South Dakota State Legislature

The Little Nest Child Care and Learning Center in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Rapid City senator accused of illegally accepting $600,000 in COVID-19 relief funds

BY: - July 27, 2023

State Sen. Jessica Castleberry, R-Rapid City, is accused of illegally accepting over a half-million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds to support her child care business, according to the governor and attorney general.  Gov. Kristi Noem divulged the information in a news release Thursday, along with a letter from Attorney General Marty Jackley requesting that Castleberry […]

Aberdeen Fire & Rescue paramedic interns are trained on LIFEPAK monitor defibrillator equipment. (Courtesy of Aberdeen Fire & Rescue)

State spends $11.6 million to update equipment for South Dakota ambulance services

BY: - March 29, 2023

Dozens of ambulance services in rural South Dakota have been operating for years with outdated or broken patient care tools because the agencies don’t have enough money to purchase new equipment, but that’s beginning to change thanks to an infusion of funding. Gov. Kristi Noem and state lawmakers approved three initiatives in 2022 that allocated […]

Former South Dakota House Speaker Debra Anderson dies

BY: - November 22, 2022

Flags at the South Dakota State Capitol will fly at half-staff through December 10 in honor of the first and only woman to ever serve as Speaker of the House in Pierre. Former state Rep. Debra Anderson died in her home in Washington, D.C. at age 73. She served in the South Dakota House of […]

The South Dakota Capitol building in Pierre. (Seth Tupper/SD Searchlight)

Republicans lose a seat in state Senate, gain in the already deeply red House

BY: - November 9, 2022

The makeup of South Dakota’s deeply red legislature didn’t change much Tuesday night, although some races could see a recount. The 70-person House of Representatives has seen the number of Democrats steadily drop from 29 in 1992 to just seven now. Democrats managed to squeeze out a win in the 35-person senate, bringing the caucus […]