South Dakota
Area honorees among nine to be inducted into S.D. Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame
SIOUX FALLS — Tim Steffensen of Watertown, Gene Brownell of Aberdeen, Greg Lanners of Clear Lake, former Redfield standout Eugene Hoffart and former Doland standout Jon Madsen are among the nine men set to be inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The group will be honored on Saturday afternoon prior to the championship matches in the State High School Indivdiual Wrestling Championships in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
Other honorees included Timothy Lloyd McMahon of Miller, Jeff Heumiller of Salem, Bob Graf of Onida and former Freeman standout Greg Sayler.
Here’s the biographies for the area inductees:
Tim Steffensen, Watertown
The Arlington native placed fifth in both the 1978 and 1980 state Class B tournaments before wrestling in college at Dakota State and Northern State.
After graduation, he coached for Aberdeen Roncalli, Lyman and Deuel and also spent 10 years coaching youth wrestling. Steffensen also officiated for 28 years and earned the National Federation of High Schools Wrestling Official of the Year Award in 2011-12. He officiated the All-Star Wrestling Match in Aberdeen in 2011, 19 state tournaments as well as many district, regional and state youth tournaments.
Steffensen is still involved today in wrestling, serving as the Northeast Conference and Region 1B wrestling chairman and also has served as the official scorekeeper for the South Dakota State wrestling team since 2012.
Tim and his wife Heidi have a son, two daughters and six grandchildren.
State Wrestling Pairings: Boys and girls state tournaments run Thursday through Saturday in Sioux Falls
Eugene Hoffart, Redfield
Hoffart, now of Mankato (Minn.) was a two-time state Class B champion at 105 pounds for Redfield in 1981 and 1982 and also finished third in another state tourney.
He went 29-0 in 1980-81, scored the most points in the state and recorded the fastest pin (46 seconds). In April of 1981, Hoffart competed on the AAU Cultural Exchange Central All-State Team that wrestled a squad from Hesson, West Germany. He won his match at 114 pounds 7-0.
Hoffart is the father of a son and a daughter.
Gene Brownell, Aberdeen
Brownell is a graduate of Henry High School and Northern State University and spent 49 years in public school education as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator.
During his tenure as the athletic director of the Aberdeen Public Schools, he managed 14 state and numerous region wrestling tournaments. He started the Lee Wolf Tournament, which has become a popular single-day event for both South and North Dakota teams.
Brownell was named Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of Year twice, was a finalist for National High School Athletic Director of the Year and served on the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s Board of Director. He has been inducted into the S.D. High School Coaches Association, S.D. High SChool Cross Country and Track and Aberdeen Central High School halls of fame.
He is a United States Army veteran, serving from 1969-71, and maintains membership in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He and his wife Julie Ann have three grown children and three grandsons.
Region Wrestling: Twenty-six area grapplers capture region titles, 93 boys punch their tickets to state
Greg Lanners, Clear Lake
Lanners was a four-time State B place winner with two championships (1979 and 1980) and two third-place finishes for Clear Lake. He was named the school’s oustanding wrestler in 1979 and made the National Interscholastic Honor Roll and Scholastic All-American Wrestling Team in 1980.
Lanners coached at Hamlin High School for five years (1982-86) and Deuel High School for anotehr five years in the early 2000s, earning Region Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
His son Brett and daughter-in-law Bailey are the parents to his two grandchildren.
Jon Madsen, Doland
The 1998 Doland High School graduate wa a five-time state qualifier and four-time state B place winner as a heavyweight (1994-1998), winning state titles in 1997 and 1998. He also finished third in 1995 and second in 1996.
After his senior season, he dropped down to 215 pounds and competed in the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1998 and advanced to the finals before losing in overtime.
Madsen continued his wrestling career at South Dakota, becoming a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, winning a national title as a freshman. he also added second and seventh-place finishes.
He later competed on television on season 10 of UFC’s Ultimate Fighter where he was part of 11 episodes and later secured a contract with UFC. Madsen’s exhibition and professional Mixed Martial Arts Record was 9-3.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
South Dakota
South Dakota Governor signs trucker English proficiency and CDL bills to ‘deliver Dalilah’s Law’
This week, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed two bills imposing stricter language and citizenship requirements on commercial driver license (CDL) holders.
On March 10, 2026, Rhoden signed the following two bills into law in an effort to strengthen standards for CDL holders in South Dakota:
- SB 164, which requires CDL holders to be proficient in the English language
- SB 180, which modifies requirements regarding non-domiciled CDLs
Rhoden said in a news release announcing the signing of the bills into law that South Dakota has now satisfied President Trump’s call for states to pass “Dalilah’s Law,” which would “increase standards for English proficiency and prohibit states from issuing CDLs to undocumented immigrants.”
Trump pushed for “Dalilah’s Law” during his State of the Union address in February.
“These bills are commonsense steps to improve public safety by guaranteeing that truckers can read our road signs and making sure that only citizens and legal immigrants hold CDLs. South Dakota will continue to prioritize strong licensing standards so all drivers are traveling safely and responsibly,” Rhoden said.
