Politics

County auditors focus on preventing hackers, ensuring election security

Some county auditors in South Dakota are getting nearly daily security updates from the Department of Homeland Security. At least one has thwarted hacking attempts already and many are leaning heavily on the state’s information technology specialists as they prepare for the midterm elections. The auditors are responsible for

Coveted Independent voters may choose next SD governor

As the Nov. 6 election approaches, the two established political parties in South Dakota are working furiously to attract voters from a somewhat mysterious yet growing and increasingly influential voting bloc: Independents. Republicans and Democrats in South Dakota are making phone calls and knocking on doors to convince the 126,

Work camps, traffic concern residents along Keystone XL route

PHILIP, S.D. – In the next six months, two cities will arise on the South Dakota prairie with populations larger than most of the existing towns west of the Missouri River. Two similar cities will be built in 2020. The temporary towns will exist for up to two years, include

South Dakota counties on hook for Keystone XL protest costs

A group of mostly rural South Dakota counties could be responsible for millions of dollars in costs related to any protests that arise over construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline in the state. The outlay would be required before the state kicks in any disaster money to pay for the

South Dakota governor hopefuls address river quality issues

As part of its ongoing Rivers at Risk project, South Dakota News Watch reached out to the two major party candidates for South Dakota governor to ask what each would do to reduce pollution and improve the quality of state waterways. Here are statements emailed to News Watch by U.

Bridge program pits S.D. counties against each other for limited money

South Dakota’s counties and cities are making progress in the overwhelming task of repairing and replacing hundreds of deteriorating bridges. But the competition for state grant money that helps with costs is increasingly aggressive, in some cases pitting counties with more money against those who have little in the

SD school districts increasingly rely on tax opt-outs to aid strained budgets

While South Dakota teachers have earned raises over the past two years courtesy of a new half-cent sales tax, school districts across the state continue to struggle with their budgets. Nominal increases in state aid to education have crippled local budgets and caused many districts to consider significant programming cuts