Mark Andersen

Event cancellations, loss of new business and unexpected costs associated with COVID-19 prevention led to financial losses at South Dakota arenas and civic centers, which had to cut employees or implement furloughs. But vaccines and a return to normal are fueling hopes for a return to profitability in 2021.

Concerns over the spread of COVID-19 have led many South Dakotans to delay getting the dental care they need, raising the risk of periodontal diseases including tooth or bone loss but also heightening the chance of more serious health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

While most South Dakotans will dine on mass-produced, big-breasted white turkeys this Thanksgiving, some families will take advantage of the efforts of a handful of niche farmers in the state who are breeding, raising and selling "heritage turkeys" that were on the verge of extinction but are being revived as part of a growing farm-to-table consumer market.

Overall retail sales have climbed steadily in South Dakota in recent years, but who is getting the revenue, and how, is changing. As online retail continues to surge, chain stores grow in number and low-priced dollar stores arrive in small towns in droves, maintaining a successful brick-and-mortar small retail business continues to be a challenge.