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Serenity still missing: One year later, SD girl’s fate unknown despite extensive search and investigation

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a new version on April 4, 2023, headlined: 2019 mystery still causing misery. ROCKERVILLE, S.D. – The most extensive investigation in western South Dakota and one of the most exhaustive searches in state history have failed to determine what happened to

A year after Serenity disappeared, broken hearts unable to heal

The passage of nearly a year since Serenity Dennard went missing has done little to soothe the hurt felt by those who love and miss her greatly. In fact, the idea that Serenity has been gone for a year and yet nothing certain is known about her whereabouts is haunting

New elk hunting season proposed to reduce feed loss and property damage on S.D. prairies

North American elk are returning to the prairies of western South Dakota after more than 100 years of absence, a migration seen as a win for wildlife conservation but which has farmers and ranchers bothered by feed losses and property damage. The herding of Rocky Mountain elk as far east

Effort begins to reduce risk of death of SD mothers during childbirth

New or expectant mothers in South Dakota — and across the United States — are dying during or after childbirth at higher rates than in nearly every other industrialized nation, and evidence suggests as many as 60% of maternal deaths are preventable. Nine mothers in South Dakota died in 2018 within a

As enrollment and revenues at SD universities fall, worries rise over possible program and personnel cuts

Total enrollment is on a steady decline in the public university system in South Dakota, forcing higher education officials to seek new sources of revenue, realign infrastructure and potentially cut programs or faculty positions. At South Dakota State University in Brookings — the state school with the highest enrollment — an unexpected

Surprise inspections part of oversight reforms for SD youth homes

For the first time in South Dakota, unannounced surprise inspections would be conducted at private youth treatment centers as part of a sweeping oversight reform package being pushed by Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem has proposed a major overhaul to how South Dakota oversees, inspects and updates the public about conditions

SD retailers face uphill battle for survival amid frequent market changes

The rapid and expansive transformation of the South Dakota retail marketplace has created uncertainty for many businesses and the more than 97,000 state residents employed within the industry. Retail sales remain on the rise, but the ongoing market disruptions — dramatic changes in who buys what, how and from where