UltraViolet advocates are seen at the American Pharmacists Association Annual Conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on March 25, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. Advocacy group UltraViolet was urging pharmacists to reaffirm that Mifepristone, a medication abortion drug, is safe, effective and essential. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images for UltraViolet) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a much-anticipated decision Thursday that mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available under current prescribing guidelines. Trump says he’ll work ‘side by si ..read more

The South Dakota Capitol grounds and lake in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Loans and grants worth $2.7 million are headed to South Dakota businesses and communities after votes from two state government boards. The Board of Economic Development approved the loans and grants during a Wednesday meeting. All the money will be administered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Economic Development Finance Authority, meanwhile, approved $30 million in bonds for separate projects. The authority and board are comprised of many of the same members, all of whom were appo ..read more

Lauren Miller, who was denied access to an abortion in Texas, listens during a hearing with a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee on June 12, 2024. The subcommittee held the hearing to discuss abortion bans and interstate travel to access them after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the right to an abortion. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — When Lauren Miller flew from her home state of Texas to Colorado two years ago she felt a moment of relief when the plane took off — not because she had been delayed for hours or because she needed a vacation, but because she ..read more

The exterior court of the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center in Sioux Falls, pictured on Oct. 21, 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The state Department of Corrections will award over $800,000 in funds to 17 juvenile service programs across the state this year. Juvenile justice report: More delinquent kids taken to court The money will be used to support expanded diversion programs for young offenders, as well as cultural healing camps, equine therapy programs and court resource homes. The awards were approved by the Council of Juvenile Services at a meeting this week. The ..read more

Washington Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on in vitro fertilization outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Also pictured are supporters of Senate Democrats’ IVF access bill as well as New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt’s efforts to pass legislation that would block Medicaid funding from going to states that ban in vitro fertilization were unsuccessful Wednesday when Democrats blocked the bill from a ..read more

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department to announce the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the discovery of classified documents held by President Joe Biden at an office and his home on Jan. 12, 2023 in Washington, D.C.(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to release audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with Department of Justice officials. Biden touts gun safety record to a ..read more

Charles Merrival, front, pictured during a 2019 march in Rapid City. (courtesy Charles Merrival family) EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is the third in a series exploring the influence of drug cartels in South Dakota, on and off the state’s reservations. The first story can be found at this link; The second can be found at this link. A Native American man said Gov. Kristi Noem hindered his ability to receive a fair trial when she displayed a photo of him recently as alleged proof of cartel activity on reservations. Noem flashed three photos during a May 17 press conference while talking about the ..read more

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the White House in Washington, D.C. for the Free Leonard Peltier 79th Birthday Action on September 12, 2023. (Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, ICT) This story was originally co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, through a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area. RAPID CITY, S.D. — By July 1, a decision will be made regarding what could be Anishinaabe AIM activist and now elder Leonard Peltier’s last shot at freedom. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians citizen’s parole hearing lasted about seven hou ..read more

A tribal police car drives past a boarded up apartment complex on Main Street of Eagle Butte, South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight) EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is the second in a series exploring the influence of drug cartels in South Dakota, on and off the state’s reservations. The first story can be found at this link. For months, Gov. Kristi Noem has stoked controversy by calling on tribal leaders to “banish the cartels.” But Noem has never mentioned 18-pound methamphetamine shipments from Arizona to Trent, population 218, by way ..read more

President Joe Biden speaks to a conference hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety in Washington on June 11, 2024. (Screenshot from CSPAN livestream.) WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday touted his administration’s efforts to reduce gun violence as the second anniversary of bipartisan gun safety legislation he signed into law approaches. “Never give up on hope,” Biden said during an annual conference hosted by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The speech came hours after the president’s son Hunter Biden was found guilty in a federal court in Delaware of lying on paperw ..read more