South Dakota
Bennett County agrees to open satellite office for Native Americans after voting rights probe • South Dakota Searchlight
![Bennett County agrees to open satellite office for Native Americans after voting rights probe • South Dakota Searchlight Bennett County agrees to open satellite office for Native Americans after voting rights probe • South Dakota Searchlight](https://southdakotasearchlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/591A3041-scaled-e1712771805567.jpg)
Bennett County in South Dakota has agreed to open a satellite office to resolve claims that it violated the voting rights of Native Americans.
The U.S. Justice Department announced the agreement Monday and said it was prompted by claims that the county failed to make its registration and early voting opportunities equally open to Native American voters.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bennett County will operate a satellite office in Allen. It will provide in-person registration and absentee voting services during regular business hours for the full state-mandated 46-day absentee voting period prior to federal, state and county elections.
Justice disparities on South Dakota reservations need attention, US attorney general says
The Justice Department said equal registration and early voting opportunities are required by the federal Voting Rights Act.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the department’s Civil Rights Division, commented on the agreement in a news release.
“It is time to eliminate all barriers standing between Native American voters and the ballot box across our country,” Clarke said. “An inclusive democracy must provide all of its eligible voters access to the full range of voter registration and early voting opportunities required by law.”
The U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota, Alison Ramsdell, also commented in the news release.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, but that right is hollow without access to registration and early voting opportunities,” Ramsdell said. “We are grateful Bennett County has agreed to improve voting access for Native Americans in South Dakota by adding and staffing a satellite office in Allen.”
The Justice Department’s investigation found that Native Americans living on tribal lands in the county disproportionally lacked the ability to travel long distances to the county seat of Martin for in-person voting services. Since 2015, the state has made Help America Vote Act funds available to counties like Bennett to establish a satellite office on tribal lands.
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Learn more
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting.
Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. Individuals can also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota by emailing [email protected] or calling 605-330-4400.
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South Dakota
Federal aid approved for southeastern South Dakota flooding
![Federal aid approved for southeastern South Dakota flooding Federal aid approved for southeastern South Dakota flooding](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2431/files/2024/06/mccok-lake-damage-sd-searchlight-1200x675.jpeg)
A June 24, 2024, view of flood damage that occurred the previous night at McCook Lake in southeastern South Dakota. (Courtesy of Dirk Lohry)
By: Joshua Haiar
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – Federal aid is on the way to help people recover from damages caused by late June’s historic flooding in southeastern South Dakota.
Governor Kristi Noem announced Thursday night that President Joe Biden approved her disaster declaration request, which she submitted on July 26.
The declaration comes after what the Governor’s Office calls a 1,000-year flooding event that impacted 25 counties. Federal funding will be available to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair and replacement of damaged infrastructure. The cost share is 75% federal, 15% state and 10% local.
Residents and business owners in Davison, Lincoln, Turner and Union counties qualified for individual assistance and are advised to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency to apply. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Noem said in a statement she is proud of South Dakota’s resilience.
“This event was unprecedented, but our response was exactly what South Dakota always does,” Noem said. “We work together to get our neighbors back on their feet.”
Some residents, particularly in McCook Lake, have struggled in the aftermath. It has been about eight weeks since a June 23 flood severely damaged or destroyed about 40 homes there.
Morgan Speichinger’s McCook Lake home was destroyed. Her family is looking forward to working with FEMA to get questions answered.
“It’s still a long road ahead of us, but this was a major step forward,” she said. “Especially since we have been stagnant for so long.”
Many affected McCook Lake residents have relied on temporary accommodations, such as staying in hotels or with friends and relatives, while awaiting assistance.
South Dakota
South Dakota Pro-Am Arm Wrestling Championships at fairgrounds
![South Dakota Pro-Am Arm Wrestling Championships at fairgrounds South Dakota Pro-Am Arm Wrestling Championships at fairgrounds](https://gray-kota-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BGSPYQC5UNHJFH3MRJSIMHURY4.jpg?auth=71a3b6a24b87c747795d3888b926f712faa1474934567fa2b54a88b2ce733598&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The Central States Fair brought together some of the country’s best professional arm wrestlers for the South Dakota Pro-Am Championships. Saturday’s event featured some unsuspecting participants like southwest Missouri’s Sam Taylor. Taylor, a 22-year-old pro, doesn’t appear to be one of the strongest men in the room, but you know what happens when assume. Taylor takes advantage of all of the “little guy” talk.
”You don’t have to arm wrestle the big guys,” Taylor said. “I do just because it’s fun. And, you know, once you get to a certain level, you know of have to start picking on the big guys because you’ll be running through the little guys, and then you’re the big guy picking on the little guys, so I never want to be that.”
Taylor placed 2nd in his respective class.
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Copyright 2024 KOTA. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Milestone celebrated in bid to turn South Dakota goldmine into scientific hub
![Milestone celebrated in bid to turn South Dakota goldmine into scientific hub Milestone celebrated in bid to turn South Dakota goldmine into scientific hub](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1200,h_600,c_fill,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ccf404-58c1-42e5-9769-efc8eb0fe497_5712x4284.heic)
LEAD — Sometime in 2031, the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills is expected to complete its transformation from goldmine to neutrino mine.
However, it was the efforts of policymakers in Pierre, three decades earlier, that paved the way for South Dakota to host the world’s premier underground laboratory.
Called the SURF for short, the facility was known as the Homestake Mine from 1876 until the 21st century, one of the most productive gold mines in the United States.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a607c47-aa0f-4f68-af88-54fc90ae2f91_2371x773.png)
Blast to the future: Subterranean lab digs further into Black Hills, particle physics
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![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff79259f1-b0d7-4a29-8fd9-cc70636b40ff_730x230.jpeg)
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