Jackie Hendry
Host of South Dakota Focus, Senior ProducerJackie is based out of SDPB's Sioux Falls Studio.
Jackie produces and hosts SDPB’s flagship public affairs TV program, South Dakota Focus.
Her favorite part of working for SDPB is getting to visit a variety of communities and see parts of the state that are off the beaten path. She came to South Dakota from Illinois as a college student (Go Yotes!) and interned with SDPB in 2014 and again in 2017.
Hendry joined SDPB full time as the education and health care beat reporter in 2018 and moved to her current role in 2021.
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South Dakota Medicaid will soon cover birth and postpartum doula services. Doulas can support families as part of a broader healthcare team during pregnancy and through the year following birth. -
The South Dakota Child Care task force, in partnership with the Hunt Institute, plans to release its 2024 findings shortly before the launch of the next legislative session. -
A recent report from the state Department of Social Services affirms what many child care providers have claimed: expenses are outpacing revenue, and salaries are not competitive. The cost of care analysis offers additional information for policy makers struggling to find solutions to South Dakota’s child care shortage. -
"I believe that it is an act of sovereignty for a tribe to take control of their cultural history by telling their own story. And what better way to do that than tourism with people from your local community to even internationally?" -
Hundreds of thousands of tourists every year frequent sites tied to South Dakota's pioneer and Wild West history, and cemeteries are among the historic sites that bring the past to life for those visitors. -
Many health care providers say South Dakota’s current abortion ban is unclear and creating a hostile environment to practice women’s health care. Lawmakers and the state seek to clarify the ban. The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to remedy the confusion while also allowing the state to restrict the procedure. Plus, two women who’ve spent decades on opposite sides of the abortion issue weigh in on the current political climate around abortion. -
As abortion rights activists work to place a constitutional amendment on the 2024 November ballot, two historically integral organizations say the proposed language is not enough. The disagreement mirrors how anti-abortion forces were divided on how best to tackle and overturn Roe V. Wade.
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In June 2022, a near-total abortion ban went into effect in South Dakota after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2006 and 2008, voters rejected abortion bans at the ballot box.
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South Dakota Secretary Jim Hagen calls families with kids in the home the industry’s “bread and butter.” That opens the door for destinations with educational programs to attract a key audience. -
Tourism is South Dakota's second largest industry. The largest tourist event is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors in early August. This episode examines the wide-ranging impact of the annual rally.
