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

Aurora Plains Academy: Unsafe place to live, difficult place to work

PLANKINTON, S.D. – The stories of abuse and anguish told by former employees, former residents and parents of residents paint a frightening picture of what has taken place over the past decade at the Aurora Plains Academy intensive youth treatment facility in Plankinton. Parents remain outraged at how their vulnerable

South Dakota medical community battling dangerous antibiotic-resistant illnesses

South Dakota medical community battling dangerous antibiotic-resistant illnesses

South Dakota health and medical officials are fighting an uphill battle to prevent the spread of potentially deadly infections that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics. The state in recent years saw a pair of outbreaks of CRE, an intestinal bacteria that is almost completely resistant to antibiotics and that has

Sen. Rounds: Guest workers not part of illegal immigration problem

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota says guest worker programs that bring foreigners to America to fill seasonable employment positions are a critical part of the state economy. Yet Rounds says the intense debate over illegal immigration in America has wrongly influenced, and in some cases stymied, efforts

Immigration debate hampers guest worker programs critical to SD businesses and farms

Immigration debate hampers guest worker programs critical to SD businesses and farms

KEYSTONE, S.D. – The intensely partisan and politicized national debate over immigration policies has cast a cloud of uncertainty over guest worker programs that for years have helped provide employees to seasonal South Dakota businesses that cannot find enough American workers. The viability of some businesses in the tourism, agricultural

ATVs more common on South Dakota roadways where risk of death is greater

SUMMERSET, S.D. – The number of all-terrain vehicles registered for road use in South Dakota has risen dramatically in recent years, even as a growing body of research shows that ATVs are more dangerous and deadly on roadways than in off-road areas. ATVs certified as legal to drive on South

Police agencies in South Dakota struggle to recruit, retain officers

Law enforcement agencies across South Dakota and the nation are struggling to find enough qualified people to serve as police officers, potentially putting the safety of the public and existing on-duty officers at risk. Recruitment challenges and difficulty in retaining officers have caused some departments to endure reduced officer counts

Public vaping ban passed in South Dakota amid some controversy

On July 1, the use of e-cigarettes or other vaping products will become illegal in almost all South Dakota workplaces and public buildings, including bars, restaurants and casinos. After a somewhat hurried process, lawmakers in March voted to treat e-cigarettes the same as combustible tobacco products when used in public