New York Times gossipy article trying to whip up palace intrigue in South Dakota.

The New York Times has an article which has been mirrored over on Yahoo news about Governor Kristi Noem’s high profile as a result of her successful actions managing the COVID crisis, as well as the spectacular 4th of July event at Mt. Rushmore with the President.

What’s the national media to do with a Republican Governor who seems to be doing everything right and has a heightened profile? Write a gossip column:

Her efforts have paid off, as evidenced by the news-driving celebration at Mount Rushmore. Yet Noem’s attempts to raise her profile have not been without complications. And they illustrate the risks in political maneuvering with a president who has little restraint when it comes to confidentiality, and a White House that shares his obsession about, and antenna for, palace intrigue.

and..

It was her star turn at Mount Rushmore, though, that has gotten Republicans talking and been a boon to South Dakota tourism, the state’s second-largest industry.

Recognizing the president’s immense interest in the monument, Noem worked with his Interior Department to ensure there would be fireworks for the celebration, a long-standing priority for Trump. There had been no fireworks there for the previous decade because of environmental and fire-risk concerns.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Noem went on Laura Ingraham’s show on Fox News to make clear she was expecting to “have a large event” for the president and would not require social distancing or masks.

Then, as the president sat watching her remarks in a bunting-wrapped box just offstage, she praised America as a place where someone who was “just a farm kid” could become “the first female governor of South Dakota.”

Read the entire story here.

When did the New York Times become US Magazine?  There’s lots of unattributed gossip trying to make it seem like Governor Noem is jockeying for position, when it’s a lot of silly talk.  If Kristi wanted to be in Washington, she would have ran for Congress again. But she didn’t, no matter how many people are whispering.

The Governor is doing her job managing the state and doing what she can to promote South Dakota in this weird COVID time.   Due to our sparse population, we’re uniquely positioned for tourism and business. I can’t imagine any Governor not doing what they can to leverage any advantage we have to our state’s benefit.  Good for Kristi being recognized and raising our state’s profile. We’ll take that.

As for the hyperventilating media, maybe they should go stalk a Kardashian or something.

Bizarre team-up between Losing Republican Kevin Quick and Indy Candidate Brian Gentry continues.

There’s a couple of examples of an interesting phenomena occurring along the campaign trail this year in the run up to the general election. in at least two instances, there are independent candidates who are not actively touting their independence, but rather doing their darnedest to try to be Republican without actually running as a Republican.

I had touched on the team up of District 35 Independent State Senate Candidate Brian Gentry, who seems to be running one of this fall’s weirdest campaigns, and defeated primary candidate/one of Pennington County’s Most Wanted, Kevin Quick early last month:

Since that July 6 post, It’s not just Quick claiming a team up. Gentry recently reiterated their scheme in an interview with South Dakota Public Broadcasting which whipsaws between a robotically read and inauthentic script, to just plain weirdness.

SDPB: “Tell a little bit about… Why Independent, for example.. Why not align with one of the political parties?”

Gentry: “I was born and raised.. uh been a Republican my entire life.. understand the Re-bib-lican platform. Understand what it means. Definitely wanted to protect the seat in this particular instance. There was another candidate running at the same time I was. And we wanted to protect the seat to make sure we put the right person in that chair.”

“As you mentioned at the beginning of this call, Lynne DiSanto, Former Legislator did.. ah.. did recommend me for this position late last year.. for whatever reason.. whatever the case may have been at that point.. I was not put in at position as an appointee. So, at this point I just wanted to secure the seat. Make sure that the right person was put in there, and allow the person before me to go.. to go on through the process that she was a little further long than I was.”

“So, definitely showed some integrity there, but definitely wanted to make sure we secured the seat properly.”

Listen to the entire interview here.

Why do Gentry and Quick seem to assert some weird property right on a state legislative seat? I hate to ask, but who does Gentry consider the plural “we,” in the part where he says “to make sure we put the right person in that chair?”   

Because when I checked, no one owns a legislative seat. And these two ding-dongs might want to consider that there has been one group who spoke quite definitively about who “the right person was to put in the chair:”

(From Ballotpedia.)  The Republican voters of District 35 pondered the question, and voted on nearly a 3 to 1 basis that the right person to put in the chair was current State Senator Jessica Castleberry.  That’s a pretty definitive voice speaking loudly.  Regardless of Quick or Gentry claiming some ownership right.

