Author: @SoDakCampaigns

The beginning of September brings us to Labor Day weekend and the start of Workforce Development Month across the country.

While America celebrates a national holiday, South Dakota has even more to celebrate. Our state has shown the rest of the country what hard work can do for an economy. In South Dakota, we have less than 700 people on unemployment, because we stayed open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t shut down a single business. When the President offered elevated unemployment benefits, we were the only state that said, “No, thank you.” There are often unknowns when making decisions as Governor, but I knew that South Dakotans wanted to work – so it comes as no surprise to me that we are one of the hardest working states in America.

There are over 467,400 employed South Dakotans that contribute to our economic and social growth every single day when they go to work. We also have a much higher rate of people who hold multiple jobs than most of the rest of the country. We don’t tax our people’s incomes, which can be a discouragement to work. We have the strongest work ethic of any state, and this strengthens our already strong economy by filling important jobs and increasing our average household income.

All of these aspects of our labor force attract businesses, diversify our economy, and continue to make South Dakota the best state in the nation to do business. We were already one of the best states to start a small business because of our low taxes and lack of a state income tax or business income tax. The affordability of living in South Dakota also makes it easier to raise a family and for bold thinkers to kickstart their ideas.

As I traveled the state this week and visited about a dozen businesses, I heard tremendous feedback from our top industry leaders. They are growing and are able to expand here, and businesses continue to choose South Dakota as a location for their new facilities. I know this is in part because of our low tax structure, but also because of our hardworking citizens.

Not laying down mandates, letting businesses choose to stay open, and refusing to accept unneeded federal aid were different ways to approach the pandemic at the time, but it’s truly the way our founders envisioned this country would look. Our approach to challenges and our way of life are bringing hope to the rest of the country. We’ve got people moving to South Dakota in record numbers. We are expected to outpace the nation through 2030. This inbound migration will continue to grow our workforce and attract more businesses to join us.

This Labor Day weekend, I want to celebrate all that South Dakota’s workforce has done for our economy. I also want to welcome all of the new and incoming members to our workforce. You are part of the growth of our already thriving economy, and you are moving here because you value the same thing we do: Freedom.

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Outgoing Secretary of State Steve Barnett appears to be landing on his feet, and is reported to be a finalist for City Manager in Benson, Minnesota:

Current South Dakota Secretary of State Steve Barnett is one of three finalists for the job of Benson City Manager. According to The Swift County Monitor News, Barnett is in the running for the job, along with outgoing Olivia City Administrator Dan Coughlin and Clarkfield City Administrator Christopher Webb.

Read the entire story here at Willmarrradio.com

The last note on salary was $106,280 in 2021, with reports that the job market was forcing the city to offer a higher salary to attract candidates.

Benson is a town of about 3500 between Milbank, SD and Willmar, MN.

This week Glacial Lakes Energy and Summit Carbon Solutions held a media day to answer questions and give reporters and elected officials a chance to learn more about ethanol production facilities, and the challenges that renewable energy producers face in reducing their carbon footprint for an industry that provides a active market for agriculture production while exporting hundreds of millions of gallons of ethanol annually from South Dakota.

State Legislators from Districts 1, 3 and 25 were in attendance with county officials from the region for the event at the Glacial Lakes Energy facility just outside of Mina, South Dakota, where organizational representatives provided an overview of the Mina facility, one of four operating (Aberdeen, Mina, Watertown & Huron) under the Glacial Lakes Energy group. The Mina facility currently takes in 35 million bushels of corn annually to produce 100 million gallons per year, with Aberdeen producing approximately 49 Million gallons of ethanol, Huron 33 Million, and Watertown producing 100 Million Gallons of Ethanol annually.

Staff from Glacial Lakes Energy provided a tour of the facility, which provided a sense of the immense scale of the project. Below, you can see images as participants viewed the dry distiller’s processing building where dried distillers grains (DDGs) have emerged as a key ethanol co-product. As part of the presentation, staff noted that they have had to expand to keep pace with production, as during one inclement winter, weather prevented regular loads from being hauled away as scheduled, and they had to shut down production due to filling the building to capacity.

The tour also took participants into the area where grains are off loaded, with a constant stream of trucks feeding production.

Glacial Lakes CEO Jim Seurer explained further about the operation, and why it their participation in the Summit Carbon pipeline is important for reduction of their carbon score:

Presently, as a by-product of ethanol production, carbon dioxide is scrubbed at their facility, and after processing, released back into the carbon cycle, including into the atmosphere. Seurer noted that one of the challenges South Dakota Ethanol producers face is that as an exporter of energy, partners in some states are seeking sources with a lower CI (Carbon Index) score as part of their production process. While they can change some of their equipment out, and move the needle a few points, the Summit Carbon Pipeline will more than double the impact of removing Co2 in comparison to current scrubbing methods, reducing the environmental impact and keeping access to those markets who are increasing their standards for being carbon neutral.

