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

Thousands of South Dakota children are trapped in poverty

RAPID CITY, S.D. – More than 40,000 South Dakota children, from infants to teenagers, live in families with incomes low enough to qualify for the federal food stamp program, creating challenges for a fruitful childhood and a prosperous adult life. The number of children in South Dakota families receiving

Educators struggle to reduce need for remedial classes in SD colleges

Every year, about 30 percent of South Dakota high school graduates who enroll in a state university must take remedial courses in math or English because they don’t test high enough in those topics. Those courses cost the students about $1,000 per class and provide them with no

Governor proposes higher payment rate, grant program for nursing homes

Governor proposes higher payment rate, grant program for nursing homes

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced a plan to aid South Dakota’s financially troubled nursing home industry by raising the rate of Medicaid payments and providing $5 million in grants to facilities that innovate. Noem shared her ideas as part of her first budget address to both

Jobs abound, but low wages hamper South Dakota workforce

Jobs are plentiful in South Dakota, but most positions pay far below the national average and lower than neighboring states. In fact, South Dakota has the third-lowest average wage for employed people in the country behind only Arkansas and Mississippi. A News Watch analysis shows that the lowest-paying jobs — in

Economic fears follow ShopKo store closures in SD small towns

WAGNER, S.D. – The pending closure of ShopKo department stores may have devastating effects on six South Dakota small towns that will suffer job losses, decreased access to basic necessities and reductions in sales-tax collections that could limit municipal services. The announcement that the retail chain will close several stores

Women to have ‘larger voice’ in 2019 South Dakota Legislature

In South Dakota and across the country, women will play a larger role in lawmaking and policymaking at almost all levels of government in 2019. The new U.S. Congress will feature a record number of women in both the House and Senate. South Dakota will have its first female

Little-known law forces adult children to pay for nursing home care for parents

Little-known law forces adult children to pay for nursing home care for parents

An obscure South Dakota law can force adult children to pay the cost of long-term care for their parents if the elder family members cannot pay on their own. The civil law has been on the books in South Dakota since 1939, and is rarely used. But as the cost