If you agree with the Republican Voters in District 35 that Jessica Castleberry is the right person to put in that chair, I’d encourage you to go over to Jessica’s website and support her candidacy.

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Safeguarding South Dakota’s Top Industry

Safeguarding South Dakota’s Top Industry
By Sen. John Thune

While most sectors of our economy were thriving before the coronavirus pandemic hit, farmers and ranchers were struggling. Low prices, extended trade disputes, and natural disasters had meant a tough few years for agriculture producers even before the arrival of the coronavirus. So the pandemic has hit farmers and ranchers particularly hard. Agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, and making sure our agriculture producers have what they need to keep feeding our nation – and the world – is one of my top priorities in Washington.

During debate on the CARES Act – our largest coronavirus relief bill to date – I fought to make sure that we included relief for farmers and ranchers. The final bill included $14 billion to replenish the Commodity Credit Corporation, plus an additional $9.5 billion in emergency support to allow the Department of Agriculture to provide income and price support for farmers and ranchers.

Days after the bill passed, I led a bipartisan group of senators and representatives in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging him to use a portion of the funds to provide support for hard-hit cattle producers. In mid-April, the Department of Agriculture responded to that letter and other petitions by announcing that it would issue $16 billion in direct payments to agriculture producers, including livestock producers, affected by the virus. Sign-ups for this funding began at the end of May, and according to the most recent data, South Dakota agriculture producers had received approximately $342 million

The coronavirus relief legislation we passed in late March established the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses to help them keep their employees on their payroll during this crisis. Self-employed Americans, which describes many farmers and ranchers, are eligible for these loans. But in practice, the program’s guidelines have excluded a lot of agriculture producers. Low commodity prices and a challenging planting season meant that many farmers and ranchers had a negative net income in 2019. And right now the program’s guidelines exclude farmers or ranchers without employees with a negative net income for last year.

In June, I introduced the Paycheck Protection for Producers Act, legislation that would allow more farmers to access the Paycheck Protection Program by allowing them to use their 2019 gross income instead of their 2019 net income when applying for a loan. I will continue to advocate for passage of this bill in the Senate, either as part of future coronavirus relief legislation or another bill.

I’m also hoping the Senate will take up my Pandemic Authority Suitable to Utilize Reserve Easements Act – or PASTURE Act – in the near future. This legislation, which I also introduced in June, would provide relief to farmers and ranchers by allowing emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for the duration of this crisis.

Under current law, agriculture producers can hay or graze their CRP acres during weather-related disasters without a reduction in their CRP payments. My legislation would extend that provision to cover pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, farmers and ranchers are having to hold onto their livestock for longer than expected. This bill would help ensure that they have adequate forage for their animals.

Another challenge facing farmers during the pandemic is the drop in fuel demand. This is troubling news for the ethanol industry and for employees at shuttered plants, but also for the broader agriculture and rural economy.

As ethanol producers idle production, they will slow their purchases of corn – which will be grim news for corn farmers, who are anxiously keeping an eye on the approaching fall harvest. In addition to supporting direct relief for biofuels, I recently introduced several bills that would support the industry by approving advanced fuel registrations, updating old emissions data that is holding back exports, and extending emergency Food and Drug Administration guidance to ensure ethanol-based hand sanitizer can continue to help fight the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the vital role American farmers and ranchers play. Without these essential workers, the shortages on shelves during the pandemic would be much worse. We need to ensure that our agriculture producers have the support they need to weather this crisis and continue feeding and fueling our nation. I will continue to do everything I can to help farmers and ranchers through the challenges they’re facing.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: South Dakota: Small World, Big Family

South Dakota: Small World, Big Family
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

South Dakota is a special place. We all know that. It’s where we choose to live, work and raise our kids. It’s where we call home and are surrounded by the people we love, our family.

Last week, I was out in the Black Hills visiting with folks. On my way home to Fort Pierre, I stopped in Philip, as I often do, to grab coffee and see a few familiar faces.

