Kristi Noem
FILE - In this July 3, 2020, file photo, fireworks light the sky over the Mount Rushmore National Memorial near Keystone, S.D. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem indicated Tuesday, June 15, 2021, that she will try again to hold a fireworks display over Mount Rushmore to celebrate Independence Day on the heels of President Joe Biden's announcement that the White House will be hosting its own "independence from the virus" bash.. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon File)
Noem says she will try again for Mount Rushmore fireworks

By Stephen Groves Jun. 15, 2021 04:20 PM EDT

Federal judge charges US marshals in vaccination dispute

Jun. 14, 2021 04:06 PM EDT
ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — A federal judge in South Dakota on Monday criminally charged three members of the U.S. Marshals Service with contempt of court and...

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2018 file photo President Donald Trump appears with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in Sioux Falls, S.D. Noem catapulted onto a shortlist of conservative politicians favored by Trump with her libertarian approach to the pandemic. With the virus waning, she may be seeking to stay there by picking some legal fights sure to please the right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
South Dakota's Noem launches legal strategy to take on Biden

By Stephen Groves May. 24, 2021 01:39 PM EDT

As COVID-19 shots slow, doctors turn to 1-on-1 conversations

By Stephen Groves May. 18, 2021 03:25 PM EDT
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The number of South Dakota residents receiving an initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccination has slowed dramatically in recent weeks,...

FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2021, file photo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla. Gov. Noem sued the U.S. Department of Interior on Friday, May 30, 2021, in an effort to see fireworks shot over Mount Rushmore National Monument on Independence Day. The Republican governor successfully pushed last year for a return of the pyrotechnic display after a decade long hiatus. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
South Dakota governor expecting many tourists this summer

May. 03, 2021 02:17 PM EDT

Some push to kill off PA regulations halted during pandemic

By Mark Scolforo Apr. 27, 2021 08:11 AM EDT
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania put on ice hundreds of state government regulations during the pandemic, but policymakers are starting to weigh whether any...

Noem issues order banning vaccine passports in South Dakota

Apr. 21, 2021 03:55 PM EDT
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has joined a handful of governors who have issued executive orders banning the development or use of...

Editorial Roundup: South Dakota

By The Associated Press Apr. 14, 2021 02:43 AM EDT
Yankton Press & Dakotan. April 11, 2021. Editorial: South Dakota Vaccinations And ‘Fortunate’ Timing? The race to...

Noem asks Biden to allow fireworks at Mount Rushmore in July

Apr. 13, 2021 12:03 PM EDT
KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem sent a letter to President Joe Biden Tuesday asking that he intervene and allow a Fourth of July fireworks display at...

Rep. Taffy Howard, left, R-Rapid City speaks in opposition to Noem's edits of House Bill 1217 at the South Dakota state capitol building during the legislative session in Pierre, S.D., on Monday, March 29, 2021. A South Dakota bill to ban transgender women and girls from female sports failed Monday after Noem effectively vetoed the bill. (Grace Pritchett/Rapid City Journal via AP)
Noem pitches transgender sports ban; lawmakers say not now

By Stephen Groves Apr. 07, 2021 05:56 PM EDT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference Sunday, April 4, 2021, at the Manatee County Emergency Management office in Palmetto, Fla. DeSantis has received a single-dose coronavirus vaccine. His office confirmed Wednesday, April 7, 2021 that the Republican governor got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only a single dose. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, file)
More governors publicly vaccinated, but Florida's kept mum

By Bobby Caina Calvan Apr. 07, 2021 04:48 PM EDT

Noem gets vaccine, marks opening of vaccine eligibility

Apr. 05, 2021 04:04 PM EDT
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem marked the occasion of the state opening vaccines to adults 16 and older Monday by receiving her first...

South Dakota to open vaccines to all adults next week

Mar. 31, 2021 12:05 PM EDT
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Anyone in South Dakota over 16 years of age will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination starting on Monday. Gov....

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 31, 2020 file photo, some of the nearly 900 large poster-sized photos of Detroit victims of COVID-19 are displayed on Belle Isle in Detroit. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths last year beyond 3.3 million, the nation’s highest-ever annual death toll, the government reported Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
The Latest: 6 more COVID cases found in local China outbreak

By The Associated Press Mar. 31, 2021 02:44 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 17, 2020, file photo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gives an update on the coronavirus in South Dakota, at the Sanford Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Some of the nation's governors' offices routinely block access to public records to keep the public in the dark about key decisions involving the coronavirus pandemic. Noem's outspoken business-as-usual approach throughout the coronavirus pandemic has made her a darling of national conservatives and allowed her to hopscotch across the country as a fundraising force. (Abigail Dollins/The Argus Leader via AP, File)/The Argus Leader via AP)
Governors evade sunshine laws to keep records from public

By Stephen Groves Mar. 14, 2021 04:00 AM EDT

FILE - In this June 1, 2020 file photo, Charles Perez wears a protective face mask and gloves as he waits on tables at the Morada Bay Beach Cafe in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys, during the new coronavirus pandemic. Repealing statewide mask mandates and criticizing the Biden administration’s unemployment-based formula for distributing billions in federal aid has put Republican governors and their approach to handling the coronavirus pandemic back in the spotlight. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Virus tolls similar despite governors' contrasting actions

By David A. Lieb Mar. 13, 2021 03:18 PM EST

Editorial Roundup: Minnesota

By The Associated Press Mar. 10, 2021 10:00 AM EST
Minneapolis Star Tribune. March 7, 2021. Editorial: Adding diversity to state teaching ranks is a critical goal Studies...

Trump supporters hold signs and wave to motorists outside the convention center at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats lies about election loss

By Jill Colvin Mar. 01, 2021 05:34 AM EST

Conference attendees pose for a photo next to a statue of former president Donald Trump at the merchandise show at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats lies about election loss

By Jill Colvin Feb. 28, 2021 10:24 AM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump pauses while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2020, at National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Conservative gathering to feature Trump's false fraud claims

By Jill Colvin And Steve Peoples Feb. 25, 2021 01:52 PM EST