South Dakota

Candidates for U.S. House pledge bipartisanship, clash on key issues • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2024

Candidates for U.S. House pledge bipartisanship, clash on key issues • South Dakota Searchlight

SIOUX FALLS — Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and Democratic challenger Sheryl Johnson both vowed to work across the aisle during their first and only debate on Tuesday, but revealed sharp contrasts on key issues like climate change, abortion, and gun violence.

Sheryl Johnson is the first Democratic challenger to Rep. Johnson since 2018, when the Congressman beat former judge Tim Bjorkman and a Libertarian Party candidate to secure the state’s lone U.S. House seat.

The debate at the South Dakota Public Broadcasting studio in Sioux Falls saw both candidates emphasize their commitment to pragmatism and civil discourse.

Dusty Johnson, who has held South Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat since 2018, pointed to his record of negotiating bipartisan legislation, and recognition as a problem solver by organizations like the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.

Sheryl Johnson, a first-time congressional candidate and former Republican, framed herself as a political outsider. She touted her background as a mother of four, a public school employee and the owner of an part time, at-home business. Her campaign slogan, “SD Mom for Congress,” underscores her critique of the political establishment, which she says is out of touch with the needs of ordinary South Dakotans.

“They’re all fed up with politicians that don’t listen to them,” she said of the those she’s met on the campaign trial.

The debate also revealed the candidates’ ideological differences.

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Dusty Johnson argued against sweeping mandates like the “Green New Deal.” The Green New Deal is a broad outline for revamping U.S. policy to focus on climate change by transitioning to renewable energy sources.

The Representative said Democratic climate policies have had a negative impact on the environment and national security by making the nation and its allies dependent on countries with less strict environmental regulations, like China and Russia.

Sheryl Johnson said “climate change is real,” and that she’s worried about the droughts and flooding that have increased in frequency in the Midwest as a result.

Even so, she is not comfortable with Summit’s proposed carbon capture pipeline, which she doesn’t see as a workable option to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The project aims to collect and store CO2 from 57 ethanol plants in South Dakota and other neighboring states, collecting federal clean energy tax incentives along the way.

On abortion, Dusty Johnson said the constitutional amendment South Dakota voters are considering this election cycle is not the answer because it allows no restrictions on abortion in the first trimester.

“Amendment G is extreme,” he said

Sheryl Johnson, however, described it as a reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, referencing the U.S. Supreme Court case that protecting abortion rights in 1972. The current Supreme Court overturned Roe two years ago in a case called Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.

She called for the restoration of federal protections for reproductive rights, and said current laws in some states make it unclear if and when doctors can perform abortions to protect the life and safety of women.

The candidates also differed sharply on gun violence. Sheryl Johnson said she supports the Second Amendment, but said she’d like to see moderate gun safety measures like stricter background checks.

She said the U.S. is failing its children, and that it’s too easy to get a gun.

“Guns are not toys, and I think we glamorize them too much in today’s society,” she said.

Dusty Johnson emphasized the need to protect Second Amendment rights. He said the U.S. needs a comprehensive policy to address the mental health crisis he says has contributed to the epidemic of gun violence and suicides.

“President Biden signed a piece of gun control legislation,” he said. “Do any of us really think that has changed the trajectory of this violence?”

Both candidates talked about how their political experience or lack thereof would be an asset to South Dakotans. Dusty Johnson said his years in Congress have given him the skills to navigate Washington D.C.’s complexities and pass meaningful legislation. Sheryl Johnson argued that her outsider perspective makes her better equipped to address the concerns of everyday South Dakotans.

The founding fathers envisioned a citizen legislature in the U.S. House, she said, noting that she supports term limits for members of Congress.

“We need to send a fresh voice to Washington,” she said during closing remarks.

The candidates thanked one another for a cordial and respectful debate. Dusty Johnson said that in the current political climate, that kind of debate is not guaranteed.

“This could have devolved into a mess, like so many debates do, jagged insult hurling,” he said. “This could have been a Scandinavian night fight, Johnson versus Johnson, but we, I think, really gave South Dakotans the debate they deserved”

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for June 4, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 4 drawing

06-13-19-28-34, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

USF becomes South Dakota’s first ‘cardiac ready’ campus

Published

20 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

USF becomes South Dakota’s first ‘cardiac ready’ campus

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The University of Sioux Falls is now South Dakota’s first ‘cardiac-ready’ campus.

The state designation means USF has widespread CPR training, clearly marked defibrillators, and emergency plans so staff and students can act before an ambulance arrives.

Nearly half of the faculty and staff are CPR-certified, and more than 130 students are trained.

The campus also stocks naloxone to respond to possible opioid overdoses.

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South Dakota

Schedule, prediction for 2026 South Dakota softball state tournament

Published

1 day ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Schedule, prediction for 2026 South Dakota softball state tournament

The SDHSAA’s state softball tournament will run from Thursday, June 4, to Saturday, June 6. The Class AA tournament will be at Bowden Field at Augustana University, and the Class A and B tournaments will be at Players Softball Complex in Aberdeen.

All games will begin at 10 a.m. each day, with games set for every two hours after. The state semifinals will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, June 5, and the state championship games will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6.

Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend ahead:

South Dakota high school softball tournament schedule

Class AA

Quarterfinals, Thursday, June 4

No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson (20-0) vs. No. 9 Sioux Falls Lincoln (12-9), 10 a.m. CT
No. 4 Brandon Valley (14-4) vs. No. 5 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (14-6), noon CT
No. 2 Harrisburg (19-1) vs. No. 7 O’Gorman (13-7), 2 p.m. CT
No. 3 Sioux Falls Washington (19-3) vs. No. 6 Rapid City Stevens (14-5), 4 p.m. CT

Semifinals, Friday, June 5

Semifinal 1, 2 p.m. CT
Semifinal 2, 4 p.m. CT

Championship game, Saturday, June 6

State title game, 4 p.m. CT

Class A

Quarterfinals, Thursday, June 4

No. 1 Madison (14-2) vs. No. 8 Elk Point-Jefferson (9-6), 10 a.m. CT
No. 4 West Central (14-6) vs. No. 5 Beresford (16-8), noon CT
No. 2 Tri-Valley (17-2) vs. No. 7 Lennox (8-5), 2 p.m. CT
No. 3 Dakota Valley (12-4) vs. No. 6 Sioux Valley (21-4), 4 p.m. CT

Semifinals, Friday, June 5

Semifinal 1, 2 p.m. CT
Semifinal 2, 4 p.m. CT

Championship game, Saturday, June 6

State title game, 4 p.m. CT

Class B

Quarterfinals, Thursday, June 4

No. 1 Castlewood (18-4) vs. No. 8 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy (11-7), 10 a.m. CT
No. 4 Hanson (18-4) vs. No. 5 Avon (16-7), noon CT
No. 2 McCook Central/Montrose (20-2) vs. No. 7 Redfield (10-7), 2 p.m. CT
No. 3 Florence/Henry (15-4) vs. No. 6 Gayville-Volin (14-5), 4 p.m. CT

Semifinals, Friday, June 5

Semifinal 1, 2 p.m. CT
Semifinal 2, 4 p.m. CT

Championship game, Saturday, June 6

State Title Game, 4 p.m. CT

Analysis

Class AA

This feels like a three-horse race, with Sioux Falls Jefferson, Harrisburg and Sioux Falls Washington having established themselves as the clear top three.

Jefferson has a win over each team, while Harrisburg swept a pair of games against Washington. Neither team lost to anyone else.

The Cavaliers have the top pitching staff in the state with Tya Devericks and Mak Bierman, while also having Macy Bryant post an absurd .828 batting average this season. Devericks posted a 0.93 ERA in 68 innings with 99 strikeouts, and Bryant added 18 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 51 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. Her slash line is .828/.845/1.688. Brooklyn Herrera has also been a major contributor in the middle of the Jefferson lineup.

Harrisburg also has a potent lineup, with Peyton LaFramboise, Alexis Fey, Jayci Olson, Kennedy Kokenge and Maleia Knutson all helping the Tigers average a Class AA-high 13.4 runs per game.

Washington is led by pitcher Maddy Mescher, who has thrown to a 1.53 ERA in 93 innings with 127 strikeouts. The Warriors have averaged just 2.7 runs in their losses and 11.4 runs in their wins. The Warriors will need to keep their offense hot, having scored in double digits each of the last three games.

Brandon Valley, Sioux Falls Roosevelt and O’Gorman all got hot right before the state tournament and could present early problems for the top teams. One of Brandon Valley and Roosevelt will be eliminated in the second game of the first day, and then will likely face Jefferson.

Rapid City Stevens and Sioux Falls Lincoln don’t necessarily come into the weekend limping, but haven’t had the best stretches. They have Washington and Jefferson, respectively, and those aren’t the best matchups for struggling sides.

This will likely be a three-team race, and I think Jefferson is unbeaten for a reason. The Cavaliers have the best player (Bryant) and probably the best pitcher (Devericks) in the state, and they should take home their second consecutive state championship

Prediction: Sioux Falls Jefferson

Class A

Class A is as wide open as any class, with five teams I feel have a decent chance to win a state championship.

Let’s start with the defending champions from West Central. The Trojans had a more rocky season than normal, but a dynamic lineup can turn things around in a hurry. West Central has wins over the top two seeds and Beresford, its first opponent, so confidence should be high.

Madison is the top seed with losses only to West Central and Tri-Valley. The Lady Bulldogs have the second-best average run differential in the tournament and have scored in double digits in 11 of their 14 wins.

Tri-Valley was both the best team at preventing and scoring runs in Class A, and the Mustangs ripped off an eight-game winning streak during the middle of their season. Tri-Valley went 7-2 against teams that made a state tournament this season, proving it’s a battle-tested side.

Sioux Valley and Dakota Valley are similar, but the Cossacks got a lower seed despite winning seven more games this season. Sioux Valley went just 6-2 against Class A competition, with four of those wins coming against Sioux Falls Christian. Dakota Valley only has two losses coming to South Dakota teams, with one each against Madison and Tri-Valley.

Beresford is the first team I feel is off the true title contention list, mostly because of the lack of offensive firepower against quality competition. Lennox and Elk Point-Jefferson are both just a few games over .500 and haven’t reached 10 wins, and have tough opening matchups.

I feel the second seed has all the tools to win this, but Madison and West Central are also very strong contenders for the crown.

Prediction: Tri-Valley

Class B

Three lower seeds won in the SoDak 16, with No. 14 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy beating No. 3 Deuel, No. 11 Redfield taking down No. 6 Baltic and No. 9 Gayville-Volin beating No. 8 Chester.

Castlewood, McCook Central/Montrose and Hanson appear to have separated themselves from the pack. Each team boasts solid average run differentials and can get hot over the weekend.

Castlewood has been great at run prevention, McCook Central/Montrose has scored tons of runs and Hanson has managed to thread the middle ground of those two styles.

Florence/Henry, Avon and Gayville-Volin have also shown to be quality opposition, but they’ve just come up short a few too many times against the cream of the crop.

Redfield and Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy need to keep their momentum from the SoDak 16, but have a tall task to make a run here.

This is mostly a coin flip between the top three, but I’m going with Class B’s only 20-game winner.

Prediction: McCook Central/Montrose

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