AGP Executive Report

Hospital Ratings: A new study using CMS patient survey star ratings puts Wisconsin first for patient experience (4.06/5), with South Dakota second and Idaho third, while Florida, New Jersey and New York land at the bottom. School Safety: The South Dakota Highway Patrol is running a three-day School Bus Safety Outreach Sept. 8-10, pairing with districts to watch loading zones and remind drivers that stopping for buses with red lights is required. Water Quality Funding: DANR is accepting applications for federal Clean Water Act Section 319 nonpoint source grants, due Oct. 1, with a 40% local match. Local Health & Community: Vermillion-area blood drives continue through September as supplies dip after Labor Day; Yankton hosts its 10th annual Suicide Prevention Walk Saturday. Elections & Parties: South Dakota Democrats are urging voters who switched parties for the gubernatorial runoff to switch back before November. Road Work: Highway 11 near Canton closes Tuesday for railroad crossing replacement, with detours in place through Sept. 11. Wildfire Update: A Lookout Fire near Spearfish has grown to 300 acres with no containment overnight.

State Politics: Gov. Larry Rhoden and challenger Dan Ahlers sparred at the South Dakota State Fair over President Trump’s plan to import more foreign beef, with Rhoden saying it was “wrongheaded” and Ahlers arguing South Dakota must push harder for ranchers. Public Safety: The South Dakota Highway Patrol is running a three-day School Bus Safety Outreach Sept. 8–10, pairing patrol visibility with route monitoring and reminders that drivers must stop when red bus lights flash. Local Government & Community: Watertown Public Library has a new director, Mary Lopez, who says the goal is “something for everyone” and stronger outreach to non-users. Education & Workforce: Prairie Business named 2026’s 50 Best Places to Work across the region, including multiple South Dakota employers. Health & Consumer Watch: A new study ranks Wisconsin highest for hospital patient experience and places South Dakota second, using CMS HCAHPS star ratings. Road Work: South Dakota Street in Aberdeen (6th Ave SE to 100 feet south) closes for manhole and pavement repairs starting Tuesday Sept. 8 through Friday Sept. 11.

Dark Matter Research: Scientists say they’ve detected an unusual, unexplained particle interaction in a South Dakota mine using a liquid xenon setup, though it’s not yet confirmed as dark matter. Sioux Falls Sports: USF women’s soccer beat Nebraska Kearney 1-0 on Senior Day, with Kate Stratman scoring and Delani Daubman/Morgan Jost combining for an eight-save shutout. Vermillion Sports: South Dakota women’s soccer closed its homestand by topping Drake 2-0, getting goals from Klarissa Vega and freshman Brooklynn Pollmiller. Rapid City Jobs: The state’s “Hire the Hills” event returns Sept. 9 in Rapid City, pairing job seekers with employers and offering résumé and interview help. Local Notes: A volunteer effort restored the Fort Brule historical marker, cleaning the monument and refreshing signage. Statewide Move Study: A new report ranks South Dakota among the best places for a fall move, citing affordable housing and relatively low weather disruption.

South Dakota Politics: Gov. Larry Rhoden and challenger Dan Ahlers faced off at the South Dakota State Fair, trading sharp critiques of President Trump’s beef import plan and disagreeing on how to handle agriculture and rural priorities. Water & Local Policy: Rapid City is extending year-round outdoor watering limits after Pactola Reservoir’s status moved to “alert,” with officials pointing to low inflows despite recent rain. State Economy: The state Bureau of Labor and Regulation projects South Dakota job growth of about 38,559 jobs (7.4%) by 2034, faster than the national rate. Higher Ed & Numbers: Brookings County’s six-year bachelor’s completion rate for students of two or more races at SDSU was 43.1% for the 2018 cohort, slightly below the statewide 44.6%. Sports (SDSU): South Dakota State fell 34-18 at Northwestern as the Wildcats pulled away late, despite SDSU reaching the red zone multiple times. Sports (USF): Sioux Falls opened its season with a 31-0 shutout of Jamestown, forcing four turnovers. Community: A pet food drive at the Black Hills Farmers Market benefited STARS Rescue, with many animals adopted or placed into foster.

