More than 130 Soldiers from the South Dakota Army National Guard’s 665th Support Maintenance Company in Mitchell have been activated for federal duty and will deploy to Europe to provide critical maintenance support for U.S., NATO, and partner forces. The unit will spend the next year at the Grafenwöhr Training Area in Germany.
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.
In observance of Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27, there will be no garbage or recycling collection. Wednesday and Thursday’s pickups will both occur on Wednesday, November 27, while Friday’s collection will run as normal. The Regional Landfill will be closed on Thursday. Schedules may change due to weather. Questions? Call 995-8465.