State prison offender Shane Osterkamp, 44, died Nov. 14 in a comfort care setting at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. Osterkamp had been serving sentences out of Hughes and Sully counties.
Officer Shanden Reiners has graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Academy and will soon begin serving the Mitchell community. Reiners follows in the footsteps of his father, Bill, who served with the South Dakota Capitol Complex Police Department.
Expect a mix of clouds, breezy conditions and a chance of rain early in the week in Mitchell, S.D., followed by milder mid-week highs and a cooler end to the week.
Governor Larry Rhoden announced that South Dakota will expand the South Dakota Partners in Education Scholarship program to allow donor tax credits for contributions to accredited public and private schools, marking a notable shift in education-funding policy and school-choice options.
South Dakota lawmakers have ordered annual performance reviews of the state Department of Education as student reading scores lag and nearly half of students read below grade level, according to Education Secretary Joe Graves. The move increases legislative oversight of student achievement.
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks officials say late fall is a critical time to check docks and boat lifts for zebra mussels, with new detections confirmed at Sheridan Reservoir. The discovery marks the second zebra mussel–positive waterbody in western South Dakota.
Sioux Falls City Council members have set the process for filling an upcoming vacancy created by Councilor Sarah Cole’s move out of the city. Nominations are due Dec. 5, with the appointment scheduled for Dec. 9.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is urging consumers to stay vigilant as text message scams continue to rise ahead of International Fraud Awareness Week, Nov. 16–22. Jackley warns that scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using fake delivery notifications, bank alerts, government impersonations, prize claims, and even “wrong number” texts to trick people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal information.
South Dakota’s Marcus and Jackie Isakson have been honored as this year’s Angels in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for their extraordinary commitment to fostering and adoption.
The City of Mitchell has installed new all-way stop signs at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Foster Street. Motorists are urged to use caution and remain alert when approaching the area as drivers adjust to the change.