South Dakota
State lawmakers reject expansion of free school meals in South Dakota
PIERRE — Lawmakers narrowly rejected
a bill
Monday that would have given more low-income students free school meals.
The state House Education Committee voted 8-7 to defeat the legislation.
“These are South Dakota’s most vulnerable families and kids,” Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, told the committee. She said 7,580 South Dakota children would have been helped by the legislation.
The bill would have prohibited charging students who qualify for
federal reduced-price meals
. Those students’ parents or guardians make as little as $25,636 to $36,482 annually. Children of parents making less already qualify for free meals.
The bill also would have required school districts to ensure parents or legal guardians of eligible students complete and submit a federal school meal application annually. Proponents said doing so would ensure children eligible for federal programs are benefitting from them.
The state Department of Education would have been responsible for reimbursing school districts for the cost of providing the additional meals. The annual cost would have been about $579,000, according to the state Legislative Research Council.
The bill’s proponents described that as a price worth paying.
“It’s our responsibility as leaders and human beings to ensure that no child in South Dakota has to learn on an empty stomach,” testified Jesse Severson, with Hungry Hearts, a nonprofit helping low-income families.
Gay Anderson, the child nutrition coordinator for the Sioux Falls School District, and Krista Leischner, the student nutrition manager for Rapid City Area Schools, also testified in favor of the bill.
“Food insecurity is a reality in our state,” Leischner told the committee. “Food insecurity is not something students should experience in school walls. While I do not see this bill as ‘the’ answer, I do see this bill as a step in the right direction.”
Governor Kristi Noem’s Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger testified that “the goals of this bill are well-intentioned” but “there is no free lunch, meaning someone still has to pay.”
Terwilliger said the school lunch programs are “already heavily subsidized by the federal government.” He said the bill takes a burden currently being lifted by nonprofits and philanthropists and puts it on the shoulders of state taxpayers. Across the state, private efforts have helped cover unpaid school lunch bills; for example, 1,800 students’ lunch debts in the Sioux Falls School District were paid off by donations.
Terwilliger said the bill’s proponents would continue to push for more free meals if the bill passed.
“I believe this would just be the first step,” he said. “And more steps would be coming in the future.”
Wittman countered, saying that “if we want South Dakota to pull ahead in terms of test scores, lowering absenteeism, having better health outcomes for our kids, I can’t think of a better investment.”
Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, motioned to defeat the bill. He said it’s the responsibility of the church to care for the needy, not the government.
“We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and by doing so, we can meet the needs of this effort,” Jensen said. “I think if anybody wanted to donate money, they could donate money to this cause. And as a Republican, I believe in less government and less intrusion in our lives. Nowhere in the constitution or state constitution does it say anything about feeding school children.”
Retired educator Rep. Roger DeGroot, R-Brookings, said his fellow lawmakers on the committee were losing sight of the point of the bill.
“Somehow we got involved in all kinds of different rabbit holes,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the responsibility of somebody running a public school program to run around and work with churches to raise money.”
Rep. Tim Reisch, R-Howard, expressed fiscal concerns.
“I don’t think it’s the state’s obligation to shore up something when the federal government already has a program in place,” he said.
Reisch said the federal debt is a “bigger burden to the youth of this nation than, probably, shortcomings in meal programs.”
Wittman said she does not plan any attempts to revive the bill this legislative session.
— This story can be found on South Dakota Searchlight’s website. South Dakota Searchlight provides free news and commentary on critical issues facing the state.
South Dakota
Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources announces $48 million for statewide projects
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) has the approval of over $48 million in loans and grants for statewide projects.
Together with the Board of Water and Natural Resources, a total of $36,958,000 in state loans, including $425,000 in principal forgiveness, was authorized for drinking water and wastewater improvements.
More funding was distributed to the following programs:
BDM Rural Water:
- Received an additional $233,450 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to construct a new water treatment plant, install a new water reservoir, install a pipe to expand the water system, and replace water meters
Clay Rural Water:
- Received $334,250 in ARPA grant funds to construct two ground storage reservoirs near the Greenfield reservoir and the Wakonda Water Treatment plant
Mid-Dakota Rural Water System:
- Received $917,357.85 in ARPA grant to update the existing water system
Mitchell:
- Received $3,930,000 in Clean Water State Revolving Funds to upgrade the clay sanitary and storm sewer
Rapid City:
- Received a $14,512,000 Drinking Water State Revolving loan to make improvements to an existing well and also construct two new wells
Shared Resources:
- Received $1,500,000 in ARPA grant funds for a treatment plant, well field, distribution pipeline, and two storage tanks
Sioux Falls:
- Received $7,648,000 to complete a third connection to the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System
- Received $17,746,000 to construct a new Southeast Basin sanitary force main
South Lincoln Rural Water System:
- Received $328,250 in ARPA funds to install an elevated water tank, new pump station, and new water treatment plant
South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources:
- Received $1 million in ARPA funds for its statewide Riparian Buffer Initiative
Toronto:
- Received $770,000 Drinking Water Revolving Loan to accommodate the Department of Transportation installing new storm sewers and highway surfacing
These programs are funded through a combination of federal appropriations, loan repayments, and bonds.
The board approved the funding during a January 8 meeting in Pierre.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 8 drawing
05-12-13-39-48, Lucky Ball: 13
Check Lucky 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.
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.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A harrowing scene at Sheridan Lake ended without serious injury Tuesday after a man, a woman and their dog fell through thin ice near the swimming beach, authorities said.
Keep pets on a leash and never attempt a risky rescue if someone falls through the ice, officials said. Call 911 immediately.
The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks agency advises that ice three inches or less is unsafe. Four inches is generally considered the minimum for walking, ice fishing or skating.
Lt. Casey Kenrick of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said the incident is a reminder to take extra precautions this winter.
“Usually at this time the ice is significantly thick on the lakes around the area, well, some aren’t even frozen all the way at this point. The temperatures have been up and down so much that the ice isn’t solid even though it may look like it is, so make sure you know the ice depth that you’re getting onto,” Kenrick said.
Kenrick said those precautions could mean the difference between a close call and a tragedy.
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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
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