South Dakota

AAA says South Dakota seeing record travel on 4th of July week

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

AAA says South Dakota seeing record travel on 4th of July week

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Even after the holiday, the Fourth of July weekend is a busy time for travel, but going into this weekend, South Dakota may be seeing more traffic than usual.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has followed trends to provide travel tips as the roads get even busier. Going into the week, they expected nearly 71 million Americans would be traveling and they’re on pace for close to their projections.

Travel is always forecasted very high in the middle of the summer with the Independence Day holiday and the peak of vacation and road trip season.

AAA said that this year has seen higher travel volume than ever before, with 214,201 residents, over 20% of all South Dakotans, traveling more than fifty miles to a Fourth of July destination, most of them driving.

“South Dakota saw around 180,000 people hitting the road. With fourth of July being on a Thursday, people did fourth of July celebrations last weekend. They’re continuing them into this weekend, so that’s a really long travel period,” said Public & Government Affairs Manager with AAA, Rylie Fletcher.

One factor that has an impact on the number of travelers is the prices at the pump. While the cost of a gallon of gas is steadily going up again, it’s still lower than it has been around the holiday in recent years.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in South Dakota is slightly above $3.20, more than 25 cents cheaper than a year ago.

Fletcher said that the recent jump was expected due to rising demand.

“We did see gas prices increase, but not too significantly. They might increase a little bit more just as summer demand for travel continues to increase, but it’s not likely that we’ll see the surge like we did two summers ago in 2022,” Fletcher explained.

With the influx of drivers, AAA wants drivers to be aware of their surroundings and be safe on the roads. They suggest giving yourself extra time and being patient with other drivers.

You should inspect your vehicle before a road trip and like always, never drive impaired or distracted.

“All of those things we know we should be doing every single day, make sure you practice them with extra diligence on a weekend like this upcoming weekend because there are so many other drivers on the roads. It’s important that you’re doing your part,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher also said that the busiest times to be on the road are between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and if you want to see less traffic, try leaving earlier in the day. She also recommended avoiding nighttime driving because even though there’s less traffic, there may be more impaired drivers.

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South Dakota

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

Published

7 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.

HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.

Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.

“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”

You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.

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South Dakota

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

Published

19 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.

Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.

She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.

“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”

Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.

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South Dakota

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.

“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.

FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.

“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.

For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.

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