South Dakota News

Ponzi cattle scheme operator gets 91 months in prison

RAPID CITY, S.D. – A South Dakota feedlot operator who pleaded guilty to operating a Ponzi cattle scheme has been sentenced to nearly eight years in prison. Prosecutors say Robert Blom, of Corsica, resold the same cattle to multiple investors and made a profit of about $24 million from 2014 to 2019. He resold cattle he didn’t have, falsified invoices…

Vaccine mandate protesters sue South Dakota over permit

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Protesters against COVID-19 vaccine mandates in South Dakota are suing Gov. Kristi Noem after the state denied their application to demonstrate on Capitol grounds during a special legislative session this month. The group of protesters say they planned to hold a demonstration next week to push the Legislature to take up a bill that would keep…

Biden mandates vaccines or tests for big companies by January 4

OSHA left open the possibility of expanding the requirement to smaller businesses

WASHINGTON – Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules that took effect Thursday. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation….

South Dakota man pleads guilty in starvation death of toddler

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A Brookings man has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for his role in the 2019 starvation death of a toddler. Robert Price, Jr. entered the plea after reaching an agreement with prosecutors. Price and the child’s aunt, Renae Fayant, were indicted by a grand jury in July 2019 on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and…

Jean Rounds, wife of Sen. Mike Rounds, dies from cancer

Sen. Mike Rounds, Jean RoundsSIOUX FALLS, S.D.  – Jean Rounds, the wife of Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, has died in hospice care. She was 65. Jean Rounds had been undergoing treatment for cancer since May of 2019. Doctors initially found a malignant, aggressive tumor near her sciatic nerve and she underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and surgery….

Dozens of Sanford, Essentia employees dismissed over vaccine mandates

FARGO (KVRR) – Sanford Health says out of approximately 9,800 employees who work in the Fargo region, 31 employees have left as a result of the company’s vaccine mandate. Vice-President and Medical Officer Dr. Doug Griffin says Sanford employees who don’t have an approved exemption or who haven’t started their vaccine series by today (Nov. 1) will be suspended for…

FDA paves way for COVID-19 vaccinations in young kids

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The agency authorized the kid-size doses on Friday. They are just a third of the amount given to teens and adults. But there’s one more regulatory hurdle. Next week, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

Biden orders emissions analysis from federal oil and gas leases

Order affects federal oil & gas leases in North Dakota, South Dakota, and 8 other states

BILLINGS, Mont.  – The Biden administration said Friday that industry regulators for the first time will begin analyzing greenhouse gas emissions from federal oil and gas leases on a national scale, as they prepare to hold lease sales in numerous Western states next year. The announcement from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management came as officials released a report…

Search warrants in T. Denny Sanford investigation will be unsealed

T. Denny SanfordPIERRE, S.D. – Search warrants will be unsealed in an investigation into billionaire banker-turned philanthropist T. Denny Sanford for possible possession of child pornography, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled. The unanimous ruling, dated Wednesday and announced Thursday, upheld a lower court ruling that said state law prohibits courts from sealing search warrants and the corresponding lists of…

Update: Attorney says Glasser customers can download photos at no cost

FARGO (KVRR) – An attorney who represents a Bismarck-based photography service that abruptly closed says couples will eventually be able to obtain their wedding photos free of charge. “We are pleased to announce the arrangement will allow couples to see online and download their photographs at NO COST for one year,” according to a statement from Fargo attorney Tim O’Keeffe….