South Dakota
Lennox City Council reviews projected windfall from possible state prison sewer deal • South Dakota Searchlight
LENNOX – The Lennox City Council could pay off three infrastructure projects and eliminate a monthly sewer surcharge for its residents if it agrees to accept wastewater from a men’s prison proposed by the state Department of Corrections, according to a city official.
That’s if the state agrees to a deal similar to one rejected by Harrisburg earlier this year.
The Lennox City Council did not vote to accept an agreement during Monday’s night’s council meeting, as there’s currently no proposal on the table.
Instead, the council reviewed the financial windfall a deal to service inmate sewage could bring to the town of 2,400 if the city were offered a deal like Harrisburg’s.
Council members gave City Administrator Nathan Vander Plaats their blessing to work with the DOC to prepare an agreement.
If a deal comes together, the council could vote on the matter on Nov. 12.
“I think we need to see a deal before we make any decisions,” Council Member Chad Swier said. “We’re just theorizing numbers here.”
Harrisburg says NOPE to state prison wastewater deal
The city of Harrisburg, about six miles from the prison’s proposed location in rural Lincoln County, rejected a state proposal for sewer services after pushback from rural residents with property near the site. That deal would have dropped a $7.1 million one-time payment into city coffers, in addition to annual payments.
The prison proposal would replace the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The building was erected in 1881, and Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko has argued that the facility is too antiquated to operate safely. Lawmakers have committed $569 million to the project, but there is no guaranteed price yet.
The project has drawn intense criticism from the proposed site’s rural neighbors. Some of those neighbors filed a lawsuit that sought to force the state to adhere to Lincoln County’s zoning ordinances. A circuit court judge dismissed that case last week.
Lennox is about 15 miles from the prison site, across Interstate 29 to the west. Vander Plaats said the city approached the state after Harrisburg’s vote against a sewage deal.
Vander Plaats presented a fiscal analysis of what a deal with Lennox might mean, based on the Harrisburg proposal. It suggests the deal could come in the form of a $10.5 million one-time payment.
That’s enough money for the city to retire its debt on a wastewater treatment facility and two clean water basins. Clearing that debt from the city ledger and adding the state’s payments would boost the city’s bottom line by $350,000 annually, according to an analysis prepared by Vander Plaats. He said the city wouldn’t see the money until 2028 at the earliest.
But that figure drops by $150,000 annually when factoring in around $4.5 million in necessary upgrades to the city’s facilities. The city would take on 200,000 more gallons of sewage each day, the analysis says.
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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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