After a meaningful Memorial Day week spent in South Dakota, including stops in Watertown, Brookings, Vermillion, and Huron, we’re back in session in Washington, D.C. In Huron, I had the honor of speaking at the dedication of the USPS office as the First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin Post Office Building.
South Dakota’s Project Prison Reset task force is refining plans for a new men’s prison, aiming to house up to 1,700 inmates at a cost below $600 million. After extensive talks in Pierre, the group rejected the original $825 million rural Lincoln County proposal and is now considering locations near Worthing, Mitchell, or existing Department of Corrections sites.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety is warning residents about a new wave of scam text messages impersonating the DMV. The fake texts falsely claim recipients owe traffic ticket fines and threaten license suspension or legal action.
Former South Dakota state employee Renee Strong is set to be sentenced this week in Hughes County Court on multiple forgery-related charges. Strong, who worked with the South Dakota Departments of Public Safety and Health, admitted in April to falsifying food service inspection reports.
Chaos unfolded in Sioux Falls early Friday morning as police responded to a string of dramatic crimes involving stolen vehicles, smashed windows, and a city bus that was later found engulfed in flames.
Scam alerts are on the rise across South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota, with officials warning residents about fake messages impersonating the DMV and law enforcement. These phishing scams—via text and email—often falsely claim legal violations and demand immediate payment.
South Dakota’s Project Prison Reset Task Force has narrowed its search for the next men’s state prison to three locations: near Mitchell, near Worthing, or on existing state-owned land.
A Sioux Falls woman, Margaret Spears-Pederson, has been indicted on a grand theft charge for allegedly stealing between $100,000 and $500,000 from 16 victims in Codington County between 2023 and 2025.
Mitchell is a potential location for South Dakota’s new $600 million state prison, and local leaders are seeking public input. The Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce will host a series of public forums, including an in-person event at Mitchell Tech on June 17, a virtual forum on June 18, and a community debate at Dakota Wesleyan on June 24.
An attempted contraband delivery to the South Dakota State Penitentiary was intercepted on May 29, thanks to the vigilance of corrections staff. During a routine delivery, staff identified suspicious behavior and swiftly intervened, preventing dangerous materials from entering the facility.