South Dakota
Abortion rights initiatives make the ballot in South Dakota and Colorado
(AP) – Voters in Colorado and South Dakota will have a say on abortion rights this fall after enough signatures were collected to put measures on the ballots.
South Dakota voters will get a chance at direct democracy on the contentious issue in a conservative state where a trigger law banning nearly all abortions went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Colorado’s measure, which made the ballot Friday, would enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution. Colorado already has broad protections for abortion, becoming a haven for those in states that have restricted abortion, particularly Texas.
South Dakota’s top election official announced Thursday that about 85% of the more than 55,000 signatures submitted in support of the ballot initiative are valid, exceeding the required 35,017 signatures.
Voters will vote up or down on prohibiting the state from regulating abortion before the end of the first trimester and allowing the state to regulate abortion after the second trimester, except when necessary to preserve the life or physical or emotional health of a pregnant woman.
Dakotans for Health, which sponsored the amendment, said in a statement Thursday that the signatures’ validation “certified that the people of South Dakota, not the politicians in Pierre, will be the ones to decide whether to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of South Dakota.”
Abortion rights are also on the ballot in Florida and Maryland, and advocates are still working toward that goal in states including Arizona, Montana and Nebraska in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe.
Voters of seven other states have already approved abortion access in ballot measures, including four that wrote abortion rights into their constitutions.
Supporters for Colorado’s ballot measure said they turned in over 225,000 signatures, nearly double the required number of just over 124,000. Amending the state constitution will require the support of 55% of voters.
“In this time of uncertainty, we need to secure abortion rights and access in the Colorado Constitution, beyond the reach of politics and politicians,” Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt Abortion Fund based in Colorado, said in a statement Friday.
South Dakota outlaws all abortions, except to save the life of the mother.
Despite securing language on the ballot, abortion rights advocates in South Dakota face an uphill battle to success in November. Republican lawmakers strongly oppose the measure, and a major abortion rights advocate has said it doesn’t support it.
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota warned when the signatures were submitted that the language as written doesn’t convey the strongest legal standard for courts to evaluate abortion laws and could risk being symbolic only.
Life Defense Fund, a group organized against the initiative, said they will continue to research the signatures.
Opponents still have 30 days — until June 17 — to file a challenge with the secretary of state’s office.
“We are grateful to the many dedicated volunteers who have put in countless hours, and we are resolute in our mission to defend unborn babies,” co-chairs Leslee Unruh and state Rep. Jon Hansen said in a statement.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
130 mph straight line winds devastate South Dakota wind farm – Oklahoma Energy Today
Oklahoma didn’t suffer any strong wind damage this week, but wind farms in South Dakota certainly did.
Several wind turbines were toppled by the 130 MPH winds that hit the central part of the state Monday morning. They were described as straight line winds and not tornadoes. But the winds compared to those recorded in some tornadoes.
The 131-mph wind was recorded at Holabird in Hyde County at 6:15 a.m. local time.
A picture of the extensive damage showed at least 7 of the wind towers were bent over by the powerful Mother Nature.
According to a report by Energy News Beat, storm chaser Jakob McMillin documented the scene in a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter), showing multiple wind turbine towers collapsed or heavily damaged, with blades and structural debris scattered across the prairie. In replies to his post, McMillin stated he observed “over 20” turbines destroyed or critically damaged.
The Affected Wind Farm
The damaged facility is the South Dakota Wind Energy Center (also known as the Highmore Wind Energy Project or Highmore Wind Farm), located approximately 10 miles south of Highmore.
- Number of turbines: 27
- Turbine model: GE Vernova 1.5s (1.5 MW each)
- Total nameplate capacity: 40.5 MW
- Commissioning year: 2003 (South Dakota’s first major wind farm)
- Owner/Operator: NextEra Energy Resources (formerly FPL Energy)
- Power purchaser: Basin Electric Power Cooperative
South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for June 29, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 29, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 29 drawing
10-14-41-53-59, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 29 drawing
08-13-29-30-31, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 29 drawing
04-25-26-31-36, Bonus: 04
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.
South Dakota
Traffic slowing down ahead of yearslong viaduct makeover in downtown Sioux Falls
Deliberately slowed rush-hour traffic in downtown Sioux Falls is serving as a preview for commuters ahead of a major, yearslong overhaul of the city’s aging viaduct overpasses.
And Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. is using the opportunity to study traffic patterns in advance of the reconstruction of the 10th and 11th street overpasses on the east end of the core commercial district. Though the state-led project is still years away, the temporary traffic-calming measures are helping engineers gather data on vehicle speeds, volumes and behaviors.
2026 general election ballot set after referral effort falls short
-
Washington3 minutes agoColorado Democrats punish Washington ties in primaries
-
Wisconsin8 minutes agoMissing Wisconsin teen Joniah Walker found safe 4 years after disappearing from home
-
West Virginia15 minutes agoTransmission line proposals raise ratepayer cost concerns in West Virginia
-
Wyoming18 minutes agoWyoming Department of Health warns of scam callers using official phone number
-
Crypto23 minutes agoBank of Thailand Backs 1:1 Baht Stablecoin While Tightening Cross-Border Payment Rules
-
Finance30 minutes agoGoogle Cloud Pursues Financial Markets in FactSet Alliance | PYMNTS.com
-
Fitness33 minutes agoBoutique Fitness Is Redefining How Americans Work Out. Which Drop-In Classes Are Worth Booking?
-
Movie Reviews45 minutes ago‘Supergirl’ Movie Review