Bart Pfankuch

Bart Pfankuch

Title: content director; expertise: agriculture, state government, education, rural issues, Indigenous people, poverty; language spoken: English; contact: 605-937-9398 / bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org

Exclusive: How South Dakota spent $14 billion of pandemic relief funds

South Dakota received nearly $14 billion in federal COVID-19 funding from March 2020 through January, according to an internal state fiscal report obtained exclusively by South Dakota News Watch. The document tallies the $13.84 billion intended to help governments, businesses, organizations and individuals survive and recover from a pandemic

Unexpected expenses: State project costs jump by millions

South Dakota taxpayers could pay millions of dollars in unexpected expenses caused by inflation and workforce challenges that are hitting the construction industry. Nine bills have been filed in the current legislative session in Pierre to increase funding for construction projects that were passed in prior years but have gotten

CEO of large SD non-profit agency remains in his job despite federal sexual harassment settlement

CEO of large SD non-profit agency remains in his job despite federal sexual harassment settlement

Editor’s note: This article is the result of a reporting collaboration between South Dakota News Watch Content Director Bart Pfankuch and Kristi Hine, editor of the True Dakotan newspaper in Wessington Springs. WAGNER, S.D. – The director of one of the largest non-profit social service agencies in South Dakota

Hurdles to homeownership: Why buying a home is out of reach for many South Dakota residents

A series of economic factors has coalesced over the past two years to make it extremely difficult or even impossible for many people in South Dakota to achieve the American Dream of homeownership. The price of new and existing homes has skyrocketed in recent years at a time when modest

Hurdles to Homeownership in South Dakota: Sign up now to watch Dec. 15 online panel discussion

Is the American Dream of homeownership fading in South Dakota? Experts differ on whether that is completely true, but it’s clear to everyone in the South Dakota housing ecosystem that in the current real estate market, purchasing a home has become harder than ever if not impossible for many

Dangerous, potentially deadly distracted driving remains a hard habit to break in South Dakota

South Dakota lawmaker Doug Barthel, a former police chief in Sioux Falls, tried to make state roadways safer from distracted drivers by spearheading passage of a law in 2020 to restrict cell phone use behind the wheel. The South Dakota law allows cell phone use in a vehicle, but only

With a campaign focused on character, Jamie Smith sees ‘genuine’ shot at upsetting Gov. Kristi Noem

RAPID CITY, S.D. – On debate night in South Dakota, Karen Marso parked her car and quickly scooted across a road in Rapid City to join a group of three dozen backers of gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith. The gaggle of Smith supporters was there to await the arrival of the