Tim Begalka

There are pluses and minuses to the term limits that South Dakota voters placed on the Legislature through the 1992 constitutional amendment. We’re seeing again this election year that term limits don’t necessarily force a legislator to leave...

PIERRE — There are pluses and minuses to the term limits that South Dakota voters placed on the Legislature through the 1992 constitutional amendment. We’re seeing again this election year that term limits don’t necessarily force a...

PIERRE — Tired of damage from an overabundance of muskrats in northeastern South Dakota, as well other parts of the state where they sometimes weaken stock dams, the Legislature is ready to let hunters open fire on the semi-aquatic rodents. State...

PIERRE — Public school boards in South Dakota could legally charge fees for providing driver education and prekindergarten programs under a measure that received final approval Tuesday at the Legislature.  The state Senate voted 25-6 in favor of...

 PIERRE — The investigation into allegations of spying and obstruction by some members of the Legislature came to a surprising conclusion Tuesday evening.  House Republican leader David Lust, a Rapid City lawyer, sat down and publicly apologized...

 PIERRE — As of Friday mid-afternoon, there already were 57 bills pre-filed in the hopper for consideration by the Legislature in the 2012 session that opens at noon Tuesday. One seeks a major change in handgun laws and is loaded with potential...

Another solution in need of a problem? A bill expected to come before the South Dakota Legislature this session seeks to do away with South Dakota's concealed carry permit requirements. South Dakotans would be able to carry a concealed pistol or...

We hope a spat among state Republican lawmakers, which questioned actions of its own party leaders, has been put to rest. Six Republican legislators requested emails, memos and correspondence between leadership and legislative research staff more than a...

The chairman of the Legislature’s Executive Board said Wednesday he isn’t brushing aside allegations from six Republican state lawmakers who claim the Legislature’s nonpartisan professional staff violated legislators’...

If the Legislature in the Oct. 24 special session adopts the plan proposed by its redistricting committee, the new boundaries will thrust some incumbents into potential primary elections next year and create some possible showdowns between incumbents of...

State legislators are struggling over the question of when early voting should be allowed to start in South Dakota. Current law requires the ballots to be in the county auditor’s possession no later than 45 days prior to the election. Early voting...

PIERRE - Here's something you don't hear often in South Dakota, especially from someone who has officially been on the job less than a month. “I've said before,” Gov. Dennis Daugaard told reporters a few days ago, “I'm not in this...