@johnehult.bsky.social
Reposted
SD's new secretary of corrections said the state "has a long way to go" in addressing challenges within its prison system. At the same meeting, a legislator addressed drug overdose deaths in the system, saying "the inmate deaths are sickening" and "we have to own the responsibility."
New corrections leader says SD’s synthetic drug troubles ‘not any different’ from other states • South Dakota Searchlight
Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb told an oversight commission the state “has a long way to go” to address problems within the prison system.
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM
SD's new secretary of corrections said the state "has a long way to go" in addressing challenges within its prison system. At the same meeting, a legislator addressed drug overdose deaths in the system, saying "the inmate deaths are sickening" and "we have to own the responsibility."
Reposted
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s plan to keep state funding flat for Medicaid providers, state employees and schools could hurt the same areas Rhoden said he’s helped “prioritize” in recent years, advocates say.
‘Not increasing is a cut’: Governor’s flat funding plan for education, health care worries advocates • South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s plan to keep state funding flat for Medicaid providers, state employees and schools could hurt the same areas Rhoden said he’s helped “prioritize” in…
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s plan to keep state funding flat for Medicaid providers, state employees and schools could hurt the same areas Rhoden said he’s helped “prioritize” in recent years, advocates say.
“MMIP doesn’t start when someone’s being exchanged for goods and services ... The real piece of MMIP starts in the classroom with the absence of Native American curriculum and awareness. We are erased from people’s minds.”
Lakota Renville, a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota woman, was 22 years old when she was killed outside of Kansas City. On the 20-year anniversary of her death, advocates hope to keep her memory alive. #MMIP
Via @ict-news.bsky.social.
Via @ict-news.bsky.social.
Family still searches for answers 20 years after death of Sisseton woman • South Dakota Searchlight
Twenty years later, the Renville family still has no answers as to what happened to Lakota or how she ended up in a vacant grassy lot.
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
“MMIP doesn’t start when someone’s being exchanged for goods and services ... The real piece of MMIP starts in the classroom with the absence of Native American curriculum and awareness. We are erased from people’s minds.”
“We have an internal joke in our industry: If you ever want to make a couple million bucks in beef processing, just start with a couple billion,”
Declining numbers of people in the #cattle business and financial barriers to entry are factors in falling cattle numbers, a panelist said: “It is a high capital business to get started. That’s the biggest hurdle to get new players in it, and we desperately need them.” buff.ly/Qvvlkxw
Beef boosters: Young people needed to keep cattle industry vibrant • South Dakota Searchlight
SIOUX FALLS — Boosters of the beef industry in South Dakota say more should be done to encourage young people to get into cattle ranching.
southdakotasearchlight.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:16 AM
“We have an internal joke in our industry: If you ever want to make a couple million bucks in beef processing, just start with a couple billion,”
Paying for habitat upkeep is generally good for habitat, as it turns out.
Five years since an SD lawmaker successfully proposed legislation adding a Habitat Stamp fee to hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, it has funded 1,300 projects worth $14 million. A wildlife advocate calls it "one of the smartest investments hunters and anglers have ever made.”
Five years in, SD’s Habitat Stamp praised as one of state's 'smartest investments' • South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota’s Habitat Stamp has become a cornerstone in the state’s strategy to improve habitats and expand access for outdoor recreation.
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Paying for habitat upkeep is generally good for habitat, as it turns out.
Reposted
A South Dakota prosecutor apologized this week for the state’s failure to preserve evidence, including video visits, in a case involving an overdose death in a state prison: “They do not exist at this time, and cannot be provided."
State apologizes, but can’t explain missing evidence in prison overdose case • South Dakota Searchlight
A prosecutor apologized for the state’s failure to preserve evidence in a case involving an overdose death in a state prison.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 9:00 PM
A South Dakota prosecutor apologized this week for the state’s failure to preserve evidence, including video visits, in a case involving an overdose death in a state prison: “They do not exist at this time, and cannot be provided."
Reposted
Liz Renner had her dream job as a biologist with a federal agency in SD, until being laid off, reinstated and accepting a buyout: "It felt more like a nightmare at the end than a dream come true."
