Title: Reporter / Report for America Corps Member
Contact: 605-531-7382 / molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org
Languages spoken: English, some Spanish
Topic expertise: Indigenous people, rural communities, business, education
Biography: Molly Wetsch was born and raised in South Dakota. Wetsch previously served as an editorial intern for Forbes in New York City, working on the contributor network and specializing in consumer technology. At Forbes, she also wrote breaking news and contributed to the Forbes "50 Over 50 list." Wetsch began her career in journalism at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, where she wrote a monthly column and covered local business news as an intern and contributing writer for SiouxFalls.Business. She is a graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she received a degree in global business. There, she served as deputy editor of the University Times, the university’s newspaper, and deputy editor of the Trinity Business Review. Report for America is a national service program that responds to challenges faced by local news by placing journalists in newsrooms across the country. As a Report for America corps member, Wetsch travels the state covering rural and indigenous communities. Her family comes from rural South Dakota and the Cheyenne River Reservation, so she understands the issues that are unique to both communities.
Archive of work: South Dakota News Watch; Muck Rack; SiouxFalls.Business; Forbes
Molly Wetsch
Total 60 Posts
Indian rodeo: Documenting 1 of South Dakota's oldest traditions
How a lifelong statehouse lobbyist also captures the nuances of rural and reservation rodeos. “I fear I'm documenting the end of something.”
Emily's Hope substance use curriculum coming to South Dakota schools
How the nonprofit's comprehensive K-12 plan has already helped 30,000 students – and hopes to reach all of South Dakota's young people soon.
Hearing held in Mitchell baseball defamation lawsuit
A judge did not rule on three motions Tuesday related to a former Mitchell baseball player's civil lawsuit against the American Legion and two local news organizations.
Watertown resource network leads to opioid recovery
How one woman's story illustrates the importance of support systems in the state's opioid crisis: "It's like the little breath that you get in all of the chaos."
Some local governments waiting to spend $9.6M in opioid dollars
Why South Dakota counties and cities haven't used their share of opioid settlement fund money. “You don’t want to be the guy who spends it all on something and then it’s like, ‘No, that was wrong.’”
A guide to South Dakota's 9 Native tribes
The governance, geography, people and economy of South Dakota's nine Native American reservations and tribes.
GOP governor debate: Key takeaways and voter reaction
SD gubernatorial candidates Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, Dusty Johnson and Larry Rhoden met for a second time in a relatively well-tempered debate.