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 52 Posts
Food solutions in rural areas focus on community building
In South Dakota's hinterland, federal grants, farm-to-school programs and community volunteers are crucial to feeding communities who need it the most.
What to know about food resources in SD
Which organizations, nonprofits and community initiatives are working to address food insecurity in South Dakota?
Family of man killed in raid sues US Marshals for $150 million
23-year-old was shot Nov. 27, 2024, just north of Wagner while live-streaming himself brushing his teeth.
South Dakotans' biggest needs, according to 211 calls
Calls to 211 in 2025 indicate that many South Dakotans are concerned about access to housing, food and utilities.
1st-of-its-kind SD cohousing development finds its place in Vermillion
One group in a South Dakota college town hopes to redefine housing through community-focused development.
Prominent Native activist's trial ends with a hung jury
Nick Tilsen, founder of Rapid City-based NDN Collective, is charged with assaulting a police officer in 2022.
What $189M in rural health care funding may mean for SD
The Rural Health Transformation Program focuses heavily on technology improvements and workforce recruitment across the state, and aims to improve maternal and behavioral health care.