Government/Politics
Total 284 Posts
South Dakota News Watch is one of the few news organizations in the state with a full-time reporter who lives in Pierre. These stories explain how what happens in the Capitol impacts all residents, hold publicly elected leaders accountable, investigate complex issues and help voters make informed choices when they go to the polls through accurate, balanced reporting.
Statewide poll shows referendum on recreational marijuana legalization in SD could fail in November
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles based on a July 2022 statewide poll conducted by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, and is the latest segment in the ongoing “South Dakota Matters” series of
New poll: Majority of South Dakotans oppose total ban on abortion and want voters, not lawmakers, to make the rules
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles based on a July 2022 statewide poll conducted by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota, and is the latest segment in the ongoing “South Dakota Matters” series of
Burn pit legislation passed by Congress, but challenges await veterans needing care
Combat veterans in South Dakota are encouraged by new legislation in Congress to expand treatment and benefits for soldiers exposed to toxic burn pits during deployment overseas, but questions remain about the federal government’s ability to effectively provide the needed health care.
Those questions partly explain why Republican senators
Updated: Concerns over dueling Medicaid ballot measures leads to compromise
Update: One ballot measure dropped in wake of News Watch story
On July 11, Dakotans for Health co-founder Rick Weiland withdrew Initiated Measure 28 from the November ballot and announced that his group will join South Dakotans Decide Healthcare in pushing for the passage of Constitutional Amendment D. Both coalitions
Attorney general intrigue: Future roles uncertain for Jackley, Natvig — and Ravnsborg
Jason Ravnsborg’s decision to not pursue re-election as South Dakota attorney general doesn’t rule out the possibility of him serving in state government following the November election, several South Dakota Republican officials told News Watch.
The speculation is part of a larger sense of uncertainty and intrigue that
Panel discussion on politics and education set for Thursday, June 16, 2022
In the latest segment of its ongoing “South Dakota Matters” series of polls and panels, South Dakota News Watch will host a one-hour panel discussion on the effect of increasing politicization of public education and its impact on the worsening teacher shortage on Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 7:30
How national political forces are shaping SD education legislation
The extent to which national political movements sway South Dakota’s legislative priorities was rarely more evident than during a House Education Committee hearing in Pierre in early February 2022.
On the agenda was House Bill 1337, one of several education measures brought by Gov. Kristi Noem to keep critical