SEARCHLIGHT NEWS
A view of the restored rotunda dome in the South Dakota Capitol building on Sept. 14, 2026. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight)
By Meghan O’Brien
PIERRE — Scaffolding stood in the center of South Dakota’s Capitol building for six months, but now the work is done and the reviews are coming in.
Pierre resident Mary Keeler, who works for the state Bureau of Finance and Management, stood looking up into the dome recently while admiring the restoration work.
“It has always been a beautiful building,” she said. “But this is pretty spectacular.”
COMMENTARY
A McCook Lake property owner lists an empty lot for sale on March 28, 2025, after the house was destroyed by the June 2024 Big Sioux River flood. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
By Seth Tupper
As the Army Corps of Engineers prepares to host an open house about its study of Lower Big Sioux River flood risks, I’m reminded of a comment then-Gov. Kristi Noem made two years ago after the river overwhelmed McCook Lake.
“I don’t believe anybody could’ve ever prepared for the amount of water that came down in that 24-hour period,” she said.
FROM STATES NEWSROOM
Bears rummage through garbage at a dumpster in Whitefish, Montana. Wildlife officials nationwide have received a record number of calls about human-bear conflicts this year. (Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks)
By Alex Brown/Stateline
Bears are having a very bad year.
Across much of the United States, a warm winter and persistent drought have decimated the natural foods that black and brown bears rely on. With nearly every station at the buffet in short supply, the adaptable eaters are turning to human food.
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Law officers from across state honor Deputy Katherine Frank | The Dakota Scout
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