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South Dakota Searchlight
Severe weather becoming larger factor for concert-goers, fair director says
SIOUX FALLS — Insurance coverage allowed South Dakota’s most well-attended fair to avoid the sting of financial loss in 2023. Sioux Empire Fair Director Scott Wick told Minnehaha County commissioners on Tuesday that a severe weather shutdown on two separate days could have tanked the fair’s profitability, but a $313,000 insurance payout and strong attendance […] The post Severe weather becoming larger factor for concert-goers, fair director says appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
The cost of free land and either-or history
Some white South Dakotans love to talk about their generational connection to the land. I’m one of them: a proud, fifth-generation descendant of Dakota Territory homesteaders. The federal government awarded nearly 100,000 parcels of free land to South Dakota settlers via the 1862 Homestead Act and successive rounds of related legislation. Modern South Dakotans celebrate […] The post The cost of free land and either-or history appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Quiet scanners add another layer of opaqueness to law enforcement
Police are called on to “protect and serve.” In South Dakota that’s what they do, but they do it on their own terms. Too often those terms lack transparency. This became apparent again recently with the announcement that on Nov. 13, privately owned police scanners in the state’s two largest counties would go quiet as […] The post Quiet scanners add another layer of opaqueness to law enforcement appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Migrant officers flock to South Dakota police departments
Hours before the sun rose over Champaign, Illinois, on the morning of May 19, 2021, Champaign Police Officer Chris Oberheim and his partner were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance. Darion Lafayette was there to meet them and exchanged fire with both officers, killing Oberheim. Lafayette was also killed. Within a day, the […] The post Migrant officers flock to South Dakota police departments appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
A story told in data: Overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the SD foster care system
Native American children are overrepresented in South Dakota’s child welfare system — accounting for nearly 74% of foster children in the state at the end of fiscal year 2023, despite making up 13% of the state’s child population. That means Indigenous children have a 22% chance of being removed from their families and placed in […] The post A story told in data: Overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the SD foster care system appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
What’s being done to address the high number of Native children in foster care in SD
South Dakota government officials, tribal leaders, tribal child welfare coordinators, foster families and legislators agree: The overrepresentation of Native American children in the foster care system is a problem. Indigenous children made up nearly 74% of foster children in the state by mid-2023 — five times the actual representation of Native American children in South […] The post What’s being done to address the high number of Native children in foster care in SD appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Look beyond the ads and be cautious with Medicare Advantage
Television is flooded these days with commercials encouraging everyone to sign up for Medicare Advantage. What is it, and why are they doing this? First of all, a bit of history. For more than 30 years Congress has debated whether the private insurance industry could deliver Medicare benefits more efficiently than the federal government. In […] The post Look beyond the ads and be cautious with Medicare Advantage appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Cultural connection for Native foster children in South Dakota is lacking, foster parents say
Jennifer Johnson wondered if her boys hated her. She and her husband fostered and adopted the three brothers — all under 3 years old — in the early 2000s. The couple provided a safe, stable and loving home for the children, she recalled, but it seemed like the boys would try to sabotage their relationships […] The post Cultural connection for Native foster children in South Dakota is lacking, foster parents say appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Congress sends stopgap spending bill to Biden’s desk, averting shutdown for now
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators voted 87-11 to approve legislation Wednesday that would fund the government into next year, clearing the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature. The stopgap spending bill, sometimes called a continuing resolution or CR, would fund part of the government until mid-January and the rest of the programs within the annual appropriations […] The post Congress sends stopgap spending bill to Biden’s desk, averting shutdown for now appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Noem announces second phase of workforce campaign after legislators question first phase
Governor Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced a $1.5 million second phase of a national workforce recruitment campaign that has featured her as the star, after lawmakers expressed concerns earlier this week about a $5 million contract for the first phase. “We are continuing to recruit Freedom-loving Americans from across the country to come live and […] The post Noem announces second phase of workforce campaign after legislators question first phase appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
VA secretary says agency will cooperate with investigation into veterans crisis line
WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough sought to defend the veterans crisis line Wednesday in a letter to the Kansas senator who has raised concerns with how some veterans are treated after calling it. McDonough wrote in the three-page letter to Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran that the VA “takes any allegations […] The post VA secretary says agency will cooperate with investigation into veterans crisis line appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Utilities target small transmission upgrades to move wind from Dakotas and Minnesota
A group of utilities that once went big on building transmission is now going small to open bottlenecks and move more wind power from western Minnesota and the Dakotas. Grid North Partners, which includes 10 investor- and consumer-owned utilities, will spend roughly $130 million for 19 transmission upgrades to improve access to wind energy and […] The post Utilities target small transmission upgrades to move wind from Dakotas and Minnesota appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
VA veterans crisis line to face new investigation by congressional watchdog agency
WASHINGTON — The Government Accountability Office plans to investigate multiple whistleblower allegations of “gross mismanagement” at the Department of Veterans Affairs veterans crisis line, following a request from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, States Newsroom has learned. Moran, ranking member on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, sent a letter to the VA secretary this week […] The post VA veterans crisis line to face new investigation by congressional watchdog agency appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
With yes vote from SD’s Johnson, House passes stopgap spending bill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House took a broadly bipartisan vote Tuesday to fund the government into the new year, though the measure must pass the Senate by the end of the week if Congress is going to avoid a partial government shutdown. The 336-95 House vote was the first major legislative test for Speaker Mike […] The post With yes vote from SD’s Johnson, House passes stopgap spending bill appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
State auditor says legislative factions are spreading conflict-of-interest allegations
The state auditor said Tuesday he has fielded claims that numerous legislators are violating state constitutional provisions regarding conflicts of interest. “I haven’t been given any names, but I’ve been alerted that there are possibly 20 legislators out of the 105 that would probably have some sort of conflict,” said Auditor Rich Sattgast, who shared […] The post State auditor says legislative factions are spreading conflict-of-interest allegations appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Staffing and funding problems leave tribal child welfare offices scrambling
Christian Blackbird isn’t sure how many children fell through the cracks. He’d been at the Crow Creek Indian Child Welfare Act Office for more than a year with a staff of two under his management. But before he started in January 2022, the director’s chair he now sits in was vacant on and off for […] The post Staffing and funding problems leave tribal child welfare offices scrambling appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Foster families get paid, but not ‘kinship’ relatives caring for Native children
Eighteen-month-old Gabriel slowly fell asleep in his grandmother’s arms at the dinner table. It was mid-morning, and his two siblings were playing quietly with their uncle downstairs. Gabriel didn’t need his crib, or a security blanket or sound machine lulling him to sleep. He just needed his grandmother’s arms — a safe space. His home. […] The post Foster families get paid, but not ‘kinship’ relatives caring for Native children appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Critics allege CO2 pipelines ‘farm the government’ for climate money while helping oil industry
Plans to capture carbon dioxide emitted by ethanol plants, ship it via pipelines and store it underground are viewed by some as a way to fight climate change. The process is one way to keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, where it acts as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. But critics say the process known […] The post Critics allege CO2 pipelines ‘farm the government’ for climate money while helping oil industry appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
New bills raise debate over ethanol’s environmental impact, with implications for the climate
South Dakota’s congressional delegation wants the federal government to measure the environmental impact of biofuels in a way that some researchers say is unlikely to help mitigate climate change. Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson, both Republicans, recently reintroduced similar bipartisan bills in the Senate and House, with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, cosponsoring […] The post New bills raise debate over ethanol’s environmental impact, with implications for the climate appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
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We use our journalistic searchlight to illuminate critical issues facing South Dakota, dissect the decisions made by state leaders, and explain the consequences of their policies and the role of politics on South Dakotans. We publish news and commentary that prioritizes accuracy, fairness, insight and civility. There is no charge to access our content, or to subscribe to our email newsletter. We invite and publish guest commentary that contributes to productive public discourse and adheres to our editorial policies. South Dakota Searchlight launched in 2022. We’re an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The staff of the Searchlight retains full editorial independence.
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