Toby Doeden campaign appears to be off and rolling, as new staffer from California claims to be reaching out to legislators on his behalf.

Hot off the press.. Apparently 4% Toby Doeden may have hired people to help him run for Governor, at least, according to one kid identifying himself as “Grant Santos.” Young Mr. Santos claims he’s working for the Doeden campaign, and is now sending out text messages to legislators to ask them to talk with them about who they would be supporting for Governor.

Interesting. If he’s working for Toby, young Mr. Santos may want to consider changing his profile picture where he’s proudly standing side by side with Governor Rhoden:

And really.. From California?

We already need to get rid of “California” Carley.  Someone should tell Toby not to put any more California into our South Dakota political races!

Attorney General Jackley Warns Consumers Again Of Toll Road Text Message Scam

(Good advice – I’ve gotten this text twice this week! – pp)

Attorney General Jackley Warns Consumers Again Of Toll Road Text Message Scam

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley warns consumers that a familiar text message scam, where people are ordered to pay a tax for traveling on South Dakota’s roads and bridges, has been reported again in the state.

“The Toll Road Text Message scam preys on a person’s honesty,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Several citizens have been scammed into sending money after being threatened with fines or other penalties for not paying an overdue, phony toll.”

Scam toll road text messages have been reported statewide this week. Attorney General Jackley’s Consumer Protection Division said the toll road text message, first seen in South Dakota earlier this year, does not say what state the toll is from, and the amount is not displayed until the consumer opens the link.

South Dakota’s Department of Transportation, on its website, reminds the public that all South Dakota state-owned roads and bridges are toll free.

The Consumer Protection Division also offers these other tips to consumers:

  • *** Question why an unfamiliar text message has your number.
  • *** Do not click onto suspicious links or accept downloads.
  • *** Do not give into high pressured tactics to resolve “the issue.” Stop, take a moment, and review all information.
  • *** Find the official number of the agency that supposedly messaged you and call to confirm the information.
  • *** Don’t provide money or personal information via telephone or internet to an individual or organization that you don’t know or haven’t verified.
  • *** Be wary of any caller who tells you not to tell anyone else about the call.
  • *** Talk to someone you trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.

Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of this, or any other scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/, You may be helping someone else out by reporting what you’ve encountered.

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Don’t forget 4% Toby’s campaign against the prison project moving forward.

In addition to House Leadership forcing a prison construction project do-over after $50 million had already been spent on the Lincoln County site, there’s another pressure campaign that should come to mind.

It isn’t just Pepperidge Farms that remembers, but so does former State Senator Erin Tobin:

and in case you can’t recall what Erin remembers, here’s just a couple of the facebook posts documenting what the man with a basketball court in his house & who flies a jet between Aberdeen and Pierre was complaining about being luxurious prison overspending by the state:

How far back was Doeden and his PAC actively campaigning with that line of thinking?

That seemed like… about A BILLION dollars ago..

Remember when House Leadership blew up the prison project already in process, costing South Dakota taxpayers another BILLION?

In case you saw the headlines today…

“The potential construction costs of these recommendations (not including the demolition of SDSP) are expected to be between $1.9 to $2.1 billion,” according to the report, which calls for building up to three different prison complexes over the next decade, putting the blame squarely on the state’s incarceration rates.

Read that here.

Don’t forget what happened the last legislative session, and who spearheaded the death of that bill:

A legislative maneuver meant to secure funding and continue discussion on an $825 million men’s prison failed by two votes Friday in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

The vote on House Bill 1025 was 34-35, with one member absent and a majority of 36 votes required for passage. The House could vote on whether to reopen debate when lawmakers return to Pierre next week.

The vote throws the future of the massive prison project into question, and could chart a path to easing some of the state’s financial strain in a year where lawmakers are pondering cuts and swatting back funding requests.

and..

Lems was the first to speak against the amended version of the bill. She rattled off questions about the prison’s rural location and a pending lawsuit over that location, unknown costs for roads and ongoing operations, and on a price tag she sees as too high.

and..

