South Dakota

Avian flu found in North Dakota, South Dakota turkeys

Avian flu has recently been confirmed at commercial turkey farms in North Dakota and South Dakota. (Scott Bauer/Agriculture Research Service, USDA)FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) — Avian flu has hit turkey farms in North Dakota and South Dakota, the first cases in commercial flocks in the United States since early July. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection…

Two big Powerball winners in the region including $2 million ticket sold in South Dakota

Powerball keeps growing and now has the 10th largest jackpot in the game's history at $750 million

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — There were two big winners in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing in our region. One ticket sold at Gas N More in Mobridge, South Dakota is a $2 million winner. The winning ticket matched five of the six numbers, missing the Powerball. The player doubled their prize by purchasing the Power Play add on for an additional…

Rep. Johnson announces Republican run for governor of South Dakota

Rep. Dusty JohnsonSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Rep. Dusty Johnson is running for governor of South Dakota. That could set up a battle between Johnson and fellow Republican and current Gov. Larry Rhoden. Johnson has served as South Dakota’s only congressman since 2019 when he succeeded Kristi Noem. He has taken moderate stances during his time in Washington. Johnson’s priorities include…

Report: Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight-ProPublica) — In 2023, while Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota, she supplemented her income by secretly accepting a cut of the money she raised for a nonprofit that promotes her political career, tax records show. In what experts described as a highly unusual arrangement, the nonprofit routed funds to a personal company of Noem’s that…

Ortonville, MN man sentenced in South Dakota for production of child porn

ABERDEEN, S.D. (KVRR) — A federal judge has sentenced an Ortonville, Minnesota man for production of child porn. 45-year-old Jason Honetschlager was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023. The investigation discovered that throughout 2023, Honetschlager targeted teens in the Milbank, South Dakota area. He enticed minors through Snapchat…

Homeland Security Secretary Noem rushed to hospital after allergic reaction

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNN) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Washington, DC, after an allergic reaction. A Department of Homeland Security spokewoman says it was out of an abundance of caution and that Noem is alert and recovering. CNN observed Secret Service agents posted at several entrances outside the emergency room at the…

What concealed carry on campus means for South Dakota schools

The boards that oversee South Dakota’s 10 public colleges are drafting policies in accordance with a new state law that will allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus. Starting July 1, the four-year and technical institutions will no longer be able to restrict the lawful concealed carry of firearms and weapons on campuses. Senate Bill 100 (SB 100), which Gov….

$25 million tax credits to North Dakota, South Dakota Xcel Energy customers

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KVRR) — Xcel Energy is moving forward with plans to deliver $25 million back to North Dakota and South Dakota customers on their bills. This is the first time customers will see savings from the federal tax credit on nuclear energy generation, which the company advocated for in recent law. Starting this month, the average residential customer in…

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…