The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON
People take photos of the closed signs at the Smithsonian National Zoo, which was closed to the public due to
A child receives a COVID-19 shot in Annandale, Va., in 2021. Virginia is among the states that have parted ways
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters during a press conference on March 31, 2025, at the state Capitol
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, speaks at a press conference Sept. 17, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in
Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Susan Monarez testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education,
The South Dakota House of Representatives meets on Feb. 6, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed John Shubeck to the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing
Close to 80 people gathered outside the Iowa Capitol Oct. 8 for a demonstration against the Summit Carbon pipeline before
U.S. Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, left, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin speak at a press conference on
Staff of the South Dakota Office of Indigent Legal Services are pictured outside their office Sept. 11, 2025, in Sioux
A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A legislative task force
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson answers reporters’ questions during a press conference in the Rayburn Room inside the Capitol building
SIOUX FALLS, SD — the South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) has at this time released corrected statistics regarding
Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, left, administers the oath of office to Lisa Cook, right, to serve as
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Larry Rhoden has appointed Annie Hoffman as a circuit judge for the Second Circuit, filling the
Summit Carbon Solutions representatives pictured at an event in Sioux Falls in January. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Summit
President Donald Trump signs a presidential memorandum in the Oval Office on Sept. 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Also pictured
A student walks along the campus of Howard University, an HBCU, on Oct. 25, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Howard is
MADISON, S.D. – State Sen. Casey Crabtree announced Monday he is running for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S.
Sen. Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, speaks on the South Dakota Senate floor on March 3, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Madison
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks at Dakotafest in Mitchell on Aug. 20, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
A students works in the Division of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the University of South Dakota. (Courtesy of the
The Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls on May 15, 2025. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Two federal agencies had to
A Planned Parenthood clinic in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Photo by McKenzie Romero/Utah News
RAPID CITY, SD — Following the TIF approval by the city council and Mayor Salamun the controversy around the creation
A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A South Dakota economic
President Donald Trump speaks during a Sept. 11th observance event in the courtyard of the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2025,
File photo of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which is among the nation’s largest Hispanic-serving institutions. Hispanic-serving institutions and
The Deadwood Ridge Apartments in Deadwood. (Courtesy of Black Hills Pioneer) A loan from South Dakota’s Housing Infrastructure Financing Program
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer speaks during a news conference with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal demanding the release of
South Dakota Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff fields questions from advocates for people with disabilities on Sept. 10,
Nikki Gronli speaks in downtown Sioux Falls on Sept. 10, 2025, during the formal launch of her campaign for South
Founder and executive director of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks at the opening of the Turning Point Action conference
Sioux Falls residents vote in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigations agents take a man into custody at the intersection of 14th and N streets
WHITEWOOD, S.D. – The City of Whitewood held a special city council election Tuesday to fill a vacant seat in
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell administers the oath of office to Lisa Cook to serve as a member of the
OmegaQuant, in Sioux Falls, is among the South Dakota recipients of awards from the Small Business Innovation Research program. (Courtesy
STURGIS, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley chose his hometown of Sturgis to officially kick off his campaign for Congress. He officially announced his run for U.S. House […]
Marty Jackley speaks during a launch event for his U.S. House campaign on Sept. 9, 2025, at the Loud American
The Hughes County Courthouse in Pierre, pictured in November 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) A former South Dakota Department of
Minister of Justice and Public Security Héctor Villatoro, right, accompanies Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, center, during a
Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit at
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on
Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters from a podium on July 28, 2025, at the Public Safety Administration Building in
PIERRE, S.D. – Nikki Gronli is going to run for South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat. Gronli, who served as
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 29, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday
Nikki Gronli, former state rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Biden administration, participates in a
A proposed enCore Energy uranium mine in South Dakota would be located along the southwestern edge of the Black Hills,
Jerry Schmitz, executive director of the South Dakota Soybean Association and South Dakota Soybean Checkoff, participates in a roundtable discussion
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, speaks at Dakotafest in Mitchell on Aug. 20, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) On
Marchers sang protest songs and led “Trump must go now” chants as they walked down 16th Street NW in Washington,
Three candidates hoping to be South Dakota’s next governor support a statewide policy or law banning cellphones from school classrooms.
