SD Focus

Each month, SDPB shines a spotlight on a specific topic. This month, we examine Title IX. It's fifty years old this summer. The federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools that receive federal funding.

With the ceremonial swinging of sledgehammers, business and city leaders celebrated the next step for the growing start-up community in Sioux Falls.

Most of us have a vague idea about how the economy works or at least about some of the trends we hear about most often. Inflation is bad. Low unemployment is good. Low-interest rates make loans more affordable. But when you add a once-in-a-century pandemic, things get more complicated. For our main Focus tonight, let's head to econ class--and don't worry. No tests this time.

South Dakota's low unemployment is usually good. But now it means employers struggle to fill jobs in certain industries. And that problem has only been exacerbated by supply shortages, labor mobility, and inflation. In short, it's a tricky time to run a business.

South Dakota Mines in Rapid City held its commencement ceremony earlier this month. The guest of honor was Billy Mills. He won the Olympic Gold medal in the 10,000-meter race in 1964.

Zebra mussels are an invasive mollusk. Their name comes from the zig-zagged stripes on their shells.

Hunters take to the South Dakota prairie every year for the fall pheasant season. It can be a lifestyle — or a vacation. But now the hunt on public lands faces a challenge, and some say the state is redefining the tradition.

South Dakota's first impeachment trial of a constitutional officer is scheduled for late June. Earlier this month, House lawmakers narrowly approved the articles of impeachment against Attorney General Jason Ravsnborg. The impeachment focuses on Ravnsborg's conduct after he struck and killed Joe Boever.

Though it can be hard to imagine in our current drought, torrential rains and floods can happen all at once, or over time. In the northeastern corner of the state, shifting weather patterns decades ago turned farm country into lake country. And for one farm family, that heartbreak created a new beginning.

When weather extremes and other factors threaten our livelihood, HOPE can be hard to come by. The stresses of farming and ranching inspired the creation of a hotline dedicated to providing mental health care to ag producers. The man who created the hotline knows the stressors of farming firsthand.