State/Local
Bill to Restrict Medical Treatments for Transgender Adolescents Passes Committee
As the legislative session in Pierre heats up, a bill aimed at blocking minors from receiving certain medical and surgical procedures causes controversy. Rep. Bethany Soye introduced House Bill (HB) 1080, which would ban healthcare professionals from “attempting to alter the appearance of a minor’s sex… if that appearance or perception is inconsistent with the […]
California Faced with Repeated Tropical Storms
This month, California has been ripped by several intense storms and many communities across the state have been flooded out. The L.A. Times reports at least 22 have died as a result of the flooding and landslides. Statewide, California has accumulated around 11.2 inches of rainfall. These storms are known as atmospheric rivers, or ARs. […]
Bringing New Energy to Vermillion with The W
As the small town of Vermillion continues to grow, Hailie Warren, the creative director at USD, is adding her name to the list of business owners, alongside her husband, Dante, and her daughter, Winter. The W, a social house, stay and event venue is coming soon to Vermillion. This will be a place where guests […]
Noem’s Proposal Clarifies Expenses on Pregnant Parents
On Jan. 19, Gov. Kristi Noem requested amends to Senate Bill (SB) 75 that will provide for all pregnancy expenses to be covered by both of the child’s parents, which is clarifying an existing law. Gov. Noem along with Sen. David Wheeler and Rep. Mike Stevens, hope this new bill will lessen the financial burden […]
Marijuana Dispensary Opens Downtown
Dakota Herb is the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in downtown Vermillion. It opened early November of last year and is one of three dispensaries opened by Dakota Herb in South Dakota. In 2020, South Dakota residents voted to approve Initiated Measure 26, thus legalizing medical marijuana. This allows South Dakota residents to buy […]
USD Alumni to Open New Brewery
A new brewery, XIX Brewing Co., plans to open on Main Street this year using the current Fullerton Lumber Co. building. XIX Brewing was developed by USD Alumi Katey Ulrich and Ed Gerrish. Ulrich met Gerrish through his wife, Leslie. Because of Gerrish’s experience with brewing beer, Ulrich decided to invite Gerrish to the project. […]
Grocery Stores Soon to Have No Taxes
On Jan. 17, a bill to remove South Dakota’s statewide grocery tax was introduced by Gov. Kristi Noem, Sen. John Wiik and Rep. Mary Fitzgerald. Currently, South Dakota is one of seven states that imposes a statewide sales tax on food. The other states include Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. The language of […]
New COVID-19 Strain Emerges
A new COVID-19 variant called XBB.1.5 surges on the east coast. According to the World Health Organization, the variant is likely to be more transmissible than the previous variants due to its immune evasiveness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the new variant accounts for 43% of new cases, with most […]
Basketball Player Pleads Not Guilty to Rape Charges
Mihai Carcoana, a sophomore men’s basketball player arrested on rape charges last month, pled not guilty during his arraignment at the Clay County Courthouse Thursday morning. In addition to the arraignment, Carcoana’s attorney filed a motion to modify bond conditions to allow travel to meet with his attorney in Sioux Falls, to Georgia to visit […]
Carcoana Returns to On-Campus Housing
Mihai Carcoana, the USD basketball player who was arrested on charges of rape in the second degree last week, was released Dec. 13 after a $50,000 bail was paid by a bond company. He has surrendered his passport and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Dec. 21. Carcoana’s $50,000 dollar bail was met […]