Books Journalism Documentary Podcast About Contact
South Dakota Searchlight •

Committee of SD lawmakers endorses ban on immigration sanctuaries • South Dakota Searchlight

Sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants will be banned in South Dakota if legislators adopt a bill that advanced out of a committee Thursday at the Capitol in Pierre.
The name “sanctuary” is often applied to policies that limit state or local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The bill, from state Sen. Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, would prohibit such policies at the state and local levels. The legislation is based on a law passed in North Dakota. Other states have adopted sim...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Bill headed to SD Senate would make temporary 911 surcharge increase permanent • South Dakota Searchlight

A South Dakota Senate committee advanced a bill Thursday at the Capitol in Pierre that would make an increase in the state’s 911 surcharge permanent.
The monthly, per-line charge applies to landline and cellphone service, and is used to help local governments fund their 911 call centers. Legislators and Gov. Kristi Noem adopted a 75-cent increase in the surcharge last year, from $1.25 to $2. The temporary measure is set to expire on July 1, 2026.
The new bill would remove the sunset clause, maki...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Lab-grown meat should be clearly labeled, panel of SD lawmakers decides • South Dakota Searchlight

A committee of South Dakota legislators advanced a bill Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would define lab-grown meat and require it to be clearly labeled.
The state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources proposed the legislation. Cheyenne Tant, a policy adviser for the department, explained it to legislators.
“South Dakota consumers deserve transparency when deciding whether to purchase a product grown in a lab versus products grown by our hardworking farmers and ranchers,” Tant sa...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Homeland Security nomination is latest leap in a life of risks for Kristi Noem • South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s advancement to the cusp of confirmation as a Trump cabinet secretary probably surprised some people who thought her career ended nine months ago with a notoriously disastrous book release.
It’s no surprise to Noem, who’s been thwarting predictions of her demise since her first statewide race 15 years ago.
The biggest story of that campaign was a revelation of 20 speeding tickets on her driving record. It turned out to be the first of many scandals, controversies a...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Chief justice says SD would benefit from expanding its new criminal public defense office • South Dakota Searchlight

After creating a state office last year to handle criminal appeals by people who can’t afford an attorney, the next step is extending that help to the trial court level, South Dakota’s top judge told legislators Wednesday.
Steven Jensen, chief justice of the state Supreme Court, delivered his annual State of the Judiciary address to lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre.
One of Jensen’s major topics was “indigent defense” — the use of court-appointed attorneys or public defenders for criminal defen...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Run of prosecutions against SD state employees continues with alleged grocery voucher fraud • South Dakota Searchlight

A wave of criminal prosecutions against former South Dakota state employees continued Thursday with a new charge against a woman accused of using grocery vouchers intended for foster families.
The case is at least the fifth brought against a former state employee by Attorney General Marty Jackley since last summer, all for fraud-related allegations. 
“The Attorney General’s Office intends to continue to prosecute these cases to regain the public’s trust in state government,” Jackley said Thursda...
South Dakota Searchlight •

SD congressman drafts bill to authorize Trump’s potential purchase of Panama Canal • South Dakota Searchlight

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, said Wednesday he will introduce legislation that would authorize President-elect Donald Trump to purchase the Panama Canal “if he can get a good deal.”
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not,” Johnson said, “but I do know I want to give President Trump the flexibility he needs to examine it.”
Those comments came during a Wednesday evening tele-town hall with constituents. Earlier in the day, Johnson spoke about the idea on Fox News. He will introduce t...
South Dakota Searchlight •

John Thune has a chance to be an example of civility for the country • South Dakota Searchlight

National political journalists are beating a path to John Thune’s door since his recent elevation to U.S. Senate majority leader. He has responded with refreshingly boring interviews, including on Sunday’s episodes of “Face the Nation” and “Meet the Press.”
Political junkies aren’t bored. They’re parsing every word he says about the filibuster, Cabinet nominees, border security, taxes and the national debt.
But to the average person who’s grown accustomed to Trump-era politics, Thune’s civility...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Noem’s public broadcasting cut proves she's nothing like Mr. Rogers and a lot like Trump • South Dakota Searchlight

Gov. Kristi Noem seems surprised about the amount of state money flowing to public broadcasting.
“South Dakota has the third highest per capita funding of public broadcasting of any state in the nation,” she said during her Dec. 3 budget address.
If she found that shocking, imagine how stunned she’ll be when she finds out it’s her fault.
She approved the last six state budgets, each of which included an increase for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. The organization’s annual state funding went u...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Federal government approves 20-year mining ban in part of SD’s Black Hills • South Dakota Searchlight

