South Dakota
North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State FREE STREAM today: Where to watch FCS semifinals
FARGO, North Dakota – The second-seeded North Dakota State Bison will battle the third-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits today – Saturday, Dec. 21– at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota. This game is available on multiple streaming services for free.
This game will broadcast live on ABC at 12 p.m. Eastern. (11 a.m. Central). Fans without cable can catch the game at no cost via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. Another option is SlingTV, which has promotional offers for new customers.
This game will also stream on ESPN Plus. You can get a subscription to ESPN Plus for $11.99 per month. Another option is to sign up for an annual subscription for $119.99, which saves about 17% off compared to the monthly route.
Watch North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State on FuboTV for free
Watch North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State for free on DirecTV Stream
Who is announcing North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State?
Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Sam Acho (analyst) will be the announcers while Taylor Davis reports from the sidelines.
What are the latest odds for North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State?
Spread: NDSU: (+3.5), SDSU: (-3.5)
Moneyline: NDSU: (+136), SDSU: (-162)
Point total: 48.5
Odds from DraftKings
Here’s more information on how to watch this game on TV and streaming services.
What: College football FBS national semifinal: North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central)
Where: Fargo Dome | Fargo, North Dakota
Channel: ABC
Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial and $30 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling TV (half off first month and ESPN Plus
Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios
Here is more information on North Dakota State’s performance in the quarterfinals from the AP:
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Cam Miller threw three touchdown passes, ran for another and second-seeded North Dakota State blew past a 14-point deficit to beat 15th-seeded Abilene Christian 51-31 on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
The Bison (11-2), in the FCS playoffs for a 15th straight season and winner of nine FCS titles, will host seventh-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals.
Abilene Christian (9-5) took a 17-3 lead on a 13-yard TD pass from Maverick McIvor to J.J. Henry, a 90-yard run by Sam Hicks and a Ritse Vaes 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
The Bison then took over, starting with Jackson Williams’ 100-yard kickoff return to start a run of 31 consecutive points, 17 coming in the second quarter for a 20-17 halftime lead.
The scoring streak ended when Nehemiah Martinez’s 53-yard return helped set up Hicks’ 3-yard score to get the Wildcats within 34-24. But the Bison matched that TD on their ensuing drive on Miller’s 36-yard connection with Bryce Lance to cap their 21-point third quarter.
Again, the Wildcats got within 10 early in the fourth quarter on Rovaughn Banks Jr.’s 2-yard TD run. But NDSU’s Marcus Gulley returned an interception 37 yards to the ACU 9 and the Crosa kicked a field goal and Logan Kopp followed with a 31-yard pick-6.
Miller was 20 of 29 for 274 yards passing.
McIvor threw for 153 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Hicks ran for 153 yards on 16 carries.
ACU, champion of the United Athletic Conference, was in its first FCS playoffs since joining the classification in 2013, and beat Northern Arizona in its first-round game.
Crosa has made his 262nd career PAT to pass NDSU’s Cam Pederson (2015-18) and set an FCS record.
South Dakota
South Dakota’s lean fiscal budget sees ‘flat’ revenues, sales tax dip
PIERRE — Gov. Larry Rhoden’s first budget address as governor is in the books.
And it was a “straightforward” budget without many surprises, as multiple lawmakers told the Argus Leader.
Rhoden presented his recommended budget Dec. 2 for South Dakota’s fiscal year 2027 at the State Capitol Building.
The Republican governor asked lawmakers to budget $7.44 billion in state fiscal year 2027, up from the $7.28 billion recommended by former Gov. Kristi Noem for FY2026. FY2027 is split between about 34% state funds, 42% federal funds and 23% funds marked as “other.”
Rhoden is also leaving about $14 million for lawmakers to divvy up during the upcoming Legislative Session in January. And an additional 135 full-time staff have been recommended for the next fiscal year, up from a budgeted 14,095 in FY 2026.
But Rhoden, who is only serving a partial term as governor after having taken over the reins from Noem last January and now faces reelection in 2026, is taking on the state’s fiscal goals and ambitions amid slim revenue projections and realities.
“I won’t sugarcoat it: Revenues have been pretty flat – only rising slightly,” Rhoden told lawmakers during his address. “But we have to keep the context in mind. We’re coming off some of the strongest years in our state’s history – or in any state’s history. Our economic growth may have slowed, but we’re comparing that to the fastest growth that South Dakota has ever seen.”
Ongoing sales and use tax collections suffered in FY25 before bounce back
More than half of the state’s overall revenue picture is made up of an ongoing sales and use tax, which saw a fiscal year-to-year decrease.
South Dakota FY2025 collected about $1.43 billion from the state sales and use tax — a 1.5% decrease compared with FY2024. Data from the state’s Bureau of Finance & Management indicates several months measured in FY2025 saw dips in sales and use tax growth.
The Rhoden budget estimates the FY2026 collections will reach about $1.5 billion and $1.56 billion in FY2027.
State sales and use tax revenue has seen month-to-month growth since June, with a more-than-8% increase in October.
“We’ll be getting November numbers any day now,” Rhoden said. “Year-to-date, we’re about where we want to be. 4% to 5% growth is pretty typical for South Dakota, but it also means we don’t have a ton of headroom.”
