The Dakota Scout | Substack

Dueling polls point to competitive governor’s race

Johnson, Rhoden emerge as front runners in one poll, while Doeden takes second in another

2 hrs ago • Jonathan Ellis

Senate approves property tax relief fund through state sales tax

$110 million coming online next year will be used to offset homeowner tax bills

20 hrs ago • Jonathan Ellis

Financial incentive for new Smithfield packing plant in Sioux Falls clears first City Council test

Council agrees to forward $90 million tax increment financing deal to help pay for wastewater treatment facility at Foundation Park

23 hrs ago • Patrick Lalley

Rhoden-supported effort to lower barriers on local government referrals fails

Rep. Aaron Aylward had sought to decrease the number of signatures needed to refer a decision to the ballot box

Mar 10 • Jonathan Ellis

Brookings pondering future of Dacotah Bank Center

Public invited to open houses to hear ideas for how event center could be used in the future

Mar 11 • The Dakota Scout

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State Politics

Dueling polls point to competitive governor’s race

Johnson, Rhoden emerge as front runners in one poll, while Doeden takes second in another

2 hrs ago • Jonathan Ellis

Senate approves property tax relief fund through state sales tax

$110 million coming online next year will be used to offset homeowner tax bills

20 hrs ago • Jonathan Ellis

Rhoden-supported effort to lower barriers on local government referrals fails

Rep. Aaron Aylward had sought to decrease the number of signatures needed to refer a decision to the ballot box

Mar 10 • Jonathan Ellis

Sioux Falls School Board members critical of efforts in Pierre to restrain opt outs

Lawmakers took repeated swings to make it easier for voters to refer property tax increases to public vote

Mar 10 • Todd Epp

House agrees to shift $110 million to yearly homeowner property tax relief

Lawmakers preparing to tap income that will come with end of tax holiday in 2027

Mar 9 • Jonathan Ellis

Property tax relief package runs legislative gauntlet in session's final days

Gov. Larry Rhoden has endorsed five bills that achieve reductions, increase voter oversight

Mar 9 • Jonathan Ellis

The latest from

Dan Gehlsen

SCOUTING YESTERDAY | Foiled assassination, fire hue president's tax cut pitch in South Dakota

Jonathan Ellis

Dueling polls point to competitive governor’s race

The Dakota Scout

Brookings pondering future of Dacotah Bank Center

Ryan M Stoick

CARTOON | Disconnected

Joe Sneve

Making a mayor mad | Crafting contracts | SNAP success | Stressing war | Balancing a budget | Policing in Sioux Falls | Creating a new tax

Sioux Falls

Veterans memorial latest source of friction in Lincoln County

Commission agrees to study site amid concerns over taxpayer, private funding at new Justice Center

9 mins ago • Todd Epp

Financial incentive for new Smithfield packing plant in Sioux Falls clears first City Council test

Council agrees to forward $90 million tax increment financing deal to help pay for wastewater treatment facility at Foundation Park

23 hrs ago • Patrick Lalley

Law enforcement ties Sioux Falls’ drug bust drop to border security

Fentanyl seizures dropped 87 percent from 2024 to 2025, while meth, coke and heroin confiscations also decreased

Mar 5 • Hunter Dunteman

The Dakota Scout

The Dakota Scout

South Dakota’s leading alternative, independent and locally owned newspaper focusing on culture and politics in the Mount Rushmore State. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Viewpoints

CARTOON | Disconnected

Sign up for a subscription to The Dakota Scout to get weekly cartoons sent directly to your inbox

Mar 9 • Ryan M Stoick

STRAIGHT OUTTA PIERRE | Tipping on a swivel, the tie vote and South Dakota's missing senator

Sharp, snappy and South Dakotan — an anonymous shot of insight with a twist of sarcasm

Mar 5

VIEWPOINT | Don’t let THC fears, poison pills sink the Farm Bill

Guest column by Mike Jaspers, former South Dakota Ag Secretary & state USDA Rural Development director

Mar 3

Podcasts

The Scouting Lounge

Making a mayor mad | Crafting contracts | SNAP success | Stressing war | Balancing a budget | Policing in Sioux Falls | Creating a new tax

FREE TO READ

The Dakota Scout E-edition | Mar. 6-12, 2026

The Lounge

SCOUTING YESTERDAY | Foiled assassination, fire hue president's tax cut pitch in South Dakota

This week in South Dakota history: Mar. 6-12

53 mins ago • Dan Gehlsen

Crossword, Sudoku answers: March 6-12

Free, for your entertainment

Mar 6 • The Dakota Scout

SCOUTING YESTERDAY | Sioux Falls defends story-telling sculptor behind Fawick Park Statue of David

This week in South Dakota history: Feb. 27-Mar. 5

Mar 5 • Dan Gehlsen

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