Category: Uncategorized

Scott Odenbach does not seem as if he’s a happy House Majority Leader in a facebook post yesterday.

The lead Republican in the House was recently quoted in a story from South Dakota News Watch (Lawmaker considers limiting new Black Hills water usage), where he was quoted as wanting to limit new wells into the acquifer. Odenbach took to social media trying to explain his position, and lamenting that he feels his words were taken out of context and being labeled anti-development.  This story followed his efforts this last legislative session where local governments across the Black Hills opposed his efforts to form an interim committee to explore adding more regulations on mining and development in the Black Hills.

Representative Odenbach defended his position, referring to opposition as “Soviet style” and invoking Teddy Roosevelt, etc. But he saved a particular venom for community development organization Elevate Rapid City, and Republican advocacy group South Dakota Strong for objecting to his sustained efforts at new regulations.  Odenbach noted in part:

I don’t have any amendment legislation drafted yet and as I had told the reporter, I think we need to first gather all the facts and make sure we are making smart decisions with any proposed legislation as we pursue more and more growth in Western South Dakota. With that said, there are greedy, shortsighted locusts in organizations like Elevate Rapid City and “South Dakota Strong,” who would happily strip mine us of our water and other raw materials to turn us into the Denver front range if they could make a dollar or earn a campaign contribution – and then move on to feast somewhere else.

and..

Let’s have this debate. As a lifelong Republican, I am certainly for the free market and organic economic growth. I’m tired of hearing that you are not a good Republican who is for growth if you aren’t for big-government spending to promote it. A conservative wants to promote growth by maintaining an environment conducive to business formation and development: via good schools, small & efficient government, safe streets, natural beauty, smart planning and low taxes. But I am not for growth at any cost, government-spending growth that dictates winners and losers with Soviet-style “economic development” plans, nor growth for the sake of growth, without making sure that in the meantime we are protecting our quality of life, including water resources for the people who live here now.

Read Odenbach’s post here.

Scott makes the argument that he’s for “good schools, small & efficient government, etc.”  But do you really get a ‘small and efficient government’ when you try to stifle growth with more government, kill schools by stripping money from them via vouchers & more and more government every single year, and passing as many laws as possible to make society bend to your worldview?

It would be nice if we could get back to that, instead of attacking business and claiming that people who want to foster jobs and growth are “greedy locusts.”

This video is the talk of the internet today.. unfortunately.

GOP House candidate Valentina Gomez burns the Quran in a new campaign video
byu/Hairy_Confidence9668 intrashy

Interestingly, this appears to be Texas Congressional Candidates Valentina Gomez’s schtick.

In 2024, she also had a video that went viral of her using a flamethrower on books, this time LGBT books as she ran for Secretary of State in Missouri.

This isn’t going to become a thing, is it?

(Big plug for the Intern program from your’s truly. I was an intern back in 1988 which set me down the path of being involved in politics and government as a life-long calling. -pp)

LEGISLATURE SEEKS COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR INTERN POSITIONS FOR 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

PIERRE – Twenty-two college and university students will get a hands-on, insider’s look at the legislative process as interns when the South Dakota Legislature convenes in January for the 2026 Legislative Session.

Students may be in any class year to apply, from freshman to graduate student, and all majors are eligible. Deadline to apply to the South Dakota Legislature for an intern position is OCTOBER 17, 2025.

LRC’s internship program immerses students in the daily operation of the Legislature and provides them with both an in-depth understanding of the legislative process and a front row seat to discussions and decisions on the issues impacting South Dakotans. Interns work closely with legislative leadership, assist lawmakers and LRC staff during committee hearings, conduct research and monitor legislation, attend closed-door caucus meetings, and help lawmakers with constituent services and other legislative tasks. They also have the opportunity to participate in outside events related to the Legislature.

Students receive a salary of $185 for each day worked, which for the full session and orientation amounts to $7,215 in compensation. They may also receive college credits for their internship.

Additional information on the internship program including an application can be found on the LRC website. To complete the application, the student must sign up for a free MyLRC+ account. Applications for the intern positions, as well as other requested application materials including two letters of recommendation, must be filed with the Legislative Research Council (LRC) by OCTOBER 17, 2025. 

The 101st South Dakota Legislative Session runs from January 13, 2026, to March 30, 2026, with a recess from March 13-27.

