Books

"Surviving the '72 Flood"

Portraits and firsthand accounts from 27 survivors of the 1972 Black Hills Flood, published for the 50th commemoration.

SOLD OUT

"Calvin Coolidge in the Black Hills"

The adventures, misadventures and legacy of a sitting president's three-month sojourn in the Black Hills.

"The Black Hills of South Dakota"

A guidebook packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process.

Documentary

Podcast

Journalism

Pronoun changes for South Dakota constitution fail to win voter support • South Dakota Searchlight

A proposal to replace male-specific references in the South Dakota Constitution with neutral words and phrases was losing in unofficial election results Wednesday.
The tally was 57% against Amendment E and 43% in favor at 4 p.m. Central time Wednesday, with about 95% of statewide precincts fully reported.
The amendment would replace male pronouns in the constitution, such as “he,” “him” and “his,” with neutral words and phrases such as “the governor,” “the lieutenant governor,” “the officer,” “t...

South Dakotans reelect Republican Dusty Johnson to Congress • South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota voters reelected Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson to a fourth term Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:06 p.m. Central. Rep. Johnson was leading with 76% of the votes, with about 27% of statewide precincts reporting. The other candidate in the race, Democratic nominee Sheryl Johnson, had 24%.
Rep. Johnson, a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, is known for his focus on policy and his aversion to the antics of the more extreme voices in the U.S. House....

Voters reject open primaries for South Dakota • South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota voters on Tuesday rejected an attempt to establish open primary elections in the state.
The Associated Press called the results at 11:16 p.m. Central. The tally at that time was 68% against Amendment H and 32% in favor, with 37% of statewide votes counted.
Amendment H would have changed future primary elections for governor, state Legislature, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and elected county offices. The candidates in each race, regardless of party, would have appeared...

Abortion-rights measure loses in South Dakota • South Dakota Searchlight

An attempt to restore abortion rights in South Dakota went down to defeat Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the results at 1:49 a.m. Central time Wednesday. The tally at that time was 61% against Amendment G and 39% in favor, with 64% of statewide votes counted.
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion in 2022, a trigger ban adopted by the South Dakota Legislature in 2005 immediately took effect. The ban has one exception for abortions necessary to “preserve th...

Partial South Dakota results show big deficit for grocery sales tax repeal • South Dakota Searchlight

A proposal to remove South Dakota’s state sales taxes on groceries was losing in unofficial election results.
The tally was 71% against Initiated Measure 28 and 29% in favor at 3 a.m. Central time Wednesday, with 76% of statewide precincts fully reported.
The measure would apply to anything sold for human consumption. Supporters, who want tax relief for people with low incomes, said the measure’s wording limits its impact to state sales taxes on groceries. Opponents alleged the measure is poorly...

Carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters in unofficial results • South Dakota Searchlight

A proposed law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines was losing in unofficial South Dakota election results.
The tally was 60% against Referred Law 21 and 40% in favor as of 8 a.m. Central time Wednesday, with 90% of statewide precincts fully reported.
State lawmakers and Republican Gov. Kristi Noem adopted the law last winter. Opponents gathered more than 31,000 petition signatures to refer it to voters. A yes vote supported the law, while a no vote opposed it.
The law came in response to a cont...

South Dakotans approve consideration of Medicaid expansion work requirements • South Dakota Searchlight

A ballot measure authorizing South Dakota state officials to consider work requirements for Medicaid expansion recipients was winning in unofficial results.
The tally was 56% in favor of Amendment F and 44% opposed as of 9:45 a.m. Central time Wednesday, with about 90% of statewide votes counted.
Medicaid is a federal-state health insurance program for people with low incomes. In the past, Medicaid was not available to able-bodied adults younger than 65, unless they were below the poverty line a...

Marijuana legalization fails in unofficial South Dakota results • South Dakota Searchlight

A ballot measure to legalize adult recreational marijuana use in South Dakota was losing in unofficial results.
The tally was 56% against Initiated Measure 29 and 44% in favor at 4 p.m. Central time Wednesday, with 95% of statewide precincts fully reported.
The measure would not have legalized marijuana sales. That would have required later legislative action.
Initiated Measure 29 would have provided the groundwork by legalizing for adults 21 and older the possession, use and free distribution...

Q&A: Podcast retraces SD’s path from ’06 and ’08 abortion votes to new ballot measure • South Dakota Searchlight

Some South Dakota voters who rejected abortion bans in 2006 and 2008 probably didn’t know there was already a trigger law in place that would end up banning abortion in 2022.
Lee Strubinger puts that hindsight to use in a new podcast, “Unplanned Democracy.” It examines South Dakota’s journey from those elections to this year’s vote on Amendment G, which would restore abortion rights. The measure is on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Strubinger is a politics and public policy reporter for South Dakota Public...

‘Quiet giant’ of SD politics, Tim Johnson, dies at age 77  • South Dakota Searchlight

Tim Johnson, a former U.S. senator, U.S. representative and state legislator who never lost an election and served longer in state and federal office than any other South Dakotan, has died at age 77.
A former aide, Drey Samuelson, shared the news Wednesday morning on Facebook but did not specify a cause of death. Since 2006, Johnson had dealt with the lingering stroke-like effects of brain bleeding caused by a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.
“He died a few hours ago, surrounded by his famil...