South Dakota Focus

SDPB's Politics and Public Policy reporter Lee Strubinger is joining us from Pierre for an update as we move ever closer to the 2022 state legislative session.

Music has a way of speaking to a special place in the human heart. High schools across the Pine Ridge Reservation received more than 900 new musical instruments earlier this month. The donation is part of the "Tunes for Tots" program by the rock band Widespread Panic, in partnership with other non-profits.

Four years after canceling its annual Christian music festival, Life-Light organizers are turning their attention back to live events. Life-Light's current ministry is now targeting Gen Z — the generation research suggests is the least religious yet.

Secretary of Education Tiffany Sanderson says the controversy surrounding the department's proposed standards was the result of misunderstandings and miscommunication. But she says it's a good opportunity to reflect on how the process can be improved for the benefit of all students.

There's room for growth in Native American education in South Dakota. But in some districts, that growth is already underway. In the state's largest school district, a 20-year-old program has its first coordinator...and two passionate educators look forward to the future.

South Dakota educators and policy-makers are continuing to adjust the state's social studies standards. The process sets minimum requirements for educating South Dakota students.But conflicting ideas about the role of Native American history and culture in those standards has delayed that process.In September, hundreds marched in Pierre to protest what they called the erasure of their legacy.

Relationships are central to Lakota life, and that tradition is continuing in new ways.On the Cheyenne River Reservation, The Rez Runner program began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The free service brings supplies to elders in the community at no cost.SDPB's Richard Two Bulls explores how this service also preserves the cultural identity and history of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in this month's installment of Good Neighbors.

Grit, determination, and stamina. These are characteristics many South Dakotans claim, and maybe we learned them from watching the buffalo roam.Sixty buffalo from Wind Cave National Park are now grazing on the Rosebud Reservation. It's part of the park's efforts to thin its bison herd, while also contributing to tribal food sovereignty initiatives.

Grit, determination, and stamina. These are characteristics many South Dakotans claim, and maybe we learned them from watching the buffalo roam.Sixty buffalo from Wind Cave National Park are now grazing on the Rosebud Reservation. It's part of the park's efforts to thin its bison herd, while also contributing to tribal food sovereignty initiatives.

Former South Dakota Governor Frank Farrar died at the age of 92. During a memorial service at the Capitol building in Pierre, mourners heard stories of an elder statesman, an iron man, a pilot, and a proud South Dakotan.Governor Kristi Noem and former Governor Dennis Daugaard tell us the story.