Booths await voters at the Pennington County Administration Building during early voting on Jan. 19, 2026, for a municipal election
President Donald Trump, right, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speak to reporters in the Oval Office of the White
The South Dakota Senate meets on Feb. 11, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-Saint Onge, speaks on the South Dakota House floor in January 2026 at the Capitol in Pierre.
Rep. John Sjaarda, R-Valley Springs, listens to a speaker on the South Dakota House floor in January 2026 at the
At a congressional hearing on Feb. 11, 2026, lawmakers were told a funding lapse has lasting challenges for the Coast
The inside of the Homestake Mining Co. Hydro Electric Plant No.2, built in 1917, in Spearfish Canyon. (Photo courtesy of
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Larry Rhoden signed SB 2 into law Wednesday during a ceremony in Sioux Falls, making South
The U.S. Capitol as seen from New Jersey Avenue SE on Jan. 6, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON
Rep. Les Heinemann, R-Flandreau, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Feb. 9, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre.
Dan Ahlers speaks with supporter Billy Stevens at the downtown library in Sioux Falls on Feb. 10, 2026, after Ahlers
Pictures of Alex Pretti sit in front of his Minneapolis home on Jan. 26, 2026. Pretti, an ICU nurse, died
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to members of the press on Jan. 23, 2025, at the Capitol in
Sen. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, listens to a speaker on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 4, 2025, at
Brian Bird, president and CEO of NorthWestern Energy, speaks on a panel at the SDSU Land and Lending Conference in
RAPID CITY, SD – Watch the full exclusive interview South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson at the 2026 Black Hills Stock
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 speaks to the media on Feb. 5, 2026, at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Photo
Rep. Peri Pourier, R-Rapid City, speaks on the South Dakota House floor during the 2025 legislative session at the Capitol
Sen. Sue Peterson, R-Sioux Falls, speaks to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 9, 2026, at the South Dakota
Rep. Peri Pourier of Rapid City speaks on the House floor on March 3, 2025, at the South Dakota Capitol
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the National Governors Association Evening Dinner and Reception in the
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs House Bills 1023 and 1024, which are intended to strengthen emergency medical staffing, at
Dan Ahlers, the executive directors of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said Monday that he plans to run for governor.
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Larry Rhoden signed two key pieces of legislation today aimed at strengthening emergency medical systems across
A look at ideas from the GOP candidates for governor includes comparisons to California’s Prop 13. “This may actually increase local costs instead of decreasing them.”
From left, inmate Kay Cain, Dennis (age 18 months), Correctional Officer Karen Boyer and inmate Destiny Hogan, at the Mother-Infant
Rapid City, SD – Congressman Dusty Johnson joined HomeSlice Media broadcasts from the Black Hills Stock Show, speaking from just outside LaCroix
Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, listens to testimony during a state House Education Committee hearing on Jan. 22, 2024, at
Sen. Brandon Wipf, R-Huron, participates in debate in the South Dakota Senate in Pierre on Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by
Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-Spearfish, speaks on the South Dakota House floor in January 2026. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Michael Houdyshell, left, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Revenue, testifies to the Legislature’s Senate Taxation Committee on Feb.
Rep. Terri Jorgenson, R-Piedmont, listens to a speaker during a legislative Joint Committee on Appropriations meeting on Jan. 20, 2026,
State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 17, 2024, at the Capitol in
State Rep. John Hughes, R-Sioux Falls, listens as Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen speaks to state lawmakers prior to the annual
State Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, at left, and State House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids. (Photos by Makenzie
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
Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, participates in a debate on Feb. 4, 2026, at the South Dakota Capitol in
The funding package President Donald Trump signed Feb. 3, 2026, includes $79 billion for the U.S. Education Department, representing a
An Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes in Stone Ridge, Va., in 2024. As Americans
Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on March 5, 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
Rep. Eric Muckey, D-Sioux Falls, speaks to lawmakers on the House floor at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre on
Rep. Kent Roe, R-Hayti, listens to a committee hearing at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre on Jan. 23, 2026.
