
The Scouting Lounge
South Dakota’s leading alternative, independent and locally owned newspaper focusing on culture and politics in the Mount Rushmore State. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The Dakota Scout
Show overview
The Scouting Lounge has been publishing since 2022, and across the 4 years since has built a catalogue of 75 episodes. That works out to roughly 75 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 45 min and 1h 10m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 6 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 44 episodes published. Published by The Dakota Scout.
From the publisher
The Scouting Lounge is a weekly podcast from The Dakota Scout, where award-winning reporters Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis ditch the gotcha journalism to bring candid, behind-the-scenes conversations with South Dakota’s political leaders, celebrities and newsmakers. Blending sharp insight with dry humor, the show offers a refreshingly human take on the headlines — plus a peek into the newsroom as Sneve and Ellis wrestle with the challenges of fair reporting in a polarized world. From the state Capitol to backstage passes, The Scouting Report is where South Dakota’s biggest stories meet its most honest voices. No scripts. No spin. Just real talk. www.thedakotascout.com
Latest Episodes
View all 75 episodesDSU shines | Coalescing Sanford, Avera & Monument | Navigating new nurses | Skeletons & treasure | Blame Trump | Hunting elephants
The postmortem | Ellis & Lalley decompress | Handwritten notes & more debate rulebreakers | The best questions & answers | Sioux Falls mayoral hopefuls up next
(Steel) horses | Badlands dirt biking | Re-hooked on phonics | Classroom renegade | Why run? | War or Defense | A'bullsh*t' story | South Dakota's First Lady | SURFing with DSU
The mystery of the bogus candidates | 3 theories | 2020's sus count | What a county party does | Courting Dominion | Ballot drought | K-12 superintendent shoutouts

Running while building | From S.D. Trade to the U.N. | Being Brittany Lindberg's husband | The Scout's Iranian subscribers
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Selling out & selling out | The politics of being A-political | Did $ioux Falls get $nubbed | Four Winds Arts & Music Fest | A wannabe musician’s entitlement complex” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Selling out & selling out | The politics of being A-political | Did $ioux Falls get $nubbed | Four Winds Arts & Music Fest | A wannabe musician's entitlement complex
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Jon & Joe reunite | Discovering mead | Turning trash into goods | Saving the world & trusting your gut | Hemp & Zahntech disruptions” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Jon & Joe reunite | Discovering mead | Turning trash into goods | Saving the world & trusting your gut | Hemp & Zahntech disruptions
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Busy busting bad guys | Happy trees | The ‘No’ vote | Westward pork & city growth | Cop turned killer” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archiveThe Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Zahn’s story: Emerging ‘green-tech’ company redefines recycling with products set to disrupt industry This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Busy busting bad guys | Happy trees | The 'No' vote | Westward pork & city growth | Cop turned killer
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Gravy days of newspapering | Field guide for data centers | Building trust | Understanding rural concerns | 50 miles down the road | Pipeline poisoning” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archiveKEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Gravy days of newspapering | Field guide for data centers | Building trust | Understanding rural concerns | 50 miles down the road | Pipeline poisoning
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Making a mayor mad | Crafting contracts | SNAP success | Stressing war | Balancing a budget | Policing in Sioux Falls | Creating a new tax” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Making a mayor mad | Crafting contracts | SNAP success | Stressing war | Balancing a budget | Policing in Sioux Falls | Creating a new tax
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “‘Senate lockdowns | Tonnes the Tie Breaker | Fighting for public education | Reading a room & to a room | Getting it wrong | High growth, high costs” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Senate lockdowns | Tonnes the Tie Breaker | Fighting for public education | Reading a room & to a room | Getting it wrong | High growth, high costs
The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “‘The Dicks’ | TIFs, China & the American pork producer | The prison-Smithfield conspiracy theory | A GOP dark horse | Noem ‘26? | Concourse cash” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

'The Dicks' | TIFs, China & the American pork producer | The prison-Smithfield conspiracy theory | A GOP dark horse | Noem '26? | Concourse cash
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “A third penny in a post-penny world? | Hunting for CHICOMS & political posturing | Betting v. predicting | Fighting over scraps | The SNAP dilemma | Weather-driven smiles” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting LoungeWhat they talked about: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

A third penny in a post-penny world? | Hunting for CHICOMS & political posturing | Betting v. predicting | Fighting over scraps | The SNAP dilemma | Weather-driven smiles
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Lounge carpet laying | Pipelines + prisons + data centers = GOP leadership clash | SLAPPing back frivolous lawsuits | Betting on sports betting | An overdue Medal of Honor | Striking independence” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Lounge carpet laying | Pipelines + prisons + data centers = GOP leadership clash | SLAPPing back frivolous lawsuits | Betting on sports betting | An overdue Medal of Honor | Striking independence
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “A very bad day | Nosey neighbors | Rescued by a former legislator | Data center defeat | The GOP’s consigliere | Nibbling on property taxes | Mayoral run lessons” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

A very bad day | Nosey neighbors | Rescued by a former legislator | Data center defeat | The GOP's consigliere | Nibbling on property taxes | Mayoral run lessons
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Guess who’s back? | Recharged with a second chance | Civic engagement: ER edition | Foreigners, ‘canucks’ & headline wars | In the shadow of ‘the seating incident’” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Guess who's back? | Recharged with a second chance | Civic engagement: ER edition | Foreigners, 'canucks' & headline wars | In the shadow of 'the seating incident'
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “A five-year itch? | Seat drama | Heading west | Future Fund feud | Winning by winging it | South Dakota’s uniquely-shoddy postal system” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

A five-year itch? | Seat drama | Heading west | Future Fund feud | Winning by winging it | South Dakota's uniquely-shoddy postal system
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to County clash | Data center discourse, flipping birds & Jamie to the rescue | Journalism’s AI traps | Rallying for those in harm’s way | Make Debates Great Again” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and the Scouting Lounge podcast are subscriber supported. To receive new posts, episodes and stories and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

County clash | Data center discourse, flipping birds & Jamie to the rescue | Journalism's AI traps | Rallying for those in harm's way | Make Debates Great Again
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Christmas ambush | Data center deluge | No subsidy for you | What’s indoor recreation anyway? | Prison seminary | Leaving the barn door open | About that ‘primary’ debate” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

'Trump Derangement Syndrome is real' | Filibuster fortification | Reclaiming ceded presidential authority | Making 'em work | '26 & beyond
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “Christmas ambush | Data center deluge | No subsidy for you | What’s indoor recreation anyway? | Prison seminary | Leaving the barn door open | About that ‘primary’ debate” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and The Scouting Lounge are subscriber supporter. To receive new stories, Viewpoints, cartoons and podcast episodes, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe

Christmas ambush | Data center deluge | No subsidy for you | What's indoor recreation anyway? | Prison seminary | Leaving the barn door open | About that 'primary' debate
Did you miss last week’s episode of The Scouting Lounge? Downloaded hundreds of times since both free and paid subscribers of The Dakota Scout received it in their inboxes seven days ago, there’s still time to catch up, hit the link below to listen to “The Sporting Lounge? | All ball bearings — ‘and drones now’ | A 10-game Marshall-Vikings win streak | Bullpen rebuild | Future Falls funding” and check out all past shows by visiting the podcast archive.The Dakota Scout and The Scouting Lounge are subscriber supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.KEEP SCROLLING FOR LINKS TO A FEW OF The Dakota Scout STORIES & OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF The Scouting Lounge: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedakotascout.com/subscribe