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South Dakota News Watch has added two new members to its board of directors.

Rita Edwards, of Madison, and Mark Millage, of Sioux Falls, fill seats left vacant when Christine Hamilton and Jon Hunter termed out of their positions last year. Many thanks to both of them for their years of service, which included Hunter serving as secretary.

Edwards is a retired lawyer whose most recent experience was in general and bank and financial institution practice at Davenport Evans Lawyers in Sioux Falls. She also serves on the South Dakota State University Alumni and Foundation Board of Trustees, the Prairie Repertory Theatre Board of Directors and on the board for Habitat for Humanity in Madison as well as on board and chair positions in the organization at the state and international levels.

Millage started as an intern at KELO-TV in 1983 and was promoted to news director in 1989, a position he held until 2008. Millage is currently director of community relations for Furniture Mart USA. He is also a community volunteer serving on several other boards, including Sioux Empire United Way, South Dakota Gaming Commission and co-chair of the St. Francis House community appeals campaign.

Other board members

Here are the full bios of Edwards, Millage and the other directors and officers of South Dakota News Watch:

• Kristi Hine, chair, of Wessington Springs, is editor and publisher of the True Dakotan weekly newspaper after a career in marketing and public relations.
• Travis Rhoades, treasurer, of Sioux Falls, and his wife, Kristen, operate multiple Scooter’s Coffee franchises in and around the Sioux Falls area.
• Janelle Toman, secretary, of Pierre, worked as a journalist and then for 20 years with the media, state policymakers and the public to provide information about South Dakota’s system of public higher education as director of communications for the Board of Regents. 
• Marci Burdick, of Rapid City, who served as SDNW chair in 2023-2024, retired in 2018 after a 48-year career in broadcasting. In 2025, she received the Chuck Sherman Television Leadership Award from the National Association of Broadcasters.
• Nancy Turbak Berry, of Watertown, is an attorney, former South Dakota state legislator (2007-2010) and longtime advocate of open government. 
• Tim Waltner, of Freeman, was publisher of the Freeman Courier before passing that title to his son, Jeremy, in 2016, although he remained active as a writer, editor and photographer before retiring in 2020. 
• Stephany (Beshara) Chalberg, of Rapid City, worked in local newspaper and television in South Dakota and Utah and now manages public relations for Monument Health in Rapid City.
• Debra Jensen, of Black Hawk, is a fourth-generation South Dakotan. She worked in local television in South Dakota and Montana before operating Black Hills Bagels in Rapid City with her husband until 2024.

South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact CEO Carson Walker: 605-610-9366/carson.walker@sdnewswatch.org.

PIERRE, (KCCR) — The planning for South Dakota’s celebration of the 250th birthday of America continues. The America’s 250th South Dakota Commission met Wednesday. State Historical Society Chair Dr. Ben Jones says South Dakota’s contribution to a national time capsule is coming together…

Jones says they are working to add a Native American element to the time capsule entry…

Jones says so far South Dakota is one of three states submitting a poem for the national time capsule…

The Commission also approved two-thousand dollars for items associated with the special poem for the state.