State government
1 million free COVID tests, one year later: Some used, some not, some nearly thrown out
Mellette County Emergency Manager Karen O’Brien has hundreds of unused, free COVID-19 tests sitting in a box in her office. With COVID-19 still circulating across South Dakota and the country, she’d gladly hand them out to any residents of the rural, south-central South Dakota county who want them. But they expired in November, according to […]
State expects to resume printing paper titles in February
The state Department of Revenue said Tuesday in a news release that it expects to receive a shipment of title paper in late January and resume printing all paper titles in mid-February. South Dakota, like other states, uses paper that includes security features to protect vehicle owners against title fraud. A shortage of the paper […]
Ranchers say they’re waiting months for brand registrations
Some South Dakota ranchers say they’re waiting more than six months to get a livestock brand registered with the state board, while the wait is about a week in neighboring North Dakota and Nebraska. Brands are the symbols on hot irons used for marking livestock and identifying ownership. Rancher Tim Allen received his first licensed […]
Noem closes state offices ahead of winter storm
Gov. Kristi Noem has ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide to be closed Tuesday because of the winter storm expected in South Dakota. The National Weather Service forecast calls for freezing rain, heavy snow and high winds to occur throughout South Dakota. Travel will be impacted in those areas. Officials continue to closely […]
Noem’s TikTok ban kills tourism account, leaves other state entities mulling options
The South Dakota Department of Tourism deleted its TikTok account Tuesday, abandoning the 61,200 followers and 1.7 million likes the state agency cultivated on the popular social media app. And South Dakota State University is meeting with its general counsel on how to handle its 9,000-follower TikTok account — all after Gov. Kristi Noem banned […]