The Dakota Scout

The Dakota Scout

South Dakota's chief educator harkens penny math lessons as Trump phases out 1¢ coin

Stoppage of penny production relieves future front-line counter workers of mental math challenges

Joe Sneve's avatar
Joe Sneve
Nov 22, 2025
∙ Paid

A dumbstruck teenage cashier froze, staring at the nickel and penny a customer slid across the counter — an offering meant to save everyone from the tyranny of four unwanted pennies.

But the coins arrived after the $10 bill had already been punched into the register, and the math behind the $8.06 tab might as well have been hieroglyphics. The kid blinked, deer-in-the-headlights, as if confronted with some ancient ritual from a bygone era.

A political ghost | Forged in service | Prison push autopsy | Fundraising concession | Reasoning to run | Gov. Larry Rhoden

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The Dakota Scout, Jonathan Ellis, and Joe Sneve
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12:29 AM
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