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

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

Jason Connelly is exactly the kind of young educator the South Dakota public school system would love to add to its depleted teacher workforce. Connelly grew up in Sioux Falls and attended Catholic schools before pursuing a history and teaching degree at Augustana University, which he obtained this year. Connelly

Steadily rising rents across South Dakota are adding further financial hardship to renters who are already facing record gas prices, rising costs for food and utilities and inflationary increases in the overall cost of living. The rising rents are forcing some potential renters to make tough choices, such as taking

South Dakota News Watch is proud to announce that Kylie Carlson, a senior at South Dakota State University, has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative Journalism Endowed Internship. Kylie will work as a paid, full-time reporter for News Watch during the internship, which will

Even though fuel prices have hit an all-time high, state officials and business operators in the South Dakota tourism industry remain optimistic that the summer of 2022 will be another record-setting season for visitors and revenues. Tourism industry experts say the post-COVID desire to travel, South Dakota’s wide variety

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