Books Journalism Documentary Podcast About Contact
South Dakota Searchlight •

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...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Tariff ‘curveball’ complicates anti-inflation efforts, Fed official says in South Dakota • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — A national leader in monetary policy said during a visit to South Dakota that the Federal Reserve was “making good progress” bringing down inflation until “tariffs threw a curveball at us.”
Neel Kashkari, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, addressed dozens of people during a question-and-answer session Thursday at the Hyatt Place in downtown Rapid City. A local economic development group, Elevate Rapid City, hosted the event.
A tariff is a tax on imported...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Governor squanders his credibility on civil discourse with 'eat a salad' comment • South Dakota Searchlight

Larry Rhoden spent his first eight months as governor steering South Dakota onto the high ground of civil discourse, only to follow Kristi Noem back into the gutter last week.
Noem, the head of the federal Department of Homeland Security, was in Broadview, Illinois. Protesters have been amassing for weeks at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility there to express disapproval with the Trump administration, resulting in clashes with authorities. 
Following her usual impulse to provoke rat...
South Dakota Searchlight •

State on the hook for at least $74,000 if it loses appeal in petition deadline case • South Dakota Searchlight

The state of South Dakota could be forced to pay at least $74,000 in attorney fees and costs for a group that’s suing to protect a longer circulation period for ballot-question petitions.
The two parties reached a settlement on attorney fees and costs last week. The agreement says the state will pay $74,000, plus interest at a rate of 3.64%, if the Dakotans for Health ballot question committee remains the winner of the lawsuit.
The state is appealing a federal judge’s September order. The order...
South Dakota Searchlight •

South Dakota university drops effort to fire professor for Charlie Kirk post • South Dakota Searchlight

The University of South Dakota and the state Board of Regents have dropped their effort to fire a professor for his social media post about the killing of Charlie Kirk, according to a letter released by the professor’s lawyer.
Professor Michael Hook’s attorney Jim Leach released the letter from the university on Friday.
“We have taken into consideration your remorse for the post, your past record of service, and the university’s interest in efficient operations,” the letter says. “Based upon the...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Last-minute prison revelations were shocking only for their timing and source • South Dakota Searchlight

Less than 24 hours before South Dakota lawmakers met last week to consider building a prison, one of them disseminated “shocking new revelations” in a press release.
“I have confirmed,” the press release said, “that the South Dakota Department of Corrections has been using your tax dollars to provide transgender cross-sex hormones to convicted criminals in prison.”
The release went on to accuse the department of “hiding” a policy that includes a treatment committee and payments to an “East Coast...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Former national chair tells South Dakota Democrats success is possible ‘no matter where you start’ • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — After South Dakota Democrats heard appeals to organize, recruit and raise money, the keynote speaker at their Saturday night fundraiser urged them to do something else: hope.
Jaime Harrison, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told a story from his earlier job as floor director for the U.S. House Democratic Caucus. He recalled how a woman who was cleaning his Capitol office picked up a picture frame, recognized his mother in the photo, and said she went to high sch...
South Dakota Searchlight •

RFK Jr. has ‘some very interesting views,’ Thune tells South Dakota audience • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — When John Thune disagrees with people, he tries to do it “in a respectful way,” he said Friday.
So his description of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be as close as Thune gets to a put-down.
“He’s got some very interesting views,” Thune said.
The Republican U.S. Senate majority leader from South Dakota made the comments in response to an audience member at the Black Hills Forum and Press Club. The question came from Sherry Bea Smith, who identified herself as a nurse from Nemo, a small...
South Dakota Searchlight •

A pipeline, property taxes and a prison: Rhoden’s audition continues with a third big swing • South Dakota Searchlight

Larry Rhoden’s opponents should probably hope he doesn’t get his way Tuesday when he asks the Legislature to approve his $650 million prison construction plan.
If the legislation passes, it’ll be another big win for the Republican governor in only eight months on the job.
Whether you agree with Rhoden and his policies or not, he’s proven surprisingly effective at resolving disputes and achieving his goals, and at making himself look like a contender in next year’s election.
When Gov. Kristi Noem...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Jackley calls for improved legal immigration policy while launching his campaign for Congress • South Dakota Searchlight

STURGIS — In a speech formally launching his campaign for Congress on Tuesday, South Dakota Republican Marty Jackley signaled a desire to bring workers into the country legally while preventing unauthorized immigration.
“We need to have a national immigration policy that considers public safety and the workforce,” Jackley said. “We need to have E-Verify and visas working. I promise you I’ll be committed to doing that as your congressman.”
E-Verify is a web-based system that allows employers to c...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Trump-China trade dispute heightens harvest anxiety for South Dakota soybean farmers • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — Jerry Schmitz is rarely at a loss for words about soybeans.
But when asked if farmers have faith in a good outcome from the Trump administration’s trade standoff with China, his gaze shifted and his brow creased momentarily as he thought about the best way to answer.
“Hope might be the better word over faith,” he said.
Schmitz, of rural Vermillion, is the executive director of the South Dakota Soybean Association and the South Dakota Soybean Checkoff. A checkoff is a fee that’s coll...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Judge blocks South Dakota from enforcing earlier ballot question petition deadline • South Dakota Searchlight

The state of South Dakota cannot enforce a new law that would shorten the window for circulating ballot question petitions by three months, a judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Camela Theeler filed a written order Friday that says the law is a violation of First Amendment rights. As a limitation on political speech, she wrote, moving the election-year deadline from May to February “arguably goes beyond merely inconvenient and enters the realm of severe.”
The filing deadline dictates the amount...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Capitol restoration looms as a major expense for South Dakota • South Dakota Searchlight

