Drought and habitat losses drive big drop in South Dakota honey production |
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05/23/22 Laura Johnson
Clovers and natural prairie make South Dakota an ideal place for honeybees to thrive, but dry conditions and habitat loss are making it difficult to produce honey. Production decreased 18% last year.
Doug Deffenbaugh and his wife, Brenda, own Deep Creek Honey.
Deffenbaugh said they plan to have around 200 hives near Wall Lake this summer when the bees arrive from Texas. The Deffenbaughs sell honey to businesses including the local coffee chain Coffea in Sioux Falls, but most of their honey income comes from an honor system. A honey stand is situated at the end of their driveway, filled with honey and a coffee can for customers to pay.
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Lower Brule sues Lyman County for voter redistricting |
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05/24/22 Victoria Wicks
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe has filed a lawsuit against Lyman County for delaying a redistricting plan that would ensure the election of Native candidates to the county commission.
The lawsuit alleges the delay prevents Lower Brule from electing two commissioners in the upcoming election. Instead, the tribe will have one Native preferred candidate in 2024 and another in 2026.
This report relies on the complaint filed in South Dakota federal court as well as testimony before the 2022 state legislature.
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Expert cautions against moving firewood infested with emerald ash borer |
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05/24/22 Jordan Rusche
The emerald ash borer, an invasive species native to northeastern Asia, has been detected in Minnehaha and Lincoln County. The newest identification was confirmed near Crooks in Minnehaha County.
John Ball, a South Dakota State University Extension forestry specialist and professor, says the Crooks infestation is relatively young, only dating back two years. He identified the infestation after being contacted by the Crooks landowner.
“Every year, the beetle makes a gallery in the newest wood, so you can just kind of count the rings and figure out how long the beetle has been there,” Ball said.
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A new clinic offering abortions is set to open in Wyoming, despite a looming ban |
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05/24/22 Arielle Zionts
A modest, tan building sandwiched between a gas station and a small apartment house near downtown Casper, Wy., has become an unexpected focal point of America's abortion debate, just weeks before Wyoming could outlaw the procedure.
Inside, a nonprofit is renovating the space into a clinic that, beginning in June, would be the only one in Wyoming to provide procedural abortions. The Casper clinic also would become the closest option for people in what the nonprofit's founders describe as an "abortion desert," extending into western Nebraska and South Dakota.
Outside, on a recent Thursday, more than 100 abortion opponents gathered for a prayer vigil on the sidewalk along a busy five-lane street. A smaller group of vocal abortion-rights advocates assembled nearby.
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Doctors offer resources amid nationwide formula shortage |
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05/23/22 Jordan Rusche
With the recent baby formula shortage sweeping across the nation, local physicians are advising parents to reach out to their doctors to learn what options are available to them.
Jennifer Haggar is a pediatrician with Sanford Health.
“These infants have to have a healthy and safe option to eat, and so if a family is struggling to find what they need, we have tools and the ability to help them get what their child needs,” Haggar said.
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Record high gas prices likely won't stop Memorial Day travelers |
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05/23/22 Megan Feighery
That's up 4% from last year despite record gas prices. AAA reported Monday the state is seeing an average price of $4.20 per gallon, which is below the national average of $4.57 per gallon. South Dakota experienced its highest-ever average gas price last Friday, when the statewide average was $4.21.
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Is your house at risk of a wildfire? This online tool could tell you |
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05/16/22 Lauren Sommer
For more than 50 years, anyone buying or renting a house could look up how vulnerable it is to flooding. But for wildfire risk, homeowners were mostly in the dark.
Now, a non-profit research group is releasing a first-of-its-kind tool for homeowners. Produced by First Street Foundation, the ratings tool shows the wildfire risk for properties across the lower 48 states, and shows how that risk will change as the climate gets hotter. The information will be shown on Realtor.com, expanding to other real estate sites later.
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Surviving the '72 flood: Episode 1, 'West of Canyon Lake' |
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A torrent of water rushes out of the Black Hills toward Rapid City. A teenager finds his mother’s home surrounded by raging water, while a man living high above Rapid Creek watches helplessly as homes and lives are swept away below.
A real-estate developer is trapped by high water in one of his condominiums, and a young man is thrown into the water when a house breaks apart.
Meanwhile, a National Guard soldier struggles to save a family on a rooftop.
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Woster: Casting my vote for decency and reason and against dishonest political postcards |
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05/24/22 Kevin Woster
I normally vote on Election Day.
The real Election Day, or days — that single day designated in each of June and November for voting at familiar polling stations staffed by familiar volunteers.
I like going there, to an old brick hospital building converted to low-income housing, seeing and chatting with the poll workers, old and new.
It’s ritual. Comfortable ritual.
But Monday I voted early at the county courthouse, more than two weeks before the June 7 primary.
I was inspired to vote early by a postcard. It was a political postcard that arrived in my mailbox last Saturday. As I said in a tweet that day, most political mailings exaggerate. And some just lie. That one lied, big time.
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Watch: Zebra mussels and why we should care
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05/23/22 Laura Johnson
Zebra mussels are an invasive mollusk. Their name comes from the zig-zagged stripes on their shells.
According to the USGS, zebra mussels negatively impact ecosystems in many ways. They filter out algae that native species need for food and they incapacitate native mussels. Power plants must also spend millions of dollars removing zebra mussels from clogged water intakes.
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Relaxation and decay in 'Night and Day' |
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05/24/22 In the Moment
A study in contrast, "Night & Day" is an upcoming exhibition by Spearfish artist Tim Peterson. With watercolor and pastel, Peterson strikes a balance between vibrant sunshine and the darkest shadows.
His drawings invite the viewer into cozy urban and rural scenes. While the imagery invokes feelings of calm, there are also underlying themes of decay. Tim Peterson joins Lori Walsh on In the Moment to discuss how he hopes his drawings will inspire the viewer to pause and relax.
"Night & Day" by Tim Peterson opens at the Dahl Arts center May 27
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Vietnam: A medic’s journey |
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In tribute to the over 58,000 American lives lost in the Vietnam War and the more than 3 million Americans who served in Southeast Asia during the brutal conflict, the concert will share the story of combat medic Francis Whitebird, a young warrior from a Lakota family with generations of military service.
Whitebird’s great-grandfather was a scout for the 2nd Cavalry, his uncle fought in World War I, his father was a Lakota Code Talker during World War II, and both his sons served in the Iraq War.
During two tours in Vietnam, Whitebird endured combat losses and saved lives, received a Purple heart, and forged bonds of friendship that have lasted a lifetime.
Francis Whitebird will be honored for his service to his fellow soldiers and to our country.
For the full story of Francis Whitebird and the medics of Vietnam, watch the 2022 National Memorial Day Concert, Sunday, May 29, 7 CT 6 MT, on SDPB TV.
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