skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

One million acres of forest protected under The Conservation Fund, including in OR; Trump seeks to set aside his New York hush money guilty verdict after Supreme Court immunity ruling; 'Share the Pennies' weatherization program tackles climate solutions, reduces cost; Utah feels the impact of California's ban on gestation crates.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SCOTUS gives former President Trump a huge win in terms of immunity, which might apply to charges of election interference. A new poll finds future court appointments are crucial for voters, and President Biden continues to face post-debate calls to leave the race.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Ugly, imperfect produce destined for the landfill is being upcycled by a California candy company, a Texas volunteer uses his Navy training to map the gaps in broadband, and Pennsylvania has a new commission tasked with reversing its shrinking rural population.

Measure to end sales tax on groceries could go to SD voters

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 16, 2024   

South Dakotans face high prices at the grocery store and some are working to ease the burden.

A new report from the Federal Trade Commission finds some grocery retailers used the supply-chain disruptions of the pandemic to raise prices and collect bigger profits, even after supply chains regulated.

One South Dakota group is trying to reduce sticker shock by targeting the state sales tax on groceries. Dakotans for Health is sponsoring a citizens ballot initiative to repeal the 4.2 % tax.

Rick Weiland, co-founder of the group, said lower food bills would make a meaningful difference for some.

"People of modest means, or low income hardworking families, disproportionately spend upwards of 30% on food," Weiland pointed out. "This is going to be helpful."

South Dakota is one of only two states in the country to apply its full state sales tax rate to groceries with no exemptions, Mississippi being the other. More than 9% of South Dakotans are considered food insecure, meaning they do not always have access to enough healthy food.

The grocery tax has been a popular topic among state legislators in recent years. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem even campaigned on the promise to repeal it. Critics have said proposing a tax cut without a way to finance it is irresponsible.

Weiland pointed out Gov. Noem had a formula spelled out when she brought forward her bill in 2023, which was voted down.

"She had no problem defending her position in front of the Legislature, in terms of how much revenue the state was going to lose and where they could make it up," Weiland recounted.

The initiative needs about 17,500 signatures by next month to appear on the November ballot.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Around 50% of voters who supported Joe Biden in 2020 view the Supreme Court as a very important issue now, compared with just 37% of 2020 Trump voters, according to Stand Up America. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Former President Donald Trump has taken credit for placing three conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, the court awarded him a …


Health and Wellness

play sound

As summer kicks into full gear, North Carolina dentists stressed the importance of maintaining children's dental health. Dr. Miranda Kalaskey…

Social Issues

play sound

By Ashli Blow for Tennessee Lookout.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Tennessee News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Publ…


Although citywide bans on camping and other laws disadvantaging homeless people grew widely from 2006 to 2019, homeless encampments grew by 1,300% in all 50 states. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Connecticut advocates are distressed about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Gloria Johnson. The ruling said public camping bans …

Environment

play sound

New polling shows most Americans still favor non-fossil fuel energy sources, but support for certain renewables is not quite as strong these days and …

The Conservation Fund says it aims to protect five million acres of forest by 2035. (Zack Frank/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The Conservation Fund, which works to protect land and nature across the U.S. has announced it has protected more than 1 million acres of working …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A Virginia community health center is part of a program addressing food scarcity. The National Association of Community Health Centers' 2024 …

Environment

play sound

New York's Building Code Council is set to include the All-Electric Buildings Act in its 2025 code update. The 2023 law bans natural gas and other …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021