Dakota flute-maker, player earns nationa s highest folk honor

There was a time when Bryan Akipa knew nothing of flutes. But that was long ago, before the budding artist stumbled across a wooden mallard-head flute in the studio of his mentor, sparking a fascination that led to a career in both making and playing the distinctive Dakota flutes.

Dakota flute-maker, player earns nation’s highest folk honor

There was a time when Bryan Akipa knew nothing of flutes. But that was long ago, before the budding artist stumbled across a wooden mallard-head flute in the studio of his mentor, sparking a fascination that led to a career in both making and playing the distinctive Dakota flutes.

Vast Geography, Limited Funds Hurt Pine Ridgea

The recent shooting death of a 13-year-old girl is a tragic example of a surge in violent crimes on the Pine Ridge Reservation, a world where many good people feel unsafe in their communities. In the latest outreach by South Dakota's congressional delegation, Sen. John Thune met Wednesday in Pine Ridge with tribal leaders, Bureau of Indian Affairs enforcement officials, and a representative of the U.S. Department of Justice.

In Senate split, $1 billion for Zika falls by wayside

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , joined by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, faces reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday about the Zika virus proposal. WASHINGTON -- The Senate split along party lines Tuesday and left a $1.1 billion proposal to fight the Zika virus in limbo.

Trump campaign wasting precious time, GOP critics say

By now, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was supposed to have stationed senior staff in battleground states, moderated his fiery message to attract new supporters and begun raking in big money. Instead, he's spending more time right now picking fights and settling scores than delivering a message that might help draw voters.

Facebook makes changes to avoid political bias

Facebook on Monday said it was making changes aimed at keeping political bias out of its "trending" stories list even though an internal investigation revealed no evidence it was happening. "Our investigation has revealed no evidence of systematic political bias in the selection or prominence of stories included in the Trending Topics feature," Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch said in a letter responding to a query from Republican US Senator John Thune, who chairs the commerce committee.

Facebook makes changes to ‘trending topics’ after review

Facebook says it is dropping its reliance on news outlets to help determine what gets posted as a "trending topic" on the giant social network following a backlash over a report saying it suppressed conservative views. Facebook's General Counsel Colin Stretch outlined this and other reforms in a 12-page letter sent Monday to Republican Sen. John Thune, chairman of the commerce committee, which oversees the Internet and consumer protections.