South Dakota’s farm sector sees impacts of Trump tariffs; Rhoden says to ‘pray for rain’
Recent data shows the Midwest has seen economic swings in the agriculture and commodity markets — and Rhoden had to acknowledge it, at least in part.
According to a recent study by The Dakota Institute, a nonprofit economic research firm, South Dakota saw its real gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 3.1% in Q1 of 2025 — neighboring states saw similar impacts.
It later rebounded in South Dakota with 5.2% annualized growth in Q2 of 2025. But President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy and an international trade war underlined the volatile nature of in the state’s corn, soybean and wheat prices, which have dropped since to lowest prices in years, while U.S. beef cattle prices are at record highs.
“The weakness reflected ongoing pressures from trade disruptions through the implementation of tariffs and a mass renegotiation process of multiple trade agreements,” The Dakota Institute’s study indicated. “This volatility — contraction followed by robust recovery within six months — underscores both the region’s vulnerability to external shocks and its capacity to bounce back when conditions stabilize.”
“When ag does well, the state does well,” Rhoden said. “But when ag struggles, our growth tends to slow down … Historically, there’s been a correlation between our sales tax collections and farm income. So let’s pray for rain and for President Trump to be successful in his trade negotiations.”
Medicaid spending overtakes K-12 dollars in FY27
Medicaid, one of South Dakota’s largest fiscal responsibilities, has grown “far faster than any other area of the budget,” Rhoden said.
“In fact,” Rhoden added, “for the first time in state history, Medicaid is a bigger share of the general fund than K-12 education.”
According to the BFM, the state’s Medicaid budget has grown by $360 million since 2020 to $758 million. Rhoden budgeted $725 million for K-12 education.
The state’s share of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, which determines matching each state’s federal match, now represents $105 million. South Dakota’s coverage share went up by 0.86%, from 48.47% to 49.33%.
State employees won’t see budgeted raises in next fiscal year
Breaking from his predecessor, who pushed for state employee raises during her tenure as governor, Rhoden revealed that employees for the state won’t see a baseline raise to their salaries in FY2027.
Rhoden said the state budget includes a “modest investment in our State Employee Health Plan,” specifically a $3 million investment in health plan reserves. The Republican governor added there are also “plan changes” in the works to prevent employees’ healthcare costs from going up, “since we won’t be able to give them a raise this year.”
But Eric Ollila, executive director and lobbyist for the South Dakota State Employees Organization, told the Argus Leader following the budget address that Rhoden’s budget picture doesn’t account for healthcare deductibles.
Ollila also said the “plan changes” that Rhoden teased were too vague for his liking. He later expressed concern that the changes would be passed through to state employees.
“What it’s not going to do is save employees 100% of the healthcare costs,” Ollila said.
Rhoden recommends raising reserve allocation to 12.5%
Rhoden plans to increase the state’s budget reserve from 10% to 12.5%
The governor attributed his desire to raise reserves based on “continued slower revenue growth and weakness in the farm sector.”
South Dakota
Call for artists to create art for South Dakota State Buildings Program
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Arts Council is seeking submissions for the Art for State Buildings Program. South Dakota artists have until March 1, 2026, to submit purchase proposals for consideration.
The Art for State Buildings program was created for the purpose of creating a permanent collection for the State of South Dakota and exhibiting the work of talented South Dakota artists in areas of state government buildings with public access. Work purchased will be installed in public access areas of the Capitol and other state buildings in Pierre.
Any South Dakota artists whose body of work has contributed to the state’s cultural heritage and development are encouraged to submit their work. Artists may propose one artwork for purchase.
Proposals will be reviewed by an advisory committee to the South Dakota Arts Council.
Selection will be based on:
- Quality of the proposed work and relevance to the artist’s career;
- The artwork’s relevance to South Dakota’s environment, history, heritage, or culture;
- The applicant’s professional arts experience; and
- Physical attributes of the artwork regarding durability and safety in a public setting
Submissions must be received through the South Dakota Arts Council’s online Artwork Archive platform. The complete request for proposal and submission instructions are posted at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/directories/artstatebldgs.aspx. For assistance call 605-773-3102 or email sarah.carlson@state.sd.us.
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Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
SD Department of Corrections announces high-risk offender release
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Corrections is warning the public about the pending release of a prison offender.
Richie Desersa, 31, is scheduled to be released from prison to suspended sentence supervision on December 3, 2025.
He was convicted of third-degree burglary in 2017 in Minnehaha County.
“Based on the assessments we conduct during incarceration, as well as his criminal history, including prior sex offenses, Offender Desersa is considered to be high-risk for committing additional violent acts in the future,” said Lamb.
“I am issuing this alert to let law enforcement and the public know about his release.”
Desersa will be released to Sioux Falls with GPS monitoring and must participate in treatment.
He is a Native American male, 5′11″ tall, weighing around 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
This notification is in addition to the letters currently sent to law enforcement and notices provided to the Division of Criminal Investigation each month.
Since 2011, the Department of Corrections has issued a total of 21 public notices of pending high-risk offender releases.
Copyright 2025 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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