South Dakota

Lawmakers decline to endorse Noem-backed state library funding cut, school safety grant program • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

11 months ago

February 5, 2025

Lawmakers decline to endorse Noem-backed state library funding cut, school safety grant program • South Dakota Searchlight

Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s education priorities continue to face setbacks in the Legislature, including proposals to cut funding for the South Dakota State Library and to put $10 million toward school safety grants.

The House Education Committee voted Wednesday to move the two proposals to the legislative budget committee with “do not pass” recommendations.

It’s a battle over priorities in a tight budget year, said Yankton Republican Rep. Mike Stevens.

The same committee last week shot down a Governor’s Office-supported education savings account bill, which would have used $4 million in public funds to pay for a portion of private, online or homeschool instruction costs. Republican leaders plan to advance related legislation.

South Dakota State Library

Noem had proposed cutting the State Library’s funding by about $1 million. The cut would lay off about a dozen employees and jeopardize programming and services local libraries depend on, several librarians told lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre.

The Department of Education introduced a bill that would change the duties of the State Library to align expectations with Noem’s proposed budget cut.

Were it endorsed by lawmakers, the cut itself would be embedded in the state’s general appropriations bill, which is passed at the end of the legislative session.

State Library budget cut would hamstring local libraries, opponents say

Education Secretary Joseph Graves told lawmakers that key services would still be available if the funding cut were to take effect. That would include statewide training and technical assistance to libraries, Braille and talking book services for people who are blind and hard of hearing, and assistance with literacy programming and organization.

Opponents told lawmakers they doubted such services would be feasible without continued funding. Librarians said they were concerned about losing statewide interlibrary loan services, shared database access and other services. Representatives of local governments said they worried they’d shoulder the financial burden to cover such services.

The committee voted unanimously to move the bill on to the legislative budget committee with a “do not pass” recommendation.

Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Amber Arlint added that she was worried cutting state funds for the library would mean replicating programs and costs elsewhere in the state.

“We all serve the same taxpayers,” Arlint said. “So to cut services to balance our state budget just to pass them onto a different set of taxes is absolutely absurd to me.”

School safety grant funding

Lawmakers on the committee also voted 11-4 against endorsing Noem’s proposed $10 million grant program for school security upgrades.

Scott Rechtenbaugh, criminal justice service director with the state Department of Public Safety, said that although roughly 200 schools have completed safety assessments with the department’s School Safety Center since 2020, many don’t have funding to make recommended upgrades.

That jeopardizes student safety as school shootings continue nationwide and school safety threats increase in the state, he said. Rechtenbaugh reminded lawmakers of the 2015 Harrisburg High School shooting and a 2024 school threat in Winner. No one was killed in either event.

The grant would let the department distribute $2 million annually for surveillance cameras, panic buttons, doors and locks, fencing, gates, barriers and other security measures.

“I know there’s a lot of debate on, ‘Can we afford this?’” Rechtenbaugh said. “But my question is, ‘Can we afford not to?’”

The state Department of Education and the South Dakota Police Chiefs’ Association supported the bill. Dianna Miller, a lobbyist for the Large School Group, was the sole opponent.

“I hope, I pray our budget and sales tax will increase and we do the things necessary to get through this year, and then maybe the program would be ripe for it,” Miller said. “But the fact of the matter is that right now is not the time.”

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South Dakota

Half of SD inmates return to prison, new report shows

Published

3 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Half of SD inmates return to prison, new report shows

Makenzie Huber
| South Dakota Searchlight

Half the people released from prison in South Dakota return within three years, according to the state Department of Corrections’ newly released 2025 annual report — the highest recidivism rate in at least the last eight years.

Among Native Americans released from prison, 59% return within three years — the highest of any race. Native Americans comprise 39% of inmates in the state prison system — 35% among men and 61% among women. The recidivism rate among Native American women is 66%.

Department officials shared the statistics and annual report with members of the Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force at its Wednesday, Dec. 17 meeting in Pierre. The recidivism rate is seven points higher than last year.

