Author: Pat Powers

Former Employee of South Dakota Secretary of State Office
Charged with Theft in Original State Flag Case

PIERRE, S.D – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that Garrett Darwin Devries, 26, Washington D.C., has been charged with one count of theft having a value in excess of four hundred dollars, class one misdemeanor.

“As with any charging decision and potential resolution, I am balancing the nature of the crime with the level of cooperation and acceptance of responsibility. Our ‘Original State Flag’ is an important part of our history, and its recovery without damage or further incident is an important consideration,” said Jackley.

This charge stems from Devries employment at the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office during the time between December 2012-November 2013 and the theft of an ‘Original State Flag’from his place of employment.

A tentative plea hearing is anticipated for November 23, 2015, in Hughes County.

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If you were listening to the chatter this last week… recall the three devices that were lost from the Secretary of State’s office….

Three of 30 iPad minis also were reported lost before Jan. 2, 2015.

Gant said that the 30 iPads were among about 100 devices his office purchased when it was testing and revamping an overseas military balloting system. The devices were used across the state to test the system.

Read it here.

And now, read what Bob Mercer related about the story:

The audit work questioned a variety of practices and identified problems such as three missing laptops that were purchased for the iOASIS system.

Read it here.

So, three mini-ipads have been inflated and exaggerated by Mercer to become three laptop computers.  Yeah. No bias there..

And if Bob ever asks to sell you a laptop, make sure you look at it first.

Update – Bob responds. And Bob claims….. well, you read it.

I referred to three missing iPad minis as three missing laptops. I stand accused by a blogger that was bias on my part. No bias meant. 1/2

— Bob Mercer (@pierremercer) November 2, 2015

I confess I never held an iPad or iPad mini or priced them or looked at them. To me iPads, tablets and laptops are like grades of SUVs. — Bob Mercer (@pierremercer) November 2, 2015

And Bob’s excuse? He claims he called them laptops….. because he didn’t know what an iPad is.  Yes, really.

We might not celebrate Columbus Day in South Dakota anymore, but I didn’t think there were any prejudices held against Italian Americans.  But then I read Democrat Rep. Shawn Bordeaux’s comments coming from a State-tribal committee hearing:

Bordeaux also drew a parallel with casinos on Indian lands. When they first came, people feared the worst.

“When gaming first came out, they said there’s going to be mafia, and all the Indians are going to have all this crime. It’s going to be all over the reservations,” he said. “I ain’t seen one Guido yet … those folks who are supposed to be the mafia folks haven’t showed up.”

Read it here.

“Guido?”  Yeah, that’s not a compliment. It’s an ethnic slur.

I question whether it was done in ignorance, which would seem to be underlined by his statement.  “I ain’t seen one Guido yet?”  – yeah…. I’m not hearing anything but ignorance when that uttered forth from his mouth.

Former First Lady Patricia Farrar Passes Away;
Gov. Daugaard Requests Flags At Half-Staff

PIERRE, S.D. – Patricia Farrar, the wife of former Gov. Frank Farrar, died earlier today in Aberdeen. Mrs. Farrar, 84, was South Dakota’s First Lady from 1969 to 1971.

The former Patricia Henley was born in Claremont on Aug. 13, 1931. She graduated with honors from the University of South Dakota, where she met Frank Farrar. The couple was married in on June 5, 1953, in Fort Benning, Georgia, where Farrar was stationed in the U.S. Army.

“Mrs. Farrar is still remembered for her graciousness during her time as our First Lady,” said Gov. Daugaard. “Linda and I extend our sympathies to Gov. Farrar and to the Farrar family.”

Arrangements are pending for funeral services on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Britton. Gov. Daugaard is asking that flags throughout South Dakota fly at half-staff on that day in honor of Mrs. Farrar.

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A reader caught the story about the tab a day or so ago, and how after the Democrat didn’t win against EY Berry, he eventually ended up as the head of GOED under Kneip.  And he posed the question to me – did you hear the story about Allmon’s successor?

The last time Democrats ran Pierre, apparently it was a bit of a party place. I’d long heard rumors about the Governor getting kicked out of the mansion for a while because he had ‘a friend’ of… well, of the opposite sex. And there’s this article about the Democrat who took over the office of Economic Development after Allmon:

2 wives? 9 kids? Good grief! Apparently it was a lot easier to conceal this kind of thing before the days of the Internet & facebook!

Read the whole article here.

   
 
Nice crowd for the Augustana college….. Strike that. University College Republican debate watching party.

