South Dakota
AG Jackley congratulates telecommunicator course graduates
PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Attorney General Marty Jackley made an announcement on Friday, congratulating the 24 students graduating from the state Basic Telecommunicator Certification Course.
“Telecommunicators are the first voice that people hear when they call 9-1-1,” said Attorney General Jackley.
The course features training and practical exercises covering topics like public safety telecommunications, responding to caller inquiries, managing both emergency and non-emergency service calls, and prioritizing multiple incidents occurring simultaneously.
Instructors for the course are staff from the state DCI Office of Law Enforcement Training and experienced 911 telecommunicators from across the state, as well as public safety stakeholders.
Members of the 77th session of the Basic Telecommunicator Certification Course and their law enforcement organization include:
- Rebecca Alexander, Central South Dakota Communications
- Kimberly Andrades-Zamora, Metro Communications
- Chaundra Barron, Metro Communications
- Dylan Bartram, Central South Dakota Communications
- Hannah Bates, Moody County Sheriff’s Office
- Amber Benway, Clay Area Emergency Communications
- Chloe DePew, Pennington County Emergency Services Communication Center
- Janita Holt-Yellow, Fall River County Sheriff’s Office
- Kayleene Holzer, Brown County Communications
- Maria Homola, Meade County Sheriff’s Office
- Izabel Johnson, Spearfish Police Department
- Jason Kraft, Spink County Sheriff’s Office
- Chel Larsen, Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office
- Julie Lightbourn, Miner County Sheriff’s Office
- Kortni Nester, Metro Communications
- Amanda Perez, Mobridge Police Department
- Asa Pettigrew, Brown County Communications
- Cheyenne Pullman, Meade County Sheriff’s Office
- Camilla Searby, Rosebud Police Department
- Ethan Shelsta, Watertown Police Department
- Haylee Waldrop, Pennington County Emergency Services Communication Center
- Hunter West, Metro Communications
- John Yeary, Winner Police Department
- Jamie Zimmerman, Metro Communications
Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Hundreds of millions of dollars are headed for South Dakota-based military projects
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -Hundreds of millions of dollars are on the way for military projects in South Dakota.
1 of 3 appropriations bills signed by President Donald Trump as part of a deal to reopen the government included nearly $400 million for B-21 related projects at the Ellsworth Air Force Base.
The spending also included $28 million for a National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Watertown and a maintenance hangar at the Sioux Falls airport.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a statement:
“This full-year funding bill will help strengthen the role that South Dakota plays in keeping our nation safe by making long-term investments in Ellsworth Air Force Base to improve its capabilities and advance its preparations for the B-21 mission.”
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Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Best dive bar South Dakota? Here are 3 spots loved by locals that are worth the $2 beer
There’s a game of Shake-A-Day around here somewhere.
Dive bars in the Midwest are like coming home and bellying up to your regular spot or with your lucky pool cue. Your Jack and Coke is already poured, your buddy arrived at the time he always does and now the lore is flowing.
It’s going to be another great night.
This time of year especially harkens a bar regular – home for the holidays and wanting to unwind once again.
Whether you’re chasing nostalgia or just a cold one, these dives prove that the heart of the Midwest beats loudest in its bars.
Here’s a look at a few great dive bars in South Dakota.
The Ice House: Shattered glass and record-breaking can smashing
The Ice House Bar in Yankton, South Dakota, isn’t known for producing artificial ice. How boring. It’s known for its century-old tradition of smashing empty beer bottles against a brick wall.
The family-owned, Missouri River establishment began in 1928 as the Pure Ice Co. until it started selling beer after the prohibition in the 1930s. Since, folks come for the $2 beers, $10 buckets served curbside or to hang their legs off the dock to toss a bottle or two underneath their feet.
The tradition is famous. Broadcast journalist and South Dakota native Tom Brokaw frequented the bar for a Budweiser, and owner Jim Anderson was on “The Late Show with David Letterman” to show off his record-breaking can-smashing skills: He can crush 76 cans in 25 seconds with one foot!
Details: 101 Capital St., Yankton, S.D., 605-665-2631.
Top Hat: One of the oldest haunts in Sioux Falls
The Top Hat in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is timeless. Your father probably sat underneath the same glow of the same PBR neon sign in the 1970s and grabbed a bag of Fritos from the same clip on the wall. (Hopefully the chips are newer.)
Owner Andy Lenz prefers to freeze this dive bar in time. Why change it? she says. There are no frills, no craft beers on tap and no menu. Hungry? She’ll toast a thin-crust Rosken’s Dakota Pizza if you want to pair it with your Grain Belt while playing a game of pool underneath dim lighting.
There’s also dart boards, video lottery, a juke box that’s always humming and the smell of old cigarettes and stale booze – which is to say, it feels familiar, safe and like home.
Details: 508 S. First Ave., Sioux Falls, SD, 605-332-8171.
Meridian Corner: Deep-fried chislic and broasted chicken
If you know South Dakota, you know chislic. If you know chislic, you know Meridian Corner. Located on the corner of highways 18 and 81 west of Freeman, this proudly proclaimed “hole-in-the-wall” is nationally known for its family recipe of deep-fried lamb or mutton: Lamb chislic is more tender, while mutton chislic is chewier but with more flavor. Each is humbly served in skewers of three, six, nine or 12, with a side of saltines and garlic salt.
There’s savory broasted chicken and pork chops on the menu as well.
The family-owned tradition of Meridian Corner was hard to kick. It opened in the 1980s, closed shop for years then opened again in 2011, back by popular demand and with little change. It’s an old red farmhouse on the corner of nowhere, and there are usually tractors in the parking lot.
Details: 43915 U.S. Highway 18, Freeman, S.D., 605-387-5000.
South Dakota
Obituary for Keith Edward Brink at Kirk Funeral Home & Cremation Services
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