South Dakota News

School Announcements for Thursday, April 3

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The following schools are making changes to their schedules due to the storm system: Ashby: Two Hours Late Bagley: Two Hours Late Barnesville: E-Learning Day Battle Lake: Two Hours Late Breckenridge: Two Hours Late Campbell Tintah: Two Hours Late Clearbrook Gonvick: Two Hours Late Detroit Lakes: Two Hours Late Frazee Vergas: Two Hours Late Hawley: Virtual…

Several Inches Of Snow Expected In The Overnight Hours In Parts of North Dakota and Minnesota

(KVRR) — Winter has once again brought itself into the spotlight and experts are saying to be prepared. “As we get into overnight, temperatures are going to start falling below freezing. So we’ll start to see more rapid accumulations. Especially when we start to see that one to two-inch snowfall rates tomorrow morning into the early afternoon,” said Austin Perroux,…

Portrait of Leonard Peltier heading to Library of Congress

BELCOURT, N.D. (KVRR) – Leonard Peltier is on home confinement here in North Dakota, But he’s still headed to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. That’s after a photo session with Bismarck-based wet plate photographer Shane Balkowitsch. Peltier sat for a two-hour portrait session in late March for a series of images that capture the controversial convict and Native…

AP: Kristi Noem refused to say who financed some of her travel. It was taxpayers who were on the hook

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — As then-Gov. Kristi Noem crisscrossed the country — stumping for President Donald Trump and boosting her political profile beyond her home state — she refused to reveal what her extensive travel was costing taxpayers. In the weeks since Noem became Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, that mystery has been solved: South Dakota repeatedly picked up the tab for expenses…

Mega Millions $344 Million Jackpot Winner in Illinois As Game Is About To Undergo Big Changes

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Mega Millions announces another big jackpot winner as the lottery game undergoes some big changes next month. A ticket sold in Illinois had all six numbers for last night’s jackpot worth $344 million. One ticket matched five numbers in Florida for a payout of $2 million. Starting April 5, sales begin for the new version of…

Attempt to revive ‘locking up librarians’ bill fails in South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) — The South Dakota House of Representatives has voted to accept Senate amendments to a controversial bill originally intended to hold librarians criminally accountable for knowingly providing obscene materials to minors. The amended version of the bill removes the criminal penalty and instead requires an appeals process for challenging materials in school and public libraries….

Education Department Cuts Half its Staff as Trump Vows to Wind the Agency Down

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education, attends a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff — a prelude to President…

Leonard Peltier remains defiant, maintaining innocence and vowing continued activism

BELCOURT, N.D. (AP) – More than 50 years after a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation landed him in federal prison, Leonard Peltier remains defiant. He maintains his innocence in the deaths of two FBI agents in 1975 and sees his newfound freedom — the result of a commutation from former President Joe Biden — as the beginning of…

Trump administration sets stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump ‘s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government. The memo expands the Republican president’s effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands…

JOANN Fabrics To Close All 800 Locations After More Than 80 Years in Business

JOANN Fabrics announces it will close all 800 locations and go out-of-business after more than 80 years. Earlier this month, the retailer announced that it would close 500 stores across the country after filing bankruptcy. JOANN Fabrics locations in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bemidji, Hibbing and Brookings in our region will be closing. The company says that subject to court approval,…