South Dakota

Abortion pill limit headed to South Dakota Senate

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 House committee rejects recreational pot bill

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…

South Dakota pot legalization bill cleared for Senate vote

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…

Private grant funds missing Indigenous coordinator

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…

South Dakota House limits Noem’s ‘critical race theory’ reach

South Dakota CapitolPIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota lawmakers are recommending that the state bar universities from requiring students and employees to attend trainings that teach “divisive” concepts about race, religion and national origin. Gov. Kristi Noem has says the proposal would “protect” students from critical race theory. But Republican lawmakers on the House Education committee made significant revisions Wednesday to…

Waste oil ignited explosion and fire at South Dakota high school

MILLER, S.D. – Fire officials say they have pinpointed the cause of an explosion and fire at the school campus in Miller, S.D. Fire Chief Steve Resel says some equipment being used in the high school’s agriculture shop ignited a barrel of waste oil on Feb. 2. Students and staff have not been allowed to return to the school building,…

Noem’s abortion ban proposal dismissed by lawmakers

South Dakota CapitolPIERRE, S.D. – A Republican-controlled South Dakota House committee has declined to consider a bill from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem that would ban nearly all abortions. It deals a major blow to a top item on the governor’s agenda. Noem’s proposal would have mimicked the private enforcement of a Texas law and prohibited abortions once medical professionals can…

Students evacuated following explosion at South Dakota high school

MILLER, S.D. – Officials say students have been evacuated from a high school in Miller following an explosion and fire in the shop area. School board chairwoman Natalie Bertsch says no injuries have been reported. The Hand County Sheriff’s Office confirmed an explosion had occurred in the agriculture workshop at the school and that a fire was still active. People…

Dusty Johnson to seek 3rd term in U.S. House

Rep. Dusty JohnsonPIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson is seeking reelection to a third term. The 45-year-old Republican on Monday announced his run for the state’s lone House seat in a statement that promoted his record and effectiveness on agriculture policy. Johnson is facing a primary challenge from state Rep. Taffy Howard.  Democrats have not announced a candidate for…