Rural
Total 200 Posts
Half of the state's residents live outside of Sioux Falls and Rapid City, and South Dakota News Watch has a full-time reporter dedicated to covering those regions with stories that highlight its people.
Lack of enforcement of regulations allows some South Dakota farmers to illegally convert wetlands to croplands
Wildlife and water quality in South Dakota are sometimes put at unnecessary risk due to a lack of oversight and accountability of farmers who illegally drain their properties or convert protected wetlands into farmable acreage.
In addition, those who violate the law frequently avoid punishment when they are caught or
Special report part 2: CO2 pipelines could affect the land, lives and livelihoods of SD property owners
Editor’s note: This article was produced through a partnership between South Dakota News Watch and the Solutions Journalism Network, a national non-profit group that supports rigorous journalism about responses to problems. This is Part 2 of a two-part series; Part 1 published on May 2, 2022.
Peggy Hoogestraat is
Special report: Proposed CO2 pipelines thrust South Dakota into billion-dollar debate over carbon capture technology and climate change
Editor’s note: This article was produced through a partnership between South Dakota News Watch and the Solutions Journalism Network, a national non-profit group that supports rigorous journalism about responses to problems. This is Part 1 of a two-part series; Part 2 publishes May 10, 2022.
So far, most of
Pending closure and poor care at Ipswich nursing home latest outcomes of staffing crisis
IPSWICH, S.D. – A crisis at the nursing home in Ipswich illustrates the two worst potential outcomes of staffing shortages affecting long-term care facilities across the state: possible nursing home closures and troubling incidents of inadequate resident care.
A shortage of staff was given as one reason that officials for
Federal money provides much-needed boost to capacity of Lewis & Clark water system
The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, which serves Sioux Falls and other population centers in eastern South Dakota, has received a record amount of federal funding at just the right time to accommodate surging populations and drought conditions.
The new money will move the original system closer to full
Decline in freshwater mussels an indicator of poor river and stream health in South Dakota
Nestled in the silt, sand or fine gravel of South Dakota’s rivers and streams live some of the state’s least appreciated yet most ecologically important creatures — freshwater mussels.
Their names spark the imagination: Fatmucket, White Heelsplitter, Higgins Eye, Round Pigtoe, Giant Floater, Plain Pocketbook, Fawnsfoot.
Usually hidden beneath
Bills would allow South Dakota Native Americans to hunt, fish and visit state parks for free
Native Americans from South Dakota would be able to hunt or fish anywhere in the state for free and visit or camp in state parks without paying fees under two bills under consideration by the state Legislature.
House Bill 1141 would allow enrolled members of a federally recognized Indian tribe