South Dakota
More than ever, next legislative session will require courage • South Dakota Searchlight
I’ve never been much good at political predictions. I knew George Mickelson as a tall guy I played volleyball against in the adult league in Brookings. While he was a force at the net, I didn’t think that qualified him to be governor. John Thune was unknown to me when he first ran for Congress. Certainly he didn’t stand a chance of winning a primary against Bill Jankow’s lieutenant governor. No one asked me to wager, but I would never have bet on Mike Rounds to win a three-man primary for governor.
While political races have proven impossible for me to predict, my crystal ball isn’t as foggy when it comes to forecasting what’s going to happen during a legislative session. Even this far out from the start of the 2025 session in January, I can tell that it’s going to be all about courage.
For years, the Legislature has been tip-toeing around the need to do something about the property tax system in South Dakota. A legislative summer study has just wrapped up its work trying to determine ways to make sure tax assessments are being handled in the same way across the state. Like former President Donald Trump, who admitted in a debate to having “concepts of a plan” to improve health care, the summer study offered “concepts” that might make assessments more uniform.
Those concepts are rooted in more cooperation, more education and nothing at all that citizens want to hear about when the topic is property taxes. According to a South Dakota Searchlight story, in the last decade property tax payments have increased nearly 60% for homes, 47% for commercial property and 28% for agricultural property.
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Those property taxes aren’t just a burden for property owners, they’re a lifeline for local governments with 56% going to schools, 27% to counties, 13% to cities and the rest to various local taxing authorities. Consequently, any changes to the system have the potential to mess with local government budgets.
Some legislative candidates are running on a pledge to bring property tax relief. However, the issue needs more than one legislator with a plan. The problem is big enough and complex enough to require a study akin to Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s Blue Ribbon Task Force that studied teacher pay. That study resulted in a 2016 half-cent increase in the state sales tax with a portion of the money dedicated to increasing teacher pay.
That brings us to the other issue that will require legislative courage — how to raise teachers’ salaries. While the sales tax increase proposed by the Blue Ribbon panel dug South Dakota’s teacher pay out of the basement, inattention by the Legislature has allowed the state to fall back to 49th in national rankings.
This month, a South Dakota Searchlight story noted that not only were the state’s teacher salaries ranked near the bottom nationally, but teacher pay in this state has fallen by 7.6% over the past six years when adjusted for inflation. Lawmakers can’t continue to dodge the issue by falling back on the excuse that South Dakota has a low cost of living.
With many new lawmakers likely to be headed to Pierre after the election, the 2025 session may not be the best time to tackle large, complex issues. However, taxpayers are crying for relief. Teachers need more pay.
The mechanisms used to resolve those problems can’t be one-and-done. If Daugaard’s Blue Ribbon Task Force taught us anything, it’s that solutions need to be nurtured. Lawmakers didn’t pay enough attention to teacher pay and now the state ranks close to the bottom again.
The best solutions for property tax relief and higher teacher pay will be ones that keep tabs on those markets so that the Legislature can make the needed adjustments over time. Solutions like that will take study, innovation and plenty of courage.
More commentary from Dana Hess
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 15, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 15 drawing
25-55-57-60-62, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 15 drawing
01-15-18-30-46, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 15 drawing
12-14-20-54-58, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
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.
The first mosquito pool of the year carrying West Nile virus has been confirmed in Brown County, the South Dakota Department of Health reported Monday.
The department urged residents to take steps to protect themselves and their families from the virus, which can cause fever, headaches, rash, swollen lymph nodes and achy muscles and joints, and in worst cases, death.
WESTERN S.D. AND NORTHEASTERN WYO. — There’s a slight chill in the air this morning as temperatures currently in the 30s and 40s. Higher elevations in the Black Hills and Bighorns may even be seeing some upper 20s.
“Cooler” air remains today with highs reaching the low to mid-70s for most… However, 60s are possible in higher elevations, while southwestern South Dakota will likely see upper 70s to low 80s.
While winds are light and variable this morning, northerly flow persists as we head into mid-morning. Northwesterly winds today should be sustained around 15-25 mph, gusting up to 40 mph at times.
Due to relative humidity values between 10% and 25% in southern portions of the region, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect from noon today through this evening. This warning includes portions of Weston, Custer, Fall River, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, Jackson, and Bennett counties.
Elevated to critical fire concerns remain throughout the week, although we may see occasionally some pop-up showers to the north, most of the region is expected to remain dry.
Please be careful with fire and/or anything that could create sparks. While we have received beneficial moisture over the last couple of weeks (which I think we’re all grateful for), drought conditions continue for the region. This means vegetation is still dry and struggling to soak up that moisture, so please check local burn bans and stay vigilant.
As stated above, we could see a few quick, pop-up rain showers in northern areas this week, but luckily, we aren’t expecting any severe weather.
Tonight’s lows should be milder, likely in the 40s and 50s. Breezy conditions briefly slow down this evening before increasing again tomorrow, especially in northeastern Wyoming, where west-northwest winds are expected to reach 10-20 mph, with 30 mph gusts likely. Highs will warm up into the low-to-mid 80s tomorrow, with some 70s in the higher elevations.
We’ll continue to see average mid-June temperatures in the 70s and 80s this week. Wednesday looks particularly windy, with northwest gusts potentially reaching 50-55 mph. I would not be surprised if another Red Flag Warning or Wind Advisory is issued by then.
Expect more sunshine to round out the week on Thursday and Friday, with the likelihood of showers and non-severe storms increasing for this Father’s Day weekend.
As a dedicated meteorologist, Sam is committed to delivering accurate and timely weather information to the community. In the future, she hopes to inspire younger generations to develop a love for STEM, just as she did.
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