Pierre
Legalization of medicinal marijuana in South Dakota moves forward despite lawmakers’ objections
Recently, the South Dakota state legislature failed to pass House Bill 1100, which would delay medicinal marijuana. Because of this, Initiated Measure 26 will go into effect on July 1, 2021, which will allow medicinal marijuana to be legal in South Dakota. People can visit site if they need options of medical marijuana. Associate professor of political science and […]
New Freedom Scholarship is state’s first need-based scholarship
During South Dakota’s 2021 legislative session, the South Dakota legislature passed and Gov. Noem signed Senate Bill 171, which appropriated $50 million to contribute to the Freedom Scholarship fund. With the state’s funds in addition to other donors, the Freedom Scholarship endowment currently has $175 million of its $200 million goal. The Freedom Scholarship is […]
South Dakota House and Senate bills set to impact surrounding rural area
South Dakota has several House and Senate bills from the 2021 session projected to impact the environment and rural community influencing tax breaks for land-owners, broadband networks and meat processing and packing. These bills include House Bill 1042, House Bill 1077 and Senate Bill 34. Information on these bills is sourced from the South Dakota […]
South Dakota legislators weigh impeachment for attorney general
South Dakota’s Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has received calls for his resignation from both law enforcement groups and Gov. Kristi Noem since he struck and killed a man with his car in September. While Ravnsborg has refused so far to resign, some in the state legislature have made moves towards impeaching him. Impeachment at the […]
Trans Rights March held in response to House Bill 1217
In seven cities across South Dakota, people gathered Saturday morning to make a statement and to protest a bill against trans lives and their future in sports. All events had mandatory mask requirements and were held in Pierre, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Brookings, Watertown, Eagle Butte and Vermillion. The protests were led by The Transformation […]
SD Department of Agriculture will merge with Department of Environment and Natural Resources
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are merging into one department. “South Dakota will be the only state in the United States that doesn’t have its own designated environmental agency,” Ailee Johns, 2020 South Dakota state senate candidate for District 17, said. Gov. Kristi Noem and South […]
Photography professor receives Governor’s Awards in the Arts
The grandson of Polish and Ukrainian immigrants and the son of a blue-collar family, Professor John Banasiak has used his upbringing as a driving force in his love for the arts. This love led him to be a recipient of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts in regard to his “Outstanding Service in Art Education.” […]
USD student introduces new voting registration initiative
A new voter registration initiative was introduced to the Young Democrats of South Dakota last week by Addison Miller, a sophomore political science student at the University of South Dakota. Miller calls the initiative “Passive Active Registration” with the goal of increasing the number of newly registered Democrats by 50% in areas deemed possible and […]
Nicotine knockout: SD legislation looks to limit minor consumption of nicotine products
USD students might see a change in their vape pens and other nicotine products. Legislation proposed in the South Dakota Legislature aims to crack down on youth nicotine consumption by eliminating flavored Juul pods, which proponents of the legislation said target underage consumers. Two bills regarding nicotine, House Bill 1063 and House Bill 1064, are […]
Editorial: Kill House Bill 1215
It’s evident that South Dakota as a government is against the LGBTQ+ community and they continue to show their disdain by creating legislation directly attacking their rights. House Bill 1215 was introduced last week and aims to strip rights from the LGBTQ+ community. One of the most controversial policies is not recognizing gay marriage, which […]