Forbes has named Avera Health one of South Dakota’s best employers, based on nationwide worker surveys. Leaders credit the honor to a mission-driven culture of compassion, positivity, and team dedication.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden visited the State Fair in Huron, honoring Century Farms for over 100 years of family farming, saluting veterans, and attending the Red Wilk Construction Tuff Hedeman Bull Bash.
South Dakota Rep. Richard Vasgaard, 75, has died in a farming accident near Centerville. Representing District 16, including Lincoln, Turner, and Union counties, Vasgaard was known for his dedication to public service and the agriculture community.
Drivers in Mitchell should expect traffic delays as the South Dakota Department of Transportation continues the Highway 37 reconstruction project. Two-way traffic is now open on the new southbound lanes, but the Fair Oaks Avenue and 23rd Avenue intersections remain closed.
The Mitchell Main Street Business Improvement District (BID No. 3) is boosting support for storefront upgrades with its newly approved 2026 budget. The board has set aside $74,000 for exterior improvements, representing about 70% of the district’s funds. One $8,800 grant has already been awarded for brickwork and painting, with more applications expected in 2026.
South Dakota health officials are urging precautions as West Nile virus cases reach their highest level since 2018. So far this year, the state has confirmed 26 human cases and two deaths, driven by a wet summer and heavy mosquito activity. Positive mosquito pools have been reported in counties including Minnehaha, Brown, and Brookings.
The 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally generated nearly $1.6 million in state and local tax revenue, a 13 percent increase from last year.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined 47 other Attorneys General in urging major search engines and payment platforms to take stronger action against the spread of deepfake nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII).
Two women have been sentenced in federal court for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota. Catherine Hamilton, of Mitchell, received 57 months in prison, while Christine Hughes, of North Jackson, Ohio, was sentenced to 37 months.
State officials say a data center switch failure was behind last week’s South Dakota government outage that shut down services for two days. The breakdown triggered a chain reaction across the state’s network, disrupting access to birth and death records, marriage licenses, and vehicle registrations.