Gubernatorial Debate: Gov. Larry Rhoden and challenger Dan Ahlers faced off at the South Dakota State Fair, trading sharp lines on rural health, property taxes, and agriculture—Rhoden pointed to $350 million in rural broadband expansion, while Ahlers accused leaders of ignoring voters and criticized the administration’s stance on marijuana and Medicaid. SDSU Football: Northwestern opened its season with a 34-18 win over South Dakota State in Evanston as Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards and a TD and added a rushing score; SDSU’s comeback bid fell short after a failed two-point try. USD Football: South Dakota beat Northern Colorado 38-23 in Greeley, scoring 17 straight points late to pull away and improve to 2-0 under first-year coach Matt Vitzthum. Volleyball: South Dakota rallied past Northern Iowa in five sets to win the South Dakota Classic, surviving two set points in the deciding frame. Weather Watch: The National Weather Service warned more heavy rain could hit the Mitchell area and nearby communities, with 2 to 4 inches possible and flash-flood risk where soils are already saturated. Local Sports: Sioux Falls shut out Jamestown 31-0, while Watertown standout Gage Lohr committed to Oklahoma State after previously verbalizing to SDSU.

AI Data Center Fight in Rapid City: The EPA is weighing a proposal that would cut public notice and feedback for some air permits tied to data centers, and Rapid City leaders are pushing back—planning local rules that would require public hearings and city council votes before new projects move forward. Gas Prices and Costs: AAA says Labor Day weekend gas prices are at the highest level for the holiday season on record, with diesel also hitting a new high as the Iran war keeps fuel costs elevated. South Dakota Sports Spotlight: South Dakota State opens the road slate Saturday at Northwestern (Big Ten Network, 7 p.m. CT), while local college action continues across volleyball and soccer rosters. Local Health & Community: Mitchell Technical College launched the MTC Cancer Fund, aimed at supporting students and staff facing cancer. Education Numbers: Brookings County’s six-year bachelor’s completion rate for Hispanic or Latino students was 49.1% by 2024, according to federal data.

Prep Sports: Sioux Falls Jefferson rolled past Rapid City Stevens 65-0, while Yankton’s Bucks took third at an O’Gorman quad in Sioux Falls and the Yankton Gazelles split girls’ tennis matches in Mitchell. College & Proximity Sports: South Dakota volleyball rallied past Air Force 3-1 and heads to Northern Iowa; SDSU soccer played Colorado College to a 1-1 draw; SDSU cross country raced at Augustana Twilight with SDSU edging USD. Local Public Safety: Cleanup continues after Tuesday storms tore across the region, and a two-vehicle crash east of Mitchell sent two people to the hospital. State & Community: The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation set a free Workforce Knowledge Series on Sept. 10 for employers supporting Guard and Reserve members. Agriculture & Health: South Dakota’s anthrax situation remains in focus for ranchers, and a new craft show at the State Fair highlights local makers from jerky to plushies.

Health Care Deal: Sanford Health has agreed to buy North Memorial Health after Minnesota’s attorney general secured $600 million in local hospital investment commitments, following North Memorial’s failed push for state emergency help. Education Data: Pennington County’s South Dakota School of Mines and Technology reported a 53.2% six-year bachelor’s completion rate for white students (2018 cohort), while Brown County’s Northern State came in at 59.6% and Lake County’s Dakota State at 52.2%. State Fair Politics: U.S. Senate rivals Mike Rounds and Brian Bengs spar over whether Medals of Honor tied to the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre should be rescinded. Public Safety & Infrastructure: South Dakota’s SDDOT will start $550,000 inslope and pipe repairs on U.S. Highway 14A near the Broken Boot Gold Mine Sept. 8, with two-way traffic and a 10-foot lane width limit. Community & Mental Health: Sioux Falls’ Out of the Darkness Walk returns Sept. 19 at Levitt at the Falls, with activities starting at 11:30 a.m. Agriculture & Wildlife: Anthrax has been confirmed in a South Dakota cattle herd, prompting a vaccine warning for West River ranchers.

