South Dakota News

South Dakota News

Man guilty in sex trafficking sting gets 14 years in prison

Jim Monk,

RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Rapid City man indicted in an undercover sex trafficking sting during the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Christopher Truax was found guilty last November of attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, a federal charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. According to prosecutors,…

South Dakota State Capitol
South Dakota News

Abortion pill limit headed to South Dakota Senate

Jim Monk,

South Dakota CapitolPIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Republican senators advanced a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that would make the state one of the most difficult to get abortion pills. A vote on the Senate floor has not been scheduled. But its actual enactment depends on a federal court ruling. Every Republican on the Senate Health and Human Services committee…
South Dakota News

South Dakota House committee rejects recreational pot bill

Jim Monk,

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota House Republicans have dismissed a proposal to legalize recreational pot for adults. The bill that was tossed Monday narrowly passed the Republican-controlled Senate last week. Lawmakers reasoned they should try to stay ahead of a campaign to get recreational marijuana back on the ballot this November. But lawmakers on the House State Affairs committee dismissed…

Masks
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CDC says most Americans can take a break from masks

KVRR Staff,

WASHINGTON  – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most Americans, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new guidelines released Friday. The CDC outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at…

Trucks
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Cramer, Hoeven introduce TRUCKERS Act

Jim Monk,

FARGO (KVRR) – North Dakota U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven are co-sponsoring a bill that would exempt non-U.S. citizen commercial truck drivers from vaccination requirements when temporarily entering the United States from Canada or Mexico. The bill is called the Terminating Reckless and Unnecessary Checks Known to Erode Regular Shipping (TRUCKERS) Act. “Vaccine mandates for truckers to enter…
Local News, South Dakota News

South Dakota pot legalization bill cleared for Senate vote

Jim Monk,

PIERRE, S.D. – A bipartisan proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in South Dakota survived its first test in the Legislature. A Senate committee on Thursday recommended the proposal for a vote in the full Senate next week. Voters approved recreational marijuana legalization through a ballot measure in 2020. However, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem challenged its constitutionality and the state Supreme…

South Dakota State Capitol
South Dakota News

South Dakota House votes to shield students from racial ‘discomfort’

Jim Monk,

South Dakota CapitolPIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota House has approved a pair of proposals initiated by Gov. Kristi Noem that would ban university trainings and public K-12 school lessons that make students feel “discomfort” on account of their race. Republicans overwhelmingly supported the bills, which would apply separately to higher education and K-12 public schools, though a few joined…
South Dakota News

Private grant funds missing Indigenous coordinator

Jim Monk,

PIERRE, S.D. – An office in the South Dakota attorney general’s office to coordinate investigations into the disappearance and murder of Indigenous people will be started through a private donation from an organization connected to St. Joseph’s Indian School. Native American lawmakers who have been pushing for the funding in the state budget say they hoped the three-year grant of…