Students wanting more information should contact the Intern Coordinator, Legislative Research Council, 500 East Capitol, Pierre, SD 57501; email InternProgram@sdlegislature.gov; or call (605) 773-3251.

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NFL Star Adam Vinatieri to Headline Christine Erickson Campaign Kickoff

The National Football League’s all-time scoring leader and four time Super Bowl champion, Adam Vinatieri, will appear as a special guest in support of his sister, Sioux Falls mayoral candidate Christine Erickson, at her upcoming Campaign Kickoff fundraiser.

The event will be held at the home of Corey and Karen Brown in Sioux Falls on September 15th. Details about any public appearances featuring Vinatieri to be held in conjunction with the event are being finalized and will be announced soon.

“For years, Christine and my family have been there to support me throughout my football career,” said Vinatieri. “It’s my pleasure to return the favor as she campaigns to lead the city of Sioux Falls.”

Vinatieri, a native of Rapid City and graduate of South Dakota State University, was an NFL placekicker for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

He scored an NFL record 2,673 points and holds the records for most field goals made, most postseason points and most overtime field goals made. He is considered one of the greatest placekickers of all time.

Erickson announced her candidacy for Sioux Falls Mayor in July. She is currently the president of the South Dakota Auto Dealers Association and the South Dakota Trucking Association. Erickson has previously served as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives and the Sioux Falls City Council.

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Attorney General Jackley Part of AG Coalition Demanding Companies End Predatory AI Interactions with Children

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, along with 43 other Attorneys General, are demanding major artificial intelligence companies stop hurting children with certain content on their platforms.

The letter, sent to Anthropic, Apple, Chai AI, Google, Luka Inc., Meta, Microsoft, Nomi AI, Open AI, Perplexity AI, Replika, and xAI addresses reports of AI chatbots engaging in sexually inappropriate conversations with children. Internal Meta documents reveal the company authorized its AI Assistants to “flirt and engage in romantic role play with children” as young as eight. The letter also cites cases where other chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior in teenagers, including suicide and murder.

“I will not allow AI to threaten the safety and well-being of our children,” said Attorney General Jackley. “AI developers must act with integrity and caution when young users engage with their products.”

Attorney General Jackley, who is the Vice President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), is joined on the letter by Attorneys General from: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The letter can be found here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2025/pr25-43-letter.pdf

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Patrick Lalley at Sioux Falls Live is writing about the Sioux Falls mayoral contest in a column yesterday, and noting how he views the race. Particularly that as he sees it, former Legislator and former At-Large Council Member leads the pack in both campaign organization, and fundraising potential:

It feels like Erickson has the upper hand in this category. She’s clearly been planning a mayoral bid for some time and considered running eight years ago. Since then, she’s built a wider network of potential donors and volunteers and brought on big-time professional campaign advisors.

and..

Also, the candidates in this run can raise a lot of money.

I’d give Erickson the edge.  Why? In short, she’s connected.

Shortly before leaving the council in 2022, she took a job as president of the South Dakota Trucking and Auto Dealer Associations. It’s a lobbying gig, among other things, but it’s also a networking and relationship-building opportunity, which comes in handy when you need campaign cash.

Also, did I mention that her brother is the greatest kicker in the history of the National Football League. If for some reason this little fact has eluded you, Christine’s maiden name is Vinatieri, as in Adam, as in former New England Patriots legend and all-time leading scorer in NFL history.

It’s worth mentioning because at her announcement event last month, candidate Vinatieri-Erickson (as per her LinkedIn page) told the assembled to expect a visit.

Read the entire column here.

Was on Facebook earlier this AM, and this popped up.

And I could not help but shake my head, because this is the kind of goofiness that will ultimately cost Republicans elections:

It’s not that these gentlemen spoke with a nutty legislator about “geoengineering,” a.k.a. jet contrails, etcetera. Law enforcement gets plenty of people who contact them with goofiness.  My departed father, an FBI agent, was once called at home by a lobbyist who wanted him to investigate that the communists were trying to take over the legislature in Pierre.  I don’t know if he was as cordial as Marty and the others were with Andera, but like I said, goofiness.

No, what’s bad is that a legislator is trying to self-promote that she’s being active on the issue. Even worse, the SDGOP is highlighting it in social media.  Because, it’s one of those issues for… well, for pretty much anyone who isn’t a nut.

