From the Hill, former Secretary of State Colin Powell has died from COVID 19:
“General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19. He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment,” the Powell family said in a statement posted to Facebook.
A branch of the ACLU filing a brief to limit people’s freedom of speech? That’s messed up.
From Twitter:
I read this ACLU brief. This is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that ACLU is explicitly arguing in court that the First Amendment’s free speech clause has been interpreted *too broadly* by courts, and are advocating *a more restrictive view* of what free speech means. https://t.co/RKfmDVLGw7
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 17, 2021
The Marty Jackley for Attorney General campaign has sent out another fundraiser announcement, this time for Thursday October 20th in Rapid City with over 100 event sponsors.
Again, they’re contributions of $1000 per couple, with a lot of familiar names.
I had written about Taffy Howard signing on to this document earlier, but it looks like the other half of the self-titled “Dynamic Duo,” State Senator and awful person Julie Frye-Mueller has joined Rep. Howard in calling for the 2020 election to be investigated, decertified, and remanded to the House of Representatives:
Two South Dakota legislators — Republican Reps. Julie Frye-Mueller and Taffy Howard — signed this. https://t.co/jdPG1beGW4
— Kevin Woster (@KevinWoster) October 17, 2021
MikeRounds3qFEC by Pat Powers on Scribd
Senator Mike Rounds is not in cycle right now, and just came off of a campaign, so fundraising isn’t a priority at the moment.
(And when you’ve got about $1.5 Million in the bank, the pressure isn’t there to start doing heavy lifting in terms of raising cash.)
BFM Commissioner Liza Clark to Step Down at End of Year
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Liza Clark, Governor Noem’s Chief of Finance and Commissioner of the South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management (BFM), announced her resignation, effective at the end of the year.
“I admire Liza’s hard work, tenacity, and long dedication to keeping South Dakota’s fiscal house in order,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Over her time as BFM Commissioner, she helped provide funding for crucial projects across the state while growing our budget reserves by 92%. She is a tremendous steward of taxpayer dollars, and we’ll miss having her on the team.”
Liza has served as BFM Commissioner since December 2016, spanning both the Noem and the Daugaard administrations. Her sixteen years of service to the state include more than two years as a policy advisor for Governor Daugaard, six years as Chief Budget Analyst at BFM, one year as Senior Budget Analyst at BFM, and two years as a Budget Analyst at BFM.
“I’m honored that Governor Noem asked me to serve on her executive team and lead BFM for the last three years. Due to all the challenges we’ve encountered, nothing about the budget has been normal, but South Dakota is in a phenomenal financial situation as a result of our approach,” said Liza Clark, BFM Commissioner. “My kids are only going to be little for so long, and I’m looking forward to striking a better work-life balance. The team at BFM is second to none, and it’s been such a privilege to work with them over the past 16 years. I’m comfortable moving on because I know the state is in great hands.”
A South Dakota native, Liza graduated from Miller High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Northern State University and a master’s of business administration from the University of South Dakota.
Liza and her husband Zach, a small business owner, live in Ft. Pierre with their two daughters. Liza enjoys spending time with her family, playing a variety of sports, and having fun on the Missouri River.
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From Twitter:
Stopped by Nick’s Hamburgers, a Brookings favorite, for … you guessed it, one of their amazing burgers.
Father-son team Todd and Cody cook up a great cheeseburger.
And to make the stop even better, I ran into Kimberley’s Uncle Joe. pic.twitter.com/2Ww5C6rzVQ— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) October 15, 2021
An Ode to the Pheasant Capital of the World
By Sen. John Thune
For many South Dakotans, the third Saturday of October is Christmas morning’s toughest competition. Opening weekend is a time when friends and loved ones can come together, enjoy a beautiful fall weekend, and hopefully bag a few ringnecks in the “pheasant capital of the world.”
I know I’m not alone when I say this unofficial holiday is circled on my calendar every year. For me, this has always been a family experience. I’m forever grateful to my dad for instilling this South Dakota tradition in me and my siblings. And I’m even more grateful to be able to pass this tradition down to future generations.
The hunt itself can sometimes be overshadowed by the anticipation – digging up the blaze orange, cleaning shotguns, and telling stories about seasons past. It’s all part of the tradition, and it never gets old.
It’s hard to picture what fall in South Dakota would be like without hunting ringnecks. For hotels, restaurants, sporting goods stores, and hardware stores, opening weekend signifies weeks and months of hard work and preparation. Folks from around the world travel to South Dakota to experience pheasant hunting season, and they bring hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity with them.Small businesses across the state depend on the revenue generated from the influx of hunters and out-of-town visitors throughout the season.
This may be obvious, but without pheasants, there’s no pheasant hunting. A key contributor to South Dakota’s pheasant population is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which was created to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and increase wildlife habitat. Now, CRP has evolved into a 20+ million-acre program that saves millions of tons of soil from erosion and improves water quality so pheasants can adequately nest and raise their young. CRP also provides a sound economic alternative to placing expensive seed, fertilizer, and chemicals on high-risk marginal land. As a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and a lifelong hunter, I am a strong supporter of CRP and grateful for the farmers and landowners who participate in the program.
Hunting season in South Dakota is a special time of year. I hope folks are able to carve out some time in the next few months to get outside and partake in this timeless tradition. I wish all the hunters a safe and successful season.
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Pheasant Season is Here
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
October 15, 2021
Break out your blaze orange vests; pheasant season is back again in South Dakota!
As the leaves begin to turn and the air turns crisp, I am taken back to the many fall afternoons I’ve spent walking fields in the hopes of flushing a rooster. Like many South Dakotans, I cherish the great memories made during the tradition of sportsmanship with my family and friends.
The success of pheasant hunting in South Dakota is a testament to how private enterprise and local government can work together to promote both economic development and wildlife conservation.
Effective management of our pheasant populations has turned what was already a long-standing pastime into a real driver of economic growth for the state. From lodging to licenses, pheasant hunting generated $218 million for South Dakota in 2018. Overall, outdoor recreation generates an estimated $1.3 billion in economic activity annually.
It is equally important to remember that as sportsmen, it is our duty to preserve our state’s wildlife and natural resources for future generations. The South Dakota Department of Tourism has renewed its partnership with Pheasants Forever, a nonprofit organization dedicated to habitat conservation to ensure that South Dakota remains the “Pheasant Capital of the World” for years to come.
While many in Washington are pushing for increased environmental regulations across the board, South Dakota has shown how successful a local approach can be to wildlife management. Our pragmatic approach is the reason so many people can experience and enjoy one of South Dakota’s greatest traditions.
Happy opening weekend, South Dakota!