Latest South Dakota Headlines
All the headlines from our South Dakota Topic Page, ordered by recency.
South Dakota AG Thought He Hit a Deer; It Was a Man
Sep 16 2020 // South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg said in a statement late on Sept. 14 that he realized he had struck and killed a man walking along a rural stretch of highway only after returning to the scene the next day and...
South Dakota to Stop Issuing Temporary Insurance Producer Licenses
Sep 11 2020 // The South Dakota Division of Insurance is terminating its program of allowing temporary insurance producer licenses. The division issued a bulletin in April that outlined grounds for the issuance of temporary insurance...
S.D. Governor Disputes Report Tying COVID-19 Case Surge to Motorcycle Rally
Sep 8 2020 // South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has dismissed as “fiction” a recent study published by San Diego State University that ties the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August to a massive surge in COVID-19 cases and...
Revved by South Dakota’s Sturgis Rally, Virus Infections Move Fast, Far
Aug 25 2020 // The hundreds of thousands of bikers who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have departed western South Dakota, but public health departments in multiple states are trying to measure how much and how quickly the...
FBI Investigating South Dakota COVID-19 Data Breach Linked to Netsential
Aug 24 2020 // The FBI is investigating a data breach that may have compromised the identity of people with the COVID-19 virus in South Dakota. Paul Niedringhaus, who directs the South Dakota Fusion Center that handles emergency calls,...
Phone Use While Driving a 1st Offence in South Dakota on July 1
Jun 30 2020 // Drivers in South Dakota who use their cellphones can be pulled over and ticketed purely for that offense starting July 1. A new state law taking effect July 1 makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to use a cellphone while driving...
No Aid for South Dakota Residents After Sinkhole Collapse, FEMA Says
Jun 22 2020 // Several South Dakota residents who evacuated from their homes after a sinkhole collapsed, exposing an abandoned mine, in April are not eligible to receive federal aid, according to the Federal Emergency Management...
COVID-19 Keeps 100s Off the Job at South Dakota Smithfield Plant
Jun 18 2020 // Hundreds of workers are still absent from the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to union leaders. AFL-CIO secretary treasurer BJ Motley says between 800 and 1,200 of...
South Dakota Motorcycle Rally Still On After Sturgis Council Vote
Jun 17 2020 // The roar of motorcycles will return to South Dakota’s Black Hills this summer with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, but with some major modifications. The Sturgis City Council has voted to proceed with preparations for...
South Dakota Property Owners Sue Over Recently Exposed Mine, Sinkhole
May 29 2020 // Residents of a Black Hawk, South Dakota, neighborhood where a sinkhole has exposed an abandoned mine endangering their properties have filed a $75.5 million lawsuit claiming government entities and private developers were...
South Dakota Bull Facility Faces $122.6K in Penalties After Employee Dies
May 27 2020 // A South Dakota bull stud facility faces penalties of more than $122,000 after being cited by federal officials following a worker fatality. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
Man Dies in Fall at South Dakota Construction Site
May 15 2020 // A 24-year-old man died on May 12 in a fall at a downtown Sioux Fall, South Dakota, construction site, police said. Police were called around 10:45 a.m. about a man injured at the construction site of the First Premier Bank...
Meat Workers Taking Leave, Quitting as Plants Reopen Amid Coronavirus Scare
May 6 2020 // America’s meat-processing plants are starting to reopen but not all workers are showing up. Some still fear they’ll get sick after coronavirus outbreaks shut more than a dozen facilities last month. Employees...
South Dakota’s Security Insurance Joins Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance
May 5 2020 // Security Insurance Group Inc. (SIG) of Pierre, South Dakota, has joined Midwest Insurance Agency Alliance (MIAA), a network of insurance agencies across seven states. Founded in 2012, SIG is a full-service insurance agency...
Smithfield South Dakota Plant Eyes Reopening as U.S. Issues Meatpacking Guidance
Apr 27 2020 // South Dakota’s governor on April 27 said she hopes Smithfield’s Sioux Falls pork processing plant can reopen soon, a day after U.S. labor regulators urged the meat industry to adopt certain measures to prevent...
South Dakota COVID-19 Cases at Meat Plant Top 1,000; One Worker Dies
Apr 17 2020 // The number of people testing positive for the coronavirus in South Dakota has surpassed 1,100 and more than half of those cases have some connection to the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls. Health...
Smithfield’s South Dakota Pork Plant Closed After 100s Test Positive for Virus
Apr 14 2020 // Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus — a step...
South Dakota’s Noem Allows Businesses to Stay Open but Backs Limit on Group Size
Apr 8 2020 // As mayors, nurses and doctors across South Dakota urged Gov. Kristi Noem to take action to restrict daily activity, the Republican governor on April 6 dialed up the pressure on businesses and people to curb the spread of...
Company to Pay South Dakota $3.4M in 911 Call System Lawsuit
Mar 19 2020 // South Dakota officials have announced the state will receive $3.4 million in a settlement with the company that used to provide its 911 call system. After a series of alleged 911 call failures, the state decided to switch...
High Rivers, Saturated Soil in South Dakota: A Recipe for Spring Flooding
Mar 10 2020 // Southeastern South Dakota is only one heavy rain or snow storm away from major flooding this spring. While Sioux Falls got a fraction of snow during February, there’s still an elevated risk of flooding. City, county...