The reflection of Wayne Edmonds Jr. is seen as he prepares to testify before the South Dakota Board of Pardons
Brent Ganger, far left, and Luke Ganger, second from left, brothers of Renee Good, watch a forum on Department of
Landowners Mark Lapka, left, and Jared Bossly (holding petitions with about 2,000 signatures) speak at the South Dakota Capitol in
PIERRE, SD — According to the ACLU of South Dakota, A bill claiming to simply clarify the “medical emergency” exception
State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 17, 2024, at the Capitol in
A sign for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is displayed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. (Photo
The U.S. Capitol is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The U.S. House
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement and of the Congressional
State Rep. Bobbi Andera, R-Sioux Falls, is sponsoring a bill with liability protections for South Dakota doctors and pharmacists who
State Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, speaks on the South Dakota House floor during the 2024 legislative session. (Photo by
PIERRE, SD – All three of South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s government transparency bills were unanimously approved Tuesday by
Pedestrians walk through the streets of the Little Haiti neighborhood on June 06, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem at a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and employees from U.S. Customs and
State Rep. Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, speaks in the South Dakota House chamber on Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South
Rep. Jim Halverson, R-Winner, participates in a committee hearing on Jan. 20, 2026, at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre.
Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, asked a Senate committee to strike language from a bill he’s sponsored that would have required
Sioux Falls residents vote in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Photo by Makenzie
South Dakota – South Dakota is the latest state fighting back against scammers who use cryptocurrency kiosks to steal money
Republican Indiana Sen. Tyler Johnson introduces his abortion-inducing drugs bill in committee on Jan. 21, 2026. Johnson, an emergency room
The South Dakota House of Representatives convenes on Feb. 5, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) South Dakota lawmakers
U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order alongside Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Roger Penske, chair of
Kevin Warsh, second from left, listens during a panel discussion at the Semafor 2024 World Economy Summit on April 18,
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announces charges against Jeffrey Epstein on July 8, 2019
Foreground: South Dakota Republican candidates for governor, from left, Gov. Larry Rhoden, U.S. Rep Dusty Johnson, state House Speaker Jon
The shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania, pictured on Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty
A portion of a data center owned by Big Watt Digital north of Pierre, pictured on Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., surrounded by snow and ice, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota State Senate on Thursday approved a bill backed by Attorney General Marty Jackley designed
A South Dakota legislative panel has advanced a bill to the House floor that calls on the state to again adjust license
West Virginia Del. Shawn Fluharty, a Democrat, holds up a poster of Raylee Browning, a child who died from abuse
Rep. Tony Randolph, R-Rapid City, listens to a committee hearing in January 2026 at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre.
Rep. Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, testifies in favor of a bill before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at the
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 speaks to the media on Jan. 29, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo by
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs House Bill 1044, appropriating funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program, at a private
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States
A KFF poll released on Jan. 29, 2026 found health costs on the minds of voters in advance of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem paints a section of the border barrier in New Mexico in August
A picture sits at a memorial to Alex Pretti on Jan. 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty
A masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent knocks on a car window in Minnesota on Jan. 12, 2026. (Photo
Booths await voters at the Pennington County Administration Building during early voting on Jan. 19, 2026, for a municipal election
Rep. Julie Auch, R-Lesterville, speaks on the floor of the South Dakota House in February 2025 at the Capitol in
Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, speaks in the South Dakota Senate on Jan. 28, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Photo
Musician Nicki Minaj attends the Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, at the Andrew
Rep. Eric Emery, D-Rosebud, speaks with lawmakers on the House floor during the governor’s budget address on Dec. 3, 2024,
Americans for Prosperity lobbyist Don Haggar testifies on a bill before the House State Affairs Committee at the South Dakota
Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy talks with reporters in the Dirksen Senate office building on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., stand outside the regional ICE headquarters at the Bishop
Pictures of Alex Pretti sit in front of his home on Jan. 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU
RAPID CITY, S.D. – U.S. Sen. John Thune welcomed President Donald Trump’s renewed commitment to year-round E15 fuel sales on
Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, listens to Gov. Larry Rhoden give his budget address on Dec. 2, 2025, at the South
Rep. Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 22, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre.
The entrance to the South Dakota State Penitentiary’s East Hall. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections) SIOUX FALLS —
Sen. Steve Kolbeck, R-Brandon, testifies on Jan. 27, 2026, to the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee at the South Dakota
Hundreds gather around a growing memorial site at 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue South in Minneapolis, where federal agents shot
