South Dakota
Group opposing abortion-rights measure receives $500,000 from out-of-state nonprofit • South Dakota Searchlight
The campaign opposing a South Dakota abortion-rights ballot measure received $500,000 from an out-of-state nonprofit and $100,000 from a Sioux Falls church, among other contributions still streaming in less than a week before Election Day.
Those contributions follow a $500,000 infusion to the abortion-rights side by another out-of-state group last week.
Michael Card, University of South Dakota associate professor emeritus in political science, said the last-minute fundraising reflects the high stakes and the unpredictable outcome. Polls indicate a close contest, but Card said many people are private about their feelings on abortion, so gauging public sentiment is difficult.
“Nobody knows what will happen, so these groups are likely willing to donate more than they might otherwise,” Card said. “And because of the national interest in the issue, more outside money will be coming in to influence this election.”
There are no limits on contributions to ballot question committees.
The latest $500,000 contribution came Wednesday to the No G for SD ballot question committee from The Concord Fund, in Virginia. It operates as a 501(c)(4), which is a type of nonprofit sometimes called a “dark money” organization, because it can participate in political campaigns without disclosing its donors. The fund’s 2023 public IRS filing said the group had $53 million in revenue.
According to Open Secrets, an organization that tracks money in politics, The Concord Fund is closely tied to Leonard Leo. He’s a one-time Trump adviser who served as an executive of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group that counts at least five U.S. Supreme Court justices as current or former members.
Another $100,000 came to No G for SD on Tuesday from Celebrate Wesleyan Church of Sioux Falls. Other recent donations to the committee have included $25,000 from Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s political action committee, Keeping Republican Ideas Strong Timely & Inventive, and $10,000 from Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden’s campaign committee.
The recent fundraising brings the total amount raised against the ballot measure to more than $2 million since last spring, based on reports from several active ballot question committees.
It’s difficult to say how much has been raised in support of the measure, because the committee backing it, Dakotans for Health, is also supporting a measure that would repeal state sales taxes on groceries and is combining all of its campaign finance information. But the group’s latest reports say it’s raised more than $850,000 since its last report in May.
Abortion is currently banned in South Dakota, with one exception for abortions necessary to save the life of the mother. Amendment G would legalize abortion while allowing for restrictions in the second trimester of pregnancy and a ban in the third trimester, with mandatory exceptions to protect the life or health of the pregnant woman. The amendment is one of seven Nov. 5 ballot questions under consideration by South Dakota voters.
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RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.
Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.
She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”
Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.
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South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, left, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen unveil a plaque for retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams in the Hall of Honor at the Capitol in Pierre on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) — There’s a new name in the South Dakota Hall of Honor at the state Capitol building.
One-hundred-year-old South Dakota native and retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams was celebrated at a Wednesday ceremony where a plaque honoring him was unveiled, although Williams did not attend.
“In spite of being outnumbered and facing incredible danger, Captain Williams engaged the enemy with courage and skill,” said Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. “Our state has always had a strong tradition of service, and Captain Williams is the very best of that tradition.”
President Donald Trump awarded Williams the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honor, at the State of the Union address earlier this year. The medal honors actions by Williams that had been classified for decades.
“His story was secret for over 50 years, he didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew,” Trump said during the speech in February. “But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
On Nov. 18, 1952, over Korean coastal waters during the Korean War, then-Lt. Williams, from Wilmot, South Dakota, led three F9F Panthers against seven Soviet MiG-15s. He disabled three enemy jets and damaged a fourth.
The Soviet jets, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, were “superior to the F9F in almost every fashion.” The mission was the only direct overwater combat between U.S. Navy fighters and Soviet fighters during the Cold War.
Williams, one of 11 Medal of Honor recipients from South Dakota, now lives in California. The Hall of Honor at the South Dakota Capitol is located in the hallway that visitors enter immediately after going through security.
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