Rhoden also said that the state has partnered with federal immigration authorities for an enforcement detail.
“The [South Dakota] Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently conducted an enforcement operation alongside the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DPS also reviewed its process for non-domiciled CDLs to ensure illegal immigrants are not operating with or receiving CDLs in South Dakota,” Rhoden said.
Dalilah’s Law was named for Dalilah Coleman, a child who was injured in a June 20, 2024, crash in California involving Partap Singh, who was driving a semi truck. Officials said that Singh was an Indian national present in the U.S. illegally. He was later taken into U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
Much action has already been taken at a federal level over the past year to tighten citizenship requirements for obtaining a non-domiciled CDL and to increase English Language Proficiency enforcement for truck drivers.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 10, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing
16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 10 drawing
03-27-43-45-49, 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
Trading property tax for sales tax: Legislature moves forward with parts of homeowner relief package
PIERRE — Two pieces of a property tax reduction package prepared by South Dakota’s legislative leadership and the executive branch are moving forward, but one bill failed during votes on Monday as lawmakers began the final week of the annual legislative session.
The House of Representatives voted
42-27
in support of
Senate Bill 245
, which would pull future revenue from a scheduled sales tax increase from 4.2% to 4.5% next year into a relief fund for homeowner property taxes, and use nearly $56 million in one-time money to seed the fund before the sales tax increase.
The Senate supported
House Bill 1323
, which would reduce the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on a local government’s decision to levy property taxes beyond limits set by the state. The Senate passed the bill 19-15.
Both bills have to return to the opposite chamber for consideration of amendments.
The Senate rejected
House Bill 1253
, which would cap annual assessment growth for owner-occupied homes and commercial properties at 5% annually and reset assessments back to market value every five years. The bill failed with a 9-24 vote.
The bills are part of a broader,
five-bill legislative package
targeted at property tax relief.
Another bill
in the package, which would allow counties to implement a half-percent sales tax with proceeds going to homeowner property tax credits, is awaiting the governor’s signature after he proposed it and it received both chambers’ approval.
The legislative budget committee is scheduled to consider a fifth piece of legislation in the package on Tuesday.
The bill
would reduce maximum property tax levies for school districts.
Sales tax bill overcomes concerns about future budget needs
SB 245 would capture revenue from the impending sales tax increase to deposit into a “homeowner property tax reduction fund” meant to reduce property taxes levied by school districts. The Legislature and then-Gov. Kristi Noem reduced the state sales tax rate three years ago but scheduled the reduction to sunset in 2027.
House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, told lawmakers on Monday that the bill would be an “investment in the people,” because it’ll give South Dakota homeowners more money to spend as they choose. Hansen, the bill’s sponsor and a candidate for governor, said that would lead to more spending and, therefore, more sales tax revenue. The state relies on sales taxes, while counties and schools rely on property taxes, and cities receive revenue from property taxes and sales taxes.
Some opponents said the legislation would favor wealthier, property-owning South Dakotans rather than lower-income renters.
(Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, worried that automatically diverting future state revenue to reduce homeowner property taxes would come at the cost of other priorities, such as annual funding increases for state employees, Medicaid providers and public schools — which are known as the “big three” budget priorities. Lawmakers often
aim
to increase funding for the groups by 3% or inflation, whichever is less. An inflationary increase this legislative session would be 2.5%, according to the state Department of Education.
“We are just clawing to get 1.4% for the big three,” Weisgram said. “I don’t think any of us are proud of that.”
Hansen said the decision “is not an either-or” situation.
“We can help the property taxpayers in the state who desperately, desperately need it,” Hansen said, “and then I trust fully that this state is going to continue to grow and that we are going to be able to meet the needs of our core obligations of this state.”
The bill was introduced as an amendment to placeholder legislation last week, and it will head to the Senate for approval. The Senate narrowly rejected a
similar proposal
earlier this legislative session.
Senate approves lower signature threshold to force election on excess taxes
The version of House Bill 1323 that passed the Senate would set the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on an excess tax levy (often called an “opt-out”) for a local government at 2,500 or 5% of registered voters within its jurisdiction, whichever is less. The current threshold to refer decisions by a local government is 5% of registered voters in the district, without a 2,500 signature cap.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said it will still be difficult to refer decisions by a local government to voters.
“You’re talking dozens and dozens of volunteers, weeks of organized effort,” Howard said. “There’s not a lot of people that have been through that and can even organize that kind of effort. So it’s not a trivial bar.”
Because the bill was amended since it last appeared in the House, it’ll now go to the House for approval.
HB 1253 intended to provide South Dakota homeowners and commercial property owners predictable increases in their property assessments, which factor into property taxes they pay, over five year periods.
But opponents said the change would shift the property tax burden onto farmers and ranchers and surprise homeowners every five years when assessments would be re-based on market value, which could lead to double-digit increases in assessments.
This story was originally published on
SouthDakotaSearchlight.com.
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