,” said Nick Lamb, “but it will show in a few years. You’ll see a substantial decrease.”
The staff and space devot...

South Dakota Searchlight • 18th November 2025

South Dakota governor bets on policy over politics while launching campaign to keep his job • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden launched a campaign to keep his job with an expression of his philosophy.
“Good policy makes good politics,” he said.
The comment came during remarks Tuesday at the Hotel Alex Johnson in downtown Rapid City, where Rhoden formally announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for governor next year in the June 2 primary election.
He has competition from three other declared candidates for the party’s nomination: U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, busi...

South Dakota Searchlight • 17th November 2025

Sanford Health plans to build Rapid City medical center with $300 million gift • South Dakota Searchlight

Sanford Health announced Monday that it will use a $300 million gift from its namesake philanthropist, Denny Sanford, to build a medical center in Rapid City.
Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, announced the gift during a Rapid City event that drew numerous local and state dignitaries.
“This philanthropic investment will strengthen health care in this community and across the entire region,” Gassen said.
The move will increase competition between Sanford Health and Monument Health...

South Dakota Searchlight • 10th November 2025

Uncertainty still reigns as South Dakota’s monthly SNAP payment day arrives • South Dakota Searchlight

The South Dakota Department of Social Services says it began preparations over the weekend to issue partial food assistance benefits for this month, but the department is also keeping open the possibility that it could pay full benefits.
In either case, said an advisory on the department’s website as of Monday afternoon, benefits won’t come until “later this week.” The 10th day of the month, which was Monday, is the normal day for payment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in...

South Dakota Searchlight • 4th November 2025

South Dakota won’t tap reserve funds to fill federal food assistance gap, governor says • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — South Dakota’s governor said Monday he does not support using state money to fill a funding gap in a food assistance program during the federal government shutdown, and said he was unaware of a funding request that a hunger relief organization submitted to the Legislature.
Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden made the comments in response to South Dakota Searchlight questions while he was volunteering at Feeding South Dakota’s Rapid City food distribution center.
Because Congress has failed...

South Dakota Searchlight • 24th October 2025

Legislators and governor make competing proposals to take money from housing fund • South Dakota Searchlight

SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden and a group of legislators — including one seeking his job — made rival proposals this week to shift millions in state housing infrastructure funds to other purposes.
On Wednesday, a legislative task force working on property tax reduction advanced 19 ideas that could become legislation this winter. The ideas include taking the roughly $65 million remaining in the state’s housing infrastructure fund and pairing it with money from the state’s budget re...