South Dakota tops nation in drunken driving-related fatalities over Thanksgiving weekend
More than half of fatal crashes over the holiday have been alcohol-related.
Justice
News Watch to host training for journalists on covering criminal cases
"Lost In Court: A Journalist’s Guide to Covering Criminal Cases" will help South Dakota journalists and students gain credibility and confidence in navigating what can be a daunting assignment
Tribe bans Dupree educators from reservation over child abuse allegations
DUPREE, S.D. — A child abuse allegation against a teacher at Dupree Elementary School prompted the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to take the unusual step of banning the teacher, a principal and the superintendent from reservation lands where the public school is located.
As a result, the three employees have
Jail reform effort gives inmates skills and county budgets a break
RAPID CITY, S.D. – A new education program for jail inmates in Pennington County aims to break the cycle of repeated incarceration among people who are addicted, have mental health challenges or lack the skills to function in society.
Pennington County Sheriff Brian Mueller recently announced the coming launch of
Two federal judge seats remain open in South Dakota despite busy caseload
For the past 20 months, South Dakota’s U.S. District Court has had a judicial vacancy waiting to be filled by President Joe Biden’s administration, prompting political scrutiny of the process and a shuffling of workloads for other federal judges.
Now the situation enters a new realm of
Serenity Dennard disappearance: 2019 mystery still causing misery
One of the biggest mysteries in all of South Dakota — the unknown fate of 9-year-old Serenity Dennard — elicits one singular emotion more than any other for those who loved, cared for or searched for the precocious girl who disappeared from a Black Hills youth home more than four years ago.
Back to school or off to jail: Legislators seek update to South Dakota juvenile justice assessment system
One of the key tenets of juvenile justice reform in South Dakota – keeping low-level youth offenders out of custody in favor of rehabilitative services and a return to public school attendance – is causing headaches for South Dakota education officials, who say they are not equipped to deal with habitual offenders