I just breezed in for a moment because I have to do some things in Sioux Falls tonight, but it looks like the GOP faithful are there in force, and ready to continue fan vetting our presidential hopefuls.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Updates Delegation on Neutrino Experiment Facility at Sanford Lab

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today received an important project planning update from U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF). LBNF will facilitate the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be conducted at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois. The project seeks to advance our understanding of neutrino science and particle physics and will attract international scientists, researchers, and educators to the Black Hills, as well as an estimated $150 million in regional economic activity during the project’s construction from 2017-2023.

“Shooting a beam of neutrino particles hundreds of miles through the Earth to an underground mine in South Dakota might sound like a concept from a Hollywood movie,” said Thune. “Not only will the United States lead this world-class experiment, but South Dakota gets to host it, bringing jobs, researchers, international partners, and a substantial economic boost to the Black Hills.”

“I thank Secretary Moniz for meeting with the delegation today,” said Rounds. “The research being done at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead is critical to learning more about particle physics, neutrinos and the matter that makes up our universe. I look forward to seeing the Sanford Lab expand and thrive in partnership with Fermilab in Illinois and the international physics community.”

“The groundbreaking neutrino research to be conducted in South Dakota will give us a new understanding of how the world around us works,” said Noem. “I am encouraged by Secretary Moniz’s support for the project and am hopeful we once again impressed upon him our belief in the value of the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility experiment for our country and the world.”

For the experiment, Fermilab will send the highest-intensity beam of neutrinos in the world 800 miles through the Earth’s mantle to a detector at SURF. The U.S. particle physics community identified the project as the highest priority domestic construction project, which will help assure U.S. leadership in neutrino physics over the next 20 to 30 years. SURF is an ideal detector site for the project, as its underground depth will shield the experiment from the effects of cosmic radiation.

Earlier this month, the 2015 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Dr. Takaaki Kajita of Japan and Dr. Arthur McDonald of Canada for their work with neutrinos, specifically a breakthrough discovery that neutrinos contain mass.

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Thune Statement on Air Force Announcement of Long-Range Strike Bomber Contract

“The Air Force has been extremely diligent in its review process. Now that the contract has been awarded, I hope we can move forward in a timely manner.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after the Air Force announced it has awarded its Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) contract:

“The Air Force has been extremely diligent in its review process,” said Thune. “Now that the contract has been awarded, I hope we can move forward in a timely manner. Our ability to project power is an essential component of our national security. As potential adversaries continue to advance technologically, we must maintain a significant level of qualitative superiority. The LRS-B, once completed, will be the most sophisticated aircraft in our bomber fleet, providing us with the superiority needed to penetrate advanced anti-aircraft environments.”

Global Strike Command, which now includes Ellsworth Air Force Base, expects the arrival of the LRS-Bs by the mid-2020s.

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Rounds Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Protect South Dakotans from Cyber Threats

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on today’s Senate passage of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA):

“The World Wide Web is a wonderful tool that has helped us stay connected with loved ones, pay our bills, shop with ease and explore new ideas from the comfort of our homes,” said Rounds. “But we must also be mindful of those who use the Internet to scam others and steal private information. The bipartisan cyber security bill we passed in the Senate today will help protect Americans from such cyber-attacks by allowing companies to share information about cyber-threats to prevent other businesses from falling victim to similar threats. It does so while protecting Americans’ private information from being shared and is 100 percent voluntary. With all the information we put on the Internet today, it’s important that we take steps to protect ourselves online. CISA contains the tools to help mitigate these threats.”

The companion bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this year. CISA is supported by President Obama and has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support, 74-21.

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Noem Aims to Expand Black Hills
National Cemetery with New Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today introduced the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, which would transfer nearly 200 acres of land outside Sturgis from the Bureau of Land Management’s jurisdiction to the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The transfer would give the Black Hills National Cemetery additional space to serve future veterans.

“Our men and women in uniform have made incredible sacrifices in service to our country.  The Black Hills National Cemetery is just one way our nation can serve them back,” said Noem.  “Every agency and constituency involved is in agreement on the permanent land transfer this bill would allow.  I’m hopeful we can see it move forward quickly and ensure the Black Hills National Cemetery can continue serving those who have worn our nation’s uniform.”

Opened in 1948, the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis rests on around 100 acres of land.  Unfortunately, the facility requires more room to continue serving future veterans.  The Bureau of Land Management currently holds land adjacent to the Cemetery.  Rep. Noem’s legislation would transfer that land, roughly 200 acres, from the Bureau of Land Management to the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to accommodate an expansion of the Black Hills National Cemetery.

Without legislation to make the transfer permanent, federal law limits transfers like this one to a lifespan of 20 years.  Senators Thune and Rounds introduced a similar bill in the Senate earlier this year.

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