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S.D. among worst for ‘Brain Drain’ as best and brightest continue to flee the state
Despite years of effort to reverse the trend, South Dakota remains among the worst states in the nation in terms of losing its most highly educated citizens to other areas of the country, according to a new report from Congress. The loss of skilled, educated residents can slow the state’s economic growth as well as cause further political polarization in […]
DAMAGING DEBT: College grads stung by broken promises of federal loan forgiveness program
Hundreds of South Dakota residents are caught in financial limbo wondering if the tens of thousands of dollars they owe on student debt — and which they were promised would be forgiven if they entered public-service careers — will actually ever be eliminated. Those South Dakotans include teachers, police officers, employees at charitable organizations and even members of the military […]
Destructive Debt: S.D. college graduates weighed down by heavy student debt
South Dakotans owe more than $1.5 billion to the federal government on loans they took out to finance their educations and many borrowers are finding themselves crushed under the weight of their college debt, even many years after they graduated. About 52,000 South Dakotans have some debt from direct federal student loans, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Thousands […]
South Dakota beekeepers facing industry’s “darkest days”
South Dakota beekeepers — among the largest players in the U.S. pollination and honey industries — are reeling from a nationwide spike in honeybee colony losses that has the potential to affect 90 different agricultural crops across the country and could raise the price of fruit, vegetables and nuts if the problem gets worse. In 2018, the state’s beekeepers brought […]
Risk of death on S.D. highways jumps significantly during Fourth of July holiday
A new study proves what many drivers and law enforcement officials already believed: that the rate of highway fatalities, including alcohol-related fatalities, rises significantly during the annual Fourth of July holiday across the United States and even more so in South Dakota. The rate of highway deaths during the Independence Day holiday travel period in the U.S. rises by 27% […]
Aging S.D. dams creating potential for destruction
The last 12 months have been the wettest in South Dakota in more than a century and as a result, dams across the state have suffered significant damage, creating the potential for flooding, loss of life, destruction of property and the need for expensive repairs. Across South Dakota and the Great Plains, extensive snow melt and heavy rains have eroded […]