As South Dakota lawmakers consider spending $650 million to build a prison, another major building expense is looming: the first full restoration of the state Capitol in nearly 40 years.
The state official in charge of planning the restoration is Darin Seeley, commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration. When he briefed a committee of legislators during a public meeting Tuesday at the Capitol, one of them asked for a ballpark estimate of the cost.
Seeley stressed that he doe...
South Dakota Searchlight •

South Dakota lawmakers endorse more video livestreaming, hear update on Capitol water damage • South Dakota Searchlight

A committee of South Dakota lawmakers endorsed a proposal Tuesday to provide more video livestreaming of the legislative process and heard how water-damaged technology could affect a special legislative session next month.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting — which is part of state government — already provides video livestreaming of state House and Senate floor sessions, as well as meetings of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. Other committee rooms are only equipped for audio livestream...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Grand jury indicts suspect arrested in Sturgis with 207 pounds of meth • South Dakota Searchlight

The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday that the suspect in the recent seizure of 207 pounds of crystal methamphetamine has been indicted on two state felony counts and could face additional federal charges.
The office also identified the suspect as 42-year-old Alonso Molinacorona and said the arrest occurred Friday night on Interstate 90 in Sturgis, which was during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“Meth of any amount is dangerous, but distribution of meth with a street valu...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Traffic and injury accidents surged higher at 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally • South Dakota Searchlight

Traffic and injury accidents were up while deaths and arrests were down during the recently concluded Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to data from state officials.
The 85th annual event began Aug. 1 and continued through Sunday. The increased traffic followed a trend of higher attendance in round-numbered anniversary years.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation’s automated traffic counters at nine locations in Sturgis logged 537,459 vehicles entering the city during the rally, which...
South Dakota Searchlight •

South Dakota Highway Patrol makes record meth seizure, governor says • South Dakota Searchlight

The South Dakota Highway Patrol made its largest-ever seizure of methamphetamine when it discovered 207 pounds of crystal meth during a recent traffic stop, according to Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, whose Monday announcement said the subject is not a U.S. citizen and is “now in immigration proceedings.”
The estimated street value of the drugs is $12 million, the news release said.
Rhoden used the arrest as an opportunity to tout his Operation Prairie Thunder, which commits state government pers...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Let’s be proud to prevent measles, not just to contain it • South Dakota Searchlight

It’s not as bad as it could’ve been: That’s the new bar for public health success in South Dakota.
The leader of the state Health Department, Melissa Magstadt, made that clear Thursday when she declared herself “so proud” of the state’s measles response.
In an opinion piece she wrote and sent to the media, Magstadt summarized the state’s efforts since measles cases surged earlier this year in other parts of the country and reached South Dakota in May.
Her staff identified at-risk counties, provi...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Rounds wins Trump endorsement after playing deal-making role in rescinding public media funds • South Dakota Searchlight

President Donald Trump issued a reelection endorsement Monday for South Dakota’s U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, days after Rounds helped pass Trump’s cancellation of previously approved funds for public broadcasting and foreign aid.
Rounds, a Republican former governor, is serving his second term in the U.S. Senate. He’s up for reelection next year.
In a message posted to social media, Trump described Rounds as an “incredibly strong advocate for the wonderful people of South Dakota.” Trump wrote that Ro...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Group of state and local officials calls on Congress to end tax credits for carbon sequestration • South Dakota Searchlight

Over 100 state and local officials from the Midwest and West, including South Dakota, are asking the U.S. Senate to eliminate tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration as part of a federal budget reconciliation bill.
Established by Congress and then-President George W. Bush in 2008, the 45Q tax credits incentivize companies to capture carbon dioxide from processes such as ethanol production and sequester it underground, so it won’t contribute to climate change by acting as a greenhouse ga...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Gold production increases at mine in South Dakota’s Black Hills • South Dakota Searchlight

Production at South Dakota’s only active, large-scale gold mine climbed to its highest level in eight years, according to a new 2024 annual report.
The Wharf Mine, owned by Chicago-based Coeur Mining, is near the city of Lead and the Terry Peak Ski Area in the northern Black Hills. The mine produced 98,042 ounces of gold last year — nearly 5,000 ounces more than the prior year.
The mine also produced 232,013 ounces of silver, which is a lesser-value “co-product” of the gold mining process. Silve...
South Dakota Searchlight •

ICE makes 8 arrests in South Dakota city where Noem was subjected to a protest three days earlier • South Dakota Searchlight

U.S. immigration officials conducted a “worksite enforcement action” that resulted in eight arrests Tuesday in Madison, three days after their boss, Kristi Noem, was subjected to a protest in the same South Dakota city.
At least one of the two targeted businesses, Manitou Equipment, was awarded financial support from the state while Noem was governor.
The media office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a written statement that the agency’s action was at Manitou and also at Global Po...
South Dakota Searchlight •

International student recounts ‘numb’ feeling after receiving email about her potential deportation • South Dakota Searchlight

RAPID CITY — Priya Saxena was staying up late to read comments about her doctoral dissertation around 1 a.m. on April 7 when she saw the message in her email.
“I was numb at the time,” she testified through tears Tuesday in a Rapid City courtroom, where she continued her fight to remain in the country.
The email from U.S. immigration officials said her visa was revoked. Saxena called some friends and holed up in her bedroom.
“I was scared,” she said, “and I had no idea what to do next.”
Her fear...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Noem’s honorary degree sparks protest; meanwhile, a student she’s trying to deport earns a doctorate • South Dakota Searchlight

An international student in western South Dakota overcame Kristi Noem’s attempt to stop her from graduating Saturday, while hundreds of people protested on the other side of the state where Noem received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement speech.
The international student is Priya Saxena, from India. She received two degrees from South Dakota Mines in Rapid City: a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering and a master’s degree in chemical engineering.
Noem’s U.S. Departm...
Load More