Government/Politics
Total 272 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.
SD election officials take new approaches to voting amid pandemic
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.
South Dakota election officials are taking a wide range of steps — and implementing some creative measures — to ensure
South Dakota criminal and civil traffic laws favor drivers over pedestrians in collisions
South Dakota traffic laws place more responsibility on pedestrians to be on the lookout for errant drivers than they do for drivers to watch out for walkers, joggers and cyclists when it comes to assigning liability in vehicle versus pedestrian accidents.
The state criminal and civil laws are unique among
Crash experts question Ravnsborg’s car-deer explanation and raise concerns of distracted driving
HIGHMORE, S.D. – An experienced traffic-accident reconstruction expert is casting doubt on the claim made by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg that he thought he hit a deer with his car the night of Sept. 12 when in fact he had struck and killed a man.
Kurt Weiss is
Family of victim in attorney general crash worries if investigation will be thorough; Ravnsborg makes formal statement
Two cousins of the man killed when a car driven by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg struck him say they worry the investigation into the incident is not being handled properly.
Victor and Nick Nemec are both cousins of Joseph Boever, 55, who was killed when Ravnsborg struck him
SD election officials say vote-by-mail and voting at polls will be safe, fair and accurate
Editor’s note: This article, the first in an ongoing series on the 2020 election, 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.
The people who will operate and oversee the
Media expert: Loss of local news outlets leaves public less informed and damages democracy
The very framework of democracy in America is being weakened by the rapid, widespread demise of local news organizations, particularly small newspapers that once served as trusted providers of information and pillars of their communities, according to Margaret Sullivan, who spoke virtually to a South Dakota audience on Tuesday, June
Fire expert: Mount Rushmore fireworks show ‘ill-advised’ due to dry conditions and high fire risk
Abnormally dry conditions and a persistent risk of summer wildfires in the Black Hills of South Dakota make the fireworks display planned for July 3 at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial an unnecessary, potentially devastating and expensive event, according to one fire expert with intimate knowledge of the region.
Bill