First of a series on people affected by Trump administration workforce reductions ⬇️
First of a series on people affected by Trump administration workforce reductions ⬇️
Biologist cautions next generation against trusting a career with the federal government • South Dakota Searchlight
Liz Renner was laid off under Department of Government Efficiency action, reinstated, and then offered and accepted a deferred resignation.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Liz Renner had her dream job as a biologist with a federal agency in SD, until being laid off, reinstated and accepting a buyout: "It felt more like a nightmare at the end than a dream come true."
First of a series on people affected by Trump administration workforce reductions ⬇️
First of a series on people affected by Trump administration workforce reductions ⬇️
"Virginia, the largest data center market in the world, forgoes nearly $1 billion in state and local sales and use tax revenue each year without telling the public which companies benefit or how much they receive ..."
stateline.org/2025/11/12/m...
stateline.org/2025/11/12/m...
Most states don’t disclose which companies get data center incentives, report finds • Stateline
Most states offering incentives to data centers don’t disclose which companies benefit, according to a new report.
stateline.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:57 AM
"Virginia, the largest data center market in the world, forgoes nearly $1 billion in state and local sales and use tax revenue each year without telling the public which companies benefit or how much they receive ..."
stateline.org/2025/11/12/m...
stateline.org/2025/11/12/m...
Reposted
Calls to retain South Dakota’s current #math standards continued at the latest state Board of Education Standards meeting, as opponents flagged a proposed rewrite of the standards as overly simplistic. southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/11/10/m...
Math educators push state board to keep current standards in place • South Dakota Searchlight
Calls to retain South Dakota’s current math standards continued at a state Board of Education Standards meeting.
southdakotasearchlight.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Calls to retain South Dakota’s current #math standards continued at the latest state Board of Education Standards meeting, as opponents flagged a proposed rewrite of the standards as overly simplistic. southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/11/10/m...
Reposted
The SD Department of Social Services says it began preparations over the weekend to issue partial #SNAP food assistance benefits, but the department is also keeping open the possibility that it could pay full benefits. In either case, benefits won’t come until “later this week.”
Uncertainty still reigns as South Dakota’s monthly SNAP payment day arrives • South Dakota Searchlight
The South Dakota Department of Social Services says it began preparations over the weekend to issue partial food assistance benefits.
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The SD Department of Social Services says it began preparations over the weekend to issue partial #SNAP food assistance benefits, but the department is also keeping open the possibility that it could pay full benefits. In either case, benefits won’t come until “later this week.”
Reposted
Five tribes in South Dakota want their congressional delegation to help restore funding for a research project led in part by a South Dakota genetics lab.
South Dakota tribes seek restoration of federal support for work of Eagle Butte genetics lab • South Dakota Searchlight
Five South Dakota tribes want South Dakota’s congressional delegation to help restore funding for research with an Eagle Butte partner.
buff.ly
November 9, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Five tribes in South Dakota want their congressional delegation to help restore funding for a research project led in part by a South Dakota genetics lab.
Reposted
An inmate died in South Dakota Department of Corrections custody, adding another name to a list of in-custody deaths that’s higher than the state has seen in recent memory.
High prison death toll continues after 33-year-old man found unresponsive in cell • South Dakota Searchlight
An inmate died in Department of Corrections custody, adding another name to a list of in-custody deaths that's higher than the state has seen in recent memory.
buff.ly
November 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
An inmate died in South Dakota Department of Corrections custody, adding another name to a list of in-custody deaths that’s higher than the state has seen in recent memory.
Reposted
While the federal government shutdown threatens #SNAP food assistance benefits, three South Dakota counties have some of the highest percentages of federal food assistance participation in the country.
Three of the nation’s most SNAP-dependent counties are in South Dakota • South Dakota Searchlight
Three South Dakota counties have some of the highest percentages of federal food assistance participation in the country.
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 1:00 AM
While the federal government shutdown threatens #SNAP food assistance benefits, three South Dakota counties have some of the highest percentages of federal food assistance participation in the country.
“The shutdown needs to stop. People here are not puppets,” Schultz said. “What’s happening is they’re playing with our lives, and they just need to move forward.”