Public Safety: South Dakota Highway Patrol is setting up sobriety checkpoints across 13 counties in September—Brown, Beadle, Charles Mix, Codington, Fall River, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jones, Kingsbury, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meade, Pennington and Roberts—coordinated with local agencies and funded through the Office of Highway Safety. Livestock Health: State veterinarians confirmed anthrax in a cow-calf herd now in Meade County after exposure on pasture in Butte County; ranchers are urged to talk with vets about vaccination, since spores can persist in soil for decades. Politics & Accountability: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds and challenger Brian Bengs are trading sharp words over whether Wounded Knee Medal of Honor awards should be rescinded—Rounds says he wants the facts first, while Bengs says the medals “should not stand.” State Government & Services: USPS delivery problems in South Dakota show only slight improvements in some areas, while most outbound service remains unchanged or worse, as Congress weighs legislation tied to delivery performance. Community & Culture: USD will host a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Patriots Plaza on Sept. 11 at 11 a.m., and Vermillion’s Ribs, Rods and Rock & Roll returns Sept. 11-12 with a new DJ push aimed at college turnout.

Public Safety & Courts: South Dakota AG Marty Jackley named Marlys Big Eagle as the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons specialist, tasked with coordinating investigations and connecting families to lead agencies. Local Government & Services: Rapid City is closing Jimmy Hilton Sioux Park Pool after Sunday, with Wags & Waves Monday before the water drains; the city also laid out Labor Day closures and trash/transit schedule changes. Wildlife & Agriculture: Game, Fish and Parks reminded big-game hunters to use the correct colored transportation tag and keep tagged parts with the meat; the state also confirmed anthrax in a Western South Dakota cattle herd, prompting quarantine and vaccination. State Policy: Lawmakers endorsed budget increases for the Legislative Research Council to cover expected higher legislator pay and per diem. Energy & Water: A PUC race is heating up over AI data centers, with one candidate backing a one-year moratorium and the other arguing existing oversight is enough. Health & Business: RestorixHealth announced a new Chief Operating Officer, Marc Lemon, after the retirement of Therese Hernandez. Sports: Nebraska swept South Dakota State volleyball in front of a record crowd at First Bank & Trust Arena.

Army Shake-Up: Dan Driscoll said Wednesday was his last full day as U.S. Army secretary, but offered no explanation for stepping down after 18 months. Health Care: Sanford USD Medical Center again topped U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list for South Dakota. Public Safety: AAA urged South Dakota football fans to tailgate safely, warning grills and open flames can turn gameday into a fire or crash. Local Government: Rapid City is moving toward full streetlight monitoring coverage, proposing 350 new devices to spot outages faster. Education: Sioux Falls School Board continues Renberg Elementary closure planning, with a Nov. 9 vote and proposed student transfers to other schools. Courts/Crime: A Wyoming teen abduction ended after a South Dakota traffic stop using license-plate-reader tech; a suspect was arrested in Aurora County. Community & Culture: Freeman’s Heritage Hall is offering willow-weaving classes Sept. 17-19, with registration due Sept. 3. Sports: Nebraska swept South Dakota State volleyball in Brookings before a record 5,113 fans.

Dark Matter Watch: Physicists at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills say the LUX-ZEPLIN detector recorded a rare particle interaction that doesn’t match known background signals—still, they stress it’s not a confirmed discovery and needs more data. Elections & Voting Rules: South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley signed onto a federal court fight backing restrictions on mail-in voting tied to a Trump plan ahead of the November midterms. Utilities & Cost Pressure: Black Hills Energy is seeking a rate increase plus a new surcharge that would add about $45 a month for an average residential customer, tied to the Lange II power plant. Public Safety & Courts: The Unified Judicial System launched a statewide public survey for court users, asking for feedback on access and navigation. Food Insecurity: Feeding South Dakota says more than 130,000 people in the state face food insecurity, and it’s kicking off Hunger Action Month with matched donations and a volunteer push. Black Hills Economy: The 2026 Sturgis Rally generated just over $1.4 million in state and local tax revenue, down 11% from last year, while Rapid City sales tax collections stayed strong.