The task force, made up of lawmakers, government officials and nonprofit leaders, is considering ways to reduce the state’s recidivism rate by expanding prison-based rehabilitation and helping released inmates transition back into their communities. The group was created earlier this year as lawmakers approved construction of a $650 million men’s prison in Sioux Falls, and it’s focusing on behavioral health, educational, faith-based and Native American-themed programs.

The group approved several recommendations at its meeting, including an endorsement of a faith-based seminary program.

Task force member Rep. John Hughes, R-Sioux Falls, said he hopes for “transformational offerings” to inmates.

“If we don’t see lives changed, then I don’t know what we’re doing here,” Hughes said. “We’re just managing statistics and personal failures.”

‘We’re not appropriately supporting the Indigenous population’

Task force member Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, told South Dakota Searchlight the increase in recidivism, especially among Native Americans, will “further strain an already strained system.”

“It’s indicative of the fact that we’re not appropriately supporting the Indigenous population,” Wittman said. “We’re already overincarcerating Indigenous people in South Dakota, and then we’re seeing them return at a much higher rate.”

The task force approved 11 immediate recommendations for the Department of Corrections. The list includes bringing back evening volunteers in prisons, designating the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate parole program as a “flagship model” in the state, and establishing volunteer roundtables to give feedback on department policy and programs.

The recommendations are “small wins or barriers that can be removed,” Wittman said, while the task force continues to work on more complex issues.

Wittman is most excited about a recommendation that the department hire a tribal cultural liaison to coordinate ceremonies, tribal contacts and volunteer access to the state’s prisons. The position should be piloted for six months, the task force recommended.

“The fact that the DOC is willing to establish an individual whose sole focus is going to be better programming for its Indigenous population is huge,” Wittman said. “They’ll hopefully identify where Indigenous programming will be most effective.”

Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, the task force chairman, confirmed with recently appointed Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb that the department would look into the recommendations and report back which could be viable options.

New corrections secretary lauds faith-based program

The prison seminary program endorsed by the task force was created by Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain while he served as warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Cain resigned from his role in Louisiana in 2015 amid investigations of his business dealings.

The program operates in 26 states and partners with accredited, four-year Christian seminary programs to teach inmates. They can earn a seminary degree through the program, often with graduates serving as ministers in prison systems.

Lamb helped implement the program in the Illinois prison system. Within months of its launch, Lamb said, he saw fewer assaults between inmates and against staff.

“Whatever your religious beliefs are, whatever you think, this program works,” Lamb said. “It worked everywhere they tried.”

Cain spoke to lawmakers in October about the program, ahead of the task force’s first meeting in Sioux Falls. He said the state would need a nonprofit to run it. The task force voted on Wednesday to encourage South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden’s administration to authorize the program.

Rhoden said in a Dec. 17 news release that he “accepted” the recommendation. The news release did not say who would operate the program, but said it would be privately supported, requiring neither Department of Corrections nor inmate funding.

“Bringing this seminary program to our state will restore hope, build character, and strengthen our correctional system from the inside out,” Rhoden said in the news release.

Jon Ozmint, the former director of South Carolina prisons, also presented to the task force in October. He said the recidivism rate for state inmates in the faith-based seminary Cain created is around 2% in South Carolina.

Wittman said after Wednesday’s meeting that she has “reservations” about the seminary program.

“I don’t necessarily support Burl Cain-style programming in South Dakota prisons because rehabilitation needs to be voluntary, secular and grounded in evidence,” Wittman said.

Despite those concerns, she voted in favor of implementing the program.

“I voted yes because, despite my reservations, I know how limited current programs are,” Wittman said, “and something is better than nothing.”

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 20, 2025

Published

15 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-15-17-23-35

Check Dakota Cash 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.

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

With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in South Dakota

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in South Dakota

South Dakota’s weak open records law gives police agencies full discretion on whether to release footage from body or dashboard cameras, and in most cases, the videos of officer conduct are never shown to the public.

