Stu Whitney

Stu Whitney

Total 135 Posts
  • Sioux Falls, SD
Title: investigative reporter; expertise: politics, justice, education, health care, demographics, immigration, sports; language spoken: English; contact: 605-759-4576 / stu.whitney@sdnewswatch.org

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

Federal money provides much-needed boost to capacity of Lewis & Clark water system

The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, which serves Sioux Falls and other population centers in eastern South Dakota, has received a record amount of federal funding at just the right time to accommodate surging populations and drought conditions. The new money will move the original system closer to full

School counselors in SD playing larger role amid student mental health crisis

DELL RAPIDS, S.D. – Sara Holmberg’s job as a counselor at Dell Rapids Middle School has never been more challenging. As fallout from the pandemic creates what the U.S. Surgeon General calls a “youth mental health crisis,” school counselors like Holmberg find themselves providing not just academic and

National political winds blew away some opposition to SD transgender athlete legislation

Much of the political momentum behind South Dakota’s transgender sports ban, signed into law by Gov. Kristi Noem in February, can be traced not to the legislative process in Pierre but to national athletic competitions and the controversy involving University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas swam collegiately as

South Dakota veteran denied benefits after exposure to toxic burn pits

WEBSTER, S.D. – When President Joe Biden mentioned the term “burn pits” while discussing health benefits for military veterans during his State of the Union address March 1, many Americans heard of the issue for the first time. Congress is crafting legislation to assist post-9/11 combat veterans exposed to
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