MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) — In the last two years, Joel Amick, Kelly Carpenter and many others who are going through drug court have helped stabilize the prison population in South Dakota. Both convicted criminals who live in Mitchell, Amick and Carpenter are successfully making their way through James Valley Drug Court. Amick, 28, is nearing […]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Like a lot of people who consider the Black Hills National Forest a treasured public resource, Darren Haar doesn’t think it’s a great idea to sell pieces of it to private owners. But, also like a lot of people, he wouldn’t mind having a pristine piece of it for himself […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Authorities in South Dakota are accusing the owner of a car dealership of participating in misleading business transactions. Attorney General Marty Jackley says 38-year-old Joseph Stanford has been indicted on charges of grand theft by deception and selling a motor vehicle without the consent of a lienholder. Prosecutors say Stanford […]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota prison inmate serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree rape has died of natural causes following a lengthy illness. The South Dakota Department of Corrections says 60-year-old Harold Kusick died Monday in Sioux Falls. Kusick was sentenced in 2004 for a rape that had happened a decade earlier. […]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says it’s time for a “meaningful discussion” about immigration reform in Washington following a federal court ruling that blocks an executive order on immigration. A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked executive orders Tuesday that would have shielded from deportation as many as 5 million […]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A legislative committee has approved a measure that could ban a surgical abortion procedure in South Dakota. The House Health and Human Services Committee voted Tuesday for a plan that would prohibit physicians from beheading fetuses. Republican Rep. Isaac Latterell says if beheading is part of an abortion procedure called dilation […]

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A legislative panel has narrowly passed a proposal that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in the South Dakota Capitol building. The House Local Government Committee voted on Tuesday for a plan that would remove the prohibition from state law. Republican Rep. Blaine Campbell says that some people who have […]

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — A four-year-old trademark dispute between Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Inc. and Rushmore Photo and Gifts and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will go to trial in the fall rather than this summer. The trademark infringement lawsuit was scheduled for trial in July, but the opposing sides asked U.S. Chief District Judge Jeffrey Viken to […]

YANKTON, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota State University Extension has a new 4-H youth program adviser for Clay, Union and Yankton counties. The Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan reports ( ) Minnesota native Lauren Hollenbeck has recently taken the new role. Her position comes with various duties including coordinating youth activities and after-school programs. […]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The Rapid City school board will soon address a proposal that would lead to a salary increase for public school teachers at the expense of cutting $6.5 million from other programs. The Rapid City Journal reports ( ) superintendent Tim Mitchell devised the spending-cut plan for the 2015-2016 school year. […]