In the past 12 hours, South Dakota’s science-and-tech coverage is led by major institutional and public-safety items. South Dakota State University announced the creation of the Rick Wahlstrom Chair in Swine Production, an endowed position intended to retain swine research and teaching leadership and strengthen ties with the pork industry. In healthcare, The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 Safety Grades report improvements across multiple patient-safety categories, including reductions in central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, MRSA, and C. difficile—while still noting variation among individual hospitals. Northern State University also marked progress in workforce education with the official opening of its Business and Health Innovation Center, which houses its School of Business and nursing program.
Public policy and community health themes also featured prominently. A Brandon medical marijuana cultivator asked the city to reconsider cannabis ordinance fees and insurance requirements, arguing Brandon’s licensing costs are higher than larger-city rates. Sioux Falls political coverage suggests continued expansion of police surveillance technology: multiple mayoral candidates indicated support for expanding the Sioux Falls Police Department’s use of surveillance tools, while at least one candidate raised privacy concerns about government data collection. Separately, Brookings hosted a public-facing effort on vaccine hesitancy, with a planned “Dialogue Over Dinner” event and local data cited about MMR vaccination rates in the region.
Several other last-12-hours stories point to broader science/technology and economic currents, though with less South Dakota-specific detail in the provided text. A market/energy item described the EDAM (Extended Day-Ahead Market) as “robust and stable” in early operation, and a business story covered Bel Group’s acquisition of Ingenuity Foods’ Brainiac® and Little Brainiac® brands to expand better-for-you snacking. There was also coverage of a legal challenge framed as a disability-rights fight (involving how gender dysphoria became tied to disability protections), but the excerpt is not specific to South Dakota.
Looking beyond the most recent day, the swine and agriculture thread continues with additional SDSU context: earlier reporting also described SDSU’s endowed swine chair and Wahlstrom’s legacy, reinforcing that the new endowment is part of a longer-running effort to sustain expertise in swine production. Tourism and water infrastructure coverage adds continuity on state priorities: an analysis cited record visitor spending and county-level growth across South Dakota, while another story described water system expansion work intended to increase long-term capacity for communities served by the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System. Overall, the recent cycle shows SDSU and regional institutions emphasizing workforce and research capacity, alongside ongoing attention to healthcare safety, public health communication, and privacy-sensitive technology in local governance.