Smoke, steam and flooded toilets: Just another day at the state penitentiary
July 11, 2025
Inmates in the East Hall of the South Dakota State Penitentiary on July 8, 2025. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department
Inmates in the East Hall of the South Dakota State Penitentiary on July 8, 2025. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department
From left, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, Wyoming financial planner Reid Rasner and South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden participate
A new national school voucher program allocates up to $1,700 in federal tax credits for individuals who donate to organizations
A summer day on Golden Trout Lake in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, in east-central Idaho. (USDA Forest Service photo) Members
RAPID CITY, SD — The City is seeking applicants to fill three vacancies on the Disability Awareness and Accessibility Committee.
The National Public Radio headquarters in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
The site that was selected in 2023 in Lincoln County for a prison construction project. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The
Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, joined demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, May 15,
Brandon Wipf was appointed to a state Senate seat in South Dakota’s District 22 in July 2025. (Courtesy of Governor’s
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
South Dakota Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko speaks to reporters on July 9, 2025. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) SIOUX
The U.S. Education Department directed its federal student loan servicers to restart interest accrual on Aug. 1 for participants in
Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during
South Dakota State Engineer Stacy Watters, left, and Vance McMillan of JE Dunn testify to the Project Prison Reset task
A farmer on a tractor sprays soybean crops. (Photo by Westend61/Getty Images) President Donald Trump’s administration will pursue a ban
Respiratory therapist Joanna Bielski checks on a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Rush University Medial Center on Jan. 31,
State Rep. Logan Manhart, R-Aberdeen, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 22, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks to staff at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters on Jan. 28,
President Donald Trump is displayed on a television screen as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock
Robert Arnold announces his campaign for governor in June 2025 at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Courtesy of Robert Arnold)
A gun on display in 2023 at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Aristide Economopoulos/for NJ Monitor) There’s only
President Donald Trump holds up the “big, beautiful bill” that was signed into law as during a Fourth of July
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, announces his 2026 campaign for governor during an event on June 30, 2025, at
A new limited series hosted by South Dakota’s Lieutenant Governor and HomeSlice’s Murdoc We’re pretty excited to launch this series!
The U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked into the night on the “big beautiful bill” on July 2, 2025. (Photo by
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is currently seeking college students to serve as fall interns in his office in
Scientists say they are contrails, not chemtrails PIERRE, S.D. – A growing movement centered on “chemtrails” conspiracy theories has found its way into South Dakota Republican politics, with some state […]
Susan Shumaker, a paramedic for Humboldt Fire and Ambulance, pictured in November 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Back in February,
A Humboldt ambulance in November 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Motorized cots and chairs, emergency medical technician training and life
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wears a “Make Towers Great Again” hat during an event to announce his “Build
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters before heading to the House chamber for a procedural vote
A sign identifies a repository near Edgemont where 4 million tons of radioactive tailings from a former uranium mill have
RAPID CITY, SD — Next Monday’s meeting of the Rapid City Common Council will include five members taking oaths of
“We get the kids that fall through the cracks, and the mission is to take someone from poverty and give them an education and training in a trade that can lead to a good job and career.”
The U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The final “big beautiful bill” approved
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office on April 23, 2025. Secretary of
Lance Russell speaks to voters in Sturgis during a 2018 campaign for attorney general. (Courtesy of Lance Russell) A county
Hughes County Deputy Josh Larson guides Lonna Carroll into the courthouse in Pierre on April 2, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota
“The Senate’s reconciliation bill will put more money in the pockets of South Dakota families and strengthen farms, ranches, and
HOT SPRINGS, S.D. (July 1, 2025) – Fall River and Oglala Lakota County State’s Attorney Lance Russell today announced his
RAPID CITY, SD — This morning, US House Representative Dusty Johnson stopped by studios at the post to have a
Republican Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Thune of South Dakota, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Lindsey Graham of South
Former South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard endorses U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson’s 2026 run for governor on June 30, 2025, in
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters as returns to his office from the Senate chamber at the
The Pierre native vows to be a uniter and hunt for “the next big thing” to drive the state economy.
