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

South Dakota tribal college part of NASA plan to build housing for use on the moon and Mars

Sinte Gleska University, a tribal college in Mission, S.D., may soon enter into a partnership with NASA that would result in new science education programs, more affordable housing for state reservations and the development of 3D housing that could someday be used on the moon or Mars. The National

Improving education top goal of Native American agenda in 2022 South Dakota legislative session

One way to understand which issues are most important to the South Dakota Native American community — the state’s largest minority group — is to examine the bills that are filed each legislative session by the handful of Native lawmakers serving in statewide office. This year, about three dozen bills were

Bills would allow South Dakota Native Americans to hunt, fish and visit state parks for free

Native Americans from South Dakota would be able to hunt or fish anywhere in the state for free and visit or camp in state parks without paying fees under two bills under consideration by the state Legislature. House Bill 1141 would allow enrolled members of a federally recognized Indian tribe

Shortage of classroom substitutes makes teaching and learning more difficult in SD

A shortage of substitutes to fill in for full-time teachers is forcing school districts in South Dakota and across the country to take sometimes drastic measures to keep classrooms staffed, and concerns are rising that the quality of student education may diminish as a result. Many full-time teachers are losing

Child hospitalizations, Long-COVID concerns rise amid omicron surge in South Dakota

As COVID-19 infections sweep across South Dakota in record numbers, concerns are rising that children and adolescents are suffering more severe illness than before and may be susceptible to symptoms that can afflict them long into their lifetimes. A growing body of medical research and reports from pediatricians in South

South Dakota returns millions in unused housing assistance funds to federal government

South Dakota has sent millions of dollars of unused COVID-19 housing assistance funds — allocated to help low-income renters — back to the federal government, mainly because not enough people applied for help. As of early January 2022, the state had received about $271 million in federal funding to pay rent and

Abortion battle expected during 2022 South Dakota legislative session

Abortion is likely to be a major topic during the 2022 South Dakota legislative session that begins on Jan. 11, as opponents of the medical procedure see an opportunity to capitalize on recent legal cases across the country that further restricted access to abortion. The anticipated legislation seeking to restrict