Sturgis & Meade County, South Dakota

Once upon a time, COVID funding allowed every K-12 student in America to eat a school lunch free of charge. With that money gone, school districts like Meade County need to get crafty to keep lunch debts manageable.

Today's guest, one of the all-time great girls' basketball players in South Dakota. She scored more than 2,000 points in her high school career and was named South Dakota's Miss Basketball. Megan Mahoney joins Craig Mattick on this edition of In Play.

After the rediscovery of an 1894 Meade County time capsule, the debate has circled what precisely to do with the relic. Now, the local historical society has an answer – add on and reinstall.

In a unanimous vote, the state Open Meeting board declares Sturgis city government violated open meeting law during the transition from city manager format. It comes as municipal government has dealt with myriads of challenges throughout the process.

Changes have come fast for local government in Sturgis. Now, after a flurry of resignations, a new mayor is named, and special elections are scheduled.

For months, the community of Sturgis has been wrapped in governmental turmoil. Now two more city officials have tendered their resignations, including the mayor and a councilmember.

With months of turmoil in Sturgis city government, some citizens are actively seeking to recall the current mayor. The main issue stems from her appointment following the prior mayor’s resignation.

The city of Sturgis has had a tumultuous year in government. Now, more changes could be looming for the community.

For the Haugen Family, rodeo means everything.

Tourism is South Dakota's second largest industry. The largest tourist event is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors in early August. This episode examines the wide-ranging impact of the annual rally.