Near the end of our visit, I was stopped by a lady who asked, “You’re that Rounds guy, aren’t ya?” I said, “Yes, I’m Mike.” She told me her name was Lynn and she was from Cavour, a small town outside of Huron. Lynn said her uncle was the late state Representative Bob Glanzer. Bob was my brother Tim’s seatmate in the South Dakota legislature until Bob’s tragic death earlier this year. He was an honorable man and his perspective will be missed in the state legislature. Lynn told me she often enjoys getting together with my cousins while camping so she figured she would stop and say ‘hello’. It’s a “small world” in small town South Dakota.

As we made our way out the door and to our cars, Lynn was joined by the two ladies traveling with her. I asked “Where are you guys heading?” They were headed home because the next day they’d be going to Aberdeen to attend the National Guard welcome home ceremony. I said, “Well you must be going to the welcome home for the 1-147th. I’ll be there, too.”

That’s when I was introduced to Lindsey Friedrichsen, but she won’t be a Friedrichsen for long. Lindsey told me that she was looking forward to welcoming home Specialist Brandon Haber, who left for his ten-month deployment to Europe as her long-term boyfriend. In a lot of cases when folks get deployed, life all but stops for their loved ones back home. But there’s one thing a deployment cannot stop, and that’s love. In this case, Specialist Haber certainly didn’t let it stop him. During Lindsey’s visit to see him in March, Brandon got down on one knee in front of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany and asked her to marry him– a setting fit for a fairytale.

When you activate the National Guard in South Dakota, you not only activate the unit, you activate the community and an entire state. In South Dakota, we’re all so tightly woven together in this “small world” that it feels like we’re part of one big family. Just like a family, we experience the ups and downs of life together. When we lose good people like Bob Glanzer, we cry together. When we see kids like Brandon and Lindsey get engaged, we feel overjoyed together. And when our troops come home from a tour overseas, we all breathe a sigh of relief together.

Maybe I’m biased, but life doesn’t get much better than living in South Dakota. In larger places like California, New York or DC, you don’t come across genuine “small world” connections like you do in South Dakota. I’m so proud to call this state my home and be part of this big family.

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Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Attention Students!

Attention Students!
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

South Dakota is home to outstanding universities and technical colleges that are leading the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) fields that so many students are pursuing. These students have an opportunity to receive a first-class education right here in South Dakota.

While South Dakota has a lot of resources for college-aged students pursuing STEM, there’s no reason we shouldn’t expand our reach to the younger generations. That’s why this week, my office announced South Dakota’s first Congressional App Challenge, a digital app competition for middle and high school students across the state.

The Congressional App Challenge was created because Congress recognized STEM and computer science skills are essential for economic growth in the United States. As a nation, we’ve fallen behind on these fronts, and we have a programmer shortage. STEM jobs are high-paying and in high-demand. It’s crucial we maintain American competitiveness – investing in our youth now and encouraging them to acquire these valuable skills will prepare us as a nation as more careers become STEM focused.

This competition is flexible. The Congressional App Challenge accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language, for any platform (desktop/PC, web, mobile, raspberry Pi, etc.). You may not understand what raspberry Pi is, but your middle schooler might.

Since this is a new competition for South Dakota’s students, I need your help to spread the word. Students must register online by September 10th and submit their app by October 19th. That deadline is coming up fast.

You don’t have to be an expert coder to join the competition – we are looking for students of all skill levels, regardless of coding experience.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges in South Dakota and honored by South Dakota’s Congressional office. Winning apps will be featured on display in the U.S. Capitol building and on the Congressional App Challenge website.

I know South Dakota is full of creative students and I’m looking forward to seeing their talents on full display.

To register for the competition, please visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

Governor Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: An Optimistic Outlook

An Optimistic Outlook
By Governor Kristi Noem

Last week, when I was in Sioux Falls to discuss reopening schools with parents and superintendents, I saw a great bulletin board in a 4th grade classroom. It said, “Put your positive pants on.” That message reminded me of a lesson that is often easy to forget: an optimistic outlook can be tremendously helpful when responding to life’s challenges. That’s especially true in the fight against COVID-19.

