Author: Pat Powers

Sounds like the Minnehaha County Central Committee meeting went from bad to chaos today, according to reports.

After 2/3 of the Minnehaha County GOP at the meeting voted to add a motion of no confidence to the agenda, a vote was held where a majority expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of the chair.

No surprise, but I’m hearing they expressed they have no confidence in R. Shawn in a vote that went 28-23, but Tornow declared they could not remove him, and he would be chair until an election was held.

As they moved towards a similar no-confidence vote on the Secretary, a substitute motion for adjournment was called by a Tornow ally which the chair quickly recognized, supposedly without a vote, despite not being through the meeting agenda, because he saw the way this was going.

Tornow’s tenure has been marked by a lack of competence, and that fact has not been missed by a majority of the central committee. He might try to cut off his detractors by adjournment, but R. Shawn might just have been put on notice that his days are numbered.

HEERMANN SEEKS RE-ELECTION TO DISTRICT 7 HOUSE SEAT

Mellissa Heermann announced today her intention to seek re-election to the South Dakota House of Representatives as a Republican in Legislative District 7. Representative Heermann is entering the second year of her first term in office. She is a member of the House Education and Health and Human Services Committees. She was appointed by Speaker Hugh Bartels to serve on the Long-Term Care Summer Study and the Extraordinary Cost Fund Oversight Board during the summer of 2023.

She was also selected, through a competitive application process, to attend and complete the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Heermann was among 39 select lawmakers from across the Midwest chosen to participate in the fellowship program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders.

Heermann commented: “I am grateful to have been selected to participate in the different boards, committees, and training experiences over the interim. They have provided me excellent opportunities to learn and grow in my legislative role.”

Last session, Heermann sponsored bills supporting the development and expansion of adult day services programs, grants to support programs for youth and young adult mental health, and updated cremation regulations. Heermann also voted in support of keeping college tuition affordable, workforce development, and election integrity.

Heermann stated: “It has been a humbling and incredibly rewarding opportunity to represent District 7 in Pierre. It would be a great honor to take all that I have learned this far and apply it to another term. I will continue to focus on legislation that is clear and beneficial to District 7 and South Dakota.”

In Lake Preston, Heermann previously served on the City Council and as Mayor. She then served on the Brookings School Board for six years. While on the School Board, Heermann spent four of her six years there in a leadership role, either as Vice President or President. She is a graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an International Business degree. Additionally, in 2020 Heermann received her Masters of Operations Management from South Dakota State University.

The South Dakota Attorney General has released his brief provided to the South Dakota Supreme Court in reference to Governor Noem’s request for an advisory opinion, on what constitutes a conflict of interest between a legislator and the state of South Dakota under Article 3 of the constitution.

In case you were looking for some white reading this afternoon…

NoemopinionSCTbrf Filed 12-15-23 by Pat Powers on Scribd

Rounds Secures South Dakota Victories in NDAA

Final NDAA authorizes construction projects totaling $269 million at Ellsworth Air Force Base, $2.3 billion for B-21 Raider stealth bomber

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the top Republican member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, released the following statement on the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Rounds authored 33 provisions in this year’s NDAA.

“The NDAA is a critical piece of legislation that provides for our national security and supports our service members and their families,” said Rounds. “Our members on the Senate Armed Services Committee have worked hard all year to craft this piece of legislation. The NDAA is a prime example of Congress putting politics aside to provide for our strategic national security interests and achieve results for our men and women in uniform.

“I’m particularly excited that this year’s NDAA includes legislation I’ve led for years that would create a congressional charter for the National American Indian Veterans. Additionally, the bill contains over $274 million in funding for construction projects in South Dakota. Most of this funding will support preparations for the bed down of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base. As ranking member of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, I am also proud of our work to strengthen our nation’s cyber capabilities and develop advanced technology to combat threats from our near-peer adversaries, the People’s Republic of China and Russia.

“I am pleased that this bipartisan legislation is heading to the president’s desk to be signed into law.”

This is the ninth NDAA that Rounds has helped craft as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In last year’s bill, Rounds authored more than 45 provisions, which were ultimately adopted and signed into law. Earlier this year, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia’s Center for Effective Lawmaking named Rounds as the second most effective Republican on Defense issues.

Is it time for Minnehaha county to combine a couple of county offices? Because I’m not sure there’s another mechanism for them to get rid of their crackpot of a county auditor, Leah Anderson.

As the Argus Leader is reporting, not only is Anderson hiring members of an election conspiracy group and putting them in charge of her elections, she’s hosting the same special interest group as part of her meetings with equipment vendors.

Mathis then asked if a “highly respected” person from South Dakota would be able to be present and perform their own inspection, though he did not name who that person would be. In an interview, Anderson said she knew the person’s identity but would not share it, as she had not spoken further with ES&S about the process.

and..

