The rapid growth of electricity-hungry #DataCenters will extend the life of existing fossil-fuel power plants and result in more being built, according to NorthWestern Energy's president and CEO, who spoke at a public event in Sioux Falls.

A bill aiming to ban student use of #cellphones in South Dakota schools has a chance to be debated on the state Senate floor after the Senate Education Committee voted 5-2 to send it there without recommendation.

More than 40% of South Dakota parolees return to prison within three years of their release. In states with similar programs, the repeat offense rate for participating moms “is something like 2%.”

Lawmakers in the South Dakota House of Representatives endorsed a bill barring the purchase of soft drinks with benefits from the SNAP food assistance program. “A taxpayer-funded nutrition program should promote actual nutrition,” the bill's sponsor said.

🎧️ Searchlight Report 🎧️ is the new podcast from South Dakota Searchlight. In Ep. 3: Criticisms of “woke” funding derail a program, a resolution asks for prayers, a bill would limit utilities' liability for wildfires, Rhoden backs Noem, and a look at "The Data Center Divide."

South Dakota lawmakers have introduced at least 28 bills directly addressing #PropertyTaxes so far this legislative session as they look for ways to provide relief for taxpayers. “It’s going to be tough to get things exactly right, but we’re going to work at it,” one lawmaker said.

An official in Sully County, which is home to South Dakota’s largest data center, says the county would welcome more #DataCenters with “open arms.” Read the third story in South Dakota Searchlight’s four-part series, The Data Center Divide:

The race for governor is on in South Dakota, and so is the race to determine the state’s policy on incentives for #DataCenters before the next governor is elected. Read the first story in South Dakota Searchlight’s series, The Data Center Divide:

Searchlight Report podcast, Episode 3 🔊 Criticisms of “woke” funding derail a pretrial program, a resolution asks for prayers, and a bill advances that would limit utilities' liability for wildfires. Plus: Rhoden backs Noem, and a look at "The Data Center Divide." buff.ly/85BYKDo

Lawmakers in the state House of Representatives halted an effort to send a proposed repeal of expanded #Medicaid to South Dakota voters.

A measure that would ask South Dakota voters to restrict #EminentDomain in a state constitutional amendment is moving on to be heard by the state Senate. It passed the House on a 62-5 vote.

South Dakota voters should determine whether legislators need tighter #TermLimits, the state Senate decided. If the House agrees, the measure will be on the November general election ballot. Details:

South Dakota #Medicaid enrollment has stabilized after the state regularly disenrolled one of the highest percentages of Medicaid patients in the country each month last year. State officials say the changes are partly due to the implementation of automated renewals.

Announcing South Dakota Searchlight's new podcast, the Searchlight Report. Reporter and host Meghan O’Brien works with other Searchlight journalists to take listeners inside politics and policy in The Mount Rushmore State, including the annual legislative session. Episode 2: buff.ly/TXwdr0R

A bill to require a local election after any South Dakota school board decides to exceed property tax limitations advanced on a 4-3 committee vote at the Capitol in Pierre.

A South Dakota state representative was reassigned to different committees recently after tempers flared over a committee’s seating arrangement, in an episode one lawmaker described as “unprofessional and juvenile behavior.”

Here's a bit on the latest effort by South Dakota lawmakers to kinda-sorta regulate the gray market of pot-like hemp products. This one's fairly mild, and nothing compared to a "ban all hemp highs" bill up for debate tomorrow in a Senate committee.

Emails obtained by clean-water advocates show the state of South Dakota declined federal funding for decontamination stations to fight #ZebraMussels, which the advocates say is evidence the state isn’t taking the invasive threat seriously enough.

A committee of South Dakota lawmakers deadlocked on a bill that would remove a pool of economic development money known as the Future Fund from the governor’s exclusive control, leaving the bill to potentially be considered again later. Details from the hearing:

A day before lawmakers debate a bill that would dash his authority to dole out awards from an employer-funded pool of economic development dollars, Gov. Larry Rhoden signed an executive order to place “guardrails” on his use of the funds. More about the Future Fund debate: buff.ly/4PmLj9W

South Dakota Compliance Auditor Missy Lock, who was hired last summer to the new position in the Auditor’s Office, said there are plenty of people who “look at the books.” But something was missing. “Nobody’s looking at the bookkeepers,” Lock said. That’s her job now. Details: buff.ly/TcbqY41

South Dakota and the tribal nations in the state can make improvements for health care and public safety during the 2026 legislative session, #RosebudSiouxTribe President Kathleen Wooden Knife said. That and more from the State of the Tribes address ⬇️ buff.ly/mvQRHzu

People planning to testify at legislative committee hearings during the 2026 South Dakota legislative session must pre-register on the Legislature’s website, according to an announcement by the Legislative Research Council.

