Briefs
Grant aims to grow public health pros in rural and tribal lands
OMAHA, Nebraska — A $1.5 million grant to the University of Nebraska Medical Center will provide free tuition to help beef up the presence of public health practitioners in rural and tribal communities in a multi-state region, including South Dakota. The funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration will go to the Public Health […]
White House signs $50 million deal to conserve Western forests, grasslands
The White House announced Friday that the U.S. Forest Service and the National Wild Turkey Federation have signed a 20-year agreement to address Western wildfires and promote healthy forests and grasslands across the U.S. Grassland makes up approximately 50% of all private and public lands in South Dakota, and the state is home to multiple […]
Noem will host rallies with Gabbard and Youngkin, but won’t attend Trump event in Sioux City
Gov. Kristi Noem will host campaign rallies Wednesday with former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, but Noem’s campaign said she will not attend a rally featuring former President Donald Trump on Thursday in Sioux City. Trump will appear with Iowa Republican politicians, just across the border from […]
Drought has South Dakota’s harvest ahead of schedule, but yields and soil moisture are down
South Dakota farmers had harvested 64% of their corn and 93% of their soybeans as of Sunday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That puts the 2022 harvest well ahead of the five-year average for those crops. However, Brian Top, a farmer and South Dakota agriculture consultant, said the harvest is only ahead because […]
Poll shows Noem with 19-point lead in governor race
New results from Emerson College Polling say Republican Gov. Kristi Noem leads Democratic challenger Jamie Smith by 19 points in the race for governor of South Dakota. Noem has support from 56 percent of poll respondents, while Smith’s support is at 37 percent. Three percent of respondents support Libertarian Tracey Quint, and 4 percent are […]
Sioux Falls leaders bring high-schoolers to workforce event with hopes of stemming ‘brain drain’
SIOUX FALLS — High-schoolers received special focus at a day-long workforce summit Wednesday at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation hosted the WIN Summit. The event featured guest speakers and community business leaders sharing insights, and opportunities for young people to build relationships with those leaders. Approximately 70% of in-state students […]
State regulators warn of high natural gas bills this winter
South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission is advising natural gas customers to prepare for rising prices in the coming months. Experts have identified high global demand, growth in the consumption of natural gas that outpaces production, and record exports of liquified natural gas as reasons for rising prices expected this winter, the commission said in a […]
No charges against Noem in airplane investigation
Hughes County State’s Attorney Jessica LaMie announced Tuesday that no charges will be filed in the investigation into Gov. Kristi Noem’s alleged misuse of a state airplane. LaMie said in a news release that the state Division of Criminal Investigation had ended its inquiry, which included examining whether the plane’s flight records had been tampered […]
Noem campaign leads statewide candidates in fundraising
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem leads her Democratic challenger Jamie Smith by a wide margin – at least in terms of cash on hand. That’s one takeaway from the release of campaign finance reports for South Dakota political candidates on Monday, the deadline for pre-election disclosures. Noem started the reporting period in May with nearly $7.8 […]
Education report card: South Dakota students above national average, on par with neighbors
South Dakota students have lost ground in math and reading since 2019, according to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), but outperformed students in many other states. The NAEP is billed as the nation’s report card by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The 2022 report, released Monday, offered […]
Mines student recognized for research on fossil dissolution rates
RAPID CITY — A South Dakota Mines graduate student has published research on the rate that fossils erode when they’re exposed to the surface. Colleen Sullivan’s research has just been published in the peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal PLOS ONE. In a news release from Mines, Sullivan said she was studying the effect of rain on […]