State/Local
Vermillion opts for texting ban
The city of Vermillion will implement a citywide ban on texting while driving May 2. Members of the Vermillion City Council unanimously passed city ordinance 1297, effectively outlawing the act of texting while driving, during the Vermillion City Council meeting April 1. City council member Steve Ward said after the South Dakota legislature failed to […]
Regents announce increase of tuition, fees
The South Dakota Board of Regents voted to increase South Dakota public universities’ tuition and fees by 4.4 percent. The vote happened during a BOR meeting April 4 in Aberdeen, S.D. Regents voted 6-3 to approve the tuition hike, which will go into effect this summer. BOR system’s Vice President of Finance and Administration Monte […]
Raise in GAF fees await Board of Regents’ approval
The South Dakota Board of Regents will vote on the approval of an increase in student fees at the University of South Dakota for the 2013-14 school year, according to Jessica Priester, director of Budget and Finance at USD. The need to increase student fees is because of an expected 15 percent hike in student […]
Johnson will not seek re-election
South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election in 2014 saying, “it’s time to say goodbye.” After serving more than three decades in the political arena, Johnson addressed a standing-room-only crowd at the Al Neuharth Media Center to formally announce his plans to retire when his current term expires in two […]
Meet Zack Wahls
Emily Niebrugge: What was the hardest part about growing up with two moms? Zach Wahls: Part of the challenge was growing up in the early ’90s. There just weren’t a lot of kids who had openly gay parents. There were plenty of kids who had gay parents, but their parents weren’t out. That was the […]
Vermillion schoolhouse replica to be refurbished
The Clay County log schoolhouse replica is in the market for a face-lift and a new home, said Tom Thaden, president of the Clay County Historical Society (CCHS). The new replica will be situated near the Austin Whittemore House in Vermillion. Restoration should be completed no later than October 2014. “Fundraising will begin immediately,” Thaden […]
Iraq War anniversary hits home
It was early evening, Jan. 17, 2003. The phone rang. “Raging Bull, Raging Bull. You’ve been mobilized.” Within three days, Leighann Dunn was on a military base for training, and within three months, she was on the ground in Kuwait, waiting to cross the border into Iraq. She was 18 years old. “Stepping off the […]
Falls Park drowning stirs disbelief for students, faculty connected to Wallace family
Article by: Trent Opstedahl and Megan Card University of South Dakota students and faculty were in shock at the drowning death of Vermillion High School sophomore Madison Wallace, 16, whose father, Jay Wallace, is a graduate teaching assistant and instructor in the university’s Fine Arts department. Madison Wallace was at Falls Park in Sioux Falls having […]
S.D. could be next ‘Silicon Valley’ as state announces USD, Eagle Creek partnership
The Vermillion community can expect an increase of 200 job openings as Twin Cities-based Eagle Creek Software Services announced they will be expanding their operation by building a $10 million technology center and offering academic programs through the University of South Dakota. At a press conference held March 13 at the Al Neuharth Media Center, […]
Legislative Overview: 2-27-13
House Bill 1213 House bill 1213 has been scheduled for a hearing with the Senate Education Committee. If passed, the bill would provide a reduced amount of state aid to education funding to certain school districts with a fall enrollment of less than 100 students. Schools with less than 100 students that are not located […]