As noted, participating with the Summit Carbon Solution pipeline allows them to reduce their carbon footprint by locking the Co2 into geologic storage, as explained by the fact sheet from Summit Carbon Solutions:

Benefits on the Summit Carbon Solutions Pipeline Project were explained by Summit Carbon’s Chief Commercial Officer Jim Pirolli:

Biggest takeaways from the presentations for me were the scale of the economic development that ethanol production has provided in the state, and will continue to provide with 11,000 jobs being added for pipeline creation.

As part of the Summit project, they currently have over 160 miles of pipeline easement already done in South Dakota, with over 300 state landowners who have signed on of about 800 landowners total, for a project that benefits the entire midwest, with 32 ethanol plants across 5 states participating in the project.

The word I’m hearing from those involved in the project is that they anticipate that they are on track to have a majority of South Dakota landowners sign on by the end of the year, and possibly even more checking off the box to allow the project to move forward by that time.

Unfortunately, there seems to be the same resistance to any development of our energy resources in the state, such as with coal and wind energy. It’s a troubling trend where any efforts at energy production, where renewable energy projects are being fought as hard as sources such as coal and oil.  If we want cheap and reliable energy for our homes and our vehicles, we need to encourage the development of our domestic resources.

As we seek to expand access to those traditional and renewable sources of energy, ignorance is the enemy of progress. That’s why outreach efforts such as this one from Glacial Lakes and Summit Carbon are important. The more the public is educated about what they do there, and why they’re moving forward, the brighter our state’s future can be.

Came across a great paper item I bought on eBay the other day with the 1948 slate of South Dakota Republican Candidates. As someone who designs this kind of material for candidates and groups, I find it interesting to see how political campaigning was presented in our state nearly 75 years ago with names that are familiar, and some who have lapsed from the public’s awareness:

The full GOP ticket as noted in the brochure that year was..

• Thomas Dewey – President
• Earl Warren – Vice President
• Karl Mundt – US Senate
• Harold Lovre – Congress (1st)
• Francis Case – Congress (2nd)
• George Mickelson – Gov
• Rex Terry – Lt. Gov
• Sig Anderson – AG
• Annamae Riiff – SOS
• Stee Anderson – Auditor
• Clarence Buehler – Treasurer
• Bernard Linn – School & Lands
• Fred Lindekugel – PUC

And happy to note that all were successful in their election efforts in the state.  (Dewey & Warren fell short elsewhere.)

I hadn’t caught it until someone pointed it out today but semi-professional protester Tiffany Campbell was in Sioux Falls this week trying to cause a fuss at a Kristi Noem campaign event, alongside someone who has her own interesting back story:

Leah Bothamley of Spearfish and Tiffany Campbell of Sioux Falls approached the governor as she prepared to enter Golf Addiction, where a “Food Truck Tuesday” event was on offer.

and..

Bothamley said she was tipped off that Noem would be at Golf Addiction, so she decided to drive across the state to talk with her.

It was a chance to get into “good trouble,” Bothamley told The Daily beast, quoting the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis.

and..

Campbell is no political novice, nor is she new to confrontation. She said she has been arrested four times in Washington, D.C.—three times while protesting against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, and once during a protest in favor of trans rights.

Read that story here.

The story leaves a bit out when it mentions that Campbell is not “new to confrontation.”  Because just a couple of years ago, her “confrontations” seemed to be as much about raising money for her activities as being disruptive:

As noted back then, this kind of nonsense makes a good case for why a riot boosting law was a good idea.    But Campbell wasn’t alone in her attention seeking behavior, as she was accompanied by Leah Bothamley of Spearfish.  Who seems to be just a treat herself.

So Leah Bothamley was talking about how she wanted to get into “good trouble” in the article?  Because she’s got several instances of the opposite:

While the story concedes that Campbell has been arrested multiple times for protesting, it leaves out the parts about protester Bothamley’s arrests where she’s currently defending felony drug and misdemeanor assault charges.

This pair trying to raise a ruckus at a Noem stop seems to be more about a grab for attention than actually accomplishing anything.

And in the case of one of them, I don’t think I’d be seeking any more trouble, good or otherwise. Seems like she’s got plenty of trouble to deal with already.

