Justice

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

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

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

In South Dakota, people convicted of crimes owe their victims millions of dollars in court-ordered restitution, but most of that debt is going unpaid and there is little remedy available for those harmed to get their money. In theory, ordering criminals to pay for damages they caused gives courts a

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

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

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