Native Prairie Restoration: Thunder Valley Community Development Corp. plans to release 50 bison into nearly 40,000 acres in Badlands National Park on Oct. 6, using soil and biodiversity baseline research to guide the return of a keystone species and restore native plants. AI Governance: A Public Utilities Commission candidate criticized a School of Mines AI event with Senator Mike Rounds and Anthropic for being limited to campus, arguing public meetings should be transparent. STEM Outreach: SDSU brought engineering students and Sioux Falls middle schoolers to the Washington Pavilion for hands-on project demos, plus a lunar engineering talk open to the public. Cancer Tech Spotlight: South Dakota Mines’ Tuğba Özdemir won “Coolest Thing Made in the Black Hills” for a filtration device that separates hyaluronic acid from blood to support less invasive cancer research. Campus Construction: USD broke ground on the $40M Gassen Family Fieldhouse, while its law school marked a $6M renovation with a ribbon-cutting. Energy Costs Watch: A new analysis projects South Dakota households could pay about $9,000 more in energy costs through 2040 under recent federal policy changes. Driving Costs: AAA reports average annual new-vehicle ownership costs rose to $12,863, driven by fuel, depreciation, and finance charges. Wildlife Safety: South Dakota urges drivers to watch for deer during peak migration and mating season as collisions remain a major risk.