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Eight supervisors, seven years: The ‘challenging’ Black Hills National Forest
The Black Hills National Forest has its eighth supervisor in the past seven years, and if recent history is any indication, he probably doesn’t fully recognize what he’s up against. Carl Petrick, most recently the supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, won’t stay long in his new Black Hills post. He’s an acting supervisor, […]
Rule change would make foreign purchases near Ellsworth reviewable
When a Chinese company was on the verge of building a corn milling plant last year near an Air Force base in North Dakota, people concerned about national security wondered why the federal government hadn’t stopped it. As it turned out, a federal committee tasked with reviewing foreign investments in the U.S. lacked jurisdiction over […]
New state grant program aims to lure last-minute summer tourists
RAPID CITY — Gov. Kristi Noem announced the creation of a $200,000 grant program for tourism businesses Wednesday at Reptile Gardens in the Black Hills. Noem cited industry data indicating 91% of this summer’s travelers already have their trips planned. She wants the grant money to help South Dakota businesses target the remaining 9% of […]
Tardiness in recognizing water needs could lead to ‘unacceptable consequences’
As recently as nine years ago, I thought Rapid City had enough water for decades to come. I got that idea from covering an event in 2014 where then-Mayor Sam Kooiker spoke. “Unlike many other cities in the West, Rapid City does not have a water supply problem,” he said, adding that the city of […]
Grants could add 2,400 openings at child care centers
Money from the federal government could soon help add about 2,400 openings for kids at new and expanding child care centers in South Dakota. The money comes from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. The legislation was a response to the economic […]
Public tells Forest Service to expand proposed mining ban in portion of Black Hills
RAPID CITY – Dozens of people told federal officials Wednesday that they not only support a proposed ban on new mining-related activity in a portion of the Black Hills, but also want the ban expanded. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management hosted a four-hour public input meeting at the Rapid City […]
Noem is just like her father in good and bad ways
Gov. Kristi Noem shares a lot of stories about her late father, Ron Arnold, that are intended to portray him as the South Dakota embodiment of John Wayne. Noem doesn’t seem to realize that with every story she tells, she’s also creating her own public psychological profile. Recently, she spoke to a National Rifle Association […]
Congressional Roundup: Thune wants to rein in electric vehicle incentives
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. — Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, says the federal government gives too much help to the electric vehicle industry. Automakers can tap into the Department of Energy’s $40 billion pool for loans and loan […]
Parolee cited for exhibition driving after Noem reduces vehicular homicide sentence
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story about commutations is part of a special report on executive clemency. An additional story explores pardons, and a commentary outlines difficulties encountered in obtaining pardon records. — A man who committed vehicular homicide in the 1990s pleaded guilty to exhibition driving last summer, six months after a state board granted him […]
When emails aren’t ‘writing,’ and other adventures in pursuit of pardon records
EDITOR’S NOTE: This commentary about public records is part of a special report on executive clemency. Additional stories explore pardons and commutations. — As a journalist with more than two decades of experience, I thought I’d experienced every way a bureaucrat could make a public records request difficult. That was until I asked for pardon […]
Congressional Roundup: Thune proposes permanent estate tax repeal
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. — Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, introduced legislation last week to repeal the federal estate tax, which he calls the “death tax.” The bill is supported by 40 Republican cosponsors, but no Democrats. The estate tax […]
Congressional Roundup: Watchdog group rates effectiveness of SD delegation
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. All three of the people representing South Dakota in Congress are among the most effective in their party, according to new scores published by a congressional watchdog group. In its “effectiveness scores” for the […]