The Daily Republic

Some South Dakota communities are in or near what one environmental group calls the “blast zones” of railroads that carry oil shipments from North Dakota and Canada. The group ForestEthics has put together a searchable map at explosive-crude-by-rail.org based on federal Department...

By Dan Murtaugh HOUSTON — The road to U.S. energy security is often unpaved. In southern Texas and North Dakota, where shale drilling has propelled U.S. oil production to the highest level in 28 years, thousands of 18-wheel trucks are rumbling to wells on roads designed decades...

The United States holds 25 percent of the world’s prison population, but has only 5 percent of the world’s people. Since 1980, the number of people incarcerated in America has quadrupled from less than 500,000 to 2.4 million.

A look at news from around the region, as reported by weekly newspapers: Douglas County COUNTY FACES CROP LAND TAX HIKE: Crop-rated ag land in Douglas County will see a 20 percent increase in taxes next year, according to county Equalization Director Jessica Goehring said. She...

Lacey Lee, of Mitchell, will be the first featured artist at the Pepsi-Cola Theatre in Mitchell.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report finds that rural roads and bridges in South Dakota have significant deficiencies and are in need of safety upgrades. The report, “Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Heartland,” was released Thursday by TRIP, a national...

LeBron James announced Friday he will return to home to Ohio to play for Cleveland, where he began his NBA career. The move immediately brought a flurry of rumors that James' former teammate with the Miami Heat and Mitchell native Mike Miller may join him in a Cavaliers uniform. Moments...

Nearly 150 South Dakotans could lower their house payments by using the federal Home Affordable Refinance Program, according to a story this week in The Washington Post. According to the Post’s research of Federal Housing Finance Agency records, 140 South Dakota homeowners would...

The Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department plans on spraying the City of Mitchell for mosquitoes between 9 p.m. and midnight Saturday. Residents are asked to stay indoors during the spraying and keep pets indoors or in the backyard. With the recent rainfall, residents are...

Mitchell will host its first sanctioned Professional Disc Golf Association disc golf tournament in seven years at 9 a.m. today. The event will be at Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course in Mitchell. The tournament is a qualifying event for the United State Disc Golf Championship held...

BONESTEEL -- After 113 years of serving the Bonesteel area, the Bonesteel Enterprise weekly newspaper has likely published its last issue. David and Scott Perlenfein wrote a note to their subscribers in the July 3 issue stating they'd been involved with the paper for more than 40...