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 News Watch wins regional reporting awards for work published in 2020

South Dakota News Watch won a first-place award and three finalist citations in the annual Great Plains Journalism Awards for work produced in 2020. News Watch competed against newspapers of all sizes in an eight-state region that includes the Dakotas, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Content Director Bart

Vaccine hesitancy in South Dakota could prolong pandemic and delay a return to normal

Medical experts in South Dakota and across the country are concerned that reluctance among some people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may prolong the pandemic, delay a return to normal life and possibly lead to more deaths. Health officials say that the U.S. and individual states are in a

South Dakota Matters: News Watch to host online panel discussion on civics and history initiative

South Dakota Matters: News Watch to host online panel discussion on civics and history initiative

In her State of the State speech in January, Gov. Kristi Noem proposed one-time funding to enhance and expand teaching of civics and history in public schools, and the state Legislature approved her $900,000 request during the spring session. In response, the state education department has embarked on development

Civics/history Part 2: How new civics and history program will be developed

If all goes as planned, South Dakota public school teachers and students should find it easier to teach and learn social studies topics in the coming years. The proposed South Dakota Civics and History Initiative is just getting started, but hopes are high that the effort will result in deeper,

Educators and historians want politics kept out of new history and civics initiative

Educators, historians and some elected officials are urging South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and the state Department of Education to keep politics and personal bias out of the process to develop a new and enhanced civics and history initiative for public K-12 schools across the state. In her State of

New reporter hired at South Dakota News Watch

Journalist Danielle Ferguson of Sioux Falls has joined South Dakota News Watch as its second full-time investigative reporter. Ferguson comes to News Watch from the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, where she most recently served as the Watchdog Reporter for Law and Order. Ferguson, a native of Salem, South Dakota,

Medical marijuana in Oklahoma: ‘A mess’ or a potential model for South Dakota?

As South Dakota moves forward on creating a regulatory system for medical marijuana by the end of 2021, some people have looked to Oklahoma for guidance on how — or how not to — develop a functioning framework. Oklahoma voters approved the legal sale, possession and use of medical marijuana on a