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South Dakota News Watch
Harrisburg, Tea, Box Elder lead booming South Dakota cities
HARRISBURG, S.D. – This bedroom community just south of Sioux Falls transformed over the past couple of decades into the fastest-growing South Dakota city of more than 5,000 people, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau and Population Division report. Harrisburg's population ballooned by 37.8%, or more than...
Hand counting errors muddle post-election audit in McPherson County
South Dakota’s most populous county, Minnehaha, was in the spotlight this week after its top election official ordered the county's post-election audit to consist of all 2024 primary ballots being counted by hand. But the debate over counting votes by hand vs. machines found a more decisive venue 250...
South Dakota No. 1 state in nation for hemp production
WAKONDA, S.D. – South Dakota recently became the No. 1 producer of hemp fibers in the nation after being the third-to-last state to make it legal just three years ago. "We're the highest production and the highest in yield-per-acre, both of those," said Bill Brehmer, board member of the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association (SDIHA). "We are going to try to hold that for next year. This will be our first year to dominate that category."
Rural and reservation health providers face major hurdles in South Dakota
HURON, S.D. – The patchwork nature of the rural and reservation health care system in South Dakota sometimes requires compassion, innovation and a healthy dose of teamwork to keep people healthy. While the existing health care network contains numerous barriers of access to care and troubling negative health outcomes,...
Lawsuit over abortion amendment challenged in federal court
The organization behind a constitutional amendment to legalize abortion in South Dakota has asked a federal judge to prevent an anti-abortion group from pursuing action against the ballot measure in state court. Dakotans for Health, which sponsored the Amendment G petition drive, filed a motion Tuesday to enforce a 2023...
Access to health care limited in SD rural and reservation areas
SISSETON, S.D. – All it took in spring 2024 was two small, unrelated medical service interruptions to put women’s health at risk and expose the fragility of the health care system in rural and reservation communities across South Dakota. First, the local public hospital in Sisseton, the Coteau...
Poll: Most South Dakota voters oppose recreational marijuana measure
Most South Dakotans oppose the latest attempt to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, according to a scientific poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. The statewide survey, also sponsored by the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, showed that 52% of...
Poll: Majority of South Dakotans want new system for primary elections
South Dakotans by a wide margin support a constitutional amendment that would change the way the state conducts primary elections, according to a scientific poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. The statewide survey, also sponsored by the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of...
Poll shows support for grocery tax repeal, but critics warn of budget crunch
Two-thirds of South Dakotans support an initiated measure that would prohibit the state from collecting sales tax on "anything sold for human consumption, except alcoholic beverages and prepared food,” according to a scientific poll co-sponsored by News Watch. The statewide survey of 500 registered voters, also sponsored by the...
Key takeaways from South Dakota primary: Low turnout, high Republican drama
Fewer than 2 out of 10 South Dakota voters went to the polls Tuesday in a primary election dominated by fallout from a legislative debate over landowner rights, which caused Republican turnover and set the tone for power clashes in Pierre. The turnout was historically low, with 101,062 ballots cast...
Poll: Amendment to expand South Dakota abortion rights has nearly 20-point lead
Support for a 2024 ballot amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution is growing, reflected by a nearly 20-point margin between residents who said they are for the measure and those who oppose it, according to a scientific poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. The statewide...
News Watch adds director, hosts 2 interns and joins AP collaborative
South Dakota News Watch added a weekly newspaper publisher to its board of directors, is hosting two interns this summer and has signed on to share its stories with The Associated Press. Hine joins News Watch board. Kristi Hine, editor and publisher of the True Dakotan weekly newspaper in Wessington...
South Dakota bucks trend of people waiting to marry
BROOKINGS, S.D. – While the average age for first-time marriages nationally has been steadily increasing since 2000, South Dakotans are among the youngest to tie the knot. The state ranks No. 6 for the lowest median age for marriages, with the average median age of 26.7, 6.5% lower than the national average. On average, women get married at 25.5 and men at 27, according to the US Census Bureau (USCB).
Black Hills highway closure to upend summer holiday traffic
PACTOLA RESERVOIR, S.D. – Angie Weaver, who co-owns the Pactola Marina in the Black Hills, remains hopeful that the full closure of U.S. 385 won't sink her summer revenues that are critical to remaining profitable for the entire year. U.S. 385 is the only north-south highway through the central...
Poll: Trump has sizable lead in South Dakota but shy of 2016 and 2020 numbers
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Republican nominee Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by nearly 20 points in South Dakota but is struggling to get more than half of the statewide vote, according to a scientific poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. Trump was at...
Poll: Nearly half of South Dakotans have unfavorable view of Noem
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Nearly two-thirds of South Dakotans said Gov. Kristi Noem damaged her credibility in her latest book rollout, and nearly half said they have an unfavorable view of the second-term Republican, according to a scientific poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch.
Timeline of Noem's book launch: 'They're attacking me like crazy'
The release of Gov. Kristi Noem's second book, "No Going Back," was supposed to serve as a launching pad for her national political rise, including a possible role as former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate on the Republican ticket. The national profile of the second-term GOP governor has certainly...
High school graduate eyes child care career path in South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Thousands of South Dakota high schoolers are planning their first steps into adulthood this graduation season. Some may follow relatives into the family business of farming, law or teaching. Others, like Cordelia Rieck of Sioux Falls, plan to join the family business of raising families.
US Senate confirms Schulte as federal judge; Theeler up next
For the first time since 2021, South Dakota will have a full roster of federal district judges. Eric Schulte was officially confirmed by a vote of 61-33 in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday in Washington, clearing the way for the Sioux Falls lawyer to take the bench with a lifetime appointment in South Dakota's U.S. District Court.
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