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South Dakota Searchlight
Study group proposes a dozen ideas for long-term care with up to $9 million cost
Lawmakers on an interim committee studying long-term care in South Dakota plan to bring 12 proposals to the 2024 legislative session. The proposals are meant to support the long-term care industry as the state’s population ages. Problems in the industry have contributed to the closure of at least 18 nursing homes in South Dakota since […] The post Study group proposes a dozen ideas for long-term care with up to $9 million cost appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Report: State court system fields fewer criminal cases
The number of criminal case filings dropped in South Dakota in fiscal year 2023, continuing a five-year slide in criminal caseloads. The drop in caseloads appears in the state Unified Judicial System’s annual report, released this week. The drop is a contrast from the arrest figures in the state Division of Criminal Investigation’s annual “Crime […] The post Report: State court system fields fewer criminal cases appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
U.S. House stalled again after rejecting Jim Jordan as speaker a second time
WASHINGTON — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in his second bid for U.S. House speaker on Wednesday failed to win enough support from his fellow Republicans, leaving the party deadlocked with no clear path to govern the chamber. Jordan’s 200 votes on a first ballot on Tuesday dropped Wednesday to 199, a signal from centrist Republicans […] The post U.S. House stalled again after rejecting Jim Jordan as speaker a second time appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
A historic housing construction boom may finally moderate rent hikes
An unprecedented surge in the nationwide construction of new housing — mostly apartments — may finally be making a dent in fast-rising rents that have been making life harder for tenants. More than 1.65 million housing units were under construction across the U.S. last year, the highest annual number since federal record-keeping started in 1969. […] The post A historic housing construction boom may finally moderate rent hikes appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Republicans push for border funding to be wrapped into Israel, Ukraine aid package
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate leaders called Tuesday for a bipartisan aid package for Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas that also includes assistance for Ukraine and Taiwan, with possible border funding sought by Republicans, as President Joe Biden prepared to leave Tuesday evening for a trip to Israel. Meanwhile, an explosion killed hundreds Tuesday at al-Ahli Arab […] The post Republicans push for border funding to be wrapped into Israel, Ukraine aid package appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Jordan fails in bid for House speaker; SD’s Johnson hopes holdouts will flip
UPDATED 6:45 p.m. Central, 10/17/23 WASHINGTON — The U.S. House rejected Ohio’s Jim Jordan as a candidate for speaker on Tuesday, though he vowed to secure the votes needed in the days ahead. Jordan’s decision to try to rally roughly 20 holdouts to his side leaves the House frozen, unable to take up legislation to […] The post Jordan fails in bid for House speaker; SD’s Johnson hopes holdouts will flip appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Try this in a small town
I’m not a fan of the controversial Jason Aldean song “Try That in a Small Town,” which glorifies vigilante violence. Unlike Aldean in his Nashville mansion, my three children and I actually live in a small town in impoverished Hopkins County, Kentucky. I sleep in our only bedroom with my toddler, while my daughter sleeps on the couch and […] The post Try this in a small town appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Biden will visit Israel to demonstrate U.S. support following Hamas attack
President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday in a show of solidarity with the Middle East ally, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday. Biden will “reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,” send a message to other groups and powers in the region not to […] The post Biden will visit Israel to demonstrate U.S. support following Hamas attack appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Mum’s the word: When questioned, Noem administration stays quiet
It may be best if journalists in South Dakota took a three-year break from asking questions of Gov. Kristi Noem or anyone in her administration. It would be less frustrating for them and they would likely have just as much information as they would if they kept asking questions for the last 36 months of […] The post Mum’s the word: When questioned, Noem administration stays quiet appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Families of poet John Neihardt and South Dakota rancher seek ‘silver lining’ to removal of monument
LINCOLN, Nebraska — Later this week, a backhoe is scheduled to tear into the prairie along northwest South Dakota’s Shadehill Reservoir, removing a 100-year-old monument to the heroics of a mountain man. The removal of the small, concrete obelisk dedicated to the determination of Hugh Glass, who reportedly crawled 200 miles after surviving a vicious […] The post Families of poet John Neihardt and South Dakota rancher seek ‘silver lining’ to removal of monument appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Department of Corrections moves to take over inmate shopping system
Prison inmates in South Dakota who want to buy nearly anything beyond their state-furnished three meals a day can only order from one store: the prison commissary. For years, the state Department of Corrections has contracted the management of inmate commissary orders and deliveries to private companies, which supply candy bars, cans of tuna, batteries, shampoo and soap, guitar picks, pinochle cards and hundreds of other items to inmates.
