Governor Kristi Noem has approved the commutation of Renee Eckes’ life sentence. Eckes, now 43, was involved in the murder of David Bauman over 25 years ago. She appeared before the South Dakota Pardons and Paroles Board in July and is set to be released from the South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre in late 2026 or 2027.
A new state law to address chronic absenteeism requires notifying parents by certified letter if a student misses school for eight days in a semester. After additional absences, there must be an in-person meeting with a parent or guardian.
The most recent data shows absenteeism is remarkably widespread in Iowa schools. “The levels of chronic absence tend to be highest in the high school level and then middle school and then elementary,” said Common Good Iowa executive director Anne Discher, “but there’s no doubt that even at the elementary level we’re seeing high levels of chronic absence.”
Continue reading “New law takes on chronic absenteeism in Iowa schools”
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has taken a significant step in addressing alleged monopolistic practices in the live concert industry. Jackley recently announced that he has joined a civil antitrust lawsuit alongside the U.S. Justice Department and 40 other Attorneys General against Live Nation-Ticketmaster.
Continue reading “South Dakota Attorney General Joins Lawsuit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland gave a news conference in Sioux Falls Wednesday and met with local law enforcement.
During his visit, he’ll meet with federal, state and tribal law enforcement leaders throughout the state. KELOLAND’s Tom Hanson will have a full report on what Garland discussed.
Continue reading “Attorney General Merrick Garland talks crimes, drugs in Sioux Falls”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be the country’s next vice president if the Democrats win the upcoming election, but what is his state’s crime rate and how does it compare to others?
Walz, who has been selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate, is seen as a progressive and his record on crime has been criticized by Republicans, with Minnesota-based conservative think tank American Experiment calling the state a new “high crime state.”
Continue reading “How Minnesota Crime Rate Compares to Rest of US”
“Criminal laws have grown so exuberantly and come to cover so much previously innocent conduct that almost anyone can be arrested for something,” Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch observed in 2019. Gorsuch elaborates on that theme in a new book, showing how the proliferation of criminal penalties has given prosecutors enormous power to ruin people’s lives, resulting in the nearly complete replacement of jury trials with plea bargains.
“Some scholars peg the number of federal statutory crimes at more than 5,000,” Gorsuch and coauthor Janie Nitze note in “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” while “estimates suggest that at least 300,000 federal agency regulations carry criminal sanctions.” The fact that neither figure is known with precision speaks volumes about the expansion of federal law.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol has announced that sobriety checkpoints will be conducted in 14 counties throughout the month of August. These checkpoints are designed to deter impaired driving and promote public safety.
The counties included in the checkpoints are Beadle, Brown, Codington, Fall River, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lyman, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Roberts, Sanborn, and Yankton.
Continue reading “South Dakota Highway Patrol Announces Sobriety Checkpoints”
The Sturgis Police Department has a 21-member staff. During the rally, it becomes the third-largest police force in the state. Sioux Falls has 318 full-time employees, and Rapid City has 176.
The Sturgis rally officers, recruited from all over the country for ten days, are easily identified by their gray shirts.
Continue reading “Sturgis Police Department prepares for hundreds of thousands of bikers”
South Dakota State University (SDSU) has once again been recognized as the safest college campus in South Dakota, according to a recent report by SafeHome.org. This prestigious recognition is based on the university’s low violent crime rate, which is an impressive 0.24 incidents per 1,000 students. SDSU also holds the title of the safest campus in the region, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.
University Police Department Chief Tim Heaton emphasized the institution’s commitment to safety, stating, “We are fully committed to providing the highest level of professional police and public safety services to the university community. The protection and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors has always been our top priority.” Heaton also highlighted the importance of accreditation, training, consultation, teamwork, and open discussion with campus constituencies on law enforcement and related safety matters.
Continue reading “South Dakota State University Named Safest College Campus in South Dakota”
South Dakota now has a single set of laws for how professional and occupational license applications are to be handled.
South Dakota licensing boards previously had broad discretion and could deny applicants for any felony conviction. That’s no longer the case.
Continue reading “Felony convictions no longer mean automatic license denials”