South Dakota is the fourth state in the country to commit to President Donald Trump’s federal education tax credit program, Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden announced Friday in Sioux Falls.

The Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump appears to live on after the head of a nonpartisan state agency appointed himself the new prosecutor in the case.

Firm tied to #KristiNoem secretly got money from $220 million DHS ad contracts, reports @propublica.org.

First freeze dates across South Dakota are trending later in the year since 1970 (12 days later in Sioux Falls, 13 in Mitchell and seven in Rapid City), which has lengthened the growing season while prolonging risks from weeds, pests and wildfires.

Black Hills Energy was using a phased approach to restore electricity as a widespread power outage that began early Thursday afternoon stretched into the evening, affecting thousands in Rapid City and the surrounding region.

A committee of South Dakota lawmakers expressed support for legislative efforts to rein in powers that some committee members said former Gov. #KristiNoem abused. The efforts address the use of state credit cards and an economic development fund under the governor's control. buff.ly/6yZgD9m

The record 43-day government #shutdown cost the U.S. economy about $15 billion per week, White House Council of Economic Advisers Director Kevin Hassett told reporters. Via @statesnewsroom.com

State Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, called the #Education Department's review the “worst performing report that we have” and said Department Secretary Joe Graves faces an “uphill battle.” southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/11/13/s...

Congress has roughly two months to find bipartisan agreement to curb rising health insurance costs if lawmakers want to avoid another government #shutdown. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/SwoIJ0x

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

South Dakota's Rep. Dusty Johnson voted yes, and the U.S. House approved a spending package that will reopen the government and end the longest #shutdown in the nation’s history, once President Donald Trump signs the legislation into law. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/1HHsoLD

The Trump administration will release full benefits for most participants in #SNAP, the nation’s major federal nutrition program, within 24 hours of the reopening of the federal government, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson said. Via @statesnewsroom.com

South Dakota sellers of #hemp based products ranging from seltzers to lotions fear that a provision in federal legislation will result in the products "getting ripped away."

The U.S. House plans to approve a stopgap spending bill this evening that will end the record-breaking 43-day government #shutdown once President Trump signs it. House Republican leaders need nearly all of their members to back the deal. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/1HHsoLD

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden is looking for parole board applicants. He needs to appoint a replacement for Ken Albers, the former Lincoln County sheriff, state lawmaker and 15-year parole board member who announced his retirement from the board last week. buff.ly/Xy8Shce

U.S. House Democrats investigating the late sex offender #JeffreyEpstein released emails they say show President Trump knew about the financier’s abuse of underage girls. In a 2011 correspondence, for example, Epstein wrote that Trump “spent hours at my house” with a victim. buff.ly/gmduzp8

South Dakota's $1 billion application to a new federal rural health fund — which was created in response to concerns about Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — includes a plan to modernize telehealth and data-sharing efforts. See more highlights: buff.ly/cBc96ne

Delayed #SNAP food assistance benefits will be loaded onto payment cards overnight, South Dakota officials said Tuesday, but recipients will receive only a portion of their usual benefits. The state hopes to load the rest later, after the federal government #shutdown ends. buff.ly/D2cdc9R

South Dakota dedicated six bridges to fallen #WorldWarII veterans on #VeteransDay. “When folks drive by, that’s somebody’s loved one, and it’s a good way to keep their memory alive," said an honoree's nephew. buff.ly/ETmWzrR

Kentucky’s U.S. senators sparred over the future of the country’s #hemp industry — one arguing that a provision attached to the package that will reopen the government will close a problematic loophole and the other contending the language will regulate the industry “to death.” buff.ly/PKmWmCZ

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe argues in new court documents that a federal judge was wrong to dismiss its latest lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the #DakotaAccessPipeline.The lawsuit seeks to shut the pipeline down. Via @northdakotamonitor.com

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, said a stopgap spending bill to reopen the federal government includes $21.9 million worth of funding he requested for projects in South Dakota. See the list: buff.ly/COrdoJ8

A year out from the 2026 midterm elections, legal fights and procedural maneuvering over ballot measures and referendums are already well underway in states across the country. Via @stateline.org

The U.S. Senate approved a stopgap spending bill that will end the longest government #shutdown in American history. The 60-40 vote sends the updated funding package back to the House, which is expected to clear it sometime during the next few days for President Trump’s signature. buff.ly/nUnU9Ay

After a weekend procedural vote, the U.S. Senate was on track to approve a stopgap spending bill Monday that would end the longest government #shutdown in American history once the measure becomes law later this week.