South Dakota News Watch made formal public records requests to obtain video footage of use of deadly force incidents from eight separate law enforcement agencies in November, and all of the requests were quickly denied.

On a few occasions, South Dakota law enforcement agencies have released video footage of their own accord but not necessarily in cases where officer conduct is in question.

The Watertown Police Department released a video on Facebook in early November showing officers responding to a possible break-in with their guns drawn only to find a whitetail buck that had made it into a bedroom.

In 2016, the Rapid City Police Department posted a dash cam video to its public Facebook page showing the chief’s nephew proposing to his girlfriend in a mock traffic stop. “This one is too good not to share,” the Facebook post noted.

This screenshot is from a video released publicly in November 2025 by the Watertown (S.D.) Police Department. An officer, right, can be seen holding a chair to protect himself from a deer that broke into a home.

(Watertown Police Department Facebook page)

The Rapid City Police Department rejected News Watch’s request for videos of a May 30, 2023, incident in which an officer fatally shot 25-year-old Kyle Whiting, who brandished a fake gun during a foot chase. A bystander inside a nearby home was also shot in the abdomen by the officer and survived. The state ruled the

shooting was justified

Some police agencies will occasionally release still images from body or dashboard camera videos, typically when the screenshots show an officer facing a clear threat that appears to justify use of deadly force.

In August, the state released an image from video of a July 5, chase in which a Sioux Falls police officer shot and wounded 24-year-old Deondre Gene Black Hawk in the 100 block of Garfield Avenue.

One still image released to the public shows the gun Black Hawk fired at police. Another image shows Black Hawk pointing the gun toward a pursuing officer prior to the shooting, which

was ruled justified

by state investigators.

In a move that appeared to have political overtones, videos were released in 2021 showing former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg being pulled over by officers for suspected traffic violations. The videos and audio showed Ravnsborg informing officers of his status as attorney general during the traffic stops, some of which did not result in tickets.

The videos were released during a period when Ravnsborg was facing possible removal from office for striking and killing a pedestrian in September 2020.

Ravnsborg was eventually impeached, an action supported by then-Gov. Kristi Noem, whose office also made the unprecedented move of releasing videos of Ravnsborg being interviewed by detectives during the investigation into the 2020 fatal accident.

2021 Ravsnborg traffic stop screenshot.jpg — In an unprecedented move, videos were released of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg being pulled over by police. This image is a screenshot of a traffic stop from 2021. The video releases came as Ravnsborg was facing possible impeachment.

Video of a June 2023 police-involved shooting in South Dakota was released by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. In that incident, 39-year-old James Schneider of Watauga fired a weapon and then led authorities on a vehicle chase that ended at the Bullhead Community Center parking lot.

According to the dashboard video, Schneider was waving his arms and holding a handgun in an area where people were present. After he turned to flee into a residential neighborhood, he was shot in the back by an officer. Schneider was found guilty in August of assault and weapons charges after a jury trial and is awaiting sentencing.

In releasing

the video

, the BIA said it was doing so to be transparent in its operations. To protect the privacy of all involved, faces were blurred in the video.

McPherson County Sheriff David Ackerman, president of the South Dakota Sheriff’s Association, said body and dash cameras are important tools for police agencies in both urban and rural areas, even though his camera program costs about $60,000 a year, roughly 10% of the overall departmental budget.

“These are very valuable tools, and it’s something that in this day and age, every office and agency needs to have,” Ackerman said. “I’m glad where we are today because they’re for the protection of the public as well as the officers.”

Monty Rothenberger, assistant police chief in Yankton, said he supports the use of dash and body cameras as a way to increase accountability for officers and to aid in resolving public complaints.

“I wouldn’t do this job without a body camera, and I enjoy wearing it,” Rothenberger said. “I don’t have anything to hide. And because everything is on video, I feel like Big Brother is watching and I support that.”

— This story was originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.

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