SEARCHLIGHT NEWS
Inmates in the East Hall of the South Dakota State Penitentiary on July 8, 2025. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections)
By John Hult
The number of people granted discretionary parole by the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles has fallen by 17% over the last two years, according to data shared at a board meeting Wednesday.
News of the long-term trend came alongside a more recent spike in returns to prison for those already on parole, and on the heels of efforts by legislators to tighten laws on early release and by law enforcement to capture more people actively avoiding their parole agents.
Billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford died July 18, 2026, at age 90. (Photo courtesy of First Premier Bank, Premier Bankcard and Sanford Health)
By Searchlight staff
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said this weekend that the state “will forever be impacted” by the legacy of businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.
Rhoden issued his comments after First Premier Bank, Premier Bankcard and Sanford Health announced on Saturday that Sanford, age 90, had died. He owned the two companies and became the namesake of Sanford Health — formerly called Sioux Valley — in 2007 when he donated $400 million to the organization.
COMMENTARY
The South Dakota Senate meets on Feb. 11, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. A Senate resolution adopted in January urges South Dakotans to pray and fast each July. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
By Dana Hess
Just when you thought it was time to fire up the grill, along comes Senate Concurrent Resolution 604. If you don’t remember, the resolution, approved by both chambers of the South Dakota Legislature, admonishes citizens to use July to “seek the Lord Most High.”
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
Federal immigration officers in Minneapolis at the beginning of this year. (Photo by Max Nesterak/MInnesota Reformer)
By Shalina Chatlani
As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration, states and cities that have pushed back with so-called sanctuary policies have faced a barrage of lawsuits from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The administration has filed a total of 27 lawsuits against more than 20 cities, counties and states with such policies since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, according to the Justice Department.
NATIONAL NEWS
Court strikes down NJ’s ‘assault weapons’ ban and magazine capacity restrictions | New Jersey Monitor
AROUND THE REGION
Beware of dangerous algae on North Dakota lakes, officials say | North Dakota Monitor
Dawson County gets temporary waiver from Medicaid work rules following Tyson plant closure | Nebraska Examiner
SD NEWS FROM OTHER MEDIA
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The Quarry at The Falls: Meet the family behind the land donation | Dakota News Now
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