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Band directors offer plan to keep live auditions for All-State Band

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Band directors offer plan to keep live auditions for All-State Band


PIERRE — The state’s high school band directors have offered a plan that they hope will allow for live auditions for students trying out for All-State Band. The plan was approved at Thursday’s meeting of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors.

In the past, the association has used the state airplane to fly judges to audition sites across the state over two weekends in January. On the third weekend judges were driven to the audition site.

Over the past two years, winter weather has played havoc with that schedule. Two years ago, after two weekends of live auditions, bad weather forced the cancellation of the third weekend and those students had to submit taped auditions. This year bad weather canceled the first weekend, forcing all students to record their auditions.

The plan offered by band directors calls for grounding the state plane and driving judges to auditions. Auditions would get started on a Wednesday in January in Huron, move to Sioux Falls for auditions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and finish with auditions on Monday in Rapid City.

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“I feel like we made some progress,” said Kimberly Carda, band director at Roncalli High School in Aberdeen. During the meeting, board members heard from six band directors, two parents of band students and one student band member.

Wendy Thorson, the band director at Northwestern, said students need the experience of auditioning live before a judge. “You’re not going to get that in a video audition,” Thorson said. “The majority of band directors and ADs (activities directors) want the live auditions”

In case of inclement weather, the auditions could be rescheduled over the next two weeks. The plan calls for a decision to be made on the Tuesday before auditions start to determine if the weather will be good enough to travel across the state.

At the board’s June meeting, SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Brooks Bowman, who oversees fine arts for the association, offered the board two options that both included taping students’ auditions.

Bowman said his main concern was keeping students safe in winter weather. He also noted that holding the auditions over three weekends gave some students one or two more weeks to practice for their auditions. It was clear at Thursday’s meeting that he was not a fan of the band directors’ proposal.

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“I really struggle with this,” Bowman said, when asked to offer his opinion of the plan. “It doesn’t fix everything.”

Bowman and others in the SDHSAA office have taken heat over the past two years over the need to go to taped auditions. The band directors’ support for the new plan, with the bad weather contingency, would have to be passed along to the parents of band students, Bowman said. “That would have to be a priority of the band directors.”

The SDHSAA board unanimously approved the new audition plan during its Aug. 1 meeting.





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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

03-14-22-50-57, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

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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.



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South Dakota

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

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SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs


State Sen. Sydney Davis, R-Burbank, speaks in the South Dakota Senate at the Capitol in Pierre on Feb. 10, 2026. Davis is sponsoring a bill that would ban the use of SNAP benefits for soda purchases. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

By: John Hult

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.

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The state Senate voted 27-6 on Wednesday to endorse House Bill 1056, after the House passed it earlier 58-11. Assuming the same levels of support, both margins are wide enough to overcome a Rhoden veto, should he choose to issue one.

The bill directs the Department of Social Services to ask for a federal waiver to allow the state to bar the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of soft drinks. 

SNAP is a federal program, managed by the state, through which people with low incomes get a monthly allowance for food through a debit-like card that can be used at most stores to buy nearly any consumable grocery item save alcohol and prepared foods. 

Representatives from Rhoden’s office testified against the bill in House and Senate committees, arguing that the administrative costs would be too high. A fiscal note attached to the bill between its passage in the House and its appearance on the Senate’s Wednesday calendar estimated that implementation would cost $310,000 through the first two years. Those costs would come from hiring an extra employee and contracting for software to track sales, file reports and help retailers determine which drinks are banned.

Backers see long-term savings to the state, though. A high percentage of SNAP recipients are also on Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance program open to disabled and income-eligible people. 

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On Wednesday, Burbank Republican Sen. Sydney Davis noted the connection between excess soda consumption and health problems like obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Medicaid dental costs alone add up $51 million a year, she said.

Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist, told the body he once counted 32 cavities and seven abscesses in the mouths of 2-year-old twin boys who were covered by Medicaid.

He attributed the tooth decay to sugary beverages.

“I don’t know if that first visit was more traumatic on the boys or on my dental staff and myself,” said Miskimins.

Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule, was the lone senator to speak in opposition on the Senate floor. She argued that some stores might stop accepting SNAP payments due to the administrative burden of sorting barred products from the rest of their inventories, and pointed out that the bill wouldn’t do a thing to prevent SNAP recipients from loading up on sugary foods like ice cream or snack cakes.

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“It gives this look as if there’s going to be this big, huge change in the way that people buy products, but it’s really not going to be,” Grove said.

Some surrounding states, including Nebraska, have moved to ask for a waiver to ban soda sales through SNAP. Such waivers are now an option, as President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to consider granting them. Former President Joe Biden’s administration was not.

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, the South Dakota bill’s prime sponsor, got a letter last week from Trump administration officials expressing support for her proposal. 

In response, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight that the governor “has always been supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” using a reference to the policy agenda branding used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“We have met directly with his Administration on this issue, and at no point has our opposition been directed at President Trump or his efforts to reform SNAP,” Harms said. “Our focus has always been on ensuring the implementation of SNAP reform works effectively for our state.”

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Harms said Wednesday that Rhoden would answer questions about the bill at a Thursday press conference.



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SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for Feb. 25, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 25, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

50-52-54-56-64, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

31-32-41-48-51, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 04

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Feb. 25 drawing

01-06-21-26-35

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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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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