Briefs
I-29 closes from Sioux Falls to North Dakota; I-90 closure extended to Minnesota
UPDATED 9:30 p.m. Central, 12/22/22 Interstate 29 northbound and southbound closed from Sioux Falls (at the I-29/I-90 interchange) to the North Dakota state line at 6 p.m. Central on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation. Meanwhile, Interstate 90 remained closed from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, and the I-90 closure was extended to the […]
Noem appoints new secretary of health
Three days after the previous secretary of the state Department of Health retired, Gov. Kristi Noem has appointed Melissa Magstadt to lead the department, according to a Thursday news release from the governor’s office. Magstadt’s appointment will be effective on the next state work day, which is Tuesday. “Melissa has proven her ability to provide […]
Interstate 90 closure extends to Sioux Falls
An Interstate 90 closure eastbound and westbound from Rapid City to Chamberlain will be extended to Sioux Falls at 5 p.m. Central today, due to sustained high winds causing blizzard-like conditions, the state Department of Transportation announced. As high winds move east, low visibility and drifting snow are worsening. The National Weather Service has issued […]
I-90 closes from Rapid City to Chamberlain
A closure on Interstate 90 (both eastbound and westbound) from Rapid City (Box Elder exit 67) to Chamberlain began at 6 p.m. Mountain, 7 p.m. Central on Wednesday due to snow and high winds causing blizzard-like conditions, according to the state Department of Transportation. In addition to the I-90 closure, motorists are reminded that many […]
Regents creating ‘minors on campus policy’ in response to drag show controversy
The board governing South Dakota’s six public universities is developing a policy about minors on campus in response to complaints about a drag show. The South Dakota Board of Regents voted Wednesday during a Zoom meeting to have its staff immediately begin creating the policy. The board plans to review the policy during its next […]
Mines in Minecraft: Student renders Rapid City university campus in video game
South Dakota Mines computer engineering major Jaxxen Cheney has built a model of the university campus inside the popular video game Minecraft, according to a news release from the university. The game allows users to create worlds inside the platform with sets of digital building blocks. A video of the rendering is here, and an album of […]
Feds recover $280,000 in back wages and damages from Hibachi Grill
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $279,070 from a Sioux Falls buffet restaurant that paid kitchen workers a flat monthly salary and denied them overtime wages for hours over 40 in a workweek, the department announced Thursday in a news release. An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Hibachi Grill & Supreme […]
Noem closes state offices ahead of winter storm
Gov. Kristi Noem has ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide to be closed Tuesday because of the winter storm expected in South Dakota. The National Weather Service forecast calls for freezing rain, heavy snow and high winds to occur throughout South Dakota. Travel will be impacted in those areas. Officials continue to closely […]
FarmBots to train students in precision agriculture
Four of the 17 South Dakota schools awarded grant funds for career and technical education (CTE) recently will use the money to buy electric vehicle kits. Two of them will use grant funding to help train students in a more mature technology: precision agriculture. One of the schools that will soon have an EV kit, […]
Noem budget sets aside $3.5 million for state fingerprint, criminal history database
Lawmakers in Pierre will soon be asked to send $3.5 million to the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to update the software that catalogs arrest and fingerprint records that date back to 1937. The ask is among the one-time line items tucked into Gov. Kristi Noem’s 360-page proposed budget. The software upgrades to the DCI’s […]
Critics berate regents about drag show, and senator pledges to bring legislation
After the leader of the state’s university system announced “process improvements” in response to controversy about a recent drag show, critics denounced the handling of the show and a state senator pledged legislation to address it. The show took place Nov. 16 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Some commenters on social media praised […]
Head of state universities orders compliance with Noem’s TikTok ban
The executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents says the state’s higher education system will obey a new TikTok ban on state devices, and state universities will delete the various TikTok accounts they currently operate. Regents Executive Director Brian Maher made the announcement Thursday during a regularly scheduled Board of Regents meeting at […]