South Dakota

MBB Preview – South Dakota

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2024

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team hosts South Dakota in the final game of the Kenny Arnold Classic on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN.
• Tickets are $15-25 for adults and $5-10 for youth through the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office.

FOLLOW LIVE

Radio: Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call. The network includes more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and include portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 60-minute pregame show.
Television: Tuesday’s game will be televised on BTN with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (color) on the call.

OPENING TIP

The Hawkeyes won their second straight game, downing Southern, 89-74, on Thursday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has now started 2-0 in four consecutive seasons.
Iowa has won 91 of its last 97 nonconference home games, dating back to 2012.
The Hawkeyes’ first three games against Texas A&M Commerce, Southern and South Dakota are part of the Kenny Arnold Classic.
Senior Payton Sandfort has had 17+ points, 8+ rebounds and 7+ assists in Iowa’s two season-opening victories. He notched his 19th career 20-point game and sixth career double-double in the season opener. He is averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and seven assists.
Sophomore Pryce Sandfort has notched career highs in points, field goals, 3-pointers and rebounds in back-to-back games. He led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting with six 3-pointers and four rebounds in the win over Southern.
Splash Brothers… Payton and Pryce Sandfort have combined to make 17 3-point field goals in Iowa’s first two games. Pryce has made 9-of-17 attempts; Payton is 8-of-20. They are 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made. They are 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made.
Iowa made 18 3-point field goals — its most in a game since the 2022 Big Ten Tournament — in the victory over Southern. The 18 makes are tied for the fifth-most in a game under Fran McCaffery at Iowa.
One more… Iowa has had more than 20 assists in each of its first two games. The Hawkeyes have assisted on 76.6 percent of their field goals this season.
Sophomore Owen Freeman is averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and three blocks in two games. He made his first career 3-pointer in Iowa’s win over Southern.
Josh Dix (honorable mention), Owen Freeman (honorable mention, Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year) and Payton Sandfort (third team) all earned All-Big Ten honors last season. Sandfort is a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024-25.
Payton Sandfort has been named the John R. Wooden Award preseason Watch List and to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason List.

LAST GAME: IOWA 89, SOUTHERN 74

Iowa shot 53.3 percent from the floor and made 18 3-point field goals in an 89-74 victory over Southern on Nov. 7 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had five players land in double figures with sophomore Pryce Sandfort leading the way with a career-high 22 points. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the game, including six 3-pointers.

SPLASH BROTHERS

Brothers Payton and Pryce Sandfort have been deadly from 3-point range for the Hawkeyes. The duo have combined to make 17 3-point field goals in Iowa’s first two games. Pryce has a team-high nine 3-pointers, shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from long range.
• The Sandforts rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals.

PRYCE’S FAST START

Sophomore Pryce Sandfort has posted career-highs in scoring, field goals, 3-pointers and rebounds in consecutive games to open the 2024-25 season. The Waukee, Iowa, native made his first eight field goals en route to a 22-point outing in Iowa’s win over Southern on Nov. 7. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the game with six 3-pointers.
Sandfort is averaging 17.5 points — second on the team — shooting 60 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from long range.

PRESEASON WATCH LISTS

Senior Payton Sandfort has been named to the prestigious John R. Wooden Preseason Watch List. He is one of 50 players named to the list and one of nine from the Big Ten Conference.
• Sandfort is also one of 20 players named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List. It is his second straight year that he has been on the list that for an award that recognizes the best small forwards in men’s college basketball.

1-2 PG PUNCH

Iowa’s point guard duo of Brock Harding and Drew Thelwell are averaging 16.5 points and eight assists in two games this season.
• Thelwell has landed in double figures in both games, where he is averaging 11 points. Harding has 12 assists to one turnover in two games.

18 FROM DISTANCE

The Hawkeyes made 18 3-point field goals in the victory over Southern on Nov. 7. They are the most for the program since the 2022 Big Ten Tournament and tied for the fifth-most under head coach Fran McCaffery at Iowa.
• Iowa had seven different players make at least one 3-pointer in the victory, including Owen Freeman’s first career 3.
• As a team, Iowa averages 14 3-pointers per game, while shooting 40.6 percent. The team ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in 3-pointers per game.

