SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com

We provide free news and commentary on critical issues facing the state. We seek to serve the public interest with accuracy, fairness, insight and civility.

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

Please follow us on Bluesky, where we’re posting our work: @southdakotasearchlight.com.

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

A state board awarded the remainder of grant funding from a #housing infrastructure program, while much of the program’s loan money remains available.

See where the money's gone so far ⬇️
https://t.co/f5dM5GFSZX

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has scheduled a series of six public input meetings in January about a #SummitCarbonSolutions application to construct a #CarbonDioxidePipeline.

See the schedule:
https://t.co/vnCyPLqjp1

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

The $20,000 salary increase for wildland #firefighters in the 2021 infrastructure law could be coming to an end next week if Congress doesn’t act. #Wildfires
https://t.co/XTA2RMHYxu

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

“My business and every #agriculture business in the U.S. will be crippled if they want to get rid of everybody who does the work."

If President-elect Trump deports millions of immigrants, it could upend economies in #farm states with labor shortages.
https://t.co/6aqy5U6CuN

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

An effort to pass a #ShieldLaw aimed at protecting #PressFreedom was struck down in the U.S. Senate, after it was opposed by President-elect Donald Trump.
https://t.co/BYoT2U36Gd

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

ND is poised to allow millions of tons of #CarbonDioxide to be stored underground, but an attorney representing landowners is laying the groundwork for an appeal. The project would collect carbon dioxide from #ethanol plants in five states, including SD.
https://t.co/SYF8HXWVLF

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

In a procedural vote and with a yes from U.S. Rep. #DustyJohnson, R-South Dakota, the U.S. House advanced a compromise annual defense bill that includes pay raises for troops but also bans coverage for service members’ children who seek #TransgenderCare.
https://t.co/XZL7uTJtkw

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

"When young people reclaim their Native languages, they reconnect deeply with who they are and where they come from."

The Biden-Harris administration released a 10-year National Plan on Native Revitalization to support #IndigenousLanguages.
https://t.co/LbL6VfgJmO

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

A North Dakota federal judge’s ruling will temporarily keep undocumented immigrants in 19 states, including South Dakota, from getting federally subsidized health insurance, reports @NDMonitor.
https://t.co/lpU6pTfjEi

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

A search for spending cuts in the federal government (including by #ElonMusk and #VivekRamaswamy) could result in South Dakota and its communities paying more for #RuralWater projects, panelists said at a water summit.
https://t.co/qg47i9lZJs

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

Bovine tuberculosis has been confirmed in South Dakota #cattle for the first time since 2021, the state veterinarian said.

More details about the detection and response ⬇️
https://t.co/YZqcYWAbnW

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

Dana Hess has had his issues with public broadcasting, he writes in new commentary, but he might have to become a donor if budget cuts by Gov. #KristiNoem threaten legislative livestreams operated by #SouthDakotaPublicBroadcasting.
https://t.co/cQvxZfmVh6

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

"We remember so we can heal. That’s the purpose of memory."

President Joe Biden created the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument in Pennsylvania ⬇️
https://t.co/LHgiZ0VmIU

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

Police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, reports @PennCapitalStar.
https://t.co/yfaUaBZCcp

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

#NativeAmerican children remain overrepresented in the South Dakota #FosterCare system, accounting for 72.5% of the foster care population at the end of fiscal year 2024, according to new data.
https://t.co/5pTiNgUZNe

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

Three states passed laws in the past year cracking down on for-profit consultants who charge military #veterans for help filing their disability claims, reports @stateline_news. Similar bills were introduced in 17 other states, including South Dakota.
https://t.co/Di8SaWRQeG

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

"... the Senate faces an enormous historical test – a power-hungry president committed to vastly enlarging executive power at the expense of the legislative branch."

Marc Johnson commentary on the test of courage facing senators including #JohnThune. ⬇️
https://t.co/bgpd3K4PnK

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

“We’re talking loads that eclipse some of the largest cities in South Dakota."

Massive #DataCenters used for cloud computing and #AI are consuming enormous amounts of energy, and developers are eyeing SD as a potential location, regulators say.
https://t.co/xU9mot3Liu

[SD Searchlight || bsky @southdakotasearchlight.com @SDSearchlight]

The economy added 227,000 #jobs in November, making for a strong #JobsReport despite a slight increase in the #UnemploymentRate.

More from the report ⬇️
https://t.co/jYl7HTFhMr