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Running event showcases impact of state’s special courts
BROOKINGS — Brookings resident Gordon Opatz says he was always athletic, but wasn’t a “school athlete.” When life decisions landed him in the Brookings County Drug and DUI Court, he was looking for something he could do to both occupy some time and improve his life. “I started running for some exercise,” Opatz said Sept. […]
Two deaths, fewer citations mark third official day of Sturgis bike rally
Two people died in motorcycle crashes on the third official day of the Sturgis rally. The rally’s first fatality took place before 10 a.m. Sunday just southeast of Sturgis on Interstate 90, when the rider of a 2021 Harley Davidson motorcycle braked unexpectedly, causing a van to rear-end the bike. Another motorcycle with a sidecar […]
Before and after ban, South Dakotans seek abortions elsewhere: ‘They’re going to find a way’
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first story in a three-part series about the impacts of South Dakota’s abortion ban. The second story examines the effects of South Dakota’s “life of the mother” exception, which some critics believe is ill-defined. The third story analyzes effects on the availability of women’s health care. Nobody knows exactly how […]
Speedier permitting of energy projects gains bipartisan backing on U.S. Senate panel
Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voiced their support Thursday for reforming the federal process for approving energy projects, saying it should be prioritized to secure domestic energy supply and boost renewable energy. There is bipartisan interest in revising the permitting process and members of both parties have […]
First tiny homes for vets ready in Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS – Project managers and advocates threw open the doors of the first five tiny homes for veterans in Sioux Falls on Tuesday morning. The homes are the first in a planned village of transitional housing for homeless veterans in southeast South Dakota. The village is about a mile from downtown Sioux Falls, tucked […]
U.S. House fails to override Biden veto of WOTUS legislation
The U.S. House on Tuesday failed to override a President Joe Biden veto, which means the administration’s regulation stays in place expanding which waters and wetlands can be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. The House did not clear the two-thirds mark needed to overturn Biden’s veto of a resolution that would have blocked […]
Police release names of five dead in Louisville shooting, nine injured
LOUISVILLE — Louisville Metro Police Department Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was joined Monday afternoon by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg to name the victims of a mass shooting earlier that day in the city, one of them a close friend of the governor. According to LMPD, the victims: – 40-year-old Joshua Barrick […]
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 […]
Lawmakers approve temporary sales tax cut worth an estimated $104 million in first year
PIERRE — With just hours left in the last regular day of business in the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers compromised to approve what some described as the largest tax cut in South Dakota history. The plan would reduce the state sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2% for four years, saving taxpayers and costing the state […]
Wind and whales: ‘No evidence’ links projects to deaths
The U.S. offshore wind power industry is in its infancy, with just a handful of turbines installed along the Atlantic coast. But they’re already being blamed for the deaths of whales that have washed up on beaches in New Jersey, New York, Virginia and elsewhere. A Fox News story on Feb. 13 made strenuous attempts […]
White House targets economic development in Central America to reduce migration
WASHINGTON — The White House Monday announced nearly $1 billion in investments to address economic causes of migration in several Central American countries, an effort being spurred by Vice President Kamala Harris. Spread over several years, 10 private companies from Target to Nestlé are pledging $950 million to create economic development in Honduras, El Salvador […]
Officials: Cause of Huron dam fish die-off unclear
A recently completed James River dam project was the site of a massive fish die-off in Huron last week, but state officials say the cause of the deaths is unclear. A state official says they are monitoring the situation on the ground and may restock the affected area of the river. The fish kill was […]