State/Local
Polar Plunge beats goal before they start
Before the event had even started, the Vermillion Polar Plunge had already raised $15,000 for Special Olympics athletes. John Cole is the assistant director for the law enforcement torch run for the state of South Dakota and also a police officer for the Vermillion Police Department. Cole helps out with events across the state, but […]
Rep. Johnson talks with local businesses and young professionals
Rep. Dusty Johnson, who represents South Dakota’s at-large district in the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke to Vermillion business owners and young professionals Thursday, April 8 at the Vermillion Chamber and Development Company’s (VCDC) “Legislative Affairs” Red Talk. The event was hosted on the second floor of Old Lumber Company Grill and Bar and served […]
Anti-Trans bill delayed in South Dakota
South Dakota legislators introduced House Bill (H.B.) 1217 Feb. 2021, also known as the trans sports bill, which would ban transgender women from competing in women’s athletics. Transgender advocates marched at the capitol in Pierre, South Dakota March 11 in protest of the bill. Later that day, Gov. Kristi Noem amended her earlier statement that […]
Earth Days 2021 brings back in-person outdoor events
Greening Vermillion’s 2021 Earth Days will be held in-person from this Saturday, April 17 until Saturday, April 24. The annual event, held the week of the federal holiday Earth Day, is a community-wide celebration intended to promote healthy living, responsible economic development and sustainable environmental management. Meghann Jarchow, USD’s chair of sustainability and environment and […]
Medicaid expansion campaign kicks off in South Dakota
The recent federal stimulus bill included provisions incentivizing states to expand Medicaid coverage. While states including Wyoming have moved Medicaid expansion forward legislatively, Dakotans for Health, a political advocacy group, is working to put the policy forward as a ballot initiative in South Dakota’s 2022 elections. The South Dakota ballot initiative process requires petitioners to […]
Brief: Cultural Wellness Coalition hosting film screening at Coyote Twin
USD’s Cultural Wellness Coalition will be hosting a free screening of “Judas and the Black Messiah” at the Coyote Twin Theater in downtown Vermillion on April 8 at 7 p.m. as part of their Diverse Film Series for the Students & Community. The film, released this year in a simultaneous theatrical and streaming release on […]
Packard Exhibition held as drive-in event
To work around the difficulties of hosting an art show during the pandemic, local artists Klaire Lockheart and Aaron Packard hosted the 2021 Packard Group National Exhibition as a drive-in event. The event was the second of its kind. Lockheart conceived the idea of the exhibition last year when she decided the area didn’t have […]
AWOL and Lost and Found team up to volunteer
USD’s Alternative Weekend of off-campus Learning (AWOL) and Lost and Found organizations collaborated to volunteer at Sioux Falls’ Foster Closet. Michaela Ahrenholtz, the president of the Lost and Found organization at USD, said the Lost and Found organization aims to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention among college students. “Foster Closet is the […]
Vermillion Public Library hosts federal tax assistance program
The Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax preparation service to lower-income individuals, disabled persons, the elderly and limited English speakers across the country. In southeastern South Dakota, the service is offered in Sioux Falls and at the Edith B. Siegrist Vermillion Public Library in downtown Vermillion. Rachelle Langdon, programming […]
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 […]