Joshua Haiar.

Landowners Mark Lapka, left, and Jared Bossly (holding petitions with about 2,000 signatures) speak at the South Dakota Capitol in

State Rep. Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, speaks in the South Dakota House chamber on Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South

Rep. Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, testifies in favor of a bill before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at the

Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, speaks in the South Dakota Senate on Jan. 28, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo

Americans for Prosperity lobbyist Don Haggar testifies on a bill before the House State Affairs Committee at the South Dakota

Sen. Steve Kolbeck, R-Brandon, testifies on Jan. 27, 2026, to the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee at the South Dakota

The South Dakota Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Pierre during the 2024 legislative session. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

The entrance to the South Dakota Supreme Court at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Gov. Larry Rhoden listens to a question at his first press conference of the 2026 legislative session on Jan. 15,

Rep. Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham, speaks during a committee hearing at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre on Jan. 23, 2026.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks at the Dakotafest agricultural trade show in Mitchell, South Dakota, on Aug. 20,

Sen. Sue Peterson, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 6, 2025, at the Capitol in

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley speaks during a press conference on Dec. 19, 2025, in Sioux Falls. (Photo by

Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, testifies to the South Dakota Senate Local Government Committee on Jan. 22, 2025, at the Capitol

A sign identifies the Homestake Mining Co. Hydro Electric Plant No.2, built in 1917, in Spearfish Canyon. (Photo courtesy of

Zebra mussels at Lewis and Clark Lake near Yankton, South Dakota. (Photo courtesy of Sam Stukel/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, participates in a meeting of the Joint Committee on Appropriations on Jan. 14, 2026, at

Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, listens to testimony during a state Senate Education Committee meeting on Jan. 16, 2024, at the

Workers lay fiber-optic cable at a broadband expansion site near Colton, South Dakota, in May 2023. (Photo by Joshua Haiar/South

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, announces his 2026 campaign for governor during an event on June 30, 2025, at

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, right, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen take questions from the media following a state grant

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, right, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen take questions from the media following a state grant

Jeff Erickson takes notes during a state Banking Commission meeting in Sioux Falls on Dec. 22, 2025. Erickson is the

A sign identifies a CJ Schwan’s office in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in September 2025. (Photo by South Dakota

A sign identifies a CJ Schwan’s office in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in September 2025. (Photo by South Dakota

South Dakota’s State Economist Derek Johnson shares an economic update with the state Banking Commission in Sioux Falls on Dec.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley speaks during a launch event for his U.S. House campaign on Sept. 9, 2025,

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden presents his 2025 budget address to lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre on Dec. 2,

The sun sets on Nov. 7, 2025, behind land near Worthing, South Dakota, that has been improved with money from

A section of Blue Dog Lake shoreline before and after the implementation of a South Dakota state government program paying

State Sen. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 6, 2025. (Photo by Makenzie

Booths stand ready for early city-school election voters in May 2025 at the Pennington County Administration Building in Rapid City.

Drinks advertised as THC- and cannabis-infused on the shelves of a Rapid City store in July 2024. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota

Relatives of the late U.S. Army Corp. Harvey Henle unveil a bridge dedication sign honoring him on Nov. 11, 2025.

A November 2025 view of a portion of the Pete Lien & Sons Shooting Sports Complex, about 10 miles north

State Rep. Josephine Garcia, R-Watertown, listens to a presentation during a House Education Committee on Jan. 22, 2025, at the

The offices of the Rapid City Area Schools. (Kaylie Tupper/for South Dakota Searchlight) A state commission on Monday cleared the

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

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 —

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

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)