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

Jail reform effort gives inmates skills and county budgets a break

Jail reform effort gives inmates skills and county budgets a break

RAPID CITY, S.D. – A new education program for jail inmates in Pennington County aims to break the cycle of repeated incarceration among people who are addicted, have mental health challenges or lack the skills to function in society. Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller recently announced the coming launch of

Indigenous artists in S.D. travel new paths to prosperity

Indigenous artists in S.D. travel new paths to prosperity

WHITECLAY, NEB. – Within concrete walls that once housed a liquor store that fueled alcoholism and death among residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, renowned Native American artist Evans Flammond Sr. deftly draws lines on a huge buffalo hide. Sitting at a table in the building in this small

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Early mornings at the new Oceti Sakowin Community Academy are a joyous time for the roughly 28 kindergartners who attend and the two staff members who teach them. Before classes begin, students join in a circle and sing the “Four Directions” song in Lakota, and students

Weekly newspapers in South Dakota bucking national news trend

Weekly newspapers in South Dakota bucking national news trend

One heartbreaking phone call in November 2021 sums up the depth of devotion Jill Meier and other weekly newspaper editors across South Dakota feel toward keeping their communities informed. Meier took the call while working at the Brandon Valley Journal and learned that her 83-year-old mother had died at a

Weekly papers: How these South Dakota communities are keeping local news alive

Weekly papers: How these South Dakota communities are keeping local news alive

As South Dakota News Watch prepares to host a panel discussion on recent trends in journalism and the importance of factual reporting at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park on Sunday, June 25, here are three stories of the people behind the pages who are keeping the tradition

Dangerous wild animals encroaching on South Dakota neighborhoods

SPEARFISH, S.D. – Holly Hansen doesn’t have hard data to prove that potentially dangerous wild animals are entering residential areas with greater frequency, but she does have some pretty strong anecdotal evidence. In early May, a black bear entered her suburban Spearfish property and killed 16 ducks, chickens and

Camp Lejeune contamination leaves South Dakota Marines with cancer — and resentment

Camp Lejeune contamination leaves South Dakota Marines with cancer — and resentment

STURGIS, S.D. – When he left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1983, after spending six years at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Ronald Lawson was a strong, healthy man with a barrel chest, strong arms and a solid frame that carried his 220 pounds with ease. He was a