Q&A: Rounds on regulating AI, which will impact ‘every single aspect of our lives’
Talk of artificial intelligence is all but unavoidable in 2023. The emergence of tools like ChatGPT for text generation and Midjourney for art have pushed the technology into the public consciousness in a way voice recognition like the iPhone’s Siri or autocomplete features on a word processor never did. AI is an umbrella term that […] The post Q&A: Rounds on regulating AI, which will impact ‘every single aspect of our lives’ appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Are beavers always the answer? Not everywhere.
Beavers, through their assiduous dam building, can recharge groundwater and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, managers are bringing back beaver as part of trout and salmon management. “God bless beavers and their industrious nature,” writes Trout Unlimited’s Idaho-based Chris Hunt in Hatch magazine. “They make habitat for the […] The post Are beavers always the answer? Not everywhere. appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
‘So many ways hydrogen can go wrong’: Hub announcements viewed with caution
The Friday announcement that seven projects had been selected to receive $7 billion in seed money to kickstart the production of clean hydrogen across the country was billed by President Joe Biden’s administration as a major step toward slashing carbon emissions, creating thousands of domestic jobs and positioning the U.S. as a clean energy leader. […] The post ‘So many ways hydrogen can go wrong’: Hub announcements viewed with caution appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Jordan latest speaker nominee after SD’s Johnson delivers nominating speech
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday put forward their second nominee this week for speaker, though lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the weekend without unifying enough to hold a floor vote and with a highly uncertain outcome when they return. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan won the conference nomination in a closed meeting, defeating […] The post Jordan latest speaker nominee after SD’s Johnson delivers nominating speech appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Momentum grows for more state child care funding
South Dakota doesn’t invest much state money in child care — unlike several of its counterparts across the country — and existing subsidies for child care are underutilized. Unless that changes, South Dakota will fall behind in its workforce and economic development, according to legislators, child care providers, and economic leaders who participated in a […] The post Momentum grows for more state child care funding appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Noem-Lewandowski relationship doesn’t have to be an affair to be inappropriate
After reporting that Gov. Kristi Noem is allegedly having an extramarital affair, Ken Silverstein suffered a memory lapse. It happened on the Dakota Town Hall podcast. The hosts wanted to know if Silverstein’s Sept. 15 story about Noem was his first about South Dakota politics. Silverstein struggled with his answer — “I don’t think that’s […] The post Noem-Lewandowski relationship doesn’t have to be an affair to be inappropriate appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Wind is South Dakota’s role in ‘hydrogen hub’
Hydrogen power may soon spread across the country thanks to federal grants, and South Dakota wind turbines could provide some of the electricity to make it. Hydrogen, as a gas, transforms into water when burned as fuel. While hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels — and used in industries such as oil refining, steel […] The post Wind is South Dakota’s role in ‘hydrogen hub’ appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Law enforcement issues unresolved following Oglala Lakota lawsuit
A 155-year-old treaty is central to defining what law enforcement services the United States is obligated to provide to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. But questions still remain about what that entails and what it means for the rest of Indian Country. The “Bad Men Clause” within the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty with the Oceti Sakowin […] The post Law enforcement issues unresolved following Oglala Lakota lawsuit appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.
Biden administration to send $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs in 16 states
The Biden administration is directing $7 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build seven regional hydrogen power hubs in 16 states, the White House announced Friday. The projects, each of which is a cluster of assets that produce and process hydrogen fuel as an alternative to fossil fuels, will benefit the climate, the economy […] The post Biden administration to send $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs in 16 states 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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