Mathis continued that they’d want the individual to look for modems and do an inspection of the machine.

“Both Leah and I’s reputation is totally on the line. What if it comes out years down the road that there were modems in these machines, and we never — all your studies are great. The people want somebody that they know and trust to do a study. And I do too!”

and..

And so I just want to let you know that especially Monae, you also work for the people, and you haven’t been very supportive of the people.”

At this point, Anderson rotated a nearby laptop, revealing a group of two dozen people, including Weible, who had been listening in on the call from another location, and later gave Anderson a round of applause after the call had ended.

Read the story here.

A ‘secret’ election expert? While she’s broadcasting the meeting to the special interest group she appears to be doing the bidding of? Good lord.

The Secretary of State has certainly made some unforced errors over the course of the last year, but not kowtowing to the demands of election conspiracy groups is not one of them. Especially when they have taken control of the election office in the largest county in the state.

The Minnehaha County Commission needs to do something pretty quick, because looks like their election office is heading for a crash.

Hot out of my email box, Former secretary of state employee Logan Manhart is announcing he will be a candidate for district one house.

Miskimins Announces State Senate Candidacy

MITCHELL–Former State Representative Paul Miskimins is excited to announce his candidacy for District 20 State Senate.

Paul and his wife, Ellen, have three adult children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. Giving back to South Dakota and working hard to build a brighter future for his family and all South Dakotans is at the core of Miskimins’ drive to bring his leadership experience back to the Legislature.

“I would be honored to once again serve the citizens of District 20 as their voice in Pierre,” said Miskimins. “I care deeply about South Dakota and I’m ready to roll up my shelves and work hard for my neighbors in the region. During my four years in the Legislature, we had challenging issues before us. I’m proud to say I helped look for solutions and I listened to my constituents to do what was best for District 20 and South Dakota.”

Miskimins served in the State House of Representatives for District 20 from 2019-2022. During his tenure, he sat on the Commerce and Energy, Education, and Health and Human Services committees.

Born in Wessington Springs and raised in Mitchell, Miskimins grew up on a ranch with his parents and three brothers. Paul attended the University of South Dakota and graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry. For 38 years, he owned and operated a dentistry practice in Mitchell until his retirement in 2017. Paul’s love of farming continued throughout his life. Today, he still serves as the President of Miskimins Ranch, a cow/calf operation.

Miskimins believes in serving his community in a variety of ways. His family worships at First United Methodist Church where he served as the president of the church council and as a past Sunday School teacher. Paul serves on the YMCA Board of Directors, Abbott House Board of Directors and Foundation Board, Dakota Wesleyan Board of Directors, and the Life Quest Board. He is a strong advocate for youth sports along with a coach for baseball and football.

Due to term limits, Senator Joshua Klumb is unable to run for re-election to the Senate.

District 20 includes the counties Davison, Jerauld, Miner, and Sanborn. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

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Thune Statement on Passing of Harriet Pressler

“We are praying for the Pressler family and know that Harriet’s legacy will continue to live on through those she leaves behind.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement on the passing of Harriet Pressler, wife of former U.S. Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.):

“Kimberley and I join South Dakotans today in mourning the loss of Harriet Pressler,” said Thune. “Harriet was a faith-filled woman who radiated grace and kindness to everyone she met as she and her husband Larry proudly served the state of South Dakota for many years. Kimberley worked for Senator Pressler and came to know Harriet as a tireless fighter for our state, and she has so many friends in South Dakota that are saddened to hear this news. We are praying for the Pressler family and know that Harriet’s legacy will continue to live on through those she leaves behind.”

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After the people behind the Navigator pipeline announced the cancellation of their project today…

Navigator CO2 Ventures has canceled its Heartland Greenway pipeline project aimed at capturing 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from Midwest ethanol plants and storing it permanently underground, the company said on Friday, citing “unpredictable” state regulatory processes.

Read that here.

A company spokesperson for Summit Carbon announced that they are ready to step up for ethanol plants, and expand their project, connecting with additional plants:

“Summit Carbon Solutions welcomes and is well positioned to add additional plants and communities to our project footprint. We remain as committed to our project as the day we announced it. It’s not often you get the opportunity to positively impact an industry that touches every farmer and rural community across the Midwest. We have reached voluntary agreements along nearly 75% of our proposed route – we are pleased that the vast majority of landowners and farmers across the Midwest embrace the project. We look forward to building a generational asset that will create new markets for the ethanol industry and farmers.” 

With over 75% of landowners along the project route voluntarily signing on, it’s a good sign that they will be able to keep ethanol booming, and returning profits for agriculture.