You can help with The Argus Leader's investigative initiative, 100 Eyes on South Dakota
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Throughout the years, the Argus Leader’s watchdog team has taken tips and answered questions from readers that resulted in hard-hitting, transformative stories. In some cases, changes in state laws started with readers.
No other news organization in South Dakota has our level of reach, or the ability to let government officials know we’re paying attention, and we’re not afraid to raise the difficult questions taxpayers are asking.
That’s why our reader-driven investigative initiative is called 100 Eyes on South Dakota, based on our namesake and the philosophy of the 100-eyed Greek giant, the Argus – keeping watch from all directions.
Help us keep South Dakotans informed by dropping a line and joining the watch.
How seriously is South Dakota taking the multimillion-dollar zebra mussel threat?
There’s evidence that infestations of zebra mussels can cause millions of dollars in damage. How is South Dakota handling its recent problems with the invasive species?
Data shows Native Americans in South Dakota receive longer manslaughter sentences
Native Americans who plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter in South Dakota receive on average 11 years longer in prison than their white counterparts, according to an Argus Leader analysis and investigation of court records.
Lakes group unsatisfied with SDGFP response after zebra mussels threaten fish hatchery
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks's 2021 Aquatic Invasive Species year-end review shows the state channeled hundreds of thousands of dollars into efforts to combat the zebra mussel epidemic in western South Dakota, but eastern and northeastern lakes only saw a small fraction of that money.
By the end of the second quarter of 2021, the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center saw levels of youths in mental health holds mirroring numbers from the last two years combined.
High fuel costs pinching police budgets in South Dakota, driving interest in hybrid fleets
How are taxpayer-funded agencies that rely on driving are affected by historically high gas prices?
Despite funding and focus on bridges, South Dakota continues to tread water when it comes to how quickly work is done, leaving hundreds of bridges requiring "high priority" corrective repairs and dozens closed.
Stolen gun recoveries nearly tripled in South Dakota in span of 6 years. What's driving that increase?
An Argus Leader review found South Dakota went from having 252 stolen guns recovered in 2014 to 796 in 2020. And the guns not recovered by police are frequently being used in crimes.
The belief that the construction of multi-family housing will increase crime in the area is nothing new. But data from the Sioux Falls Police Department shows it’s not clear that apartment buildings are massive outliers in the city's crime rates.
Gov. Noem spends more than $68,000 in taxpayer money on rugs, sauna, and chandeliers for state governor's mansion
Gov. Kristi Noem is outpacing her predecessors' personal services spending by thousands when it comes to South Dakota's Governor's Residence.
Homelessness is rising in Sioux Falls. A housing shortage, COVID and population growth are making it worse.
The housing market isn’t keeping pace with population growth. Affordable housing vouchers are backed up. Shelters are dealing with overcrowding.
Homelessness in Sioux Falls is on the rise, and there isn’t enough assistance to go around.
For most commercial hemp producers, the crop year’s been good. For others, it’s been a constant reminder of the state government’s stronghold on a crop it doesn’t seem to want.
Gov. Kristi Noem's shift on school curriculum highlights disconnect with education department
Gov. Kristi Noem claims she was misled about the level of action civics being placed into proposed social studies standards coming from her Department of Education.
Records spanning a decade show dozens of educators have had their certificates revoked, suspended or applications denied for various crimes.
100 Eyes on South Dakota explores how one of the state's most powerful agriculture groups was warned for years it lacked basic controls for financial management.
Surge in gun sales hasn't materialized in South Dakota since Uvalde massacre
FBI background check data reveals South Dakota gun dealers aren't any busier than usual amid latest string of mass shootings.
Used vehicles bought in South Dakota are bought "as is," said Jody Gillaspie, director for Consumer Protection, meaning that once the vehicle is driven off the lot, the dealership isn't responsible for vehicle issues.
Faced with aging facilities that no longer meet standards for housing prisoners, South Dakota counties are struggling with whether to keep their jails open. But the prospect of building new jails that meet standards is an expensive one, and counties are limited by what revenues they can use to meet those expenses.
Nursing home staff members hesitant to get COVID-19 vaccine are imperiling South Dakota residents
Nursing home residents have seen high levels of vaccination, but the people who are paid to protect and serve them haven’t.
South Dakota lawmakers perplexed over budget deficits, backlogs for state electrical inspectors
The South Dakota Electrical Commission went from a seven-figure cash balance to a budget deficit in less than a decade, and inspectors have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for work they've yet to perform. Lawmakers want to know what happened.
South Dakota universities make strides on land acknowledgements, but does it actually help Indigenous students?
Making land acknowledgements follows decades of efforts by Indigenous people to reclaim and decolonize their land. Does it help students?
Sioux Falls homeowners are speaking against apartment buildings. City officials are tired of it
Why don't residents in Sioux Falls want apartment complexes? And how are city officials pushing back?
Sioux Falls government has no say over smell that will come with new $500 million pork processing plant
Investors behind a pork processing plant say harvesting 10,000 hogs a day won't exacerbate the odor that sometimes lingers over the central part of Sioux Falls. But a lack of odor abatement rules means residents will have to take their word for it.
How South Dakota's inability to track soil erosion is putting farmers at risk
Several soil experts say there is not enough being done to track erosion across South Dakota, which has wider implications for society as a whole.
Tensions rise among South Dakota farmers as dicamba drift damages soybean crops
100 Eyes on South Dakota explores how the herbicide dicamba is going unchecked and damaging crops across the state.
South Dakota lawmakers clash with colleges' diversity efforts, ideology
100 Eyes on South Dakota looks at how conservative lawmakers and woke academia are on a collision course, putting South Dakota public universities in the middle.
What will it take to have a culturally responsive civics and history curriculum?
100 Eyes on South Dakota dives into what's at stake with the state's $900,000 attempt at civics and history curriculum in K-12 schools.
Voter-approved pot measures followed years of decline in marijuana arrests
Why are minor marijuana arrests on the decline, and what does that mean for voter-approved weed legalization measures?
New hires, additional schools will help ease Sioux Falls counselors' caseloads
Two years ago, Sioux Falls district counselors were handling a higher caseload than the national standard. But with two new schools and new hires, officials say things should even out.
Pesticides are killing bees. How can beekeepers protect them under state law?
Despite status as one of the highest producers of honey in the U.S., South Dakota beekeepers have very few, if any, protections from pesticide applicators under state law.
How Sioux Falls' 'Big Hairy Audacious Goals' for better housing are falling short
Why has Sioux Falls struggled to address housing goals for the last two years?
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota investigative journalism, from education to Gov. Noem
