South Dakota

Noem’s former opponent heading back to Pierre as she prepares to leave • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

11 months ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Noem’s former opponent heading back to Pierre as she prepares to leave • South Dakota Searchlight

SIOUX FALLS — Three years ago, Kristi Noem kept her job in Pierre, and Jamie Smith left. Now the situation is reversed.

Kind of like Smith predicted.

“Everyone knew she had national ambitions,” he said Wednesday.

Smith, a Democrat, gave up his legislative seat in 2022 and ran against Noem, a Republican, who wound up winning a second term as governor.

Now Noem is preparing to leave South Dakota for Washington, D.C., where she is nominated to serve as secretary of Homeland Security under President-elect Donald Trump. Her nomination hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Smith, meanwhile, won a state Senate seat in a Sioux Falls district during November’s election. He’ll go back to Pierre on Tuesday for the start of the annual legislative session, where he’ll serve as Senate assistant minority leader.

Addressing members of Change Agents at a Sioux Falls library, Smith acknowledged the challenges he and the other Democrats face in the Legislature. They’re outnumbered 96-9 by Republicans.

“We are very limited in what we can do this year, with the number of Democrats that we have in the Legislature,” Smith said. “We are essentially left playing defense.”

Democrats lose ground in Legislature, but pick up seat in longtime Republican district

Members of Change Agents, formed in 2021, say they support pragmatic candidates and oppose extremist rhetoric and policies. Founders include former Sioux Falls Mayor Rick Knobe, financial planner Mike Huber and entrepreneur Craig Brown.

After the meeting, Smith told South Dakota Searchlight why he came back to politics.

“Because I truly believe that I have the skills to try and help people,” he said. “I do believe that one person can make a difference for the people of South Dakota.”

Smith said finding ways to build relationships across the aisle will be crucial for Democrats this session, like the one he said he built with incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, based partly on a simple starting point.

“We share a birthday,” Smith said.

Outlining his priorities, Smith said he plans to introduce a bill that would end incarceration for drug ingestion in South Dakota. South Dakota’s ingestion law is the only one in the nation that allows prosecutors to charge people with felony drug possession for a failed drug test.

Instead, he advocates for expanding treatment programs and diversion efforts, calling incarceration for ingestion punitive and ineffective.

Smith also addressed his desire to amend the state’s abortion ban, his opposition to Noem’s $4 million proposal to fund private and homeschool education, and his resistance to raising sales taxes as a means of lowering property taxes.

South Dakota’s near-total abortion ban allows an exception only to save the life of the mother and lacks clear definitions, said Smith, who called the ban “cruel and unusual.”

“We need to stop it,” he said.

Smith said women’s health care is a top priority for Democrats, but they don’t currently have a bill to increase access to abortion. He said some members want to introduce bills to expand exceptions beyond the life of the mother, while others are arguing for a broader abortion access ballot measure. Voters rejected an abortion-rights measure in November.

Smith also criticized a proposal from some Republicans to reduce property taxes by increasing sales taxes, calling it a potentially unfair shift that could disproportionately impact low-income people.

Smith attacked Noem’s $4 million plan for education savings accounts, calling it a voucher program that would divert public dollars to private schools and homeschoolers. Smith said the program would lack accountability, because alternative schools and homeschoolers are not required to follow the same transparency, testing and other standards as public schools.

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South Dakota

South Dakota State will host New Hampshire for First Round matchup

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Press Room

South Dakota State will host New Hampshire for First Round matchup

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – For the 14th consecutive season, SDSU is in the playoffs.

With a record of 8-4 they will host 8-4 New Hampshire.

A little over four weeks ago South Dakota State was undefeated.

On Saturday they snapped a 4 game losing streak.

The Jacks are happy to keep playing football.

Graham Goering, SDSU wide receiver said, “We’re just blessed for any opportunity we are given. I think having some losses, there’s really never a doubt there actually and I think just seeing our name on screen ignites a little fire for everyone on the team. So obviously just blessed and excited for new season.”

Head coach Dan Jackson said, “This team has been close and galvanized for a long time, but what I do think it does it breathes a little bit of new life in them and last four weeks have been pretty heavy for them because they have been giving us all they have while at the same time not getting results they wanted. For them to be able to take a deep breath and remember who they are, and remember we can win and win in big moments, I think we have a really confident team that feels amazing right now not only after that play but how they competed the entire game.”

