Business

Total 185 Posts

Immigration debate hampers guest worker programs critical to SD businesses and farms

KEYSTONE, S.D. – The intensely partisan and politicized national debate over immigration policies has cast a cloud of uncertainty over guest worker programs that for years have helped provide employees to seasonal South Dakota businesses that cannot find enough American workers. The viability of some businesses in the tourism, agricultural

Stressed farmers face continuing economic decline

WALL, S.D. – A five-year slide in the agricultural economy in South Dakota and across the Great Plains has left many producers operating at a loss and is putting some in jeopardy of losing their farms. A major decline in most commodity prices is the primary cause of the losses,

Internet coverage, reliability in rural areas hinders development

South Dakota is threatened by a growing urban-rural digital divide, endangering residents’ quality of life and economic development efforts unless significant investments are made in advanced mobile technology, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of South Dakota and Virginia’s Old Dominion University interviewed and surveyed rural South

New machines, games help video lottery revenues rebound in SD

Eight years after a smoking ban dealt South Dakota video lottery owners a heavy blow, the industry has quietly remade itself, last year recording nearly its highest revenue in 30 years. The games brought in $221 million in fiscal 2018, substantially higher than the $176.6 million achieved at the

Lawmakers spar over potential reduction in state sales tax rate

A debate is raging in Pierre this legislative session over how – and some say even if – taxpayers will see a reduction in the sales tax rate now that South Dakota has begun to collect new money from online retailers. When it comes to legislative intrigue, the contentious wrangling over the

Governor proposes higher payment rate, grant program for nursing homes

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced a plan to aid South Dakota’s financially troubled nursing home industry by raising the rate of Medicaid payments and providing $5 million in grants to facilities that innovate. Noem shared her ideas as part of her first budget address to both

Jobs abound, but low wages hamper South Dakota workforce

Jobs are plentiful in South Dakota, but most positions pay far below the national average and lower than neighboring states. In fact, South Dakota has the third-lowest average wage for employed people in the country behind only Arkansas and Mississippi. A News Watch analysis shows that the lowest-paying jobs — in
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