BART PFANKUCH/South Dakota News Watch

South Dakota News Watch
Detours and delays are part of year 2 of Black Hills roadwork
The second year of a three-year, $72 million effort to widen and straighten a 15-mile stretch of U.S. 385, the only north-south route through the region, is now fully underway. Most trips through the area will endure delays due to flaggers and pilot cars that allow only one-way traffic on gravel and
 
South Dakota birthing risks rise as another hospital ends service
“The unfortunate thing is we weren’t doing the safest things for everybody involved,” which included expectant mothers and their babies, Williams said of the hospital that delivered 107 babies in 2024. “This was a horrible decision for us and for the community.”
 
Bill to protect South Dakota farms from spying could limit access to data
As written, the bill also would add criminal penalties for using deception to enter or gain employment at an agricultural operation or to use cameras or other surveillance methods to spy on a farm or agricultural research facility. The bill also would make it a crime to interfere with or destroy cro
 
Southeast South Dakota surges ahead of Black Hills in tourism revenue
The retirees have enjoyed previous visits to the Black Hills region, long the powerhouse in attracting tourist visits and spending in the state. But for the past few years, they have instead decided to visit Watertown, in the northeast corner of the state, for what they said is a quieter, slower-pac
 
How a small South Dakota college became a national cyber powerhouse
Those factors have combined to build DSU into a university that has received well over $140 million in public and private donations over the past decade. The university has developed numerous working partnerships with government and private industry, and it’s expanding its campus with a massive rese
 
South Dakota city to scrap code enforcement crackdown
After weeks of negative feedback over a recent property code enforcement crackdown, the council voted to remove the International Property Maintenance Code from its ordinances. The first reading of the ordinance to rescind the code was approved, and it will take another affirmative vote and a few we
 
Property code enforcement a sore spot in some South Dakota towns
About 50 residents – roughly a quarter of the city’s adult population – attended a city council meeting on July 2 to air their grievances before the council. The only other pressing decision of the night was rubber-stamping a liquor license request for the annual stock show.