South Dakota Searchlight

We shine a light on important matters affecting South Dakota, analyze the choices made by state officials, and clarify how their policies impact the lives of South Dakotans and the political landscape. Our focus is on delivering news and opinions that value truth, fairness, understanding, and respect. Accessing our articles and signing up for our email newsletter is completely free. Additionally, other media organizations that adhere to our standards are welcome to share our content.

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Labor and delivery closures drive South Dakota to a maternal care ‘precipice’

3 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Makenzie Huber

Shelsey Klein was 33 weeks pregnant and crying when she stormed into the Winner Regional Health CEO’s office. She found out through social media in December that the hospital planned to close its labor and delivery unit in February, a week before she was due to deliver her baby. She and her husband lectured the CEO about the stress the announcement put on their family and asked him what families like theirs were expected to do.
Noem’s honorary degree sparks protest; meanwhile, a student she’s trying to deport earns a doctorate

4 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Joshua Haiar |Seth Tupper

by Joshua Haiar and Seth Tupper, South Dakota Searchlight May 10, 2025 An international student in western South Dakota overcame Kristi Noem’s attempt to stop her from graduating Saturday, while hundreds of people protested on the other side of the state where Noem received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement speech. The international student is Priya Saxena, from India.
Small-town newspapers say mail delays are crippling their business

5 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Joshua Haiar

Delayed Postal Service deliveries of small-town newspapers are frustrating readers, undermining subscriptions and hurting advertising revenue, according to publishers across South Dakota. “It’s taking nine days to get a paper from Armour to Sioux Falls,” said Julie Hinckley of Rocket Printing, which prints several small-town publications. “That’s unacceptable for timely news.”Armour and Sioux Falls are about 95 miles apart.
AmeriCorps cuts are ‘devastating’ for nonprofit Native American school in South Dakota, lawsuit says

6 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Seth Tupper

The Trump administration’s decision to abruptly cut AmeriCorps funding has had a “devastating impact” on a nonprofit school for Native American children in South Dakota, according to a lawsuit. Red Cloud Indian School Inc., which operates schools under the Lakota name Mahpiya Luta, is one of more than a dozen plaintiffs that jointly filed a lawsuit this week challenging the funding cut.
Lawmakers grill South Dakota officials about Noem’s credit card use

6 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Makenzie Huber

Revelations about former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s credit card use prompted a legislative oversight committee to question state officials Thursday in Pierre about how the state approves credit card spending for travel and other expenses.
Noem has some explaining to do, so let her speak

6 days ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Dana Hess

by Dana Hess, South Dakota Searchlight May 8, 2025 After a career in journalism that has let me have my say about a wide range of issues, it’s galling to me whenever a group wants to shut down someone else’s speech. At issue this weekend is an honorary degree that Dakota State University in Madison plans to bestow on former South Dakota governor and current Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. She will also deliver the university’s commencement address on Saturday.
A South Dakota city is pioneering nurse apprenticeships for English-as-second-language residents

1 week ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Makenzie Huber

Norma Torres Ortiz quit her full-time job at a Huron nursing home in February 2019 to spend her days studying for the national nurse licensure exam. Her first language isn’t English, it’s Spanish. Originally from Puerto Rico, she still considers English a struggle. To pass a challenging professional exam in a language she’s still learning, she had to work twice as hard. It took the 47-year-old two years to pass the test, succeeding in June 2019.
South Dakota ballot group loses attorney fees because of new U.S. Supreme Court precedent

1 week ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Joshua Haiar

by Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight May 6, 2025 A South Dakota ballot question committee and its lawyer are among the first victims of a new U.S. Supreme Court precedent that lessens the likelihood of recovering attorney fees when suing the government for civil rights violations. The high court’s decision in a separate case recently caused Dakotans for Health and its attorney, Jim Leach, to drop their effort to recover attorney fees in a lawsuit against Lawrence County.
Fight breaks out at penitentiary one month after similar violence that injured officer

1 week ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | John Hult

by John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight May 5, 2025 Another round of violence erupted Sunday on the campus of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, the Department of Corrections has confirmed. The fight between inmates came a little more than a month after two other incidents on the penitentiary campus, one of which injured a female correctional officer.
Mercury pollution lands two more South Dakota lakes on fish consumption advisory list

1 week ago | southdakotasearchlight.com | Joshua Haiar

State officials have added two more South Dakota lakes to the fish consumption after testing found elevated mercury levels in large walleye. The state announced Monday that Dry Lake #1 in Clark County and Lake Henry in Kingsbury County have been added to the list. For Dry Lake #1, health officials recommend limiting consumption of walleye over 21 inches in length. At Lake Henry, the advisory applies to walleye over 24 inches. Walleye in South Dakota can grow to more than 30 inches.