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

Work camps, traffic concern residents along Keystone XL route

PHILIP, S.D. – In the next six months, two cities will arise on the South Dakota prairie with populations larger than most of the existing towns west of the Missouri River. Two similar cities will be built in 2020. The temporary towns will exist for up to two years, include

South Dakota counties on hook for Keystone XL protest costs

A group of mostly rural South Dakota counties could be responsible for millions of dollars in costs related to any protests that arise over construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline in the state. The outlay would be required before the state kicks in any disaster money to pay for the

Livestock theft and prevention now high-tech endeavors in SD

SAINT ONGE, S.D. – Livestock theft is one of the oldest crimes in South Dakota, but the ways thieves operate and the methods ranchers and authorities use to catch them have both evolved into a high-tech battle of wits. Modern trailers, cell phones, forged checks, online mapping and Internet classified

Behind prison walls: Women serve time in quiet, controlled setting

PIERRE, S.D. – The rolling barbed wire atop tall chain-link fences, the thick metal and glass entrances doors, and the cell blocks and entry points under constant guard by officers and cameras are all indicators of the intense security at the South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre. Once inside

Meth epidemic, strict laws fuel dramatic growth in female inmate numbers

PIERRE, S.D. – The combination of epidemic meth addiction and strict drug laws have led to a dramatic spike in the rate of incarceration of women in the state, a South Dakota News Watch investigation has found. The number of women in prison has increased 35 percent since 2013. By

Small SD towns struggle to repair and replace crumbling streets

EMERY, S.D. – It took eight years of planning, nearly $5 million and countless hours of paperwork, but this small town finally has new asphalt streets. Residents of Emery – a Hanson County town of about 450 people and home to a crucial grain elevator – endured failing streets for decades, then

Should South Dakota farmers be forced to improve pollution control methods?

As South Dakota and most other states rely on voluntary efforts by farmers to treat pollution and limit runoff – historically with only limited success – a new regulatory approach in Minnesota is showing that mandating water protection methods can make a significant difference. A 2015 law that is now fully taking