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South Dakota restaurants battle for survival amid pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit South Dakota restaurants harder than just about any other industry in the state. Six months into the pandemic, with the state economy mostly open for business, restaurants across the state are still struggling to make ends meet and keep their doors open as patrons and

Many SD teachers on their own when adding safety barriers in classrooms

South Dakota public school teachers are largely on their own when it comes to building and installing protective barriers for their classrooms that may reduce the spread of the coronavirus among their students and themselves. With no statewide policy in place, and little or no guidance from individual school districts,

As COVID-19 cases rise, experts question effectiveness of contact tracing in SD and across the US

Editor’s note: This article was produced through a partnership between South Dakota News Watch and the Solutions Journalism Network, a national non-profit group that supports rigorous journalism about responses to problems. PIERRE, S.D. – Public health experts are questioning the extent and effectiveness of contact-tracing efforts in South Dakota

Financially strapped renters in SD seek help to avoid eviction amid COVID-19 pandemic

Many people who rent homes or apartments in South Dakota are hurting financially during the pandemic, causing large numbers of renters to ask for public assistance or charitable help to stave off eviction and maintain a stable residence. More than twice as many South Dakotans have looked to taxpayers or

Smoking, and possibly vaping, can increase risks of serious health consequences from COVID-19

A growing body of medical research shows that cigarette smokers and possibly e-cigarette users face a significantly higher risk for serious complications from COVID-19 than non-users. Medical professionals across the country are also worried that smoking or vaping may increase a person’s chances of getting COVID-19 in the first

Experts: Wave of bankruptcies likely in SD as pandemic stifles incomes and aid runs out

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic hardships it is causing will likely result in a wave of personal, farm and small-business bankruptcies in South Dakota and beyond in the coming months that will be both a result and a cause of a wider economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus. So

Update: 93 COVID-19 cases in outbreak at Camp Judson youth facility near Keystone

At least 93 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to Camp Judson, a popular Christian youth summer camp located in the Black Hills, the South Dakota Department of Health has confirmed. On Aug. 3, state health officials said that about one-third of the South Dakota residents who attended the high-school