The South Dakota Senate has approved a pair of proposals aimed at criminal justice reform by bolstering training for law enforcement officers, and allowing young convicts sentenced to life in prison a chance for parole after they reach the age of 50. Governor Kristi Noem pushed the bill to require police officers to receive training…… read more »
Category Archives: State News
SD Governor Plans to Delay Medical Pot Law for a Year
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has promised to honor the will of voters to legalize marijuana for medical use. but not this year. The Republican Governor announced a plan to delay legislation until July 1, 2022. She says there is not enough time to study the issue and implement a program. Medical cannibis passed a…… read more »
SD Judge Rejects Voter-Approved Marijuana Law
A South Dakota judge has struck down a voter-approved constitutional amendment that legalized the use of small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes. Circuit Court Judge Christina Klinger ruled the measure violated the state’s requirement that constitutional amendments deal with just one subject. The amendment received around 54 percent of South Dakota voter approval in…… read more »
SD Republicans Reject Effort to Disclose Security Costs
SDSouth Dakota Republicans have rejected a proposal to require Governor Kristi Noem and other state officials to disclose taxpayer funds used for their security. Noem has traveled the country with a security detail from South Dakota’s Highway Patrol as she campaigned for Donald Trump and raised funds for her own gubernatorial committee. Noem’s public safety…… read more »
Winter Weather Advisory Early Thursday
Winter weather moved into the region late Wednesday night with snowfall and high winds. The National Weather Service says 2 to 4 inches of snow combined with northwest winds of 30 to 40 miles an hour caused for dangerous travel conditions. Southeast South Dakota and northeast Nebraska is in a Winter Weather Advisory until 9:00…… read more »
Vaccine Doses to Increase in South Dakota
The weekly number of COVID-19 doses coming into South Dakota from the federal government has been around 11,000 but now that number is expected to increase up to near 12,800 doses. The SD Department of Health says vaccine availability has reached some people in Group 1-D. As of February 1, there have been over 101,000…… read more »
Mixed Reactions in SD to Halting Pipeline
Governor Kristi Noem and South Dakota’s congressional delegation are criticizing President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel a permit needed to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline. A coalition of indigenous people, environmental activists and some rural landowners are celebrating that decision. TC Energy and supporters of the pipeline are hoping Biden will change his mind…… read more »
Nebraska Might Eliminate Gathering Restrictions Soon
The state of Nebraska could soon eliminate all of its virus-related restrictions on gatherings if the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continues to decline. State officials say the restrictions might be lifted this weekend if COVID-19 patients continue to occupy less than ten percent of all hospital beds in Nebraska, and currently the number…… read more »
Heavy Snow Monday Night and Tuesday in Midwest
A major winter storm has blanketed much of the Midwest with snowfall that has moved into the Great Lakes region on Tuesday. Reports of snowfall from 3 to 12 inches have been recorded through much of Nebraska and Iowa, causing travel delays and many late starts and closings for school in the area.… read more »
SD Annual Count of Homeless Called Off Due to Pandemic
Organizers of South Dakota’s annual count for the state’s unsheltered homeless population have cancelled the effort this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The homeless count was called off this year mainly because of a shortage of volunteers, and Housing and Urban Development also decided against the count.… read more »
