South Dakota

A medical staff member performs a COVID-19 test outside the Family Healthcare building in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, on Oct. 15. North Dakota is experiencing an influx in COVID-19 cases and on Nov. 6, the state reported a record high of 1,765 daily new

COVID-19 Hospitalizations Surge In Dakotas: 'It's Like We Opened Up A Spigot'

10:31am November 14, 2020

by Christianna Silva

Faced with overloaded hospitals, doctors in South Dakota and North Dakota struggle to deal with uncontained community spread of COVID-19 and with medical staffing issues in their states.

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg speaks in Sioux Falls, S.D., in February 2014. Ravnsborg struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday night.

S.D.'s Attorney General Fatally Strikes Man With Car, Says He Thought He Hit A Deer

1:29pm September 15, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg struck and killed a 55-year-old man on a rural stretch of road Saturday night. State authorities are investigating.

A woman crosses the street as motorcyclists ride through Deadwood, S.D., during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Despite the pandemic, this year's rally drew nearly half a million attendees.

States Report Coronavirus Cases Linked To Sturgis, S.D., Motorcycle Rally

9:50am September 03, 2020

by Will Stone

Public health officials across the U.S. reported dozens of cases in their states associated with people who attended the annual event, which drew hundreds of thousands in August.

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem meets with President Trump and Vice President Pence at the White House in December. This month, she was one of the first governors to reject the president's offer of additional unemployment assistance.

Expired Jobless Benefits Cost Economy Billions, But Some States Reject Trump's Aid

9:50am August 19, 2020

by Scott Horsley

The expiration of emergency jobless benefits is draining $15 billion a week from the U.S. economy. President Trump has offered to replace half that money, but states have been slow to accept.

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South Dakota has agreed to share driver's license and state ID records with the U.S. Census Bureau as part of efforts to carry out an executive order for citizenship data that President Trump announced in July 2019 with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (lef

South Dakota Is Sharing Driver's License Info To Help Find Out Who's A Citizen

10:27pm July 14, 2020

by Hansi Lo Wang

To produce citizenship data that can be used when voting districts are redrawn, the Trump administration asked states to share their records. South Dakota agreed to do so in April, NPR has learned.

Tourists visit Mount Rushmore National Monument on Wednesday. President Trump is expected to visit the federal monument in South Dakota and give a speech before a fireworks display on Friday.

Mount Rushmore Fireworks Revival To Feature Trump But No Social Distancing

7:07pm July 01, 2020

by David Welna

Environmental dangers, including wildfires and groundwater poisoning, ended the Rushmore pyrotechnics a decade ago. Now they're back, defying a pandemic and protests.

In this photo illustration, a person looks at an abortion pill (RU-486) for unintended pregnancy from Mifepristone displayed on a smartphone on May 8, 2020, in Arlington, Va. Under federal law, even in states where telemedicine abortion is legal, there ar

More Patients Seek Abortion Pills Online During Pandemic, But Face Restrictions

3:18pm May 28, 2020

by Sarah McCammon

As more healthcare moves to online and telemedicine, some patients seeking abortions using pills are running into obstacles.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order, is demanding that tribal leaders remove roadblocks they say have been put in place to protect reservation residents from the coronavirus pandemic.

Checkpoint Clash Escalates Between South Dakota Governor, Tribal Leaders

9:00am May 12, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

Gov. Kristi Noem says she plans to take the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes to federal court for refusing to shutter checkpoints onto their reservations. "Clarity" is needed, she says.

ACLU Calls For Release Of Pregnant Inmates During the Coronavirus Pandemic

8:28pm May 01, 2020

by Sarah McCammon

The group is asking federal and state governments to release pregnant inmates who are close to completing their prison sentences.

Employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., on April 9. Smithfield is being sued over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Workers Sue Smithfield Foods, Allege Conditions Put Them At Risk For COVID-19

4:29pm April 24, 2020

Smithfield's South Dakota plant, which handles 5% of U.S. pork production, has become a coronavirus hot spot, with 783 workers testing positive for the virus so far and two of them dying.