Category: Uncategorized

State Enters Purchase Agreement for New Prison Land at Benson Rd. Site

Agreement Contingent on Approval by Legislature

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced that the State of South Dakota has entered into a purchase agreement that grants the State the option to purchase land at the Benson Road site. This agreement represents over $10 million savings on what was estimated by the prison task force.

“South Dakota needs a new prison to keep our people safe, and we are moving forward with delivering a proposal that prioritizes safety and conservative fiscal stewardship,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “We appreciate the Legislature’s continued attention to this project, and we are excited to deliver this as efficiently as possible for South Dakota taxpayers.”

The land in question is approximately 148 acres in northeast Sioux Falls along Benson Road (the “Benson Road site”). The State of South Dakota will only complete the purchase if approval to acquire the site is granted by the South Dakota Legislature.

If the purchase of the Benson Road site is approved by the Legislature on September 23, 2025, the Lincoln County site would no longer be owned by the State. As private property, any agricultural use or development of this land would be subject to county zoning.

“Residents of Lincoln County should be excited about the opportunity to regain control over what happens to that land,” said Sen. Ernie Otten (R-Lincoln County), who served on the prison task force. “I look forward to working with my fellow legislators to get this project across the finish line.”

The Benson Road site will represent millions of dollars in savings on utility development costs compared to the Lincoln County land, as there will be no need for a water tower, long sewer line, or other expenses. The purchase of the new Benson Road site also represents a more-than $10 million savings on the previous estimate by the prison task force. The purchase price is to be paid as follows:

• Cash payment of $12.5 million dollars for the Benson Road site, plus
• Exchange of the previously proposed Lincoln County land with an estimated agricultural value of $4.5 million.

You can find a full handout depicting the Benson Road site here.

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Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Leland Kleinsasser

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Friday, August 8, 2025, in honor of former state legislator Leland Kleinsasser. He served in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 1979 to 1980 and the South Dakota State Senate from 1981 to 1988.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm MT on Friday, August 8, at Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church in Yale, SD.

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SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF REGENTS ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH FOR NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents has officially begun the search for the next president of Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Serving around 3,500 students on a 75-acre campus, NSU is recognized for its quality instruction, community engagement, and a range of extracurricular activities. As a regional comprehensive university, it meets educational and workforce needs in business, academics, the arts, and sciences, offering personalized teaching and flexible online programs.

CANDIDATE PROFILE & APPLICATION PROCESS

The Board of Regents seeks a forward-thinking, collaborative leader capable of building upon NSU’s existing strengths as a regional comprehensive university. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellence in academic leadership, innovation in student services, engagement with faculty and community partners, and strategic campus stewardship.

Applicants must submit all materials electronically, and priority consideration will be given to applications received by September 24, 2025. All applications will remain confidential except for those individuals selected to participate in on-campus interviews.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

• Letter of interest
• Current résumé or CV
• Names with contact information (position, address, email, phone) for at least five professional references

Visit northern.edu/nsu-presidential-search for the full position description and application process.

For questions or accommodations during the application process, contact:

Kayla Bastian, Chief Human Resource Officer | South Dakota Board of Regents Phone: 605‑773‑3455 | Email: kayla.bastian@sdbor.edu

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From Huron Radio News comes a warning that several South Dakota newspapers, including the Brookings Register and Huron Daily Plainsman look to be no more:

The complete list of South Dakota NMC newspapers is available here.

South Dakota

• Brookings Register – Brookings, SD
• Moody County Enterprise – Flandreau, SD
• The Daily Plainsman – Huron, SD
• Redfield Press – Redfield, SD
• Payday – Huron, SD

 

Here in Brookings, my home for about 20 years now, the local Boys and Girls Club has had a community raffle for a long time where they raffle off a new truck, at $100 a ticket such as this one they did in 2024. As described in the local paper..

This year’s grand prize is a 2024 Dodge RAM 1500 Classic Warlock Quad Cab 4×4, or the winner’s choice of $25,000 in cash or $25,000 credit toward a vehicle at Einspahr Auto Plaza.

and..

 In addition to the grand prize options, the truck, the cash, or the vehicle credit, two runner-up winners will each receive $1,000 in cash. Only 1,200 tickets will be sold, and each ticket purchased early is automatically entered into weekly Friday drawings for early bird prizes. 

Read that here.

Each ticket is for a 1/1200 chance for a 25k prize, plus a couple of minor, but reasonable second prizes.

I bring this up, as the SDGOP is at it again for their fundraising attempts to make up for only bringing in $85 in June, which they didn’t want to tell anyone about.  This time in fundraising efforts, we have their current version of the SDGOP and their own $100 raffle ticket:

How many tickets do they intend to sell?

According to e-mails sent out to County GOP groups today,  Their plans are to sell “only 2000 tickets.”  What does your $100 raffle ticket earn you a .05%  or 1/2000 chance to win?  Well, here’s the list and the values filed with the Secretary of State:

 

You could win a $250 12 gauge… or a $320 .keltec 22lr  pistol, which you can pick up at Cabela’s $100 cheaper than the GOP can apparently buy it for.  And there’s a Arken SH4J scope which is marked up by $200 over Amazon. Is it me, or does this kind of seems out of proportion for a $100 raffle ticket?  They do have a $5000 custom gun with a carbon fiber stock from a Miller, SD gun dealer which is the big prize, but the lesser prizes drop off quickly.