President Donald Trump pardoned his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other people allegedly involved in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, but the president’s federal pardon does not shield members of the group from state charges. See a list of the pardons:

The SD Department of Social Services says it began preparations over the weekend to issue partial #SNAP food assistance benefits, but the department is also keeping open the possibility that it could pay full benefits. In either case, benefits won’t come until “later this week.”

Calls to retain South Dakota’s current #math standards continued at the latest state Board of Education Standards meeting, as opponents flagged a proposed rewrite of the standards as overly simplistic. southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/11/10/m...

The United States Supreme Court has declined to revisit the 2015 landmark ruling that gave same-sex couples marriage equality, a failure for former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. From @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social: kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/10/k...

Health care workers flocked to town halls or online portals during the seven weeks state leaders had to craft and submit their applications for the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, reports @kffhealthnews.org.

Seven U.S. Senate Democrats and one independent joined Republicans in advancing legislation to reopen the government and temporarily keep it afloat until the end of January, after a record-breaking #shutdown that began Oct. 1. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/T9WicUW

A deal is within reach to end the longest federal government #shutdown in history, as it appears enough U.S. Senate Democrats have agreed to join Republicans to temporarily keep the government afloat until the end of January. Details from @statesnewsroom.com: buff.ly/T9WicUW

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 latest memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service said states should fund 65% of benefits for users of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or #SNAP, often called food stamps. Via @statesnewsroom.com buff.ly/EHlAJPV

An inmate died in South Dakota Department of Corrections custody, adding another name to a list of in-custody deaths that’s higher than the state has seen in recent memory.

One day after saying it would pay full #SNAP food assistance benefits on time this month, the South Dakota Department of Social Services said it’s pausing that plan because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision. buff.ly/xp5oL0a

Writing about deadly strikes on ocean vessels, Rick Snedeker says "South Dakota’s all-Republican congressional delegation, with the possible exception of Rep. Dusty Johnson, hasn’t gotten very exercised about this very questionable Trump grab of congressional power." Commentary:

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court’s order that the Trump administration pay for a full month of food benefits, hours after some states began loading funds on payment cards. South Dakota had said earlier Friday that it planned to pay full #SNAP benefits Monday. buff.ly/OPbCfMC

More than 1,000 flights had been canceled by Friday evening, compared with just more than 200 on Thursday. The reductions are designed to help ease the strain on air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay during the government #shutdown. Via @statesnewsroom.com

Senators said they'll remain in town for the weekend, a sign negotiations may be picking up to approve a stopgap spending measure and end the government #shutdown. “Our members are going to be advised to be available if there’s a need to vote,” said Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD.

The SD Department of Social Services is projecting a Monday payment date for November #SNAP benefits, which is the normal date that benefits are loaded on payment cards. The announcement came after the USDA said it was releasing full November funding for the food assistance program. buff.ly/HFV3yFR

The state of South Dakota opened its $20 million, 400-acre shooting range complex located north of Rapid City. buff.ly/WF356RY

The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states it was releasing full November funding for the nation’s major food assistance program that helps 42 million people afford groceries, complying with a federal court order. Via @statesnewsroom.com #SNAP buff.ly/HFV3yFR

It is kind of amazing South Dakota is the home of both Majority Leader John Thune and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the state's former governor. A recent excellent story by the Searchlight involving Noem: southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/10/d...

An example of how @statesnewsroom.com serves readers -- we in DC do a story on the War Powers Resolution vote in the US Senate & @southdakotasearchlight.com fills in details for South Dakota on how SD senators--including the majority leader -- voted southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/11/06/r...

We’re live! Tune into our new weekly podcast, Stories From The States. In our first episode, host @fitzsimon.bsky.social talks about federal cuts that are jeopardizing Medicaid coverage. www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stor... #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism

States are moving in sharply different directions on the #DeathPenalty, with some looking to broaden when and how executions occur while others try to scale them back or end them entirely, reports @stateline.org.

South Dakota's Thune and Rounds voted no, and a joint resolution to stop President Donald Trump’s deadly strikes on alleged drug-running boats off the coast of Venezuela failed in the U.S. Senate, nearly mirroring the outcome of a similar #WarPowers vote last month.

An agreement to end the federal government #shutdown remained elusive as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, said “I think the clear path forward here, with regard to the ACA issue, is they get a vote, and we open up the government ...” Via @statesnewsroom.com

While the federal government shutdown threatens #SNAP food assistance benefits, three South Dakota counties have some of the highest percentages of federal food assistance participation in the country.