“I wonder how many first warnings we can get today,” a Minneapolis community patroller joked. Warnings ran out two days later. ICE agents "smashed in her car window, dragged her & her co-pilot out of the car, & held them for eight hours" in a federal building. minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/13/i...

A new task force in South Dakota aims to standardize the way information about previous misconduct by #police is collected and shared.

A flat funding proposal for schools, state employees and health care providers looks bad "in light of the revenue our state government has surrendered, the money it’s wasted, and the questions that have arisen about its spending," writes @sethtupper.bsky.social. Commentary:

Refugee resettlement fell sharply in South Dakota during the last federal fiscal year, and no #refugees have arrived in the state during the past 11 months, according to the agency that manages the program. See the numbers:

Alternative instruction enrollment continues to rise in South Dakota, breaking 12,000 students in 2025, according to data released recently by the state #Education Department. The growth comes as private and public school enrollment is declining in the state. buff.ly/HoVHluW

The CJ Schwan's company is benefiting from state aid approvals totaling $69 million. CJ Schwan's employs South Dakota's former commissioner of economic development and also has a corporate board member who chairs a state economic development board. buff.ly/ELIMj2E

No state that borders South Dakota has publicly confirmed a lethal overdose in a state prison in 2025. South Dakota has reported eight. buff.ly/HP0CA1I

A company benefiting from $69 million in state grant and loan approvals has South Dakota's former economic development chief as an employee and the chairman of the state's economic development board as a corporate board member. That's caused lawmakers to raise ethical questions.

Half the people released from #prison in South Dakota return within three years — the highest recidivism rate in at least the last eight years, a new report says. Corrections officials shared the report with members of the state's Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force. buff.ly/2B7jdjz

Fights and serious injuries spiked higher in South Dakota’s state #prisons last year than at any point since at least 2018, according to a report released by the state Department of Corrections. buff.ly/zVQ2T8r

There are 273 unidentified deceased Indigenous peoples across the country. In an effort to return them to their families, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and South Dakota are offering a free DNA drive this week. Via @ict-news.bsky.social buff.ly/69xU5Tg

Farmers across the country may soon receive a share of a $12 billion farm aid package, as promised by President Donald Trump. But some South Dakota #farmers say it’s not the change they want to see: “I would rather have trade deals than bailouts."

The South Dakota Board of Regents introduced proposed changes to the public university system’s housing and meal plan policy, in response to failed legislation to remove on-campus living requirements. buff.ly/Umc9hzE

Five years since an SD lawmaker successfully proposed legislation adding a Habitat Stamp fee to hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, it has funded 1,300 projects worth $14 million. A wildlife advocate calls it "one of the smartest investments hunters and anglers have ever made.”

Caitlynn Belliveau struggled to find work and support her family after losing her job amid Trump administration federal workforce reductions: "It’s crazy to me that this is being celebrated or something they’re proud about.” Third in a series ⬇️

Money is flowing to tribal public radio stations after U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD, brokered a deal to replace Corporation for #PublicBroadcasting funding that Congress rescinded. But the stations are concerned about their prospects for future appropriations.

South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden pushed back on a lawmaker’s suggestion that the agricultural industry should be more tightly regulated to improve water quality. “Rest assured,” Rhoden said, “he’s going to be set straight on a few of his issues in a very kind, civil way." buff.ly/LFstFGu

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama's new state Senate map was designed by an 18-year-old University of Alabama freshman who submitted his proposals, unsolicited, to a federal court hearing a lawsuit over the districts.

A 15-member task force established by South Dakota’s attorney general will review the state’s #OpenMeetings laws and ponder possible changes.

School districts have made some progress in addressing the national shortage of school bus drivers, but there still aren’t as many drivers as there were in 2019, according to a new study. Via @stateline.org

Five tribes in South Dakota want their congressional delegation to help restore funding for a research project led in part by a South Dakota genetics lab.

The rift between an oversight committee and South Dakota's #MedicalMarijuana industry widened as the committee approved 11 motions, some of which expressed support for tighter regulations. One industry representative called the group a "show committee." buff.ly/srunNEY

A state commission cleared the Rapid City Area School Board of allegations that it violated state transparency laws in its handling of a former superintendent’s contract termination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will pay for a portion of November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or #SNAP, the department said in a brief to a federal court in Rhode Island. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/5KHgd2d

Volunteers have pulled together one more search for Renzo Bullhead before winter sets in along a stretch of the Missouri River. "We can't breathe until we know," said the superintendent of McLaughlin High School, where Bullhead graduated. #MMIP buff.ly/TCE8m2N

Nearly 75,000 South Dakotans — roughly one in 12 residents — will lose #SNAP food assistance benefits if the federal government #shutdown persists into next week, state officials acknowledged.

Two days after a U.S. senator from South Dakota said he was encouraged by the desire of President Donald Trump to “do right” by American ranchers, Trump outraged many of them by rolling out a policy to import more #beef from Argentina.