By Seth Tupper South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden won the Republican Party’s nomination for governor Tuesday, July 28 in a runoff election, earning the chance to seek his own four years in office after filling out the remainder of former Gov. Kristi Noem’s last term. The Associated Press called the race at 8:08 p.m. central time. Complete returns several hours later showed Rhoden with 71% of the votes and a 42-point win over Aberdeen businessman Toby Doed

With all members present, the Lincoln County Board of Commission met Thursday, July 30. Deputy States Attorney, Joe Meader was present for a public hearing regarding the termination of hangar leases for Sites K-1, K-2, & R-6 and intent to enter into lease agreements for Sites K-1, K-2, & R-6, for a term exceeding 120 days and an amount exceeding $500.00 at the Marv Skie/ Lincoln County Airport. “These are the agreements that we updated for lease rates at the start of this ye

Construction is underway on a new pickleball complex at Prairie Trails Park following a groundbreaking ceremony hosted by the City of Tea on Monday, July 20. LT Companies has begun work on the three-court facility, which is being built in the southwest corner of the park. The project is expected to be completed by October 2026. The new facility will include three pickleball courts, fencing, lighting, a small shade structure and a concrete walkway providing access to the court

Members of the Tea Fire Department’s Wildland Crew are currently deployed in northeastern Wyoming, where they are helping battle the Newton Fire burning near Devils Tower National Monument. The Tea firefighters assigned to the deployment include James Madsen, Parker Wilson, Jaikob Week and Steve Oberle. The four are working alongside crews from across the region to help contain the wildfire. The Newton Fire, which was discovered around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, has burned nearly

A group of young Tea swimmers made a big splash at the 2026 South Dakota State Swim Meet, bringing home two state relay championships and several individual honors during the three-day competition held July 24-26 in Rapid City. Competing for the Sioux Falls Swim Team, four Tea students—Mia Willard, Layton Boots, Carly Koppes and Addison Koppes—captured state championships in both the 8-and-under 200-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay. All four swimmers are thi

The Tea Steam closed out the regular season in thrilling fashion Thursday, July 23, rallying for a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Brookings Cubs at home. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Logan Boom led off with a double to center field before advancing to third on a groundout by Dawson Portner. Cameron Jensen then put the ball in play, reaching on a fielder’s choice that allowed Boom to race home with the game-winning run. Tea struck first in the secon

The 13U Titans battled through a tough state tournament weekend, finishing 1-2 in three close, hard-fought games. The Titans opened with a 2-1 loss to Brandon Valley despite out-hitting them 5-2. Colin Terveen tossed a complete five innings, allowing just two runs, and Brady Hall led the offense with two hits. After falling to Aberdeen Smittys, the Titans closed the weekend in dramatic fashion, earning an 11-10 walk-off victory over Dakota Valley. Kamyn Karsky delivered the g

The 14U Titans wrapped up their season with a strong showing at the Class A State Tournament, finishing 2-2 against some of the state’s top competition. The Titans opened the weekend with an exciting 18-15 victory over Yankton, followed by a tough loss to tournament host Pierre. Tea bounced back in dominant fashion with a 19-4 win over Brookings to advance to Championship Sunday. Their season came to a close in a hard-fought 9-6 loss to Palace City Baseball Association. Offen

Titans Tavern has announced it will close its doors this weekend, bringing an end to the locally owned restaurant and bar after a little more than a year in business. In a social media post shared Monday, the owners said Saturday, Aug. 1, will be the tavern’s final day of operation. Titans Tavern opened in May 2024 with the goal of creating a gathering place for the Tea community where friends, families and neighbors could enjoy a meal, celebrate special occasions and spend t

By Molly Wetsch SD News Watch Gov. Larry Rhoden took a 71% to 29% lead early and maintained it over Toby Doeden. Gov. Larry Rhoden handily defeated Toby Doeden Tuesday in a runoff election to decide the Republican Party’s candidate for governor. Rhoden maintained a lead of roughly 71% to 29% over the Aberdeen businessman as results came in and that was the final outcome. “This has been a lot more fun than other election nights,” Rhoden said to a roomful of supporters in Siou