Families celebrate 250th in South Dakota

Published

1 hour ago

July 2, 2026

Families celebrate 250th in South Dakota

BADLANDS, S.D (KELO)– Cars and campers full of visitors are visiting Badlands National Park today. Tourists are traveling from other states to be in South Dakota for America’s 250th.

“I mean, it’s the kind of thing that you build a road trip for,” said William Retherford, who traveled from Indiana with his family.

For the out-of-state travelers, the beauty of the Badlands can be surprising.

“You picture South Dakota, you think flatland and grass,” said Michael Balafas, who traveled to SD from Idaho. “There are some pockets of South Dakota that are absolutely stunning.”

“It’s hard to even believe that it exists,” said Retherford.

Both families are also enjoying other sites during their trips to western South Dakota.

“What my mom says a lot of the time is, it’s not about the destination but the journey,” said Aralyn Balafas.

Retherford and his family had hoped to be at Mount Rushmore for Friday’s fireworks show.

“We entered eight different ways but didn’t get any tickets,” said Retherford.

Despite not being at the landmark for the show, the trip is well worth it for the country’s 250th.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, we’ll never get to do that again,” said Michael.

“This is the kind of trip that you wait a lifetime for,” said Retherford.

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Transparency, data protection laws take effect July 1

Published

12 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Transparency, data protection laws take effect July 1

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Several new South Dakota laws officially take effect July 1 after being signed into law this session.

This includes new rules on government transparency, online safety, and data privacy.

The Attorney General’s office says the changes are designed to protect South Dakotans both online and in public institutions.

The following 10 bills go into effect July 1:

Senate Bill 17: Prohibits a candidate or political committee from accepting contributions or loans made by a foreign national. It was unanimously passed by both the House and Senate.
Senate Bill 41: Revise a provision related to criminal invasions of privacy, prohibit the creation and distribution of digitally fabricated material of an identifiable individual, and provide penalties therefor.
Senate Bill 42: Enhance the penalties for ingestion, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance in a state correctional facility.
Senate Bill 43: Address search and seizure provisions applicable to digital currency.
Senate Bill 44: Establish investigative subpoena authority to gather business records in certain investigations.
Senate Bill 45: Revise a provision regulating delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, THC-O acetate, and hexahydrocannabinol for persons under the age of under the age of twenty-one and to provide a penalty therefor.
Senate Bill 46: Modify the requirements for open meeting agendas and provide a penalty therefor.
Senate Bill 47: Revise the requirements for executive sessions and closed meetings.
Senate Bill 48: Clarify that an official open meeting agenda must be posted online at least seventy-two hours before the scheduled start of the meeting.
Senate Bill 49: Safeguards the integrity, privacy, and security of genetic data and provides a civil penalty therefor.

“These bills protect our citizens from online predators, scammers, and illegal drugs, while they strengthen transparency within state government,” said Attorney General Jackley.

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Vermillion’s Reuvers commits to South Dakota

Published

22 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Vermillion’s Reuvers commits to South Dakota

Posted: Jun 30, 2026 / 10:50 PM CDT

Updated: Jun 30, 2026 / 10:50 PM CDT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Vermillion guard Taylor Reuvers is staying home as the junior announced her commitment to USD via X on Tuesday.

Reuvers earned first team All-State honors as a sophomore, averaging 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. The 2028 graduate led her squad to a 13-9 record for the 2025-26 season.

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130 mph straight line winds devastate South Dakota wind farm – Oklahoma Energy Today

Published

1 day ago

June 30, 2026

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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

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