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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News Watch adds reporter for rural and Native American stories

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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

3 weeks 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.
Poll: About half of South Dakotans support Noem's DHS efforts

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

Just over half of South Dakotans approve of the way Kristi Noem is running the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to a poll of 500 registered voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. Asked about the former South Dakota governor’s job performance in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, 51% said they approve and 44% said they disapprove, with 5% not sure. In the same poll, 58% said they approve of how Gov. Larry Rhoden is doing since he took over the job from Noem in February.
Johnson, Rhoden set pace

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

Early voter support in the 2026 Republican primary race for South Dakota governor is focused on U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden, according to a poll of 500 registered GOP voters co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch. But an expected crowded field could complicate the path to victory in the primary, with 35% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff election.
Detours and delays are part of year 2 of US 385 roadwork

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Bart Pfankuch

SHERIDAN LAKE, S.D. – The typically serene setting along U.S. Highway 385 as it winds peacefully past the western shore of Sheridan Lake in the central Black Hills is now a busy work zone with a rocky roadway, construction equipment grinding on the hillside and a flagger stopping all traffic.
Toby Doeden makes establishment nervous. So what's next?

1 month ago | sdnewswatch.org | Stu Whitney

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Toby Doeden was in Sioux Falls on April 9 when the Brown County Republican Party posted on Facebook about its Lincoln Day Dinner the following night, promising a “formal candidate announcement for statewide office.”Doeden, an Aberdeen businessman whose deep pockets and conservative activism have sparked speculation about a run for South Dakota governor in 2026, was the first person who came to mind for political enthusiasts.