Funding for a #HeadStart program in South Dakota is delayed because of the federal government #shutdown, forcing the program to obtain its own temporary funding and consider a potential closure next month. buff.ly/cTeYghv
Northeast SD Head Start considers temporary closure as it awaits funding delayed by shutdown • South Dakota Searchlight
Funding for a Head Start program in South Dakota is delayed because of the federal government shutdown, forcing difficult decisions.
buff.ly
November 6, 2025 at 10:07 PM
“The shutdown needs to stop. People here are not puppets,” Schultz said. “What’s happening is they’re playing with our lives, and they just need to move forward.”
Reposted
The South Dakota Department of Corrections has been rationing its supply of #flu vaccines in response to a shortage related to the federal government #shutdown.
Government shutdown slows flu shot delivery for South Dakota prison inmates • South Dakota Searchlight
The South Dakota Department of Corrections has been rationing its flu vaccines in response to a federal government shutdown-related shortage.
buff.ly
October 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted
South Dakota’s top state government budget official warned that the current budget cycle “is playing out to be another belt-tightening year," due to economic factors influencing revenue.
Details:
Details:
South Dakota budget commissioner warns of another difficult year as revenue lags projections • South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota’s top budget official warned that the current budget cycle “is playing out to be another belt-tightening year.”
buff.ly
October 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
South Dakota’s top state government budget official warned that the current budget cycle “is playing out to be another belt-tightening year," due to economic factors influencing revenue.
Details:
Details:
Reposted
The network outage that downed a host of South Dakota state government systems in August was caused by mislabeled wiring in a room full of routers at the Department of Transportation building in Pierre, lawmakers learned.
Mislabeled electrical wiring sparked two-day state network shutdown • South Dakota Searchlight
The network outage that downed a host of South Dakota state government systems in August was caused by mislabeled wiring.
buff.ly
October 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The network outage that downed a host of South Dakota state government systems in August was caused by mislabeled wiring in a room full of routers at the Department of Transportation building in Pierre, lawmakers learned.
Reposted
Volunteers have pulled together one more search for Renzo Bullhead before winter sets in along a stretch of the Missouri River.
"We can't breathe until we know," said the superintendent of McLaughlin High School, where Bullhead graduated. #MMIP
buff.ly/TCE8m2N
"We can't breathe until we know," said the superintendent of McLaughlin High School, where Bullhead graduated. #MMIP
buff.ly/TCE8m2N
'We can’t breathe until we know:’ One more search planned for missing member of Standing Rock Tribe • South Dakota Searchlight
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has pulled together a team of volunteers to search the Missouri River for tribal member Renzo Bullhead.
southdakotasearchlight.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Volunteers have pulled together one more search for Renzo Bullhead before winter sets in along a stretch of the Missouri River.
"We can't breathe until we know," said the superintendent of McLaughlin High School, where Bullhead graduated. #MMIP
buff.ly/TCE8m2N
"We can't breathe until we know," said the superintendent of McLaughlin High School, where Bullhead graduated. #MMIP
buff.ly/TCE8m2N
Reposted
South Dakota wasted $20.4 million on a rural Lincoln County site before it pivoted to a location in Sioux Falls for a prison construction project. The wasted money covered an array of costs, ranging from herbicide application to site-specific designs.
See where the money went: buff.ly/ue2ClZo
See where the money went: buff.ly/ue2ClZo
Architects, consultants, sewer pipe, travel: Where millions in wasted prison money went • South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota settled more than two years of debate with a decision to build a prison, but there’s more than rhetoric in the rearview.
southdakotasearchlight.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:55 PM
South Dakota wasted $20.4 million on a rural Lincoln County site before it pivoted to a location in Sioux Falls for a prison construction project. The wasted money covered an array of costs, ranging from herbicide application to site-specific designs.
See where the money went: buff.ly/ue2ClZo
See where the money went: buff.ly/ue2ClZo
Reposted
The South Dakota Department of Social Services plans to revamp its #opioid treatment and prevention grants, with a three-tiered system including “transformative” grants up to $2 million.
State revamps use of opioid settlement money by offering 'transformative' grants up to $2 million • South Dakota Searchlight
Department officials announced the new grant structure using opioid settlement funds at a Board of Social Services meeting.
buff.ly
October 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The South Dakota Department of Social Services plans to revamp its #opioid treatment and prevention grants, with a three-tiered system including “transformative” grants up to $2 million.
