South Dakota Searchlight

07/26/2025

"This years-long attempt to curtail the initiative process is nothing more than a means for the Republican super-majority to solidify its power by cutting off people they don’t agree with from access to the ballot." Commentary from Dana Hess:

This years-long attempt to curtail the initiative process is nothing more than a means for the Republican super-majority to solidify its power.

07/25/2025

In response to the congressional cancellation of funds for public media, South Dakota Public Broadcasting will announce its plan for layoffs and programming cuts within two weeks and enact the plan by Oct. 31, absent a philanthropic or state budget lifeline. https://buff.ly/JW24cQE

SIOUX FALLS – South Dakotans should know what might stay and what might go at South Dakota Public Broadcasting within the next two weeks.

07/25/2025

The Trump administration said it’ll soon release billions in Education Department funding that has been frozen for weeks, delaying disbursements to K-12 schools throughout the country. https://buff.ly/dnFyfX1

The Trump administration said it’ll soon release billions in Education Department funding that has been frozen for weeks, delaying disbursements to K-12 schools throughout the country.

07/25/2025

For Ngoc Thach, who didn't speak English in kindergarten, her path to success "started with a public school teacher who saw us, and gave us the tools to see ourselves." Now, as funds are frozen for schools and attempts continue to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, she writes, "I worry deeply for the kids who won’t get what I got." Commentary: https://buff.ly/XemU9GK

Children aren’t resources to be groomed. They’re not workers-in-waiting. They’re not numbers in a cost-benefit analysis.

07/25/2025

A shortfall in projected state revenue paired with federal funding cuts impacting state programs and nonprofits means “every agency and group will have their hands out this year," one South Dakota lawmaker said. https://buff.ly/4iFeW6I

South Dakota lawmakers should expect an even tighter state budget next legislative session, the Legislature’s budget committee learned.

07/25/2025

President Donald Trump signed into law the bill Congress passed earlier this month to revoke $9 billion in previously approved spending for public broadcasting and foreign aid.

President Donald Trump signed into law the bill Congress passed earlier this month to revoke $9 billion in previously approved spending.

07/25/2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bars payments from university boosters and some other private-sector donors to college athletes.

07/24/2025

A jury in South Dakota ordered a former warden to pay $105,000 in damages to an inmate after a federal civil rights trial over prison food, but it’s unclear if the warden or state will pay the award.

A Sioux Falls jury awarded $105,000 in damages to an inmate after a federal civil rights trial, but it’s unclear who will pay.

07/24/2025

The fallout over President Trump’s handling of financier and Florida s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case files permeated business on Capitol Hill, as Senate Democrats urged release of the information. Meanwhile, in Florida, a top Department of Justice official interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and a key figure in the growing controversy. https://buff.ly/cQBHjme

The fallout over President Donald Trump’s handling of financier and Florida s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein’s case files permeated business on Capitol Hill.

07/24/2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to slash its presence in the Washington, D.C., area by sending employees to five regional hubs, Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to slash its presence in the Washington, D.C., area by sending employees to five regional hubs.

07/24/2025

The federal government has not released millions in funding for adult education programs nationwide. Advocates worry future funding for GED and English language classes will be cut, too. For students, that could destroy their path toward stability, higher pay and a career.

The federal government has not released millions in funding for adult education programs. Advocates worry future funding will be cut, too.

07/24/2025

Big, but maybe not beautiful: A majority of Americans believe Republicans’ budget reconciliation package will either hurt them or not make much of a difference, according to a poll released by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF. https://buff.ly/zgcMu0c

A majority of Americans believe Republicans’ “big, beautiful” law will either hurt them or not make much of a difference.