California energy firm will turn SD farm wastes into usable natural gas

A new industry launching in South Dakota will use manure from dairy farms to generate usable natural gas, creating a new income stream for some South Dakota farmers and reducing greenhouse gas emissions along the way. California-based renewable energy company Brightmark Energy announced plans on Feb. 5 to capture, refine

Concerns arise that new SD electronic bill monitoring system makes state government less transparent

A new online system for drafting, co-sponsoring and tracking bills through the South Dakota Legislature has some people concerned that the modernized system has made the legislative process less transparent and has removed some of the human element from lawmaking. State officials said the new system was needed to update

Serenity still missing: One year later, SD girl’s fate unknown despite extensive search and investigation

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a new version on April 4, 2023, headlined: 2019 mystery still causing misery. ROCKERVILLE, S.D. – The most extensive investigation in western South Dakota and one of the most exhaustive searches in state history have failed to determine what happened to

A year after Serenity disappeared, broken hearts unable to heal

The passage of nearly a year since Serenity Dennard went missing has done little to soothe the hurt felt by those who love and miss her greatly. In fact, the idea that Serenity has been gone for a year and yet nothing certain is known about her whereabouts is haunting

New elk hunting season proposed to reduce feed loss and property damage on S.D. prairies

North American elk are returning to the prairies of western South Dakota after more than 100 years of absence, a migration seen as a win for wildlife conservation but which has farmers and ranchers bothered by feed losses and property damage. The herding of Rocky Mountain elk as far east

Effort begins to reduce risk of death of SD mothers during childbirth

New or expectant mothers in South Dakota — and across the United States — are dying during or after childbirth at higher rates than in nearly every other industrialized nation, and evidence suggests as many as 60% of maternal deaths are preventable. Nine mothers in South Dakota died in 2018 within a

As enrollment and revenues at SD universities fall, worries rise over possible program and personnel cuts

Total enrollment is on a steady decline in the public university system in South Dakota, forcing higher education officials to seek new sources of revenue, realign infrastructure and potentially cut programs or faculty positions. At South Dakota State University in Brookings — the state school with the highest enrollment — an unexpected
You've successfully subscribed to South Dakota News Watch
Great! Next, complete checkout for full access to South Dakota News Watch
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
Unable to sign you in. Please try again.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Error! Stripe checkout failed.
Success! Your billing info is updated.
Error! Billing info update failed.