South Dakota News Watch

Established in 2017, South Dakota News Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering crucial news stories across the state. Their coverage spans a variety of topics including agriculture, education, public safety, and politics. Supported by private donations and various foundations, South Dakota News Watch works alongside multiple media organizations to fulfill its mission.

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Residents stand ready to help plan the future of Watertown

1 week ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

WATERTOWN, S.D. – Lindsey Schwinger isn't sure how she can help chart a positive future for the city of Watertown, but she is certain she wants to try. Schwinger, 38, grew up here and is now a stay-at-home mother who engages in charity work through the roller derby team she competes with. "Being involved in the community and helping shape the future for our family and our children, that's super important," she said.
SD Supreme Court will consider legality of Igloo bunker leases

1 week ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

The South Dakota Supreme Court will decide the legality of a disputed lease signed by dozens of people who live in former military munitions bunkers located near Edgemont in southwestern South Dakota. The high court will consider an appeal by the owners of the residential community who lost a recent circuit court case, brought by a former tenant, in which a judge ruled the lease to be legally unenforceable.
Do SD lawyers need continuing education? Some say yes.

2 weeks ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

Attorney Seamus Culhane said he was "baffled" to learn that South Dakota is one of only four states in the nation that does not have a continuing education requirement for working lawyers. Unlike numerous other professions in South Dakota, there is no requirement for attorneys to receive ongoing training in order to maintain their licenses. There's also no way to know if working lawyers are staying up to date or improving their knowledge of the law.
Is South Dakota among the most vulnerable to hail damage?

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Michael Klinski

A fact brief that refutes or confirms a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context.
News Watch adds reporter for rural and Native American stories

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Carson Walker

South Dakota News Watch is adding a full-time reporter who will focus on rural and Native American communities across the state as a Report for America corps member. Molly Wetsch was born and raised in South Dakota. Her family comes from farming towns and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, so she understands the issues that are unique to both communities.
Renewable energy industry powers new job growth in SD

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

MITCHELL, S.D. — Matthew Pearson found a successful career in the wind energy industry purely by chance. After graduating from high school in Vermillion, Pearson knew he didn’t want to pursue a four-year degree and instead scrolled through the list of majors offered at Mitchell Tech, one of the state’s four technical colleges.
SD tourism leaders worried soft economy will slow revenues

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

PIEDMONT, S.D. – John Carley joined about 100 other business operators in early May for a meeting of the Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association to preview the 2025 tourism season. The mood in the room, he said, was "a little muted" compared to recent years, when South Dakota set repeated records for visitors and tourism spending.
Humanities projects take hit from DOGE federal cuts

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

In the spring of 2024, the Norwegian American Historical Association received some encouraging news. The Minnesota-based organization was approved for a federal grant of about $300,000 to preserve, digitize and share materials documenting relief efforts of Norwegian-Americans toward their homeland during the German occupation of Norway in World War II.
South Dakotans oppose men's prison in Lincoln County

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

More than half of South Dakotans oppose building a new men’s state prison in rural Lincoln County, according to a poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch, another blow to a project that failed to secure final funding during the 2025 legislative session. The statewide survey, also sponsored by the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, showed that 52% of voters are against using the Lincoln County site, while 34% are for it and 14% are not sure.
Poll: South Dakota Republicans support Trump but policies mixed

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

Nearly three-quarters of Republican voters in South Dakota approve of President Donald Trump’s leadership in the first 100 days of his second White House stint, but there are pockets of discontent with some of his policies, according to a poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. The survey of 500 registered GOP voters showed that 73% approve of Trump’s presidential leadership so far in 2025, while 25% disapprove.