Retired SD educators uneasy about recent political and cultural pressures imposed on teachers

Amid the flurry of recent debate on education standards and race-based curricula in South Dakota schools, most classroom teachers have been relatively quiet. Many are restricted by media policies in their school districts, or they express concern about repercussions if they engage publicly in political discussions. This reticence comes as

Special report part 1: Teachers in SD endure new stress as politics and culture war seep into classrooms

Jason Connelly is exactly the kind of young educator the South Dakota public school system would love to add to its depleted teacher workforce. Connelly grew up in Sioux Falls and attended Catholic schools before pursuing a history and teaching degree at Augustana University, which he obtained this year. Connelly

Skyrocketing housing costs adding to financial burdens of renters in South Dakota

Steadily rising rents across South Dakota are adding further financial hardship to renters who are already facing record gas prices, rising costs for food and utilities and inflationary increases in the overall cost of living. The rising rents are forcing some potential renters to make tough choices, such as taking

Kylie Carlson named 2022 Nelson reporting intern at South Dakota News Watch

South Dakota News Watch is proud to announce that Kylie Carlson, a senior at South Dakota State University, has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative Journalism Endowed Internship. Kylie will work as a paid, full-time reporter for News Watch during the internship, which will

High gas prices not expected to slow down South Dakota tourism industry in 2022

Even though fuel prices have hit an all-time high, state officials and business operators in the South Dakota tourism industry remain optimistic that the summer of 2022 will be another record-setting season for visitors and revenues. Tourism industry experts say the post-COVID desire to travel, South Dakota’s wide variety

Lack of enforcement of regulations allows some South Dakota farmers to illegally convert wetlands to croplands

Wildlife and water quality in South Dakota are sometimes put at unnecessary risk due to a lack of oversight and accountability of farmers who illegally drain their properties or convert protected wetlands into farmable acreage. In addition, those who violate the law frequently avoid punishment when they are caught or

Special report part 2: CO2 pipelines could affect the land, lives and livelihoods of SD property owners

Editor’s note: This article was produced through a partnership between South Dakota News Watch and the Solutions Journalism Network, a national non-profit group that supports rigorous journalism about responses to problems. This is Part 2 of a two-part series; Part 1 published on May 2, 2022. Peggy Hoogestraat is
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