The federal government approved a 20-year ban Thursday on new mining-related activity in a portion of South Dakota’s Black Hills.
The ban covers 32 square miles of federally owned land located about 20 miles west of Rapid City. The boundaries encompass the Pactola Reservoir and areas upstream that drain into the reservoir via Rapid Creek.
Lilias Jarding, executive director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, hailed the action as “an expression of the will of the people.”
“It definitely show...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Fate uncertain for Wounded Knee land bill and medals review as massacre commemoration approaches • South Dakota Searchlight

As the 134th commemoration of the Wounded Knee Massacre nears, efforts to protect the massacre site and review medals awarded to participating soldiers are in limbo.
After years of activism by Lakota people, the U.S. Department of Defense announced in July that the “approximately 20” Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers who participated in the massacre would be subjected to a review. But there hasn’t been an announcement of the review panel’s recommendations yet, and President Joe Biden’s term en...
South Dakota Searchlight •

South Dakota doesn’t have to rob Peter to build a prison • South Dakota Searchlight

To understand South Dakota’s state budget situation, imagine you’re part of a family that’s been saving up to build a dream home.
Perhaps you recently experienced a sad event — the death of a relative — that turned into financial gain with a large inheritance. You’ve worked a lot of overtime the past few years while times were good in your industry. You’ve paid down or paid off your credit cards, student loans and car loans. Your credit score has risen.
Because of all those factors in and out of...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Video lottery operators plan to ask lawmakers for higher limits on bets and machines • South Dakota Searchlight

Owners of South Dakota video lottery establishments hope a lean budget for state government might incentivize legislators to raise the bet limit and allow more machines per license.
The more money players bet, the more revenue the state makes. After players’ winnings are subtracted from sales, the state and video lottery operators evenly split what’s left.
Troy Erickson of M.G. Oil, a licensed video lottery operator in Rapid City, told the state Lottery Commission on Thursday in Pierre that the...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Lawmakers propose sales tax increase to provide property tax relief for homeowners • South Dakota Searchlight

Several South Dakota legislators said Thursday they will introduce legislation that would provide property tax relief to homeowners by raising the state sales tax rate.
Rep. Tony Venhuizen, R-Sioux Falls, announced the effort.
“Property tax is the number one concern for my constituents and across South Dakota,” Venhuizen told South Dakota Searchlight. “This is the year for major property tax relief.”
Property tax reform has been a concern in the Legislature for years and was the subject of a...
South Dakota Searchlight •

How ambiguity cleared Kristi Noem's path to national prominence • South Dakota Searchlight

“This is what South Dakotans should do,” the governor said, emphasizing “should.”
I was perplexed. It was March 23, 2020, almost two weeks since the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the state. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem was conducting a news conference about an executive order listing 20 things that “should” be done. People “should” engage in social distancing. Businesses “should” prevent customers from congregating in close quarters. Health-care facilities “should” postpone elective surge...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Thune’s political journey comes full circle, 20 years after toppling a leader • South Dakota Searchlight

Twenty years after he won his Senate seat by assailing Tom Daschle’s performance as minority leader, John Thune is the chamber’s next majority leader.
Thune’s Republican colleagues elected him to the job Wednesday. The South Dakotan now faces a test like the one he accused Daschle of failing.
“There is a line where seniority and influence go from being an asset to being a liability,” Thune said during a 2004 debate against Daschle, “and Tom has crossed that line.”
The 63-year-old Thune expects a...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Trump picks South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to run Homeland Security • South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the federal Department of Homeland Security.
After CNN and other news outlets reported the news early Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the situation, Trump and Noem confirmed the reports Tuesday evening.
Trump issued a statement saying Noem would “guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”
“I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects,”...
South Dakota Searchlight •

Signs pointed to influence of ‘no on everything’ mentality in ballot question defeats • South Dakota Searchlight

Before Tuesday night’s election results were revealed, there were signs of a bad night for ballot questions — literally.
A no-campaigning perimeter was established around the polling place where I voted Tuesday morning. Parked as close as possible to that perimeter was a vehicle with a message scrawled in large lettering on its windows: “Vote no on everything.”
Many South Dakota voters did exactly that. According to unofficial results, only one of seven ballot questions passed — a measure from l...
South Dakota Searchlight •

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 Dakota Searchlight •

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....
South Dakota Searchlight •

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...
South Dakota Searchlight •

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...
South Dakota Searchlight •

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...
South Dakota Searchlight •

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...
Load More