MADISON, South Dakota, April 25 -- Dakota State University issued the following news: Dakota State University has hired two new deans to lead two of the institution's colleges. Dr. Pat Engebretson will take the helm of The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences on May 22, 2020. Dr. David Kenley will begin his duties as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences on June 22, 2020. Engebretson has been Chief Information Officer for East River Electric since 2015. East River is a power sup  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 23 -- South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg issued the following news release: Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced that South Dakota has received its annual tobacco settlement payment totaling $20,864,744.11. The payment is made each year pursuant to the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) which resolved claims made by 46 states, including South Dakota, against the tobacco companies in the late 1990s and now requires those same tobacco comp  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 22 -- The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks issued the following news release: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) will not be conducting walleye spawning operations this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "In mid-March, boats, nets, gear and fisheries staff were ready to trap-and-transfer fish and spawn walleyes," said Geno Adams, GFP senior fisheries program manager. "Pandemic protocol limited field operations and now solitary work. Standard sp  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 23 -- The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation issued the following news release: The Department of Labor and Regulation is now accepting bulk unemployment claims related to COVID-19 from any employer laying off over 50 workers. The employer can file on behalf of the individuals. This means individuals do not file an initial claim but must complete the weekly request for payment. Bulk claim services will eliminate the need for an employer to complete a Re  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 24 -- The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation issued the following news release: During the week of April 12 through April 18, a total of 5,128 initial weekly claims for unemployment benefits were processed by the Department of Labor and Regulation. This is a decrease of 1,231 claims over the prior week's total of 6,359. A total of $4.3 million was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $9.6 million paid out in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensat  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 24 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: Governor Kristi Noem released the finalized report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) regarding Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls. "I want to thank Vice President Pence, Secretary of Agriculture Perdue, and the CDC for prioritizing the situation at Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls," said Noem. "Their partnership has been critical to the work that we've done to get this  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 22 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order to help South Dakota's pork producers as the industry faces the impact of COVID-19. The new Executive Order (2020-17) removes overstocking restrictions on pork producers. Producers now have some temporary flexibility in their state and county regulatory obligations, which is necessary for their operations and care of their animals. To learn mo  more

PIERRE, South Dakota, April 23 -- Gov. Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: In conjunction with Earth Day, Governor Kristi Noem announced that Blair Brothers Angus has been selected for the South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award(R). Given in honor of renowned conservationist, Aldo Leopold, this award recognizes private landowners who inspire others with their dedication to the land, water, and wildlife resources in their care. In South Dakota, the award is presente  more

BROOKINGS, South Dakota, April 22 -- South Dakota State University issued the following news: David Overby, currently the vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Dakota State University, has been named the vice president for technology and safety at South Dakota State University. Overby will replace Michael Adelaine, who is retiring June 19. "David brings a wealth of experience and critical leadership skills to SDSU that will be extremely valuable in a time w  more