In his first outing writing for alternative newspaper Dakota Scout, Jon Ellis reports Dusty Johnson’s lament that some of his colleagues aren’t hitting on all their cylinders.

South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson said Tuesday that some members of Congress don’t have the mental faculties to physically know where they are when they are casting votes in the U.S. House.

“I serve with dozens of members in the House who are not with it,” he said.

Read the entire story here.

Not thinking that makes me more confident in Washington. Especially considering the person in the White House.

Kristi for Governor Announces “Businesses for Noem”

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched “Businesses for Noem,” a coalition of more than 100 businesses across South Dakota supporting Governor Kristi Noem in her reelection efforts.

“South Dakota is the most ‘Open for Business’ state in the nation,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “With me, people know what you will get – small government and less regulation. I have never closed businesses. I keep taxes low and cut red tape to allow our businesses to succeed.”

If you and your business wish to join “Businesses for Noem,” click here to sign up.

The more than 100 businesses included in the initial launch of “Businesses for Noem” include:

Business
A & A Water Services	Rapid City
AAA Rapid Storage	Rapid City
Aberle Photos	Rapid City
All Points Travel	Milbank
Alpine Inn	Hill City
American Benefits Agency	Rapid City
Americas Best Value Inn	Hot Springs
Assman Implement	Mission
Beckski’s Motorwerks	Deadwood
Black Hills Harley Davidson	Rapid City
Black Hills Welding & Fab	Belle Fourche
Book Your Billboard	Sioux Falls
Bridle Ridge Horse & RV Camp	Custer
Buche Auto Parts	Pine Ridge
Buche Foods	Gregory
Buche Foods	Wagner
Buche Foods	Mission
Buche Foods	Pine Ridge
Buche Foods	Oacoma
Buche Foods	Sisseton
Buche Hardware	Martin
Buche Hardware	Pine Ridge
Buche Hardware	Sisseton
Buche Hardware	Winner
Buckstorm LLC	Rapid City
Buffalo Chip	Sturgis
Byrne Companies	Sioux Falls
Cammack Ranch Supply	Union Center
Canyon Lake Resort	Rapid City
Cedar Pine Construction Inc.	Sturgis
Charo Automotive & U-Haul	Box Elder
Chauncey Phillips Trucking	New Underwood
Cole-Tac	Rapid City
Conrads Big “C” Electric	Rapid City
CyberClimb LLC	Hartford
Dakota Archery & Outdoor Sports	Yankton
Dakota Butcher	Pierre
Dakota Sales & Rental LLC	Corsica
Dave Hahler Automotive Inc	Webster
Didactic Productions	Sioux Falls
Downtown Dental	Rapid City
Dream Design International Inc.	Rapid City
Dustin Sinner Fine Art, Inc.	Watertown
Fuel Lift	Black Hawk, SD
G J Holsworth & Son Lawn Inc	Rapid City
Gators Pizza	Pierre
GE Associates, Inc.	Martin
Grossenburg Implement, Inc.	Winner
Growing Businesses Solutions LLC	Spearfish
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Lake Nades
Gus Stop Convenience Store	White River
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Mission
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Wanblee
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Wagner
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Mission
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Winner
Gus Stop Convenience Store	Gregory
H & T Bies Cattle Company	Fairburn, SD
Hilltop Steakhouse	Greenville
Hoffman Angus Ranch	Eureka
Holy Smokes Resort	Keystone, SD
Iron Horse Properties LLC	Hill City
Iverson Chrysler Center	Mitchell
Joes Place Bar and Grille	Rapid City
Joseph Global LLC.	Rapid City
LEAP SD LLC	Rapid City
Left Turn Haulers LLC	Rapid City
Lewis and Clark Resort	Yankton
LIV Hospitality LLC	Rapid City
ML Portraits	Watertown
Mt. Rushmore Brewing Company	Custer
Mystic Mountain Landscapes	Rapid City
Newell Sheep Yards	Newell
PCS Biotech Services	Pierre
Phillips Trucking	Owanka
Pickerel Lake Lodge	Greenville
Potter Shoe Co.	Huron
Premium Dakota Beef	Goodwin
Quality Auto	Rapid City
Rapid Fire Protection	Rapid City
RD Johnson Construction Company	Sturgis
Regional Foot Clinic	Rapid City
Rohly’s Bar	Aberdeen
Sage Brush Salon	Faith
Scull Construction
SD Tactical Arms	Whitewood
Sign Pro	Watertown
Silver Eagle Consulting	Lead
Soundbody	Sioux Falls
Springs Coffee	Hot Springs
St. Onge Livestock	St. Onge
Steven Cutler Family Farm LLC	Claremont
Structure Properties LLC	Watertown
Sturgis Guns	Sturgis
Subway	Gregory
Taco John’s	Mission
Tangles & Turquoise Salon & Boutique	Howes
The Johnson Tree Company
Thrive Family Chiropractic	Rapid City
Thunderstik Lodge	Chamberlain
Vifquain Construction	Rapid City
Vision Ag LLC	Goodwin
Dave Alden Welding	Rapid City
Western Hills Painting
Willys Bar and Grille	Hot Springs
Winner Welding and Machine, Inc.	Winner
Y-L Saddlery	Hot Springs

