South Dakota Searchlight • 9th October 2025

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 • 6th October 2025

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 • 3rd October 2025

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 • 30th September 2025

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 • 28th September 2025

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 • 26th September 2025

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 • 22nd September 2025

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 • 10th September 2025

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 • 7th September 2025

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 • 2nd September 2025

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...