I mean, a legislator could be out there seeking information on workforce development. Or, on the affordable housing crisis. Or, on ag processing, or on childcare availability for working parents, or education funding, or the crisis in rural medicine, about on a million other issues that your friends and neighbors ACTUALLY care about, and ACTUALLY affect their lives.

But no.  We have legislators out there focusing on “geoengineering legislation.”   Something that affects literally no one because it’s a made up conspiracy issue or they read something that their crazy aunt posted to facebook. Or even worse, signed a “kooky, wrong & dangerous” pledge to promote shooting down airplanes.

When elected officials stop paying attention to things that actually matter and focus on conspiracy – at some point voters are going to question the decision they made to send them to Pierre in the first place, and decide that they want to send someone serious to represent them.

 

Billy Mawhiney, Executive Director of the South Dakota Afterschool Network appears to have filed paperwork last night to begin a run for Congress in 2026 as a Democrat, according to the Federal Elections Commission:

According to his bio, Mawhiney grew up on a farmland in a rural Missouri town of 113. He is a member of the Wyandotte Nation, and began his career in afterschool while in college at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Springfield, Missouri. Before South Dakota Afterschool Network, he was with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire where he was the Director of Operations. He and his husband Kyle live in Sioux Falls.

Long-time political reporter Kevin Woster has a column at SD Searchlight this morning noting how he sees the GOP race for Governor. And he has some strong opinions.

Such as how Toby Doeden winning the GOP primary is the only path for a Democrat to win the governors seat in South Dakota. And Jon Hansen is hardly worth a mention, because his chances are slim and none:

“If Toby Doeden won the Republican primary, Billie Sutton could beat Doeden in the general,” I said confidently over coffee with a couple of friends. I repeated it to another friend, a traditional South Dakota conservative, a week or so later.

And..

I didn’t mention Jon Hansen, a Republican state lawmaker and lawyer from Dell Rapids who is in the race. I guess I think his chances of winning the primary are so slim (no offense, Jon) he didn’t figure into my speculation.

And..

Beyond that, Doeden has been managing to come off as reasonable, which has been a surprise to me. He slips sometimes, like when he called Dusty Johnson evil. Which was, well, crazy talk.

And..

Oh, and he’s not evil, by the way. You can disagree with Johnson’s politics or rhetoric or how he votes, but it’s ludicrous in a mean-spirited sort of way to call him evil.

Read the entire column here at SD Searchlight.

What do you think?

Attorney General Jackley Announces Canada Reconsents to Extradition For John Graham Convicted in 1975 Murder of Annie Mae Aquash

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the Canadian Ministry of Justice has reconsented to the extradition of John Graham who was convicted in the 1975 kidnapping and murder for Annie Mae Aquash in South Dakota, meaning the defendant will remain in state custody.

“Having personally prosecuted this case as both a United States Attorney and as South Dakota’s Attorney General, I understand the pain experienced by Annie Mae’s family,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The decision to continue to hold John Graham responsible for Annie Mae’s murder is a significant victory for South Dakota’s tribal communities who have long dealt with missing and murdered indigenous persons.”

Aquash was an American Indian Movement (AIM) activist, who participated in AIM’s 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee. Members of an AIM faction that included Leonard Peltier and John Graham accused Aquash of being a government informant.  She was kidnapped from Denver, Colorado, by Graham, Arlo Looking Cloud, and Theda Clarke, driven to Rapid City, and then to the Badlands of South Dakota where Graham executed her.

Graham left the country and relocated to Canada but was eventually extradited to the United States and tried for Aquash’s murder.  He was convicted by a jury in December of 2010 and his conviction was affirmed by the South Dakota Supreme Court in May of 2012. In May of 2013, Graham sought to overturn his conviction through a writ of habeas corpus filed in Pennington County. That request also was denied by the State Supreme Court.

In Canada, Graham argued that he was not given the opportunity to speak at the extradition process. A Canadian Appeals Court ruled that Graham was entitled to but not afforded notice and opportunity to be heard during the extradition process. The court set aside the extradition and remanded to the Canadian Ministry of Justice for reconsideration of the request for extradition. The Ministry reconsented to the extradition.

Graham remains in custody in the South Dakota Penitentiary at Sioux Falls.

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