Makenzie Huber.

Sen. Sue Peterson, R-Sioux Falls, speaks to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 9, 2026, at the South Dakota

Michael Houdyshell, left, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Revenue, testifies to the Legislature’s Senate Taxation Committee on Feb.

The South Dakota House of Representatives meets on Feb. 6, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South

Republican state Rep. Leslie Heinemann of Flandreau introduced legislation that would allow health care providers to refuse patients treatment due

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on March 5, 2025, at the Capitol in

Rep. Kent Roe, R-Hayti, listens to a committee hearing at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre on Jan. 23, 2026.

Sioux Falls residents vote in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Photo by Makenzie

The South Dakota House of Representatives convenes on Feb. 5, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota lawmakers

The South Dakota House of Representatives meets on Feb. 6, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs House Bill 1044, appropriating funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program, at a private

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

Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, listens to a committee hearing on Jan. 20, 2026, at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre.

South Dakota Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff presents the department’s budget to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations

Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, listens to a speaker on the South Dakota House floor on March 3, 2025, at

Laura Ringling, senior policy adviser to Gov. Larry Rhoden, speaks at a press conference on Jan. 15, 2026, at the

South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger speaks to the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee on Jan. 14,

A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota

A sign identifies the State Auditor’s Office at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Half a

Students attend school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Courtesy of Sioux Falls School District) South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden

Graduates are gathered for a commencement ceremony at South Dakota Mines on May 10, 2025, in Rapid City. (Photo by

Sara Friedman, program director of the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments, presents to the South Dakota Correctional

South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger speaks to reporters in his Capitol office on Dec. 2,

An equal justice statue stands outside the doors of the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

The South Dakota Board of Regents meets on Dec. 11, 2025, at the University of South Dakota-Sioux Falls. (Photo by

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, answers questions during a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce event on Aug. 28,

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

Daryl Zimmerman is president of the South Dakota Federation of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. (Photo by

Caitlynn Belliveau worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Sioux Falls until she accepted a buyout as part of

Thom Adamson left his role as a science communicator at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS)

Liz Renner is pictured on Nov. 4, 2025, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She worked for the U.S. Fish and

Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks at a town hall in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Nov. 20, 2025. (Photo by

Cows stand side by side for milking at Boadwine Farms in Baltic, South Dakota. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to media during an announcement at the St. Joseph Academy in Sioux Falls on

Students attend class. (Courtesy of Sioux Falls School District) The South Dakota Department of Education deserves a failing grade, according

The main campus of Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota, on a December day in 2022. Monument Health is

The website of the South Dakota Department of Social Services displays a sample EBT card, which is what participants in

A tribal Head Start site for early childhood education in Agency Village on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South

State Rep. Greg Jamison, R-Sioux Falls, listens to a speaker during an interim legislative committee meeting on Oct. 29, 2025,

South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s logo at its downtown Sioux Falls studio. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Private fundraising will

South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson testifies before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 11, 2025, at

From left, Rotarian Barry Sackett moderates a panel on food insecurity with Feeding South Dakota Executive Director Lori Dykstra, Church

Members of the South Dakota Legislature’s Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force meet on July 16, 2025, at the Ramkota in

Buprenorphine tablets, which are used to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) The South

A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A legislative task force

A crowd estimated at more than 3,000 people participates in a No Kings protest on Oct. 18, 2025, in downtown

Over 260 South Dakotans colored 4,321 paper dolls to represent the number of children affected by the state’s funding reduction

A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) The state Board of

Harrisburg School District Superintendent Jennifer Lowery speaks at a Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary meeting on Sept. 29, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South

The University of South Dakota campus. (Courtesy of University of South Dakota) A University of South Dakota art professor facing

Rep. Peri Pourier, D-Rapid City, speaks on the House floor on March 3, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota

A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A legislative task force

A students works in the Division of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the University of South Dakota. (Courtesy of the

Nikki Gronli speaks in downtown Sioux Falls on Sept. 10, 2025, during the formal launch of her campaign for South

Sioux Falls residents vote in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota

Nikki Gronli, former state rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Biden administration, participates in a

The campus of Lake Area Technical College in Watertown. (Courtesy of Lake Area Technical College) Leaders of the state’s technical

A person shields a cellphone with their arm while reading a book. (Photo illustration by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Platte-Geddes

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, answers questions during a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce event on Aug. 28,

Billy Mawhiney, a Democrat from Sioux Falls, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. House. (Courtesy of Billy Mawhiney) Sioux

Solar panels are installed at a private residence on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota in late 2024.

From left, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Nebraska’s Jim Pillen and South Dakota’s Larry Rhoden participate in the Tri-State Governors’ Conference in

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, speaks to the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 22, 2025, in

The High Plains Processing plant is expected to open in mid-October south of Mitchell. (Photo courtesy of Janelle Atyeo) MITCHELL

South Dakota Public Broadcasting Executive Director Julie Overgaard holds a press conference at the Sioux Falls SDPB studio on Aug.

South Dakota Republican congressional delegates, from left, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Dusty Johnson speak

A cow in a pasture near Eureka in September 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota State University is working

The Dakota Plains Legal Services office in Rapid City, pictured on Aug. 14, 2025. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) A nonprofit

The Biliaze family, including parents Ilona and Valerii, sit at their kitchen table on May 12, 2025, in Watertown. (Makenzie

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks at a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Inside Washington luncheon