South Dakota State University

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Board approves ‘minors on campus’ policy following drag show controversy

BY: - May 9, 2023

The state Board of Regents unanimously approved a policy Tuesday responding to public concerns about minors attending a drag show on a college campus.  “We threaded the needle between state statute and First Amendment issues or potential challenges,” said board president Tim Rave. “This is a good first step with the framework in place.” Drag […]

Avian influenza led to the deaths of about 8 million U.S. turkeys in 2022. (Scott Bauer/Agriculture Research Service, USDA)

Brookings company looks to build bird flu vaccine

BY: - April 27, 2023

A Brookings company hopes a flu vaccine for turkeys might eventually help protect multiple species from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza strains like H5N1, which has wreaked havoc on the poultry industry for the past two years. The cost of vaccination and concerns about trade implications with foreign customers have thus far held off the use […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Board reviews ‘minors on campus’ policy in response to drag show

BY: - March 30, 2023

The state Board of Regents reviewed a draft policy Thursday in Aberdeen responding to public concerns about minors attending a drag show on a college campus.  “I think we are at a good place here, but we expect some tweaks around the margins,” said Nathan Lukkes, the board’s chief of staff. “The policy essentially establishes […]

Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, on the House floor during the 2023 legislative session at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

Senate committee kills ‘lewd or lascivious’ drag show bill

BY: - February 28, 2023

A bill that would ban “lewd or lascivious” content at state institutions and public schools died in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday morning. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, previously passed the House with a 60-10 vote. It was amended in a House committee to allow the South Dakota Board of […]

South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn greets students inside the American Indian Student Center on campus. Part of the Wokini Initiative's funding went toward the construction of the center. (Courtesy of SDSU)

‘They saw the potential’: SDSU program boosts Native American success

BY: - February 20, 2023

South Dakota State University was the only college that sent recruiters to the reservation during Traelene Fallis’ junior year at Crow Creek Tribal School. So, she only applied to SDSU. “It just felt like they actually wanted me to be here,” Fallis said. “They were doing all these things because they saw the potential in […]

Samantha Chapman, of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, testifies in opposition to House Bill 1125 in the House State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13, 2023. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

Bills limiting drag shows: Committee passes one, tables another

BY: - February 13, 2023

PIERRE — The House State Affairs Committee tabled one bill that would limit drag performances in South Dakota but passed a related bill Monday morning. The first bill, HB 1125, would expand obscenity laws to include drag shows and prohibit exposing children to such performances. The bill was tabled after a failed motion to pass […]

Lewis Drug pharmacists Graham Protexter and Sara Hahn prepare prescriptions on Jan. 12, 2023, at a store on South Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Pharmacist and technician shortage threatens access to health care

BY: - January 21, 2023

When Jessica Strobl’s 87-year-old grandmother needed to fill an antibiotic prescription last fall, her regular Black Hills area pharmacy was closed. She returned the next day to fill the prescription, but it was closed again. During that time, her infection worsened — enough to send her to the emergency room. While Strobl’s grandmother has since […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Regents creating ‘minors on campus policy’ in response to drag show controversy

BY: - December 21, 2022

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 […]

Some members of the audience applaud a speaker (not pictured) during a Dec. 8, 2022, Board of Regents meeting at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/SD Searchlight)

Critics berate regents about drag show, and senator pledges to bring legislation

BY: - December 8, 2022

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 […]

Photo of the Daktronics building in Brookings

Shareholder-rights firms circling as Daktronics postpones earnings report

BY: and - December 8, 2022

Multiple law firms specializing in shareholder rights are inviting affected investors to contact them after a regulatory filing raised concerns about the finances of Brookings-based Daktronics. Shares of the company tumbled after it announced Tuesday that it was postponing its earnings report and also rescheduling a conference call about the report to 10 a.m. Central […]