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

Proposed health plan for SD farmers would fall outside state and federal regulations

South Dakota lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow agricultural industry groups to develop their own health-benefit plans that would be outside the purview and regulation of the state Division of Insurance and which would sidestep some federal consumer protections. The measure is being pushed by the South Dakota

Preparations for legalization of pot picking up pace in Pierre

After a slow start in 2021, South Dakota lawmakers and state officials are taking increasingly aggressive steps toward building a framework for the growing, packaging, selling, taxation and use of legal medical and recreational marijuana in the state. A major piece of legislation was filed Feb. 3 that sets the

Rob Joyce named executive director of South Dakota News Watch

South Dakota News Watch, the state’s only non-profit statewide journalism organization, has appointed veteran administrator Robert “Rob” Joyce of Sioux Falls as its new executive director effective Feb. 1, 2021. Joyce will replace outgoing executive director David Bordewyk, who served in the role for 15 months and is returning

COVID antibody treatment available and effective but delivery slower than desired in SD

A relatively new medical treatment that can reduce symptoms, speed recovery and even prevent death due to COVID-19 in some patients is widely available across the U.S. and South Dakota but is not being used as much as health officials and medical providers would like. Only about 30% to

Questions remain for who qualifies next to get COVID-19 vaccine in SD

South Dakota health officials and medical providers have been near the top of the nation in administering COVID-19 vaccines as they become available, but a significant new challenge awaits as the state moves into a much larger, more difficult-to-define population of people who may qualify for a shot. That upcoming

Colleges part 4: How one SD college used pandemic funds to improve education

While most colleges across the country were stung hard by COVID-19 — logistically and financially — the small private college that serves mostly Native American students on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota got a big boost from the pandemic. Like the reservation itself, the Oglala Lakota College in

Colleges part 3: Students cross hurdles while learning during a pandemic

As part of its in-depth look at the state of higher education in the state, South Dakota News Watch made contact with students who experienced learning during a pandemic close up. Here are three of their stories. Making frugal financial choices Sydney Becker, 19, is a graduate of Lincoln High