Matters of the State: Preparing for prison costs; Black Hills recreation fee increase?

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – This week on Matters of the State, we check in on the latest conversations surrounding the new state penitentiary plans in Lincoln County.

One county commissioner is working to start the conversation at the state level to help with the potential costs in Lincoln County. Meanwhile, one state lawmaker is hoping to ease concerns from Lincoln County residents, saying she hasn’t had any issues arise from living near the prison, while also suggesting that Lincoln County officials knew about the prison plans before they were announced. Rep. Kevin Jensen (R-Canton) previously said on Matters of the State that he learned about the plans just days before the announcement, but that other state lawmakers had known for longer.

Cooper Seamer examines a warning about alleged petition violations from the Attorney General’s Office to the sponsors of a ballot measure aimed at changing the state’s abortion laws, and what it could mean for the future of the measure.

I-Team reporter Beth Warden discusses a funding request from the White House to Congress to help states deal with the opioid epidemic as well as provide more resources at the U.S-Mexico border. The proposal would include $3 million for South Dakota.

South Dakota Searchlight editor-in-chief Seth Tupper joins the program to discuss the possibility of the U.S. Forest Service increasing fees for motorized vehicles as UTV usage continues to surge in the Black Hills.

Matters of the State airs Sundays at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. on KSFY and 10 a.m. on KOTA.

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