Stu Whitney

Stu Whitney

Title: investigative reporter; expertise: politics, justice, education, health care, demographics, immigration, sports; language spoken: English; contact: 605-759-4576 / stu.whitney@sdnewswatch.org

High diesel fuel costs hurting truckers and farmers in South Dakota

Record high prices for unleaded gasoline are getting much of the attention from the public and politicians across the country right now, but an even bigger financial impact is being felt by truckers and farmers in South Dakota who are paying far more at the pump than usual for diesel

Attorney general intrigue: Future roles uncertain for Jackley, Natvig — and Ravnsborg

Jason Ravnsborg’s decision to not pursue re-election as South Dakota attorney general doesn’t rule out the possibility of him serving in state government following the November election, several South Dakota Republican officials told News Watch. The speculation is part of a larger sense of uncertainty and intrigue that

How national political forces are shaping SD education legislation

The extent to which national political movements sway South Dakota’s legislative priorities was rarely more evident than during a House Education Committee hearing in Pierre in early February 2022. On the agenda was House Bill 1337, one of several education measures brought by Gov. Kristi Noem to keep critical

Retired SD educators uneasy about recent political and cultural pressures imposed on teachers

Amid the flurry of recent debate on education standards and race-based curricula in South Dakota schools, most classroom teachers have been relatively quiet. Many are restricted by media policies in their school districts, or they express concern about repercussions if they engage publicly in political discussions. This reticence comes as

Lack of enforcement of regulations allows some South Dakota farmers to illegally convert wetlands to croplands

Wildlife and water quality in South Dakota are sometimes put at unnecessary risk due to a lack of oversight and accountability of farmers who illegally drain their properties or convert protected wetlands into farmable acreage. In addition, those who violate the law frequently avoid punishment when they are caught or

Overturn of Roe would place greater hardships on Native American women seeking to terminate a pregnancy

Pro-choice advocates say overturning Roe v. Wade would place greater strain and hardship on Native American women in South Dakota, who are twice as likely as other races to be the victims of sexual assault, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Overturning the landmark abortion decision — as leaked

Political intrigue swirls around upcoming attorney general election in South Dakota

South Dakota’s political landscape will enter uncharted territory over the next two months as uncertainty over the Attorney General’s Office tests party loyalties and candidate qualifications heading into the Republican state convention June 23-25 in Watertown. The question of who will serve as the state’s chief law