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Mayor Steve Allender just made things interesting for next years’ Rapid City Mayoral Contest, as he has announced he will not be a candidate for the office in 2023:

After serving two terms as mayor of South Dakota’s second largest city, Steve Allender confirmed to KOTA Territory News that he does not plan to seek re-election in 2023.

“One of my favorite questions people ask me is whether or not we have term limits in Rapid City,” Allender said in an interview. “And I tell them, no, we don’t need them. There is a natural length to things, and people become resistant to the same old faces and the same old ideas.”

Read the entire story here.

It’s almost as good a position as the Sioux Falls Mayor if one wanted to raise their profile for future office, as it spans 5 legislative districts in the State’s only other media market of any size.

This could shape up to be a big one.

Kristi for Governor Launches Two New Ads

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched a multi-week, six-figure ad buy featuring two new commercials. “LetRide” features Al Rieman, owner of Black Hills Harley Davidson, telling how Governor Noem’s leadership has been crucial to his business’s success. “C’mon Man – Educate, Don’t Indoctrinate” compares Rep. Jamie Smith’s liberal voting record to President Joe Biden, especially in the area of Critical Race Theory (CRT).

“Governor Noem’s actions were crucial to keeping the state open – to keeping our business open,” Al Rieman says in the “Let Freedom Ride” ad. “If we had lived under the mandates that were in a lot of other states, it could have shut our business down. I will be supporting Governor Noem, a quintessential South Dakotan.”

In 2021, Black Hills Harley Davidson led the world in Harley sales and broke the record for most revenue in one year at a Harley dealership. In her 2022 State of the State Address, Governor Noem also noted that “In the middle of a dangerous wildfire near Rapid City earlier this year, Black Hills Harley allowed their store to be used as the headquarters for the fire response. They gave our firefighters and first responders free use of their facilities and didn’t ask for anything in return.”

“Jamie Smith even voted to bring CRT to our kids’ classrooms,” the new version of the “C’mon Man” ad states. “Say ‘No’ to Jamie Smith.”

Under Governor Noem’s unwavering conservative leadership, South Dakota is thriving. Because of the Governor’s refusal to accept one-size-fits-all, big government overreach, South Dakota has the best economy in the nation, leads the nation in personal income growth, ranks number for new housing development, and our schoolchildren lead the nation in educational outcomes.

“South Dakota businesses are growing, thriving, and even setting records under Governor Noem’s principled leadership,” said Ian Fury, Communications Director at Kristi for Governor. “While Jamie Smith wants to allow divisive ideas like Critical Race Theory to infiltrate our classrooms, Governor Noem will continue focusing on making South Dakota the strongest state in America.”

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Gov. Noem Pledges to Keep Elections Free and Fair

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to the South Dakota State Legislature, thanking them for their continued emphasis on free and fair elections in South Dakota.  In the letter, Governor Noem promised to continue working with legislators on election integrity in the upcoming legislative session. You can read the Governor’s letter here.

“It is our duty as elected officials to deliver free and fair elections — the people of South Dakota deserve no less. Those elections must have integrity,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Our American form of government is built on the people’s voice, which they speak at the ballot box.”

Governor Noem was responding to a letter received from 24 state legislators last week. In their letter, the group of legislators praised the Governor’s past leadership in preserving the state’s election integrity. The Governor thanked lawmakers for their help in those efforts.

“I appreciate the attention of the legislature on this important issue, and I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together to strengthen South Dakota’s already excellent election laws,” continued Governor Noem.

Earlier this year, Governor Noem signed a ban on “Zuck Bucks” in South Dakota, prohibiting private funding of election costs.

Governor Noem stated that all elections in South Dakota should be conducted in a transparent fashion. She said the public needs to have faith in the voting process.

“That also includes ensuring that the right to vote is not tainted by illegal ballot harvesting or improperly ‘stuffed” ballot boxes,” wrote Governor Noem.