Rural
Total 202 Posts
Half of the state's residents live outside of Sioux Falls and Rapid City, and South Dakota News Watch has a full-time reporter dedicated to covering those regions with stories that highlight its people.
With CRP acres dwindling nationally, Congress seeks reforms
As the September expiration date of the 2018 Farm Bill approaches, several members of Congress hope to further the program’s conservation efforts and strengthen enrollment incentives.
Weekly newspapers in South Dakota bucking national news trend
One heartbreaking phone call in November 2021 sums up the depth of devotion Jill Meier and other weekly newspaper editors across South Dakota feel toward keeping their communities informed.
Meier took the call while working at the Brandon Valley Journal and learned that her 83-year-old mother had died at a
Weekly papers: How these South Dakota communities are keeping local news alive
As South Dakota News Watch prepares to host a panel discussion on recent trends in journalism and the importance of factual reporting at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park on Sunday, June 25, here are three stories of the people behind the pages who are keeping the tradition
Dangerous wild animals encroaching on South Dakota neighborhoods
SPEARFISH, S.D. – Holly Hansen doesn’t have hard data to prove that potentially dangerous wild animals are entering residential areas with greater frequency, but she does have some pretty strong anecdotal evidence.
In early May, a black bear entered her suburban Spearfish property and killed 16 ducks, chickens and
Long-held rural values at odds in South Dakota gun range debate
RAPID CITY, S.D. – An effort to build a huge gun range and shooting complex north of Rapid City has created divisiveness and hard feelings between two of South Dakota’s most iconic populations.
The values run deep and histories stretch long among people in the two groups – those devoted
Fatal train crash highlights lack of railroad crossing protections in South Dakota
HARRISBURG, S.D. – Jodi Kuipers learned the hard way how much time, work and determination it takes to get safety improvements made at a railroad crossing in South Dakota, even at the site of a tragedy that took the lives of two of her closest family members.
Driven first by
Easter Sunday offers break in church attendance decline
South Dakota churches will undoubtedly see attendance jump during Easter services on Sunday as Christians come out in large numbers to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But behind the scenes, many church leaders will worry whether they can maintain the holiday momentum as religious affiliation and church attendance continue