Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Dewey County opens satellite office on reservation, staving off petition to move county seat
It’s an afternoon off work — an 82-mile round trip — for residents of Eagle Butte to visit the Dewey County Courthouse. But it’ll now be a matter of minutes for Eagle Butte residents to visit Dewey County’s first ever satellite office opened earlier this month — the third county satellite office in the state. […]
Native rights champion and ‘warrior lawyer’ Nicole Ducheneaux dies
A Lakota lawyer who represented the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in its fight against the Dakota Access pipeline and spent her career fighting to protect Indigenous rights died on Friday, July 14, 2023. Nicole “Nikki” Ducheneaux, 44, Cheyenne River Lakota, died from undisclosed causes in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father announced his daughter’s death on the […]
$14 million headed to SD as White House awards $2.2B in transportation grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation will send more than $2.2 billion in grants to state, tribal and local governments under a grant program that was expanded under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. The $2.26 billion for 162 projects provides funds for each of the 50 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. It is […]
It takes a village: Foster program is a new model of care for Indigenous children
LA PLANT, S.D. — Past a gravel road lined with old white wooden buildings is a new, 8-acre village dotted with colorful houses, tepees, and a sweat lodge. The Simply Smiles Children’s Village, in this small town on the Cheyenne River Reservation, is home to a program aimed at improving outcomes and reducing trauma for […]
SD tribes would lose millions for tribal government if state eliminates food sales tax
PIERRE – A food sales tax cut that passed a House panel Thursday morning has raised concerns for South Dakota’s nine tribal governments. An official with the Bureau of Finance and Management estimated that the tribes would lose about $2 million in funding for tribal government operations if the food tax is eliminated, but admitted […]
Bill to complicate county seat relocations limps out of committee
A bill that would make it more difficult to move a county seat to another city has been stripped down by committee amendments but will move on to the Senate floor. Senate Bill 56, as originally introduced, would have made numerous changes to the state law (SDCL 7-6) governing the relocation of a county seat, […]
Federal government opens grassland conservation program to tribes
Three South Dakota tribal nations have a new opportunity to partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conserve and improve grasslands. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program pays landowners to set aside environmentally sensitive land for a specific conservation concern. Landowners get money, and the public gets benefits like cleaner water and more wildlife habitat. […]