RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) — South Dakota has an annual New Year’s Day tradition: an increase in the minimum wage for non-tipped workers.

On Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, the state minimum wage increases from $11.50 an hour to $11.85. The 35-cent pay hike is based on increases in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The annual increases have been in place since 2016 when the South Dakota Legislature enacted a law to automatically adjust the state minimum wage. It is one of 34 states that set the minimum wage above the federal rate.

The tipped employee hourly minimum wage will go to $5.925 an hour, which is half the minimum wage for non-tipped workers. Wages and tips combined must equal at least the minimum wage.

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Wisconsin will get $630,854 as part of a $149.6 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz Group AG to resolve long-running claims the German automaker sold vehicles equipped with illegal emissions defeat devices.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement Dec. 21 the state had joined a coalition of 48 states and Puerto Rico that sued Mercedes. The coalition accused the company of using the devices to make vehicles appear to comply with emissions tests when they actually broke emissions standards while they were on the road.

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“Deceiving the public about vehicle emissions is unfair to consumers and harmful to the environment,” Kaul said in the statement. “This settlement brings accountability and relief for consumers.”

Mercedes allegedly sold over 211,000 diesel vehicles from 2008-2016 that contained devices designed to skirt the emissions standards, Kaul said. The settlement extends to the estimated 39,565 U.S. vehicles that had not been repaired or permanently removed from the road by August 2023, he said.

The automaker said in a statement the deal puts an end to its legal issues in the United States over the Dieselgate emissions scandal that was uncovered at Volkswagen in September 2015.

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Under the settlement, Mercedes must pay $149.6 million and provide $2,000 payments to eligible owners and lessees whose vehicles received required emissions repairs. Mercedes also agreed to adopt a series of actions to prevent future misconduct and comply with oversight requirements.

As part of the settlement, Mercedes will send an approved notice to eligible owners and lessees of eligible vehicles with information on steps they can take to receive the available relief.

The companies must also comply with reporting requirements, reform their practices, and refrain from any further unfair or deceptive marketing or sale of diesel vehicles, including misrepresentations regarding emissions and compliance, Kaul said.

Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.

A jury found Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of obstructing federal immigration agents during an attempt to serve a warrant at a courthouse earlier this year.

She faces up to five years in prison on the felony obstruction count.

Dugan was arrested in April after helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz avoid plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were trying to serve him a warrant. Prosecutors said Dugan helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney exit her courtroom through a back door on April 18, after learning that ICE agents were in the building to arrest him.

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“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter,” Dugan’s defense team said in a statement. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense.”

Jurors reached the guilty verdict after six hours of deliberations, though Dugan was acquitted on a misdemeanor count of concealing an individual to prevent arrest.

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Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Brad Schimel reacted to the verdict, saying Dugan “is certainly not evil nor is she a martyr for some greater cause.” 

“It was a criminal case, like many that make their way through this courthouse every day, and we all must accept the verdict peacefully,” he said.

Schimel added that prosecutors “weren’t trying to make an example out of anyone.” 

“This was necessary to hold Judge Dugan accountable in our assessment because of the action she took,” he said.

Following the verdict, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Dugan “betrayed her oath and the people she served.”

“Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law,” he wrote on X. “This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account — even those who wear robes. Thank you to the men and women who keep us safe. We will always protect you.”

Under Wisconsin law, Dugan is no longer eligible to hold public office.

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In April, she was suspended with pay, a roughly $175,000 a year salary, by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. It’s unclear if the court will make any changes to her employment status in the wake of the verdict, given that the defense is expected to appeal the decision.