None of them really make me want to rush out and buy a ticket like a $25,000 car would.  And, unlike the car which I believe is somewhat sponsored, I don’t know if any of these guns are donated.   I can’t help but wonder which gun dealer they’re going through on this, because it seems like they are the big winner, as someone who is buddies with the chairman is getting an opportunity to clear out some stock at healthy prices courtesy of the SDGOP, which might otherwise be gathering some dust. Unless there’s a run on .22lr keltec pistols I don’t know about.

According to the party’s own website on the raffle, what do you get if you win?  First off, aside from showing up on fundraising reports, if it’s one of the guns, you also win a $25 fee on top of your gun, because “Winner is responsible for the FFL transfer fee of $25 per firearm.”  They might win a $225 .22 pistol, and have to pay a $25 fee to get it? Hold me back.

As noted in their fundraising wish list from the last central committee meeting, the SDGOP claims they’ll raise $25k with this raffle in 2025, and 50k through next year.

I can’t imagine how this raffle is going to pay off with what seems to be with whatever the chairman was sold by his local gun dealer.  I guess we’ll see.

As tends to be the case with the SDGOP nowadays, good luck with that.

Senator Tom Pischke – whom I believe sits on the SDGOP Executive Board – is catching more heat today over his attacks on facebook against Republican Women.

Today, the woman who was on the receiving end of the social media insults which triggered his earlier censure by the Minnehaha County GOP is publicly speaking out on her treatment & experience in the face of Senator Pischke’s more recent sexual innuendo and harassment of a Republican woman on facebook.

Let’s not forget the 2024 incident which earned him the nickname of “Sticky Tom,” and a ban from the floor of the House of Representatives, was directed against a female state representative.

I hate to ask, considering the source.. but does Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have a point?

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and steadfast supporter of President Donald Trump, has publicly criticized her party over its treatment of women and has said the GOP is out of step with the priorities of the Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“I don’t know if the Republican Party is leaving me, or if I’m kind of not relating to Republican Party as much anymore,” she told the Daily Mail.

She added that women in her party were “really sick and tired of the way men treat Republican women.”

Read that here.

The SDGOP might have elected the first woman to serve as South Dakota Governor in 2018.. but it seems like some people still act like it’s 1918.

Attorney General Jackley Warns Public About Scam Involving Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

 PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley warns the public about a text scam involving the State’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).

“These text messages are designed to create fear and confusion – don’t fall for it,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Legitimate law enforcement agencies will never demand payment or threaten arrest.”

Attorney General Jackley said ICAC was notified after an adult male from Connecticut had communicated via text message with someone that they met on a dating site. The following day, the Connecticut resident received a call from a male subject claiming to be “Sgt. Walker” with the South Dakota ICAC Task Force. The scammer told the Connecticut resident that the person he had been communicating with via text message was a minor. The resident was asked to pay $1,000.

The Connecticut resident did not send any money and instead contacted the South Dakota ICAC Task Force and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to confirm the validity of the phone call. The ICAC Task Force does not have any members named “Sgt. Walker.”

Attorney General Jackley said his office also has received complaints from individuals who have received text messages claiming they were photographed watching porn sites and demanding money. He said that is also a scam.

People who have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/.

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From Facebook, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden is in Sturgis promoting the Motorcycle Rally on Fox News:

State Representative Rebecca Reimer had strong words for KELOland over their story platforming a sex offender running for Governor:

“I’m disappointed in KELOLAND News for giving a platform to a gubernatorial candidate who is on South Dakota’s Sex Offender Registry.

As someone who represents Chamberlain and stands with survivors, this coverage was disrespectful and harmful. Survivors deserve to be protected.

I’ve sent a letter to KELOLAND urging them to issue a written apology. South Dakotans deserve better.”

“Got A Nut”: When Mr. Mackay loses his job, he desperately tries to find a new way to make a living.

South Park’s 27th season continues this Wednesday, August 6 at 10/9c on Comedy Central and next day on Paramount+. pic.twitter.com/13ZGAfYmp3

— South Park (@SouthPark) August 5, 2025

South Dakota’s former Governor Kristi Noem is featured in a promotional image for Comedy Central’s South Park tonight, and according to the Hill, her agency is using promotional materials from the episode to help recruit personnel to join ICE:

The DHS post came shortly after “South Park” released a teaser for its next episode, featuring an animation of a woman closely resembling DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. That character is depicted pointing a gun in the air, wearing a “POLICE ICE” vest and posing in front of photographers.

and..

“We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment,” a DHS spokesperson said in the statement.

“We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country. Benefits available to new ICE recruits include an up to $50,000 signing bonus, student loan forgiveness, and retirement benefits. Apply today at join.ice.gov,” the spokesperson continued.

Read the entire story here, and watch South Park tonight at Comedy Central, or tomorrow on Paramount+