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South Dakota

Half of SD inmates return to prison, new report shows

Published

8 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Half of SD inmates return to prison, new report shows

Makenzie Huber
| South Dakota Searchlight

Half the people released from prison in South Dakota return within three years, according to the state Department of Corrections’ newly released 2025 annual report — the highest recidivism rate in at least the last eight years.

Among Native Americans released from prison, 59% return within three years — the highest of any race. Native Americans comprise 39% of inmates in the state prison system — 35% among men and 61% among women. The recidivism rate among Native American women is 66%.

Department officials shared the statistics and annual report with members of the Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force at its Wednesday, Dec. 17 meeting in Pierre. The recidivism rate is seven points higher than last year.

The task force, made up of lawmakers, government officials and nonprofit leaders, is considering ways to reduce the state’s recidivism rate by expanding prison-based rehabilitation and helping released inmates transition back into their communities. The group was created earlier this year as lawmakers approved construction of a $650 million men’s prison in Sioux Falls, and it’s focusing on behavioral health, educational, faith-based and Native American-themed programs.

The group approved several recommendations at its meeting, including an endorsement of a faith-based seminary program.

Task force member Rep. John Hughes, R-Sioux Falls, said he hopes for “transformational offerings” to inmates.

“If we don’t see lives changed, then I don’t know what we’re doing here,” Hughes said. “We’re just managing statistics and personal failures.”

‘We’re not appropriately supporting the Indigenous population’

Task force member Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, told South Dakota Searchlight the increase in recidivism, especially among Native Americans, will “further strain an already strained system.”

“It’s indicative of the fact that we’re not appropriately supporting the Indigenous population,” Wittman said. “We’re already overincarcerating Indigenous people in South Dakota, and then we’re seeing them return at a much higher rate.”

The task force approved 11 immediate recommendations for the Department of Corrections. The list includes bringing back evening volunteers in prisons, designating the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate parole program as a “flagship model” in the state, and establishing volunteer roundtables to give feedback on department policy and programs.

The recommendations are “small wins or barriers that can be removed,” Wittman said, while the task force continues to work on more complex issues.

Wittman is most excited about a recommendation that the department hire a tribal cultural liaison to coordinate ceremonies, tribal contacts and volunteer access to the state’s prisons. The position should be piloted for six months, the task force recommended.

“The fact that the DOC is willing to establish an individual whose sole focus is going to be better programming for its Indigenous population is huge,” Wittman said. “They’ll hopefully identify where Indigenous programming will be most effective.”

Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, the task force chairman, confirmed with recently appointed Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb that the department would look into the recommendations and report back which could be viable options.

New corrections secretary lauds faith-based program

The prison seminary program endorsed by the task force was created by Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain while he served as warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Cain resigned from his role in Louisiana in 2015 amid investigations of his business dealings.

The program operates in 26 states and partners with accredited, four-year Christian seminary programs to teach inmates. They can earn a seminary degree through the program, often with graduates serving as ministers in prison systems.

Lamb helped implement the program in the Illinois prison system. Within months of its launch, Lamb said, he saw fewer assaults between inmates and against staff.

“Whatever your religious beliefs are, whatever you think, this program works,” Lamb said. “It worked everywhere they tried.”

Cain spoke to lawmakers in October about the program, ahead of the task force’s first meeting in Sioux Falls. He said the state would need a nonprofit to run it. The task force voted on Wednesday to encourage South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden’s administration to authorize the program.

Rhoden said in a Dec. 17 news release that he “accepted” the recommendation. The news release did not say who would operate the program, but said it would be privately supported, requiring neither Department of Corrections nor inmate funding.

“Bringing this seminary program to our state will restore hope, build character, and strengthen our correctional system from the inside out,” Rhoden said in the news release.

Jon Ozmint, the former director of South Carolina prisons, also presented to the task force in October. He said the recidivism rate for state inmates in the faith-based seminary Cain created is around 2% in South Carolina.

Wittman said after Wednesday’s meeting that she has “reservations” about the seminary program.

“I don’t necessarily support Burl Cain-style programming in South Dakota prisons because rehabilitation needs to be voluntary, secular and grounded in evidence,” Wittman said.

Despite those concerns, she voted in favor of implementing the program.

“I voted yes because, despite my reservations, I know how limited current programs are,” Wittman said, “and something is better than nothing.”

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South Dakota

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

Published

20 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

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

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.

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

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

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.

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

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

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.

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

, 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.”

— This story was originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.

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