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South Dakota

Landowners prepared for more pipeline struggles, hope for new ordinances

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Landowners prepared for more pipeline struggles, hope for new ordinances


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Friday, the North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously approved a route permit for Summit Carbon Solutions and its CO2 pipeline project.

The pipeline would run through five states, including 18 counties in South Dakota, to transport sequestered carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to an underground storage location west of Bismark, North Dakota.

South Dakota is now one of the last things standing in the way of the project.

Landowners opposing the project like Ed Fischbach are still optimistic that they can prevent the pipeline, but they believe more action is needed to protect South Dakotans.

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Fischbach said it wasn’t a surprise that North Dakota approved the permit.

“North Dakota’s laws are unfortunately not as good as ours are,” Fischbach explained. “Their law basically is what we just defeated in the referral. They have that in place up there similar to what RL 21 was.”

Opponents said that Referred Law 21, which South Dakota voters shot down, would have allowed Summit Carbon Solutions to supersede local and county laws and ordinances.

Some landowners pointed out that some counties have been slow to incorporate their own regulatory ordinances, like Turner or McCook Counties.

“I just can’t understand why they wouldn’t want to do that. They have the authority. They have the power,” Fischbach said.

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Northern South Dakota Counties like Brown, McPherson and Spink counties have all set a standard for what these ordinances might look like.

Fischbach is proud of the work that was done to provide setbacks to route any potential pipeline project further away from homes schools, hospitals, feedlots and more.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission deemed these ordinances fair and reasonable. Although this reasoning was used by the PUC as part of the reason for denying Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application, landowners believe more counties need to create these ordinances to better protect residents and their property rights.

“Any county that’s not doing that, I think they’re just not representing their people like they should be,” said Fischbach. “For the citizens of those counties, they just need to go to their county commission meeting and keep speaking out and asking them to step up and do it.”

As for Summit Carbon Solutions, they celebrated their win in North Dakota and now look forward to reapplying for a permit in South Dakota.

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They stated that their application would be submitted on November 19, which is now just a few days away.

They remain hopeful that they can get the project to the finish line and provide economic benefits to the region.

In a press release, they said, “Summit Carbon Solutions remains committed to working collaboratively with affected landowners and communities as the project progresses toward construction and operations.”

The landowners opposing the pipeline have said that they have had a total of six big victories over Summit Carbon Solutions thus far, including the previous rejections from the South Dakota PUC and the South Dakota Supreme Court.

They believe that the South Dakota PUC will rule in their favor again.

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“This has been a three-and-a-half-year struggle from the very beginning,” Fischbach said. “No one ever gave us a chance up against this giant of a company with millions of dollars and we’ve still defeated them just by doing things on the ground and going out directly to people. The frustrating part of this whole fight is that this company doesn’t seem to get the message. I mean, how many times does it take for them to understand that the people of South Dakota are saying no? Our grassroots coalition is energized, we’re not going anywhere and we’re going to stay in the fight until they are gone once and for all.”

Outside of county ordinances and showing up in opposition of Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application, South Dakotans who oppose the pipeline project are hoping that legislation to change eminent domain laws in South Dakota will be passed in the upcoming session.



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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 20, 2025

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-15-17-23-35

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

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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.



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South Dakota

With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in South Dakota

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With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in South Dakota


South Dakota’s weak open records law gives police agencies full discretion on whether to release footage from body or dashboard cameras, and in most cases, the videos of officer conduct are never shown to the public.

South Dakota News Watch made formal public records requests to obtain video footage of use of deadly force incidents from eight separate law enforcement agencies in November, and all of the requests were quickly denied.

On a few occasions, South Dakota law enforcement agencies have released video footage of their own accord but not necessarily in cases where officer conduct is in question.

The Watertown Police Department released a video on Facebook in early November showing officers responding to a possible break-in with their guns drawn only to find a whitetail buck that had made it into a bedroom.

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In 2016, the Rapid City Police Department posted a dash cam video to its public Facebook page showing the chief’s nephew proposing to his girlfriend in a mock traffic stop. “This one is too good not to share,” the Facebook post noted.

This screenshot is from a video released publicly in November 2025 by the Watertown (S.D.) Police Department. An officer, right, can be seen holding a chair to protect himself from a deer that broke into a home.

(Watertown Police Department Facebook page)

The Rapid City Police Department rejected News Watch’s request for videos of a May 30, 2023, incident in which an officer fatally shot 25-year-old Kyle Whiting, who brandished a fake gun during a foot chase. A bystander inside a nearby home was also shot in the abdomen by the officer and survived. The state ruled the

shooting was justified

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.

Some police agencies will occasionally release still images from body or dashboard camera videos, typically when the screenshots show an officer facing a clear threat that appears to justify use of deadly force.

In August, the state released an image from video of a July 5, chase in which a Sioux Falls police officer shot and wounded 24-year-old Deondre Gene Black Hawk in the 100 block of Garfield Avenue.

