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Inventory way down, prices way up in booming used car market in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Several economic outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic have coalesced to create a booming used auto sales market in South Dakota, resulting in low vehicle inventories, strong consumer competition for cars and skyrocketing prices. Good used cars at affordable prices are hard to come by and they

South Dakota News Watch and SDSU launch new investigative journalism internship

A partnership between South Dakota News Watch and South Dakota State University has led to the creation of a new internship program that will provide extensive training and real-world experience for student journalists. After months of planning and preparation, News Watch and SDSU have launched the “Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative

Economists: Eliminating sales tax on food would aid low-income families in South Dakota

Economists: Eliminating sales tax on food would aid low-income families in South Dakota

Charging sales tax on food purchases is regressive by nature but is especially unfair to low-income South Dakotans who already spend a disproportionate amount of their income to meet basic needs, two prominent South Dakota economists said. Eliminating the sales tax on groceries could help alleviate some of the financial

Experts urge youth vaccinations, but COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is strong in South Dakota

Healthcare professionals say vaccinating young people against COVID-19 this summer is critical to reaching herd immunity against the virus and to protect youth against potentially devastating long-term effects of the virus. But many teenagers in South Dakota and other states have been slow to warm to vaccination, with some facing

‘Uncertainty About the Future’ — a June 3 online panel discussion hosted by South Dakota News Watch

‘Uncertainty About the Future’ — a June 3 online panel discussion hosted by South Dakota News Watch

Make plans now to tune in to a live South Dakota News Watch panel discussion in which experts share their views on why some state residents are pessimistic about what life will be like for future generations of South Dakotans. In the latest program within its “South Dakota Matters” series

Poll Part 3: South Dakotans support ballot initiative process and oppose lawmaker interference

Poll Part 3: South Dakotans support ballot initiative process and oppose lawmaker interference

Many South Dakotans feel that democracy is not working very well in America right now, but those same people are highly supportive of their own right to make law directly from the voting booth. According to a recent statewide poll, a wide majority of South Dakota residents supports the citizen-led

Poll Part 2: Why some South Dakotans are pessimistic about the future

Poll Part 2: Why some South Dakotans are pessimistic about the future

Long-standing economic hardships have prevented a sizable segment of the South Dakota population from achieving financial stability and prosperity, and those hurdles have resulted in a sense of pessimism for what awaits future generations, according to two experts who study the state economy. State and federal data routinely show that: