Government
Abortion, inflation, farm policy explored in only U.S. Senate debate
SIOUX FALLS — Three candidates for South Dakota’s lone U.S. Senate seat sparred over the causes and remedies for inflation, veteran’s affairs, immigration and abortion policy on Friday, but found common ground on meat packing monopolies. Republican incumbent Sen. John Thune faced off with Democrat Brian Bengs and Libertarian Tamara Lesnar in the televised debate, […]
SD Secretary of State expects increase in midterm voter turnout
Between 65-70% of South Dakota registered voters are expected to cast a ballot in the 2022 election, said Sec. of State Steve Barnett. That’s a notable increase compared to the last two midterm elections in South Dakota, where 2014 saw a 54% voter turnout and 2018 saw 65%. The 2020 election was an outlier, considering […]
Trump tells Sioux City crowd he’s ‘very, very, very probably’ running in 2024
Sioux City, Ia. — Former President Donald Trump, during a rally here Thursday, hinted at another run for the White House in 2024. “I ran twice. I won twice,” Trump said. “… And now, in order to make our country successful, and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again, OK.” […]
Voters get their say on uranium mining in Fall River County
After years of arguing from opposite sides of a mining debate, Mark Hollenbeck and Susan Henderson are about to learn what their friends and neighbors think. Voters in Fall River County will consider a local ballot measure in the Nov. 8 general election. If approved, the measure would designate uranium mining as an unlawful nuisance […]
Gabbard says Democrats ‘taking freedoms’ has moved her to align with Noem
A former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii earned enthusiastic applause from backers of Republican Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday. Tulsi Gabbard recently announced that she’d left the Democratic Party over its “extreme positions,” though she did not say whether she would join the Republican Party. Gabbard appeared alongside Noem twice Wednesday, visiting Rapid City in the […]
Tripp County first SD county in two decades to hand count election ballots
An election law on the books since 1994 allows county commissions to overrule the county auditor by “experimenting with” a combined hand-counting and tabulated ballot counting system. That statute allowed the Tripp County Commission in south-central South Dakota to order a hand count for Tuesday’s general election. It also allows the Fall River County Commission […]
Federal agencies sue Iowa biofuels producer while providing millions in aid
An Iowa biofuels producer that stands to collect $3.9 million in federal assistance is also being sued by the federal government over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $70.8 million in grants to help provide financial support for 10 Iowa biofuel producers that sustained unexpected market […]
Concerns raised over an energy storage project along the Missouri River
Backers of a multibillion-dollar proposal in rural south-central South Dakota say they have a way to capture and store renewable energy for later use. The clean energy pitch has drawn criticism and concern from nearby landowners, however, who worry that the project could damage the environment and impact recreational opportunities in south-central South Dakota. Project […]
USDA invests $10.5 million into South Dakota meat processing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $10.5 million in two South Dakota loan associations that aim to expand meat processing capacity in the state. The funds are part of the department’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. The South Central South Dakota loan association known as Planning & Development District III will receive […]
Hats off to a determined woman who scored a win for Native Americans
Elouise Cobell Day will be celebrated on Nov. 5 in Montana, but many people in the West may not recognize her name. They may not know the story of her almost 20-year struggle to win justice for Native Americans from the U.S. government, which for decades botched the management of natural resources owned by individual […]
All eyes again on the Peach State: Georgia voters asked to decide U.S. Senate control
ALBANY, Ga.—Shayla Jackson knocks three times before slipping a card with voting information under the blue-painted doors of apartments at Wild Pines, a complex tucked behind Albany State University. As a canvasser for the nonpartisan New Georgia Project, a group dedicated to registering Black, brown and young voters and getting them to the polls, she’ll […]
Control of U.S. Senate still a guess ahead of midterm elections
WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans have just a handful of frantic days left to convince voters who should control Congress before voting in the Nov. 8 midterm elections ends. The two political parties are spending millions on campaign ads and mailers in the dozens of toss-up races that will determine control of Congress, while President […]