An aerial of the the Pentagon, May 12, 2021. (Photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brittany A. Chase) President Donald
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Nashville press conference on July 18, 2025, to discuss arrests of
A sign is seen outside the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at Weaverville Town Hall on March 29, 2025 in Weaverville,
The campus of Lake Area Technical College in Watertown. (Courtesy of Lake Area Technical College) Leaders of the state’s technical
Grass grows on Sept. 5, 2025, along a part of the McCook Lake shore that was previously inundated with sediment.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon after signing an executive order to reduce the size
The northeastern Sioux Falls site selected by Gov. Larry Rhoden’s administration for a new men’s prison. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)
Members of the National Guard carrying rifles patrol near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in August in Washington,
The town halls, discussions and community gatherings are intended to increase civic engagement and help people be informed.
A mountain lion in South Dakota’s Black Hills. (Courtesy of SD Game, Fish and Parks) The commission overseeing wildlife management
Hundreds of people fill the Southeast Technical College auditorium in Sioux Falls for a Public Utilities Commission hearing about a
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office
Members of the National Guard stationed outside Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2025. (Photo by Jane Norman/States
Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters from a podium on July 28, 2025, at the Public Safety Administration Building in
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives for a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol
A member of the National Guard arrives at the Guard’s headquarters at the D.C. Armory on Aug. 12, 2025 in
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions from reporters during a press conference in the Rayburn Room of the
Women who say they were abused by disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein raise their hands as attorney Bradley
State Rep. Richard Vasgaard, R-Centerville, speaks on the South Dakota House floor during the 2025 legislative session. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
In this combination of images, carbon dioxide pipeline opponents attend a rally Jan. 13, 2025, at the Capitol in Pierre,
South Dakota Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko presents to the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee on Jan. 23, 2025, at
The Federal Emergency Management Agency building is seen on May 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
California National Guard members stand guard at an entrance to the Wilshire Federal Building on June 13, 2025 in Los
Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on March 5, 2024. Hansen was the sponsor
Last week’s deadly school shooting in Minnesota has students, parents and teachers again feeling the weight of gun violence. Educators
People in New York City look at a sign informing them that the Statue of Liberty is closed on Oct.
Twelve members of the South Dakota National Guard are joining troops policing Washington, D.C., according to an announcement Sunday by
A letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the state of South Dakota, demanding the removal
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, pictured July 31, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) The economy-wide
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks to staff at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C.,
A person shields a cellphone with their arm while reading a book. (Photo illustration by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Platte-Geddes
White House budget director Russell Vought speaks with reporters inside the U.S. Capitol on July 15, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer
U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bill Cassidy speaks with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, answers questions during a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce event on Aug. 28,
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell administers the oath of office to Lisa Cook to serve as a member of the
Billy Mawhiney, a Democrat from Sioux Falls, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. House. (Courtesy of Billy Mawhiney) Sioux
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 47 attorneys general to demand that
Rep. Richard Vasgaard, R-Centerville, speaks to lawmakers on the South Dakota House floor in Pierre on Feb. 25, 2025. (Joshua
Solar panels are installed at a private residence on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota in late 2024.
Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (center) and tribal leaders speak to the media after a public safety roundtable on Aug. 14,
The updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2026-2027 school year will launch for all students by Oct.
State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 17, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
The Hubert H. Humphrey Building, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., as
From left, Iowa’s Kim Reynolds, Nebraska’s Jim Pillen and South Dakota’s Larry Rhoden participate in the Tri-State Governors’ Conference in
Wind turbines spin against the setting sun just north of Watertown along Interstate 29 in 2023. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