SDSU hosts New Hampshire at noon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

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South Dakota

2025 South Dakota state volleyball championship results, all-tournament teams

Published

21 hours ago

November 23, 2025

Press Room

2025 South Dakota state volleyball championship results, all-tournament teams

RAPID CITY — The 2025 South Dakota state high school volleyball tournament came to a close on Saturday, Nov. 22, from the Summit Arena in Rapid City.

Below are the pairings for each match on Saturday in the three classes in action to put a bow on the high school volleyball season.

Seventh place

Sioux Falls Jefferson def. Mitchell, 25-22, 25-12, 25-10

Fifth place

Sioux Falls Lincoln def. Sioux Falls Washington, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-20

Third place

Brandon Valley def. Watertown, 25-15, 25-19, 25-21

Championship

Harrisburg def. Sioux Falls O’Gorman, 25-16, 25-16, 25-13

Seventh place

Rapid City Christian def. Wagner, 25-12, 25-16, 25-12

Fifth place

Clark/Willow Lake def. St. Thomas More, 27-25, 26-24, 12-25, 25-23

Third place

Sioux Falls Christian def. Hamlin, 25-19, 25-15, 25-18

Championship

Dakota Valley def. Dell Rapids, 26-24, 26-24, 24-26, 25-22

Seventh place

Herreid/Selby Area def. Harding County, 23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-12

Fifth place

Gayville-Volin def. Parkston, 25-8, 26-24, 25-21

Third place

Northwestern def. Bennett County, 25-20, 25-19, 25-12

Championship

Chester def. Warner, 25-23, 25-16, 25-18

Class AA: Logan McGuire, Brandon Valley; Jersie Melcher, Brandon Valley; Josalyn Samuels, Harrisburg; Gabi Zachariasen, Harrisburg; Addie Siemsen, Mitchell; Sienna Sabers, Sioux Falls Jefferson; Julia Blom, Sioux Falls Lincoln; Mallory Schneider, Sioux Falls Lincoln; Londyn Smith, Sioux Falls O’Gorman; Lauren Venenga, Sioux Falls O’Gorman; Jade Jere, Sioux Falls Washington; Kynsee Russell, Watertown

Class A: Shelby Begeman, Clark/Willow Lake; Kelsey Hofer, Clark/Willow Lake; Samantha Kimball, Dakota Valley; Claire Munch, Dakota Valley; Madie Munch, Dakota Valley; Tenley Anderson, Dell Rapids; Madelynn Henry, Dell Rapids; Addison Neuendorf, Hamlin; Chloe Weber, Rapid City Christian; Leighton Scherr, St. Thomas More; Meredith Nelson, Sioux Falls Christian; Tavyn Sichmeller, Sioux Falls Christian

Class B: Peyson O’Neill, Bennett County; Reagan O’Neill, Bennett County; Lily Van Hal, Chester; Jacy Wolf, Chester; Paisley Dimmer, Gayville-Volin; Taylor Hoxeng, Gayville-Volin; Jordyn Rossow, Herreid/Selby Area; Ella Boekelheide, Northwestern; Ashley Haven, Northwestern; Keeara Oakley, Parkston; Jaycee Jung, Warner; Keira Steger, Warner

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “Mitchell Republic.” Often, the “Mitchell Republic” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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South Dakota

Live box score: South Dakota State at UND, 1 p.m.

Published

2 days ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

Live box score: South Dakota State at UND, 1 p.m.

GRAND FORKS — UND and South Dakota State kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Alerus Center with both teams chasing an eighth win of the season.

Scoring recaps will be posted below.

UND 7, SDSU 0, 2:59 left: On fourth-and-1 from the 14, Jerry Kaminski takes a designed keeper up the middle and dives into the end zone for a touchdown.

UND 14, SDSU 0, 1:10 left: UND’s first play of a drive is an 89-yard slant pass from Jerry Kaminski to B.J. Fleming.

Miller has covered sports at the Grand Forks Herald since 2004 and was the state sportswriter of the year in 2019 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2022 (NSMA, NDAPSSA) and 2024 (NDAPSSA).

His primary beat is UND football but also reports on a variety of UND sports and local preps.

He can be reached at (701) 780-1121, tmiller@gfherald.com or on Twitter at @tommillergf.

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