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, speaks with students on May 19, 2023, in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight) Dusty
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her 2025 State of the State address to lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre
A June 2024 view across the Black Hills National Forest from Boulder Hill toward Black Elk Peak. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota
The U.S. Capitol on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans’ revised tax
Ilona Biliaze plays with her 7-month-old son Brian in their Watertown home on May 12, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Lutheran Social Services State Refugee Coordinator Dana Boraas poses for a photo in June 2025 in the LSS Center for
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Hawley said he
The U.S. Capitol pictured on March 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) I may be best-known
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine discusses the mission details of a strike on
Rapid City Post Speaks to SD AG and other leaders after his US House Announcement. Marty Jackley speaks to Rapid
U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks to the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 26, 2024, in
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, left, and Republican South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley. (South Dakota Searchlight photos) With
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) A Friday decision by the U.S. Supreme Court set
PIERRE, SD — “Sanctuary City” is a term which in the past decade has come to some prominence. To some,
A May 2024 view of the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Americans have long
Educational materials on sexual assault in prisons, produced by the South Dakota Department of Corrections and paid for by federal
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) The U.S. Senate is
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left, listens as Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, speaks to reporters outside of the
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters at the Capitol as lawmakers work on the “One Big
The National Public Radio headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON —
Members of the Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force meet in Sioux Falls on June 25, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
A makeshift memorial for DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is seen at the Minnesota State
Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during
The Project Prison Reset group meets on April 3, 2025, at the Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South
Former Gov. Steve Bullock, D-Montana, (left) and former Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Maryland, (right) said that current governors may be missing
Linsey Sapp, who wears an “Inmate Rights” shirt and whose husband is incarcerated, speaks to lawmakers at an Initial Incarceration,
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks to Rotary members on April 17, 2025, at the Elks Lodge
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, participates in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden and United States Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced that the State of
South Dakota Speaker of the House Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, speaks at a meeting of the Project Prison Reset work
Flowers, notes and American flags adorn a makeshift memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to the media during a press conference on March 13, 2025, at the Capitol
From the Black Hills to the Big Sioux, the Dakota Town Hall Podcast. Hosted by Murdoc in the West and Jake in the
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during her confirmation hearing before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol
All eyes will be on the United States Senate this week as we endeavor to pass the shared Republican agenda
Malcolm and Morgan Speichinger stand in the backyard of their McCook Lake home on June 11, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota
Signs stand at the entryway to a Sept. 26, 2024, public forum hosted by Neighbors Opposed to Prison Expansion, which
A B-2 Stealth Bomber performs a fly over before the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore
A rendering of a state-owned shooting range under construction north of Rapid City. (Courtesy of South Dakota GF&P) A list
Republicans are moving closer to finishing work on a bill that fulfills our promise to make America stronger and more
Nikki Gronli, former USDA Rural Development state director, speaks at a state Department of Social Services public hearing regarding cuts
The Senate floor at the state Capitol during the 2024 Legislature. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota legislative leaders recently
Bullet holes are seen in the door outside the home of state Sen. John Hoffman on June 15, 2025, in
A crowd listens to a presentation on June 17, 2025, at Mitchell Technical College about the possibility of constructing a
Rodney Scott, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, prepares to testify during his
State Sen. Joy Hohn, R-Hartford, listens to debate on the South Dakota Senate floor on Feb. 10, 2025. (John Hult/South
(Getty Images) The number of reported measles cases has grown to four in South Dakota, according to a Wednesday news
From left, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Minnesota Democrats. (Courtesy photos.) WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar
Iowans gathered at the Iowa State Capitol to rally against carbon dioxide pipeline projects March 18, 2025. (Photo by Cami
A sign displays the names of South Dakota’s three elected public utilities commissioners outside of their Pierre office in January
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, accompanied by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., left, and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.,
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, speaks on the Senate floor on June 17, 2025, about how he was
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks to staff at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters on Jan. 28,
President Trump and our country remain steadfast in our defense of Israel and committed to working toward peace in the
Rapid City Post.
333 West Blvd #200
Rapid City, SD 57701
Phone: (605) 718-6898
Email: news@rapidcitypost.com
