SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Someone sitting in a focus group in Minneapolis was asked to describe what it would be like living in South Dakota. The response is not the stuff economic developers dream about. “You could really become a hermit,” this person said. “You could really isolate yourself from everyone else.” Here’s what […]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Rapid City police are investigating a suspected case of arson at a motel. Authorities say the manager of the Ranch House Motel last Friday night reported a burning mattress in an empty room. The person who had occupied the room earlier in the day had reportedly broken the room’s windows […]

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A bird found only in California and Nevada no longer faces the threat of extinction and doesn’t require federal protection, officials said just months before a more-sweeping decision is due on whether to declare other sage grouse threatened or endangered in 11 Western states. The bistate, Mono Basin sage grouse is […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The city of Sioux Falls is dedicating money to put more immigrants and refugees to work. City officials have earmarked $170,000 to help the Sioux Falls Multi-Cultural Center and the Training Solutions Institute equip foreign-born residents with the language and workplace skills they will need to fill some of the […]

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A type of sage grouse found only in California and Nevada no longer faces the threat of extinction and doesn’t require federal protection, the Interior Department decided Tuesday just months before a more-sweeping decision is due on whether to declare other sage grouse threatened or endangered in 11 Western states. The […]

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — The city of Aberdeen is taking aim at pesky pigeons in the city. The City Council on Monday approved a $7,250 contract with a professional to eliminate nesting sites and trap the birds. City Manager Lynn Lander says the Aberdeen Downtown Association has contracted with another person to reduce the number […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Dry conditions across South Dakota over the past week have enabled farmers to start planting corn, but the lack of rain is hurting soil moisture. The Agriculture Department says in its weekly crop progress report that about 5 percent of the corn crop is seeded, near the five-year average pace. […]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City woman accused in the stabbing death of her boyfriend faces a mid-September trial. Forty-three-year-old Corinne Vermillion is accused of fatally stabbing 37-year-old Donny Ladeaux in January at a public housing complex in Pennington County where the couple and their two children lived. Vermillion has said she stabbed […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sioux Falls police say a 14-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after another teen attacked her over the weekend. The Argus Leader ( ) reports the girl was walking with friends in an alley about 8 p.m. Sunday when a 16-year-old boy walked up behind her and hit her […]

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — The University of South Dakota is hosting a workshop to train South Dakota residents to become frog whisperers. The training will teach participants how to recognize different frogs and different frog calls. This knowledge will allow the interested individuals to conduct field research and document the types of frogs they hear […]