South Dakota
Kristi Noem faces protests as she gets doctorate at South Dakota university
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a former South Dakota governor, faced protests as she received an honorary doctorate at Dakota State University in Madison, as the school hosted its commencement ceremonies on Saturday.
Protesters showed up with signs to show their displeasure at the selection of Noem as this year’s commencement speaker. The secretary has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda and mass deportation efforts.
“We don’t think that she is somebody that deserves any sort of honor from anybody,” protester Susan Wicks told Dakota News Now. “She’s currently right now violating the constitution, deporting people to foreign detainment centers without any due process.”
“I think that recently she’s shown herself to be a tool of the Trump administration and implementing policies that go against the Constitution of the United States,” fellow protester John Nelson told the outlet.
Wicks added that the university “didn’t listen to the town, the faculty or their students, and we think that’s abhorrent.”
At the Dakota State Fieldhouse, Noem received an honorary doctorate in public service. The school pointed to Noem’s work advocating for the university and its programs focusing on cybersecurity.
During the ceremony, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths said that as South Dakota governor, Noem “was always ready to listen to our proposals, ask insightful questions to learn more about our plans, and was eager to move forward to support those initiatives.”
Some students chose not to participate in the ceremony. Max Lerchen, who graduated with a master’s in business administration, was one of those who took part after considering protesting as he disagreed with the selection of Noem “from the get-go.”
“This is a degree that I’ve worked hard for and many others have worked hard for,” Lerchen told Dakota News Now. “While I support the decision of those to not participate and I respect them for using their voices that way, I did not want to give Secretary Noem the power over me making decisions regarding my accomplishment and my day, and I’m very happy to see many others make that same choice as well.”
“I wanted to make sure I spent the day with my friends and my family, the people who supported me and make sure that I still celebrated regardless of the decision made,” he added.
Some students who chose to protest said they were locked out of campus buildings where they had stored their signs.
Lerchen, however, said he didn’t think it was intentional.
“A lot of our facilities around here, when they’re not in use, are locked. That’s not an uncommon thing,” he told Dakota News Now.
He added that the university “made a decision that I disagree with to select and honor Secretary Noem with a degree, but I do not think any of the actions by the university were meant to be malicious.”
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.
HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.
Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.
“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.
“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”
You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
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.
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