South Dakota Focus

A key infrastructure issue at play this session is access to quality drinking water. Governor Noem called the recent influx of federal money the chance for a "once in a generation" investment in water projects across the state in her Budget Address last month.

South Dakota lawmakers are part of a nationwide effort to block transgender girls and women from competing on girls' and women's sports teams. Nine states have passed similar laws. Those for and against the proposal say the same federal statute supports their position.

Gov. Kristi Noem took aim at several targets during her recent State of the State address, and she reserved some of her sharpest criticism for a surprising topic.

Stephanie Amiotte is the ACLU's legal director for the South Dakota chapter. She joins SDPB's Lori Walsh to offer her analysis of the state's proposed 2022 legislation.

Kittrick Jeffries, a former marijuana industry compliance officer and founder of a new Rapid City-based cannabis consulting firm called Dakota Cannabis Consulting, joins SDPB's Lee Strubinger for a conversation about the status of marijuana reform in the state.

South Dakota’s budget is brimming with federal money.The Legislative Research Council has added it all up. It says the federal government has sent more than $11 billion of total pandemic aid to South Dakota people, businesses and government agencies since March of 2020.

While forgiveness is a central concept in Christianity, it's a complicated skill in practice.We meet a faith leader whose understanding of forgiveness has been forever changed by his work inside the walls of South Dakota prisons.

In late November, some anti-Semitic signs went up in Sioux Falls —following a trend of increasing antisemitism across the nation. But local community and faith leaders from a variety of backgrounds refused to let the messages go unchallenged.

Earlier this year we talked about efforts to improve mental health care across the state. One program we didn't mention was the Farm and Rural Stress Hotline from Avera. The statewide hotline caters to the unique challenges that face farmers and ranchers.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is more than 30 years old, but many businesses and tourist attractions remain inaccessible. That makes it tough for disabled people to know where they can easily visit.