Public Safety: The DEA’s Omaha office is warning families that drug traffickers increasingly use social media to lure teens, then move chats to encrypted apps and payments to services like Venmo and Zelle. Rural Health & Tech: Gov. Larry Rhoden announced $90 million in federal Rural Health Transformation grants to modernize digital health, boost cybersecurity, and improve interoperability for rural providers. Local Government: Clay County residents in Vermillion are gathering signatures to refer a new local sales tax ordinance to a public vote, after a 3-2 commission decision. Black Hills Economy: South Dakota’s Department of Revenue says the 2026 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally generated about $1.4 million in state and local tax revenue, down 11% as traffic and vendor counts slowed. State Politics: A PUC data-center race is heating up, with a Democratic candidate pushing a one-year AI data center moratorium while a Republican opponent calls it reckless. Science: Researchers at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills say they’ve seen a possible first hint of dark matter in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, stopping short of declaring a detection. Sports (Local): SDSU opens FBS play with a big win over Stetson, while high school soccer and volleyball results roll in across Sioux Falls, Yankton, and the Pierre area.

School Safety: Rapid City Area Schools alerted families after a student brought an airsoft gun to school; officials say it’s prohibited because it can resemble a real firearm, and the student will face discipline. Health Care Deal: Sanford Health and North Memorial Health finalized a merger to create a single integrated system, after Minnesota’s AG cleared it with conditions including $600 million in Minnesota investments over 10 years. Public Safety/Justice: In Rapid City, Timothy Huante reached a plea deal in the 2022 Teddy’s Bar murder of Dallas Quick Bear and was sentenced to the maximum five years; Quick Bear’s family called it “not justice.” Law Enforcement Training: South Dakota AG Marty Jackley announced 20 recruits will graduate from the Sioux Falls regional Law Enforcement Training program this Thursday. Energy Prices: GasBuddy reports Brown County’s lowest regular gas hit $3.68 for the week ending Aug. 22, while statewide regular averaged $4. Local Economy/Community: Buche Foods and Buche’s Gus Stop became the first South Dakota retailers to join Double Up Food Bucks, expanding SNAP support for fresh produce. Science: A dark matter experiment at SURF in South Dakota reported a possible WIMP-like interaction, short of a discovery but a notable hint.

Traffic Safety: A new AAA Foundation study finds many South Dakota drivers treat speeding as normal—three in ten say “no one actually drives the speed limit,” and nearly half think keeping up with traffic is safer than posted limits, even as speeding is tied to nearly 30% of U.S. traffic deaths in 2024. Public Safety: The South Dakota Highway Patrol added Hutchinson County to September sobriety checkpoint plans, joining Brown, Beadle, Charles Mix, Codington, Fall River, Hughes, Jones, Kingsbury, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meade, Pennington, and Roberts. Local Government: Vermillion’s Planning & Zoning advanced data center ordinance talks but did not enact a moratorium, with residents raising concerns about water, power, noise/light, health, and quality of life. Disaster Funding: FEMA approved more than $6.6 million for South Dakota disaster recovery and resilience, including Rapid City fire-code updates and projects for Madison and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Food Assistance Policy: South Dakota DSS submitted a federal request to bar soft drinks from SNAP purchases after a court ruling vacated similar bans in other states. Community & Health: Emily’s Hope held a candlelight vigil for International Overdose Awareness Day in Sioux Falls, honoring overdose and fentanyl deaths.

SNAP Policy: South Dakota’s Department of Social Services filed a federal waiver to exclude soft drinks from eligible SNAP purchases, aiming to curb high-sugar beverage buying statewide for about 72,000 people; it would start six months after federal approval. Utility Costs: Black Hills Energy is seeking a new nearly 16% surcharge tied to its Lange Two generating station, averaging about $19.70 more per month starting in December, on top of an earlier interim increase. Roads & Construction: SDDOT is asking for public input on a Highway 385 project near Strawberry Hill, and Pierre’s Euclid Avenue/Highway 1889 work is reshaping traffic with a merge and shifting intersection access. Local Government: Rapid City’s Common Council revised the 2027 budget, cutting contingency and adding staff and transit pay, while the state approved $3.5 million for 40 bridge projects statewide. Public Safety: Names were released in fatal crashes near Parker (Nancy Jane Ruland) and near Black Hawk (Summerset motorcyclist Francis Michael Bierman). Sports & Community: The Rapid City Common Council budget changes and state fair mobility updates land alongside local sports coverage and a new Powerball NFL-themed game for South Dakotans.