South Dakota
Former South Dakota DOC warden speaks out against Lincoln County prison plan
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A longtime Chief Warden for the State of South Dakota has asked legislators to reconsider spending nearly a billion dollars on a new men’s prison in Lincoln County.
Douglas Weber retired from his position as chief warden for the South Dakota Department of Corrections in 2013 after working at the State Penitentiary for 32 years. With 16 years in the position, Weber is the second-longest-serving warden in the history of the state pen.
In a letter released on Friday and obtained by Dakota News Now, Weber wrote that he acknowledges there is a need to build new incarceration facilities in the state, but he does not agree with the current $825 million plan to build a new men’s facility in rural Lincoln County to replace the prison in Sioux Falls, which Weber refers to as “The Hill.”
Weber stated that the proposal for the new, 1,512-bed facility has “excessive initial estimated building costs” and the remote location will hinder prison services and create financial and logistical challenges.
Weber said the state should instead focus on Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield.
The facility was originally built as college dormitories, and Weber said Mike Durfee does not provide “adequate or appropriate safety and security features,” which was demonstrated with prison unrest last summer. He claimed the buildings are “extremely vulnerable” to damage from both weather disasters and inmate actions.
Both Mike Durfee and The Hill were originally built in 1881, but Weber said The Hill has maintained continuous upgrades in the main facility and with the addition of the Jameson Annex in 1993. This has allowed the Sioux Falls prison to “maintain its effectiveness as a safe, secure, and modernized linear style prison,” according to Weber.
Weber then suggested the possibility of state-owned land in both Minnehaha and Yankton County where a new facility could be placed that could “address the needs that are currently being debated.”
Weber advises the citizens of South Dakota to request their legislators pause additional funding and construction on the project this year and complete a summer study on other options.
Weber then called on the DOC to release transparent financial breakdowns on the funds requested for the project as well as cost estimations for the project and its ongoing operations, including the cost of connecting the proposed prison to Lennox by 14 miles of sewer pipelines.
Read Weber’s full letter below.
Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Water main break causes traffic delays on South Dakota Avenue in DC
WASHINGTON – A water main break in northeast D.C. is causing delays to the morning commute Thursday morning.
The break was reported in the 4700 block of South Dakota Avenue around 7 a.m.
South Dakota Avenue, between Crittenden Street and Sargent Road, is closed to traffic while emergency crews work to fix the damage.
Drivers are urged to seek alternative routes.
Delays along South Dakota Avenue in DC after water main break
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Traffic Team.
South Dakota
The share of fatal crashes involving teen drivers is higher in South Dakota than most other states
New Mexico street racing ends in fiery crash scene
The occupants of a vehicle accused of racing crashed into a parked car and were transported to the hospital.
The share of fatal crashes involving a teen driver is higher in South Dakota than in almost any other state.
The state has the ninth-highest percentage of deadly crashes involving a teen driver at 16.4%, according to a recent analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data by Bumper, a vehicle history report website.
The analysis found that, nationwide, the number of people who died in crashes involving teen drivers has increased by 25% since 2013. In 2023, a total of 5,588 people died in crashes involving a teen driver, including passengers, cyclists, pedestrians and other drivers.
It also determined that while teen drivers account for only 5.1% of all licensed drivers in the country, they represent 8.9% of drivers in fatal crashes.
South Dakota had a total of 146 traffic crash fatalities in 2024, up from 140 in 2023 and 137 in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 39,345 people died in traffic crashes nationwide in 2024, about a 4% decrease from 2023.
Hoping to make pursuits less dangerous, South Dakota Highway Patrol turns to GPS launchers
What states had the highest teen involvement in fatal crashes?
These states had the highest percentage of crash deaths involving a teen driver.
- Kansas, 18.9%
- Utah, 17.9%
- Idaho, 17.5%
- Montana, 17.3%
- Wisconsin, 17%
- Missouri, 16.9%
- Indiana, 16.8%
- Colorado, 16.5%
- South Dakota, 16.4%
- New Mexico, 15.8%
What states had the lowest teen involvement in fatal crashes?
These states had the lowest percentage of crash deaths involving a teen driver.
- District of Columbia, 4.5%
- New Hampshire, 6.2%
- Hawaii, 6.5%
- Wyoming, 8.3%
- North Dakota, 8.5%
- Vermont, 8.7%
- Connecticut, 10.10%
- Oregon, 10.4%
- Maine, 10.4%
- Maryland, 10.5%
South Dakota
Obituary for Coral Joanne Olson at Miller Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory
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