One still image released to the public shows the gun Black Hawk fired at police. Another image shows Black Hawk pointing the gun toward a pursuing officer prior to the shooting, which

was ruled justified

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by state investigators.

In a move that appeared to have political overtones, videos were released in 2021 showing former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg being pulled over by officers for suspected traffic violations. The videos and audio showed Ravnsborg informing officers of his status as attorney general during the traffic stops, some of which did not result in tickets.

The videos were released during a period when Ravnsborg was facing possible removal from office for striking and killing a pedestrian in September 2020.

Ravnsborg was eventually impeached, an action supported by then-Gov. Kristi Noem, whose office also made the unprecedented move of releasing videos of Ravnsborg being interviewed by detectives during the investigation into the 2020 fatal accident.

2021 Ravsnborg traffic stop screenshot.jpg
In an unprecedented move, videos were released of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg being pulled over by police. This image is a screenshot of a traffic stop from 2021. The video releases came as Ravnsborg was facing possible impeachment.

(Screenshot of 2021 state video)

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Video of a June 2023 police-involved shooting in South Dakota was released by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. In that incident, 39-year-old James Schneider of Watauga fired a weapon and then led authorities on a vehicle chase that ended at the Bullhead Community Center parking lot.

According to the dashboard video, Schneider was waving his arms and holding a handgun in an area where people were present. After he turned to flee into a residential neighborhood, he was shot in the back by an officer. Schneider was found guilty in August of assault and weapons charges after a jury trial and is awaiting sentencing.

In releasing

the video

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, the BIA said it was doing so to be transparent in its operations. To protect the privacy of all involved, faces were blurred in the video.

McPherson County Sheriff David Ackerman, president of the South Dakota Sheriff’s Association, said body and dash cameras are important tools for police agencies in both urban and rural areas, even though his camera program costs about $60,000 a year, roughly 10% of the overall departmental budget.

“These are very valuable tools, and it’s something that in this day and age, every office and agency needs to have,” Ackerman said. “I’m glad where we are today because they’re for the protection of the public as well as the officers.”

Monty Rothenberger, assistant police chief in Yankton, said he supports the use of dash and body cameras as a way to increase accountability for officers and to aid in resolving public complaints.

“I wouldn’t do this job without a body camera, and I enjoy wearing it,” Rothenberger said. “I don’t have anything to hide. And because everything is on video, I feel like Big Brother is watching and I support that.”

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— This story was originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.





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South Dakota

State medical board reprimands 2 M.D.s

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State medical board reprimands 2 M.D.s


PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Two people licensed to practice medicine in South Dakota have received official reprimands for unprofessional conduct.

The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners took the actions against Phinit Phisitkul, a foot and ankle surgeon for CNOS in Dakota Dunes, and Sheena Rippentrop, an OB/GYN who specializes in reproductive medicine for Sanford Health.

The South Dakota reprimands came after Phisitkul was officially punished by the Iowa Board of Medicine and after Rippentrop was officially punished by the North Dakota Board of Medicine.

Phisitkul admitted that he sexually harassed a medical student in 2017 while he was employed by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he practiced for 10 years.

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Phisitkul agreed in a May 16, 2025, settlement with the Iowa board to take “live Board-approved courses on the subjects of professional boundaries and medical ethics,” have “a chaperone present during all examinations and consultations with female patients” for one year, and to pay a $2,500 civil penalty to the Iowa state treasurer.

Phisitkul signed a separate settlement agreement with the South Dakota board on June 26, 2025, and the board voted to accept it on September 11, 2025.

Rippentrop, meanwhile, was reprimanded by the South Dakota board earlier this year for “falsely documenting in a patient’s medical records that two IUI procedures were performed on the patient.”

The North Dakota medical board opened an investigation of Rippentrop in 2024 and considered an official complaint alleging that Rippentrop “falsely documented in a patient’s medical records that two intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures were performed when Dr. Rippentrop did not complete an IUI on either occasion.”

The North Dakota complaint specifically said:

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“(Rippentrop) established a physician patient relationship with Patient A. Patient A carried
the BRCA2 gene and wanted to proceed with in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, Patient A’s insurance required that Patient A go through three intrauterine inseminations (IUI) before
insurance would cover IVF. (Rippentrop) saw Patient A on August 17, 2024, and September 23,
2024 for an intrauterine insemination (IUI). On both dates, (Rippentrop) documented in Patient A’s chart that the IUI procedure was done without difficulty even though (Rippentrop) did not complete the IUI on either occasion.”

Rippentrop signed a stipulation on October 29, 2024, agreeing “the allegations in the Complaint are true and are grounds for disciplinary action by the North Dakota Board of Medicine.” The North Dakota board on January 31, 2025, approved its order that Rippentrop receive a reprimand.

The South Dakota board in turn approved its reprimand of Rippentrop on June 12, 2025.

Neither Rippentrop nor Phisitkul appeared at their hearings held by the South Dakota board.

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