Governor Noem Announces Holiday for State Workers on Friday to Honor Juneteenth
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced a holiday for state workers on Friday, June 18, 2021, in honor of Juneteenth. This is in response to the “Juneteenth National Independence Day Act”, which was signed today by President Joseph R. Biden.
“‘All men are created equal.’ That is America’s foundational ideal,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Juneteenth celebrates an important day when we came closer to making that ideal a reality for all Americans, regardless of race. I hope state employees take the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful South Dakota weather on their day off.”
Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19. Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger announced freedom from slavery in Galveston, Texas following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Governor Noem had previously proclaimed Saturday, June 19, 2021, as “Juneteenth Day” in South Dakota.
Governor Noem Launches Website for Medical Cannabis Program
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem, along with the South Dakota Department of Health and the South Dakota Department of Education, launched medcannabis.sd.gov, a website to answer questions and provide information about the upcoming medical cannabis program set to take effect on July 1, 2021.
“One of my jobs as governor is to make sure that the will of the people and all constitutional laws are enforced,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I want South Dakota to have the best, most patient-focused medical cannabis program in the country. I’ve heard from people who are hurting and are hopeful for relief. My team is 100% committed to starting this program as quickly and as responsibly as possible for South Dakota.”
Medical cannabis will be legal on July 1, 2021, after the voters of South Dakota passed Initiated Measure 26 in November 2020. The medical cannabis program is on schedule. The Departments of Health and Education are creating and will operate the new regulatory program to ensure the safety of patients, students, and the public in this new industry.
“We are working hard to streamline the process to get medical cards out to people,” continued Governor Noem. “Other states have made mistakes that we do not want to repeat, so we have been careful in our approach.“
In conjunction with the website, Governor Noem also launched a new public service announcement (PSA) to tell the people of South Dakota where they can find more information about the medical cannabis program. You can watch the PSA here.
Thune: Abrupt Reversal on Wuhan Lab Story Exposes Mainstream Media Bias and Big Tech Censorship
“I’ve seen too many instances lately where our cherished First Amendment freedoms are subordinated to a political and social agenda, and I hope the Wuhan story reminds us of the responsibility each one of us have to safeguard these freedoms … lest they slip away from us.”
Click hereor on the picture above to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today discussed his two bipartisan bills that would increase internet transparency while preserving the light-touch approach to regulation that has allowed the internet to flourish: the Filter Bubble Transparency Act and the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act. Thune discussed the heavily curated social media experience that many consumers encounter and the mainstream media’s abrupt reversal of the Wuhan lab coronavirus origin story. At the end of May, Facebook announced that it would no longer censor claims that the coronavirus was man-made, something many conservatives thought was worth investigating. The mainstream media, which had savaged the story during the previous administration, has now accepted the story as a credible theory.
The District 5 House of Representatives primary election contest seems to be heating up a year ahead of time, with a GOP primary brewing in D5 House between up to 3 long-time Republicans, and a former Indy who had been on facebook calling everyone RINO.
While current State Representatives Nancy Yorkand Hugh Bartelsare not barred from running for another term by law until termed out in 2024, two others have come forward and announced their intentions to run for District 5 House in 2022.
Byron Callies, former National Vice-Commander of the American Legion, has announced his intention to run for District 5 in the upcoming election. Byron is a long-time Republican, and if elected would join another member of his family, his daughter & former Republican State Representative Melissa Magstadt in serving in Pierre.
Also joining Callies in announcing a run for District 5 House – and maybe more curiously – is Lucas Kobat, who up until recently was a registered Independent. Kobat declares in his announcement that he is running to “bring conservative representation back to District 5, which has been sorely lacking for sometime.”
I’d tell you go read it all yourself… but interestingly in the less than a year since he started on his crusade to call most Republicans RINO’s, in addition to changing his voter registration to Republican along the way, the Facebook page for his project has been taken down from the social media website. With interesting timing since he announced he was now becoming a politician and running for office.
Most politicians would scrub their social media of controversial content before they run, so it comes as no surprise Kobat appears to have done that very thing.
And coming about the same time he announces he’s now a candidate, we see that for at least one politician, the courage of one’s convictions evaporates pretty quickly.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel launched a podcast this week to talk about the amazing things happening in America and the people who make it work by interviewing policymakers.
In the inaugural edition of the podcast, South Dakota’s own Governor Kristi Noem was her first guest. Ronna & Kristi discuss a number of topics, including America’s freedom, unity, and how Kristi kept South Dakota open during the COVID pandemic.
Following Thune Request, Senate Agriculture Committee to Hold Hearing on Potential Cattle Market Manipulation
“We need to hold the highly concentrated meatpacking industry accountable to both the producers who supply them and the consumers who depend on them, and this hearing marks significant progress.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee agreed to hold a hearing on June 23, 2021, to examine the cattle market, including potential manipulation by meatpackers. This hearing announcement follows a letter that Thune sent to Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman requesting a hearing to consider the challenges facing the livestock industry and the numerous bills that have been introduced that seek to improve the situation. Thune will question hearing witnesses on possible manipulation in the cattle markets and advocate for increased transparency for ranchers and consumers.
“South Dakota cattle producers are some of the hardest working people I know, and they have faced significant hardships that are jeopardizing their ability to stay in business,” said Thune. “I’m glad to see that the Senate Agriculture Committee agreed to my request and is holding a hearing on this important issue next week. We need to hold the highly concentrated meatpacking industry accountable to both the producers who supply them and the consumers who depend on them, and this hearing marks significant progress. While this hearing is a step in the right direction, Justice Department leaders shouldn’t take their foot of the gas. They should continue their investigation, and I will continue urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing as soon as possible, too.”
Thune also recently sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin urging the committee to hold a hearing to look into possible improper and anti-competitive activity in the cattle market. Thune has repeatedly called for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate this matter and recently urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to prioritize this investigation.
“Former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler, who ran for attorney general in 2018 and now serves as the party’s chairman, said things are looking up for Democrats, with President Joe Biden and Democrats in control of both houses of Congress.“
Seiler still says things are looking up? Ermergerd. Which is kind of an ironic thing to say, since their new ED’s name is easily confused with the term. Yes, they’ve hired a new executive director to captain the Titanic… well, to run the South Dakota Democrat party by the name of Berk Ehrmantraut:
“It’s always great to bring a young person back to South Dakota. It is even better to bring back someone who is committed to advancing policies that help working families and building the Democratic party across the state,” said Randy Seiler, chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Ehrmantraut had previously worked in the House Minority office, as noted here where he was raising money from Lobbyists in the State Capitol during session:
Prior to working in the House Minority Office, he had also worked on the Billie Sutton campaign where he gave Sutton lists of people to call for money.
The South Dakota Democrat party needed a new Executive Director, so why not Ehmantraut?
