Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity: Federal officials say malicious hackers have been tampering with internet-connected water and wastewater control systems in at least seven states, with Iran suspected after a Minnesota attack; South Dakota is among the states reporting activity, raising alarms for utilities to lock down exposed controls. Energy Reliability: The U.S. Department of Energy authorized extra generation and backup power dispatch during extreme heat across the Southwest Power Pool region, which includes South Dakota, aiming to prevent outages. Agriculture Policy: The Senate Agriculture Committee released updated “Farm Bill 2.0” text, including year-round E15 sales language that South Dakota lawmakers say matters for producers and rural economies. Rare Minerals Research: South Dakota Mines won a $3.1M federal grant to speed up locating rare earth and critical mineral deposits using advanced sensing and mapping, with industry partner Dakota Gold providing samples. Local Industry & Community: Sioux Falls announced multiple road construction projects starting Aug. 3, including lane reductions tied to industrial park sewer work and major overlay repairs. Education & Workforce Pipeline: Two biotechnology students from India completed a six-month research exchange at South Dakota Mines, studying greenhouse-gas bacteria and targeted cancer therapy work.