As we get more and more data about this virus, it’s becoming increasingly clear that most of us aren’t at high risk. This virus has a clear vulnerable population; we know that elderly folks are far more likely to get seriously ill, especially when paired with certain pre-existing health conditions. That leaves about 95% of the population that is not at risk for serious infection. For these folks, we can continue getting back to normal, while making the best decisions for ourselves and our loved ones.

We need to make sure to take care of the vulnerable population, and that starts with good hygiene and social distancing. Our vulnerable friends and family should continue to take extra precautions and to stay home when they are able, and we can all take precautions to avoid spreading the virus to them.

We can also celebrate that we’re getting better at treating COVID-19. This means that even for those who do get seriously sick, our outlook is getting better all the time. Our case fatality rate is dropping, meaning that those who get sick are more likely to recover from the virus than in the past.

Data shows that the antiviral drug Remdesivir substantially reduces the mortality rate and cuts recovery time significantly. Similarly, a study out of Michigan’s Henry Ford Health System indicates that hydroxychloroquine may cut mortality rate for COVID-19 in half. And progress on a vaccine is moving along ahead of schedule.

As we continue planning to reopen schools in the fall, let’s remember that kids are less likely to contract the virus and far less likely to get seriously ill. In fact, science suggests that influenza is a greater risk to kids than COVID-19. If children do contract the virus, data indicates they are less likely to spread it to others.

There is a risk associated with everything that we do in life; more South Dakotans have died from accidental injuries than from COVID-19 in the past 5 months. We mitigate risks by taking proper precautions when we get in our cars, when we operate farm equipment, and when we make choices about what we eat and how much we exercise. The same should be true about life as we get back to normal.

So let’s remember to “put our positive pants on.” We need to emphasize facts, not fear. Let’s tell the story of what works in the fight against this virus, and let’s continue to get through this together.

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Gov. Noem, Sens Thune & Rounds, Congressman Johnson call for Presidential debate in SD before early voting

In a letter yesterday to the Commission on Presidential Debates, South Dakota’s “Big 4” of elected officials called for a Debate to be held in South Dakota before the start of early voting. According to the letter, published on the South Dakota Republican Party’s website:

“As you are aware, presidential debates are a critical part of the electoral process. Unlike television ads or pre-written speeches, debates give Americans a firsthand look at each candidate’s own policies and intellect in an unscripted setting. They allow voters to hear the candidates’ platforms firsthand and give candidates the opportunity to respond to the tough questions at the forefront of every voter’s mind.

Unfortunately, by the time the first presidential debate happens on September 29, 2020, voters in South Dakota will have already started voting 11 days prior. South Dakotans who vote early deserve the same opportunity afforded to voters in other states, which is to hear the two competing visions for our country and make a well-informed decision when casting their vote at the ballot box – especially when one candidate has spent the duration of the campaign avoiding voters and questions from the press.”

As of yet, there is no indication of a response to the letter, which seems to be directed at former Vice-President Joe Biden’s reluctance to answer press questions.

Lisa Rave announces candidacy for District 25 Republican State Senate Nomination

Tonight, Lisa Rave of rural Baltic has announced her intention to run for the nomination to replace State Senator Kris Langer as the Republican candidate for District 25 State Senate.

Langer announced her withdrawal from running for the office this week.  In an announcement sent out tonight, Rave had praise for Senator Langer, noting:

I want to thank Senator Langer for her service to District 25 and the state of South Dakota. Her decision to withdraw from the ballot has presented an opportunity for me to consider public service by representing the people of District 25.

After talking with my family and encouragement from many individuals, I have decided to seek the nomination for the Senate seat in District 25.

I am looking forward to talking about issues important to South Dakota and finding common sense conservative solutions.

Lisa, resides with her husband, Tim, outside of Baltic near the family farm where she grew up. She earned a B.S. in Pharmacy from South Dakota State University and Masters in Business from the University of Sioux Falls. She works as a pharmacist in information technology at Avera with a background in retail and home delivery pharmacy.

Rave served on the South Dakota Board of Pharmacy from 2010 until 2019 and is currently serving as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Heartland Consumers Power District.

Lisa and Tim’s two children, Thea and Mitch and son-in-law John all live in the Sioux Falls area.