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.”
South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.
That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.
All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.
There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.
Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.
Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.
Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.
Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.
In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.
Sioux Falls area public schools
The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.
Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:
- Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
- Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
- Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
- West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
- Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
- Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
- Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
- Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
- Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
- Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.
All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.
Sioux Falls area private schools
Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:
- Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
- Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
- Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.
Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:
- 221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
- 130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
- 125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
- 119 at LifeScape;
- 49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
- 45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
- 43 at Westside Christian School,
- 23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
- Four at Southeastern;
- Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
- One at 605 Prep;
- One at DakotAbilities.
All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.
Sioux Falls area alternative instruction
Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.
Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:
- 1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
- 379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
- 350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
- 111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
- 105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
- 97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
- 87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
- 79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
- 73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
- 42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
- 24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.
All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 6 drawing
09-39-47-58-68, Mega Ball: 24
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 6 drawing
10-13-24-27-31, Lucky Ball: 08
Check Lucky 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.
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.
The 2026 South Dakota legislative session is still a week away but we’re already seeing dozens of bills being introduced.
The Legislative Research Council’s website shows more than 60 bills already on tap as of Tuesday.
But many more are on the way. In recent years, the Legislature has seen on average around 500 bills per session. Generally, a little under half end up being signed into law.
Some of the early bills include an act allowing for the removal of a county commissioner and another creating a tax exemption for data centers.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is also introducing a host of bills including one allowing law enforcement to seize cryptocurrency that’s part of a criminal investigation.
“Cryptocurrency has become a haven for scammers, drug traffickers, and human traffickers, costing South Dakotans millions in losses and fueling online crime,” said Jackley. “This legislation adds ‘digital currency’ to South Dakota’s seizure laws, giving law enforcement the tools to confiscate illicit crypto assets and disrupt criminal networks hiding behind digital secrecy.”
A full list of bills and resolutions is available on the LRC’s website.
The 2026 session begins Jan. 13.
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