South Dakota
Federal government pays $53M for SD farmer discrimination, $2B nationwide • South Dakota Searchlight
More than 360 South Dakota agricultural producers are receiving a total of $53.4 million through the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.
Eligible applicants allege they experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs before 2021, including on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability. An earlier USDA notice about the program also identified membership in a Native American tribe as a potential basis for a discrimination claim.
More than 43,000 producers nationwide will receive $2 billion in financial assistance through the program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. More than 58,000 people applied.
President Joe Biden vowed to support agricultural producers who experienced discrimination before he took office. The program was created after the Biden administration tried to provide $4 billion of debt relief for Black farmers, which was shut down amid lawsuits.
“While this financial assistance is not compensation for anyone’s losses or pain endured, it is an acknowledgement,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “My hope is that this will ensure that many farmers can stay on their farms, contribute to our nation’s food supply, and continue doing what they love.”
About half of the nationwide recipients are farmers or ranchers who are receiving $10,000 to $500,000, or an average of about $82,000. South Dakota had 333 such awards. About 20,000 individuals who said they were unable to get a USDA loan are receiving an average of $5,000 to start a farming or ranching operation. South Dakota had 29 such awards.
Payments were awarded to people in every state and three territories, but residents of Alabama and Mississippi alone received almost half of the money. Vilsack said the discrimination resulted in loan denials, loan delays, higher interest rates and an overall lack of assistance.
According to The New York Times, the USDA said it was still analyzing the applications and payouts to determine demographic information about payment recipients. John Boyd, the president of the National Black Farmers Association, told the news outlet that Black farmers received about $1.5 billion of the available funds.
Applications were vetted by independent consulting firms that the Agriculture Department hired.
The USDA did not immediately respond to questions from South Dakota Searchlight.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect a correction. The original story inaccurately stated the amount of funding awarded nationally.
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South Dakota
SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 8, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 8 drawing
01-31-32-45-52, Bonus: 05
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
Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’
Kristi Noem’s stint as governor of South Dakota has come under fresh scrutiny by a former local mayor, who said she “did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” just days after she was fired from her role as Homeland Security secretary.
Noem, who served as governor from 2019 to 2025, became the first cabinet member to be fired by Trump during his second term.
The embarrassing dismissal came amid growing scrutiny of her aggressive immigration operations across the country, DHS’s purchase of multiple luxury jets for staff, major reductions in FEMA staff, and rumors of an affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Mike Levsen, the former mayor of Aberdeen in Noem’s home state of South Dakota, says her dismissal came as no surprise given her “lack of any significant accomplishment” during her time as governor of the state.
“The Noem governorship covered six years — then did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” Levsen wrote in a blog post, comparing Noem to the former Alaska Gov. who resigned midway through her first term, citing mounting legal fees being brought by various ethics investigations being brought against her. Palin was Senator John McCain’s running mate during the 2008 presidential election.
Kristi Noem’s tenure as governor has come under criticism following her firing as DHS secretary (AFP/Getty)
“Her legacy was minimal involvement with the Legislature, frequent absences, no transparency, repeated operational screwups, soaring turnover and instances of self-dealing for herself and her family,” Levsen wrote.
Levsen criticized Noem’s Covid-era ad campaign, “Freedom Works Here,” as a “Trump-based ploy that likely contributed to South Dakota’s listing high on some periodical per capita death lists.”
The campaign, which attempted to draw new residents to the state, cost $6.5 million, and South Dakota News Watch reported at the time that there were “hurdles” with the campaign.
Levsen also noted Noem’s “difficult relationship” with tribal governments, as all nine of South Dakota’s indigenous tribes voted in 2024 to ban Noem from their lands, according to CNN.
“Is there a single thing in South Dakota now better as a result of her time in office?” Levsen questioned in the post.
Noem was fired by Trump amidst mounting scrutiny over fallout in Minnesota, following DHS’s disastrous Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which saw two U.S. citizens shot dead in confrontations with federal agents.
Noem described the two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as domestic terrorists. She has refused to apologize for the comments.
She also drew fierce criticism with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with Lewandowski.
Noem was axed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday (Getty)
The final nail in the coffin appears to have been Noem’s congressional testimony this past week, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized her management and judgment.
A day after her second hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Noem was out at DHS — and that he was nominating Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.
An administration official told NBC News that the president axed Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”
“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.
Before she was fired, Noem defended her performance during her hearings on Capitol Hill.
She also drew fire for insisting that the $220 million DHS ad campaign had been launched with the president’s approval, which Trump has denied.
Days after her humiliating firing, Trump named Noem as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that Trump says will focus on the Western Hemisphere.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 7, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing
17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 7 drawing
06-08-17-18-45, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 7 drawing
01-02-06-22-26
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 7 drawing
10-32-45-53-54, Bonus: 02
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.
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