Renville also pointed to South Dakota's unique place in the U.S. political sphere, with Noem set to lead the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Sen. John Thune taking over the Republican Senate leader spot and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson working within a divided House of Representatives.

It's hard to keep up without a scorecard, so here's a primer on what to watch for as the South Dakota legislative session opens Tuesday.

The state of South Dakota has received notice that it could be sued by McCook Lake property owners, who say their community suffered catastrophic damage as a direct result of flood diversion efforts carried out by state and local officials.

PIERRE, S.D.- (SEARCHLIGHT DAILY) – Standing before a crowd of hundreds of carbon dioxide pipeline opponents Monday at the South Dakota Capitol, a lawmaker announced her bill to ban the use of eminent domain for carbon pipeline projects.

Herman Otten has resigned his seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives. He had won six straight elections, serving in the state House and Senate since 2012.

A future ballot question could ask voters whether to raise the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment from a "50% plus one" to 60% of voters.

South Dakota’s state government has a troubling history of fraud incidents. However, 2024 marked a new low. Investigations last year implicated state employees in schemes that mismanaged or outright stole millions in public funds.

Proposed legislation aimed at protecting South Dakota farmers from potential “agro-terrorism” activities could have a secondary effect of limiting access to some information about the state’s largest animal feeding operations.

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota has largely sustained pandemic-era gains in park visitation and license sales for hunting and fishing, according to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks.

South Dakota saw more camping nights at its state parks and recreation area in 2024 than the year before. And, looking ahead, the director of the South Dakota Parks and Recreation Division wants even more in 2025.

The state of South Dakota has received notice that it could be sued by McCook Lake property owners, South Dakota Searchlight reports.

It’s clear the groundswell of support has come from Noem’s administration, Republican leaders in the capitol and more conservative education groups.