SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The Rushmore State’s biggest rivalry will have it’s biggest stage ever this October.

ESPN announced their television schedule and, as part of a new deal with the Missouri Valley Football Conference to televise two of the league’s games nationally each season on one of their linear networks, October 26th’s game between South Dakota and South Dakota State from Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings will be nationally televised.

Kickoff time and which ESPN channel will carry the game will be announced at a later date.

Dating back to 1889, the oldest State-U rivalry game in the United States will have it’s 117th meeting this year with SDSU looking to win their third straight in the series. In what was a battle of top five ranked teams in the FCS last year the top-ranked Jackrabbits, who went on to win their second straight FCS National Championship, rolled to victory at fourth-ranked South Dakota 37-3 on October 28th.

In fact both teams will be getting some additional exposure across the country this fall. We thought SDSU’s game at Oklahoma State might get moved or nationally televised but as of now it’s still set for Saturday, August 31st, and can be streamed on ESPN Plus and Big 12 now. In addition to the USD game, the Dakota Marker game the week prior against North Dakota State in Fargo will also be televised on an ESPN network. The Jacks have won five straight games against the Bison including their 2022 FCS National Championship Game meeting in Frisco, Texas. In their most recent meeting on November 4th, 2023, SDSU whipped NDSU 33-19 to hoist the Dakota Marker for the fourth straight time (the trophy was not in play during the National Championship).

The Coyotes will also get a second nationally televised game with their September 7th game at Wisconsin set for FS 1. That’s also the only game with a known kickoff time at 2:30 central. The rest will be announced later.

Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that a Wyoming man has pleaded guilty to shooting at a Highway Patrol Trooper during an incident at the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Wyatt James Fluty, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of commission of a felony while armed with a firearm.

The remaining four charges were dismissed as part of a plea bargain.

Fluty is set to be sentenced on July 17 in Meade County Circuit Court and faces up to 75 years in prison.

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Three years after it was first announced, Schwan’s Co. is taking the next step in its investment in South Dakota after closing on 142 acres of land in northwest Sioux Falls.

The company plans to construct a 700,000-square-foot Asian food production facility at Foundation Park, including a wastewater treatment facility on the manufacturing site. The wastewater treatment facility will allow the company to discharge water to the city “with the least amount of impact on the city’s operations,” according to a news release.

The company, based in Minnesota and a subsidiary of South Korea-based CJ foods, originally announced its plans in 2021. The project at that time would have cost about $500 million and created 600 jobs in South Dakota’s largest city. Gov. Kristi Noem called it “the largest project in the history of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development” at the time. A similar description has since been applied to a potential $1 billion sustainable aviation fuel facility in Lake Preston.

The newest Schwan’s announcement does not have an official estimate for the cost of the facility, though it’ll still employ 600 people.

Noem welcomed the news Friday in a press release, saying, “South Dakota just keeps growing. Our ‘Open for Business’ mindset is transforming our state into an economic powerhouse.”

South Dakota’s unemployment rate in April 2024 stood at 2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. South Dakota tied with North Dakota for the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at the time.

The new manufacturing facility will produce Asian-style foods, primarily for the Schwan’s bibigo brand, using automated production lines. The campus will also include a warehouse and distribution center, shipping and receiving docks, and office space.

The company also plans to open a regional office in downtown Sioux Falls “to support its continued expansion and operations at the new manufacturing facility,” according to a news release from the company.  That office will employ another 50 people initially with potential to grow to 100 employees.

Schwan’s outgoing CEO Dimitrios P. Smyrnios said state and local officials helped the company “make great progress” on the project, which will increase production capacity for Schwan’s. The company’s bibigo brand is sold nationwide, including at Costco stores. The facility will join Asian food facilities for CJ Foods on the East and West coasts.

“I want to personally thank Governor Kristi Noem and her team for their leadership and commitment to our plans,” Smyrnios said in the news release. “Without her unwavering support, this project would not be possible. It’s clear to me that the ‘State of South Dakota is open for business.’”

State officials did not immediately respond to South Dakota Searchlight messages seeking information on any assistance offered to Schwan’s. The company directed questions about that topic to state officials.

Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, told Searchlight the organization does not disclose incentives given to potential business partners unless the company does.