House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said some of the unspent prison money could ultimately be placed into the prison fund, where it earns interest.

Read that all here.

As opposed to getting a darn prison built with the plan already in motion, House leadership and their allies killed moving the project forward. Aaanndd… now we find out that because of the delays and fooling around, it’s likely going to cost taxpayers another billion… with a B.

Weren’t some of them complaining that it was somehow “a ritz-carlton” prison?  I know Logan Manhart parroted that line. Well, come to find out it was more of a Motel 6 prison, and they’ve caused the cost to double.

State Representative Taylor Rehfeldt, who pushed for the funding to move forward this past winter session was very prescient:

Republican Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, who requested the reconsideration, said questions have been answered. She said it’s “very clear” South Dakota needs a new prison. She said it “absolutely” will be expensive at $825 million and said it “probably” would be more if delayed, regardless where the location is.

The guaranteed maximum price expires on March 31.

Read that here.

And we let that locked in maximum blow away with the South Dakota wind less than 60 days ago.

Don’t like the new predicted cost? You can thank House Leadership for the cost doubling. Thanks guys!

Release: Project Prison Reset Task Force Shares Consultant Report

Project Prison Reset Task Force Shares Consultant Report

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the Project Prison Reset task force shared the completed consultant report by Arrington Watkins. You can find the consultant report here.

“This new third-party report confirms what our task force concluded: that the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls has reached the end of its useful life,” said Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen, who chairs the task force. “The report also found that our system is overcrowded and requires a new facility and, absent changes in law, we can expect this problem to get even worse over time.”

Arrington Watkins’ report specifically analyzed the state of our current system, including the South Dakota State Penitentiary, the Jameson Prison Annex, and the Sioux Falls Minimum Center. The consultant will evaluate potential sites for a new prison in the second phase.

The task force was announced by Governor Larry Rhoden in February. You can find information about past Project Prison Reset meetings here.

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Gov. Rhoden Signs Hours of Service Waiver to Bring Relief for Fuel Supply

Gov. Rhoden Signs Hours of Service Waiver to Bring Relief for Fuel Supply

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed Executive Order 2025-05 granting an hours of service waiver for certain liquid products being transported through South Dakota.

The 14-day order exempts delivery of gasoline, or gasoline blends, diesel, fuel oil, ethanol, propane, jet fuel, and biodiesel from federal motor carrier regulations regarding drivers’ hours of service. The waiver will address supply shortages being reported in the state by businesses and residents.

Although hours of service have been temporarily suspended for commercial deliveries, companies may not require or allow fatigued drivers to make deliveries. All other road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply.

The executive order is consistent with other states in the region, including Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, who currently have similar waivers in effect. The executive order expires at midnight on May 29, 2025.

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I had forgotten about this slogan. This completely and utterly overused campaign slogan.

Remember a few weeks ago when I was amused that the Hansen/Lems campaign switched out one clichéd slogan for a new cliché to use as their slogan?

Which they appeared to find at hobby lobby?

I just had someone asking me for a political pin which I was digging for, and I came across this from one of the least memorable campaigns in state history, the official Mark Mowry for US Senate 2022 bumper sticker:

I don’t seem to recall that he did very well in that primary election.  (Probably because he too was getting his slogan from Hobby Lobby).

 

Attorney General Jackley Announces Former State Government Employee Sentenced in Department of Revenue Fraud Case

Attorney General Jackley Announces Former State Government Employee Sentenced in Department of Revenue Fraud Case

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former state Department of Revenue employee has been sentenced on a misdemeanor count of Misprison of a Felony.

Danielle Degenstein, 52, of Pierre entered her guilty plea Tuesday in Hughes County Circuit Court. She was granted a suspended imposition of sentence with one year in jail suspended, one year of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, and court costs.

“This defendant violated the public’s trust by not reporting a coworker’s criminal activity,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I will continue to lead the effort to protect our taxpayers and maintain transparency in bringing forth violations of the public’s trust.”

Degenstein was investigated for knowing, and not reporting, that a Department of Revenue employee forged a power of attorney document for that employee’s financial gain.

The case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.

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