South Dakota
These 15 South Dakota counties will see DUI checkpoints this month
The monthly law enforcement effort helps to reduce alcohol-related deaths on the road.
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The South Dakota Department of Public Safety is raising awareness this month on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Sobriety checkpoints take place statewide every month, usually hitting about 15 counties, in hopes of reminding motorists to “make responsible choices and avoid driving after drinking alcohol, whether or not a checkpoint is planned in their area,” says DPS communications director Brad Reiners.
DPS also announces ahead of time which counties will be monitored, most often Codington, Lincoln, Meade, Minnehaha and Pennington counties.
What is a sobriety checkpoint?
A sobriety checkpoint is a law enforcement effort that stops vehicles at pre-determined locations to identify and arrest impaired drivers as necessary.
These police stops are not based on unrelated violations of the law (ie., speeding, reckless driving, no seatbelt). Rather, officers are stopping any vehicle in a set pattern in a highly visible location that a driver will approach and must comply with.
Beyond arrests for driving under the influence (DUIs), including breathalyzer tests (PBTs) to determine blood alcohol level (BAC) as needed, the systematic effort is designed to “reduce impaired driving and improve roadway safety,” Reiners said.
South Dakota counties where checkpoints will take place in March include:
- Beadle
- Brookings
- Brown
- Clay
- Codington
- Day
- Hughes
- Hutchinson
- Jones
- Lawrence
- Lincoln
- Lyman
- Meade
- Minnehaha
- Pennington
How many sobriety checkpoints took place in Minnehaha County in 2025?
Other than confirming counties ahead of time, Reiners says time, day and exact location of each checkpoint cannot be confirmed.
Here’s a look at totals from sobriety checkpoints in Minnehaha County in 2025.
Reiners says the number of vehicle stops is merely based on how many happen to drive through a checkpoint that day:
- January: 30 vehicles stopped, 3 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- February: 18 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
- March: 150 vehicles stopped, 9 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- August: 49 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
- September: 105 vehicles stopped, 14 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- November: 63 vehicles stopped, 2 PBTs, 2 DUI arrests
How many fatal, alcohol-related car accidents are there in South Dakota?
According to the South Dakota Department of Health, among 365 alcohol-related deaths in 2024, 19% were because of a transportation/machinery accident, the second-most common cause.
The leading cause of alcohol-related deaths in 2024 was poisoning/toxic effects, at 24%.
Counties that most often experience overall alcohol-related deaths include Buffalo, Mellette, Corson, Oglala Lakota and Dewey counties.
Overall, males make up 65% of alcohol-related deaths in South Dakota from 2015-2024, almost two times higher than the female rate, with ages 30-69 at the highest risk.
Operation: Prairie Thunder not involved in sobriety checkpoints
DPS officials say the S.D. Office of Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Highway Patrol (SDHP) and local law enforcement agencies support DUI checkpoints, which are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety (SDHS).
Although Operation: Prairie Thunder (OPT) recently completed its 11th saturation patrol in Watertown on Feb. 26-27 – missions that bring together the SDHP with the city, county and federal law enforcement partners – SDHS officials stated last week that “sobriety checkpoints are not conducted as part of Operation: Prairie Thunder.”
Rather, OPT consists of targeted saturation patrols focused on criminal activity in a variety of communities.
Since its inception in August of last year, here’s a look at where total numbers stand for OPT, provided by the DPS.
Ongoing Operation: Prairie Thunder running totals
- 443 arrests
- 281 individuals in custody with a drug charge
- 162 in custody without a drug charge
- 473 individuals with a drug charge
- 192 charged and released
Operation: Prairie Thunder criminal drug apprehension totals
- 1,109 drug charges
- 318 felony drug charges
- 791 misdemeanor drug charges
- 81 felony warrants
- 168 misdemeanor warrants
Operation: Prairie Thunder ICE contacts
- 93 contacted
- 95 interviewed
- 71 in custody
- 9 apprehended for cartel / gang
- 10 identified for cartel / gang
- No human trafficking arrests
- No recoveries
Operation: Prairie Thunder traffic enforcement
- 42 DUIs
- 5 reckless driving
- 2,244 citations
- 2,725 warnings
The South Dakota governor’s office announced last December that operations will continue into 2026.
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South Dakota is on track to meet or exceed its revenue estimates by the end of the fiscal year, the Legislature’s lead budget expert said Thursday.
The state is about $10 million ahead of its year-to-date target, said Jeff Mehlhaff, chief fiscal analyst for the Legislative Research Council’s. The state fiscal year ends June 30.
“We’re doing well on the three big revenue sources,” Mehlhaff told lawmakers Joint Appropriations Committee Thursday, referencing sales tax, contractor’s excise taxes and lottery revenue.
The figures Mehlhaff shared are through March. He expects to receive April revenue totals next week.
The contractor’s excise tax is the state’s third-largest source of revenue, and it’s “very close to target,” Mehlhaff said. The state estimated that it would collect 2.4% more revenue this fiscal year than it did the year before. As of the end of March, year-to-date collections were up 2.1%.
Lottery revenue, the second-largest source, is within $43,000 of the state’s year-end target, Mehlhaff said.
Sales taxes represent the state’s largest revenue source. Sales tax collections are about $6 million ahead of the state’s target
“We have three months left, so we could get even further ahead,” Mehlhaff said.
Smaller revenue sources are within range of the state’s target estimates.
The committee will get year-end totals at its next meeting on July 20, and hear revenue targets for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 30, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 30 drawing
05-19-21-42-55, Bonus: 03
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.
Nearly twenty years ago it started with a journey to Sioux Falls, SD to look for ideas there – to bring back to Salina.
Current Salina Mayor Mike Hoppock was part of the tour group searching for a creative connection to borrow.
This weekend SculptureTour Salina will unveil the new 2026 exhibit during the UNwrap Party on Saturday, May 2nd.
According to Visit Salina, the 24 new sculptures will be simultaneously unwrapped at precisely 11:00 am. Everyone is encouraged to bring family and friends and come downtown for the big reveal.
Everyone is encouraged to vote for the People’s Choice. Pick up a Walking Tour/Ballot from: One of the silver boxes at the mid-block pedestrian crossings on Santa Fe, or one of many of the downtown merchants
You can vote for your favorite piece and return your ballot to one of the silver boxes.
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