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By Dana Hess For the S.D. NewsMedia Association The first reading of sports classifications and alignments for the next two school years received the endorsement of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors at its meeting on Wednesday. Feb. 28. Despite some suggestions for changes from activities directors, the board accepted the alignments as offered by the SDHSAA staff. A second reading will be held at the board’s April meeting. The board typically has a “public forum” at the top of its agenda. Often unuse...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association South Dakota’s high school wrestling tournament has grown so large that the duals tournament portion will be moved to a separate date. That decision was made June 15 by the board of directors of the South Dakota High School Activities Association. “Something had to give,” said SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos, explaining that with the addition of girls’ wrestling, the tournament has gotten unwieldy. Athletic directors, Swartos said, were hesitant to move girls’ wrestling to its own tournamen...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association Expanding Medicaid in South Dakota is either a prudent use of tax dollars designed to enhance health care coverage or a disaster that will bust the state budget. Those are the arguments offered by backers and opponents of Amendment D, a measure that would expand access to Medicaid in the state. Funded by the state and the federal governments, Medicaid provides medical coverage for low-income people. Amendment D expands Medicaid benefits to any person age 18 or under 65 whose income is at or below...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association It has been roughly 21 months since a vehicle driven by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg struck and killed pedestrian Joe Boever of Highmore. What follows is an overview of the events that followed, taken from various news sources. The long road to its first impeachment of a statewide elected official started on U.S. Highway 14. It began on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, when Ravnsborg, driving his personal vehicle to Pierre from a political event in Redfield, struck and...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association Constitutional Amendment C, on the June 7 primary ballot in South Dakota, would change the number of votes needed to pass ballot issues that raise taxes and fees. The increased number of votes would also apply to ballot issues that call for the expenditure of $10 million over five years. Backers of the amendment, which they have dubbed the “taxpayer protection amendment,” say the bar for passing ballot issues that deal with raising taxes and fees should be 60% of the vote. Currently ballot iss...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association An amendment to the constitution of the South Dakota High School Activities Association could change the way students are counted at some schools for the purposes of determining sports classifications. The SDHSAA board approved the first reading of the amendment at its meeting Wednesday, Jan. 12. The amendment includes a formula for using a school district’s free and reduced lunch participation to lower its enrollment count. That count is used to determine each school’s classification in SDH...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association High school girls’ softball in South Dakota will start in March. The spring season was approved by the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors at its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 12. SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Jo Auch told the board that AA schools were in favor of a spring season by a vote of 14-5. The minority of schools favored a fall season. Auch said the schools that favor a fall season will likely decide to participate in the spring. “They just want the boa...
By Dana Hess For the South Dakota Newspaper Association Heeding the advice of its music advisory committee and its COVID task force, on Wednesday the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted to cancel this year’s All-State Chorus concert. All-State Orchestra will take place with safety protocols in place. SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Brooks Bowman explained to the board that the music advisory board looked at six different options that ranged from having both events with varying degrees of safety p...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association The South Dakota High School Activities Association won’t decide until its March board meeting whether to hold All-State Chorus and Orchestra this year. At a special meeting of the board on Monday, SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos explained that All-State Chorus and Orchestra presents a unique problem during a pandemic because it involves so many students. The combined event, scheduled for April 19-20 in Sioux Falls, includes approximately 1,200 students from more than 100 communities. A...
By Dana Hess For the South Dakota Newspaper Association Figuring out how to allow athletes to compete in a close contact sport, like wrestling, during a pandemic was just one of the challenges faced by the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors at its meeting Wednesday, Nov. 4. “Wrestling is going to give me ulcers and turn my hair gray,” according to SDHSAA Executive Director Daniel Swartos who explained the recommended rule changes for winter sports. “In general, it involves items surrounding the event and not t...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association South Dakota voters aren’t seeing double; marijuana is on the ballot twice in 2020. Initiated Measure 26 lays out the parameters for starting and running a medical marijuana program. Constitutional Amendment A takes an omnibus approach, calling on the Legislature to make rules for medical marijuana and setting the standards for legalizing the use of recreational marijuana. Organizers for the two ballot measures say that they complement each other, and that the passage of Amendment A would p...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association Deadwood casinos are once again betting on South Dakota voters to allow them to expand their gaming choices. Amendment B authorizes the Legislature to allow wagering on sporting events at Deadwood casinos. If approved, tribal casinos would also be allowed to offer sports wagering. “We know that sports wagering is happening in South Dakota,” said Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association. “It’s happening illegally.” Illegal bets are placed using bookies or websites....
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association As high school sports practices start up across South Dakota, coaches, athletes and administrators are realizing that it’s not business as usual during a pandemic. The South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors heard reports about the start of fall sports Thursday, Aug. 13 at their August meeting in Pierre. The meeting was live streamed on the internet. One safety measure in football has been particularly vexing. The problem is “how the heck to keep each kid with their own...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association Just like high school sports, fine arts are feeling the effects of the pandemic as oral interp contests and the high school journalism convention have been moved online and All-State Chorus and Orchestra has been postponed to next year. Those actions were taken Thursday, Aug. 13 as the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors met in Pierre. According to a proposal from SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director Brooks Bowman, 85 percent of journalism advisers preferred holding...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association Putting on high school athletics and activities during a pandemic is going to take patience, flexibility and constant communication. That was the consensus during a strategic planning session of the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors and executive staff. During last Wednesday’s session in Pierre, which was live-streamed on the internet, board members shared their concerns based on the school groups they represent. The board is made up of superintendents, s...
By Dana Hess For the S.D. Newspaper Association No handshakes. No high fives. No awards ceremonies. In the age of coronavirus, those are just some of the recommendations for fall high school activities approved Wednesday, July 22 by the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s board of directors. During a video conference meeting the board considered safety recommendations made by a 30-member task force of medical professionals and educators. Those recommendations covered the fall sports of golf, tennis, soccer, cheer and competitive d...
By Dana Hess for the S.D. Newspaper Association Because of coronavirus caution, schools in South Dakota are closed until May 4. That’s not preventing the South Dakota High School Activities Association from making plans for state tournaments once school is back in session. The SDHSAA board of directors met by teleconference morning, Friday, March 27, 2020, and decided to let its staff work on planning for how sports and arts activities would take place once school resumes. They will also allow the staff to work on planning for the resumption o...