Reposted
Leading Catholic officials in western South Dakota have issued a statement saying they “firmly reject” the secretary of defense’s recent affirmation of medals awarded for the 1890 #WoundedKneeMassacre. buff.ly/rtgCgHj
Western SD Catholic leaders 'firmly reject' decision to affirm Wounded Knee Massacre medals • South Dakota Searchlight
The written statement is from the Most Rev. Scott Bullock, bishop of Rapid City, and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River, South Dakota.
southdakotasearchlight.com
October 21, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Leading Catholic officials in western South Dakota have issued a statement saying they “firmly reject” the secretary of defense’s recent affirmation of medals awarded for the 1890 #WoundedKneeMassacre. buff.ly/rtgCgHj
Reposted
The leader of the company (#Gevo) that abandoned its immediate plans to build a $2.6 billion ethanol-based jet fuel plant in Lake Preston called South Dakota "a very difficult place to do business," adding "everything is oppositional. North Dakota is a breath of fresh air.” buff.ly/iAG6jkx
Jet fuel company’s leader calls South Dakota ‘a difficult place to do business’ • South Dakota Searchlight
The leader of a sustainable jet fuel company said that South Dakota is no longer a friendly place to do business.
southdakotasearchlight.com
October 17, 2025 at 10:49 PM
The leader of the company (#Gevo) that abandoned its immediate plans to build a $2.6 billion ethanol-based jet fuel plant in Lake Preston called South Dakota "a very difficult place to do business," adding "everything is oppositional. North Dakota is a breath of fresh air.” buff.ly/iAG6jkx
Reposted
Mount Rushmore's nightly lighting ceremonies ceased when the federal government shutdown began. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said Saturday morning that he and a handful of others will personally pay the $30.94 daily fee to keep the lights on while the shutdown continues.
South Dakota governor, officials pledge $30.94 nightly to cover Rushmore lighting during shutdown • South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has pledged to pay $217 of his own money to keep Mount Rushmore lit for the next week.
buff.ly
October 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Mount Rushmore's nightly lighting ceremonies ceased when the federal government shutdown began. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said Saturday morning that he and a handful of others will personally pay the $30.94 daily fee to keep the lights on while the shutdown continues.
Reposted
After the Department of Homeland Security subjected a dairy near the home of Secretary #KristiNoem to an #immigration audit, the farm lost 38 workers.
The dairy's co-owner said "we've turned off the tap, but we’ve done nothing to create a solution as to how we find employees."
The dairy's co-owner said "we've turned off the tap, but we’ve done nothing to create a solution as to how we find employees."
Noem's South Dakota neighbors hit with an immigration audit that decimates their workforce • South Dakota Searchlight
Dairy farm audits in South Dakota under the Trump administration’s escalated immigration enforcement efforts have “created unrest."
buff.ly
October 10, 2025 at 1:02 PM
After the Department of Homeland Security subjected a dairy near the home of Secretary #KristiNoem to an #immigration audit, the farm lost 38 workers.
The dairy's co-owner said "we've turned off the tap, but we’ve done nothing to create a solution as to how we find employees."
The dairy's co-owner said "we've turned off the tap, but we’ve done nothing to create a solution as to how we find employees."
This afternoon, the South Dakota DOC issued a press release trumpeting a drop in parole absconders (parolees on the run).
It points to law enforcement partnerships, which was a big part of it. But it wasn’t the only part.
southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/09/n...
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It points to law enforcement partnerships, which was a big part of it. But it wasn’t the only part.
southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/09/n...
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Number of parolees on the run plummets, parole supervisor reports • South Dakota Searchlight
SIOUX FALLS — There are fewer parolees on the run in South Dakota today than at any point since 2010, the Board of Pardons and Paroles heard.
southdakotasearchlight.com
October 9, 2025 at 9:49 PM
This afternoon, the South Dakota DOC issued a press release trumpeting a drop in parole absconders (parolees on the run).
It points to law enforcement partnerships, which was a big part of it. But it wasn’t the only part.
southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/09/n...
1/
It points to law enforcement partnerships, which was a big part of it. But it wasn’t the only part.
southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/09/n...
1/