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Damaging debt: Three SD grads share stories of struggling to pay college costs

Thousands of South Dakota residents are living under a cloud of uncertainty and worry created by outstanding loans acquired in order to get a higher education. The high monthly payments and seemingly insurmountable principal amounts carry an emotional toll, but also limit their ability to live out their dreams and

Risky youth behaviors harder to track in SD

South Dakota parents, educators and health officials are facing a four-year gap in data about risky youth behaviors related to drinking and drug use, sexual activity and eating habits. The lack of information about what young people are actually doing can impair efforts at the state and local levels to

Truck crash sends Roundup and other herbicides into Big Sioux River

Truck crash sends Roundup and other herbicides into Big Sioux River

As much as 900 gallons of agricultural chemicals – including the primary component of the weed-killer Roundup – flowed into the Big Sioux River after a truck rolled over and spilled its load near Estelline in eastern South Dakota in late June, South Dakota News Watch has confirmed. The liquid herbicides that

Cheese plant violates pollution limits

LAKE NORDEN, S.D. – The newly expanded Agropur cheese plant in Lake Norden faces a possible fine from state regulators after tests showed the plant’s wastewater that is dumped directly into the Big Sioux River violated state pollution limits in four categories. Tests of the wastewater released in the

State officials scramble to respond after zebra mussels found in Lake Sharpe

Lake Sharpe has become the second major Missouri River reservoir in South Dakota to be infested with invasive zebra mussels, raising fears that millions of dollars in mitigation may be needed and that new restrictions could be placed on those who use the lake for boating, fishing and recreation. The

Juvenile drug arrests rise in SD despite reform efforts

Over the past decade, South Dakota saw a significant increase in the number of juveniles arrested for drug crimes, and officials see few signs that the arrests will fall anytime soon despite recent reforms of the state juvenile justice system. According to state crime data, the number of youths arrested

Risk of death on highways rises during July 4 holiday

A new study proves what many drivers and law enforcement officials already believed: that the rate of highway fatalities, including alcohol-related fatalities, rises significantly during the annual Fourth of July holiday across the United States and even more so in South Dakota. The rate of highway deaths during the Independence