South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger speaks to the state Senate Committee on Appropriations on Jan.
White House border czar Tom Homan virtually delivers the keynote address at the 44th Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Children’s
“I Voted Today” stickers for Nov. 5, 2024 voters. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A U.S. Supreme Court case
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Sept. 8, 2023, at The Monument in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Photo
Marijuana meant for South Dakota’s medical program is tagged as it dries at a Dakota Herb grow facility near Tea,
An MQ-9 Reaper approaches the runway at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 29, 2024. The 89th Attack Squadron,
Sioux Falls School District students learn in a classroom. (Courtesy of Sioux Falls School District) A South Dakota board voted
Absentee voting is available on the third floor of the Minnehaha County building in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ahead
Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club President Eric Erickson, left, discusses political discourse with David Wiltse, a South Dakota State University
Clockwise from top left are screenshots from the social media accounts of state House Speaker Jon Hansen, Aberdeen businessman Toby
Electric transmission lines near Clark. (Robert Zullo/States Newsroom) Xcel Energy is requesting a rate increase that would cause electric bills
A monument erected to victims of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre stands in the middle of the memorial and cemetery
Andrew Streff drives his combine while harvesting soybeans on Sept. 29, 2025, near Salem. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) SALEM —
The U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked into the night on the “big beautiful bill” on July 2, 2025. (Photo by
Bill Even sits with South Dakota Searchlight for an interview in Sioux Falls on Sept. 8, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota
Plastic flowers and American flags are placed atop graves at the Wounded Knee Memorial and cemetery on June 30, 2024.
Cody Kafka sits at his work desk in Mitchell with his new land purchase displayed on his computer screen on
South Dakota Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff presents the department’s budget to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations
A sign displays the names of South Dakota’s three elected public utilities commissioners outside of their Pierre office in January
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley speaks in his office about a Truth in Sentencing bill on March 5, 2025.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters during a press conference on March 31, 2025, at the state Capitol
Sen. Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, speaks on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 3, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Madison
A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A South Dakota economic
South Dakota Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff fields questions from advocates for people with disabilities on Sept. 10,
Grass grows on Sept. 5, 2025, along a part of the McCook Lake shore that was previously inundated with sediment.
A mountain lion in South Dakota’s Black Hills. (Courtesy of SD Game, Fish and Parks) The commission overseeing wildlife management
In this combination of images, carbon dioxide pipeline opponents attend a rally Jan. 13, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre,
A letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the state of South Dakota, demanding the removal
Wind turbines spin against the setting sun just north of Watertown along Interstate 29 in 2023. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks to Rotary members on April 17, 2025, at the Elks Lodge
A dragonfly rests on a blade of prairie grass in western South Dakota. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A bipartisan group
South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson speaks during a press conference about election security and integrity on Oct. 9,
Kimberlee Browne uses a brush to clear metal shards from the cutting deck of precision machining equipment at Lake Area
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, fields questions during a roundtable discussion at Avera Behavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls
The South Dakota State Capitol at Pierre in December 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A state commission found Monday in
Toby Doeden announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor of South Dakota during an event on May 28,
South Dakota Board of Regents member Pam Roberts participates in a December 2023 board meeting in Brookings. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
South Dakota Board of Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes participates in a meeting Dec. 14, 2023, in Brookings. (Makenzie Huber/South
Members of the South Dakota House of Representatives meet on Feb. 4, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Seth Tupper/South
A Sioux Falls resident votes in the 2024 general election on Nov. 5 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. (Makenzie Huber/South
Sen. Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, speaks on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 3, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, announces his 2026 campaign for governor during an event on June 30, 2025, at
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wears a “Make Towers Great Again” hat during an event to announce his “Build
Hughes County Deputy Josh Larson guides Lonna Carroll into the courthouse in Pierre on April 2, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota
Former South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard endorses U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson’s 2026 run for governor on June 30, 2025, in
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to the media during a press conference on March 13, 2025, at the Capitol
Malcolm and Morgan Speichinger stand in the backyard of their McCook Lake home on June 11, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota
State Sen. Joy Hohn, R-Hartford, listens to debate on the South Dakota Senate floor on Feb. 10, 2025. (John Hult/South
A sign displays the names of South Dakota’s three elected public utilities commissioners outside of their Pierre office in January
Sioux Falls Rotarian Kersten Johnson, left, moderates a panel discussion including Applied Digital’s Nick Phillips on June 16, 2025, at
Jodi Fick stands in the children’s section of Siouxland Libraries’ downtown Sioux Falls location. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) Her career
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to the media during a press conference on March 13, 2025, at the Capitol
Feeding South Dakota’s Rapid City location on May 30, 2025. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota’s largest hunger-relief organization says
Shelly Ten Napel, CEO of the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, participates in a debate on Sept. 19, 2024,
Toby Doeden announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor of South Dakota during an event on May 28,
A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Members of the Governor’s
Attorney General Marty Jackley listens to testimony at a Project Prison Reset meeting on April 29, 2025, in Springfield. (John
A section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall near El Paso, Texas, on June 6, 2024. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)
