RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Department of Transportation is inviting the public to share input on the development of the Statewide Active Transportation Plan. The plan aims to improve the state’s transportation network by integrating other modes of travel like walking and biking.

The plan focuses on improving safety and connectivity along state highway corridors, ensuring that pedestrians and cyclists have safer, more accessible routes. SDDOT says collaboration is key, and feedback from residents, businesses, local governments, tribal entities, regional organizations, and community groups will help shape the plan’s priorities.

Public comments are being accepted here through Friday, Nov. 21.

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Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -Hundreds of millions of dollars are on the way for military projects in South Dakota.

1 of 3 appropriations bills signed by President Donald Trump as part of a deal to reopen the government included nearly $400 million for B-21 related projects at the Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The spending also included $28 million for a National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Watertown and a maintenance hangar at the Sioux Falls airport.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a statement:

“This full-year funding bill will help strengthen the role that South Dakota plays in keeping our nation safe by making long-term investments in Ellsworth Air Force Base to improve its capabilities and advance its preparations for the B-21 mission.”

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Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.

There’s a game of Shake-A-Day around here somewhere.

Dive bars in the Midwest are like coming home and bellying up to your regular spot or with your lucky pool cue. Your Jack and Coke is already poured, your buddy arrived at the time he always does and now the lore is flowing.

It’s going to be another great night.

This time of year especially harkens a bar regular – home for the holidays and wanting to unwind once again.

Whether you’re chasing nostalgia or just a cold one, these dives prove that the heart of the Midwest beats loudest in its bars.

Here’s a look at a few great dive bars in South Dakota.

The Ice House: Shattered glass and record-breaking can smashing

The Ice House Bar in Yankton, South Dakota, isn’t known for producing artificial ice. How boring. It’s known for its century-old tradition of smashing empty beer bottles against a brick wall.

The family-owned, Missouri River establishment began in 1928 as the Pure Ice Co. until it started selling beer after the prohibition in the 1930s. Since, folks come for the $2 beers, $10 buckets served curbside or to hang their legs off the dock to toss a bottle or two underneath their feet.

The tradition is famous. Broadcast journalist and South Dakota native Tom Brokaw frequented the bar for a Budweiser, and owner Jim Anderson was on “The Late Show with David Letterman” to show off his record-breaking can-smashing skills: He can crush 76 cans in 25 seconds with one foot!

Details: 101 Capital St., Yankton, S.D., 605-665-2631.

Top Hat: One of the oldest haunts in Sioux Falls

The Top Hat in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is timeless. Your father probably sat underneath the same glow of the same PBR neon sign in the 1970s and grabbed a bag of Fritos from the same clip on the wall. (Hopefully the chips are newer.)

Owner Andy Lenz prefers to freeze this dive bar in time. Why change it? she says. There are no frills, no craft beers on tap and no menu. Hungry? She’ll toast a thin-crust Rosken’s Dakota Pizza if you want to pair it with your Grain Belt while playing a game of pool underneath dim lighting.