Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

Tyler Broghammer leaves his office nearly every day armed with a small blue cooler.

Inside is a weapon against South Dakota’s syphilis epidemic: syringes of penicillin. The sexually transmitted infection case manager at Oyate Health Center in Rapid City also carries rapid STI tests and condoms on his near daily drive around town, meeting with people he’s learned may have the disease.

Broghammer is one of two STI case managers at Oyate Health finding and treating people who have syphilis. The organization is one of several working to address the epidemic in South Dakota through collaborative partnerships. ...

Smile Texas isn’t the only business South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is promoting to her social media followers.

The second-term governor promoted two other South Dakota businesses on her personal X feed (formerly Twitter) on Thursday: Fit My Feet in Rapid City, owned by state Department of Public Safety Secretary Bob Perry’s son, and Common Grounds, a Spearfish coffee shop where she hosted her latest town hall this week.

“They are my favorite. This coffee shop is amazing. You have to come in,” Noem said in the 22-second video clip at Common Grounds. “Bryon and I come in all the time. You will enjoy it. They love America and that is a special gift to me and a pep talk to this country. They are the backbone of South Dakota. Come visit them: Common Grounds in Spearfish, South Dakota.” ...