The Dakota Scout had a story today doing a deep dive into the background of State Treasurer candidate Heath Shields, along with an interview that seems to have been contentious:

“I am a person of faith. If you really want to get into the weeds, we can do that,” he told The Dakota Scout.

The review found two bankruptcies and criminal charges scattered throughout Shields’ background report, including charges involving possession of more than four ounces of marijuana, prostitution and writing a bad check. While those charges were filed decades ago in his home state of Texas, Shields’ most recent bankruptcy filing occurred in 2017. A simple assault charge and an aggravated assault charge from 2024 also appear on his criminal background report.

Shields defended his record in a phone call with The Dakota Scout on Thursday, saying his criminal history stemmed from a rough upbringing in his youth and characterizing the bankruptcies as a product of building a successful business empire that included auto dealerships, a gun range and auto repair shops.

And..

“I can say that all new hires at the State Treasurer’s Office are required to pass a background check,” Hull said in a text message sent to The Dakota Scout on Thursday. “If what you have said is true, it does not sound like he would be hired to work there.”

Read the entire story here.

There is far more in the story than I can unpack here, because I can’t quote everything from both sides. Suffice it to say you should go read the article for yourself and make your own decisions.

By Grabthar’s hammer!

Oh! That was from the movie Galaxy Quest.

But this is from Tuesday night‘s City Council meeting in Sioux Falls:

You can watch the invocation for yourself here.  And you should, because that is not something you see every day. Even in Sioux Falls.

Attorney General Jackley Congratulates Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar for Prosecutor of the Year Award

PIERRE, S.D.  – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley congratulates Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar for being named as the Prosecutor of the Year by the South Dakota State’s Attorneys Association.

“Daniel Haggar is a strong prosecutor who works tirelessly to protect the people of Minnehaha County,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I appreciate his partnerships with the Attorney General‘s office and prosecutors across our State.”

Haggar received the award Thursday during the Association’s annual meeting in Deadwood. The Prosecutor of the Year award, established in 2002, is given annually to an outstanding South Dakota prosecutor.

Past winners of the award are:

• 2002 – Clyde Calhoon
• 2003 – Dave Nelson
• 2004 – Mark Smith
• 2005 – Hope Okerlund Matchan
• 2006 – Ron Oswald
• 2007 – Hon. Mark Barnett
• 2008 – Marty Jackley
• 2009 – Pam Tiede
• 2010 – Michael Moore
• 2011 – James Iosty
• 2012 – John Fitzgerald
• 2013 – Robert Mayer
• 2014 – Scott Roetzel and Crystal Johnson
• 2015 – Mark Vargo
• 2016 – Aaron McGowan
• 2017 – Lara Roetzel
• 2018 – Thomas Hensley
• 2019 – Roxanne Hammond
• 2020 – Randy R. Sample
• 2021 – Thomas Wollman
• 2022 – Shane Penfield
• 2023 – Dylan Kirchmeier
• 2024 – Jay Alderman

-30-

The Jon Hansen for Governor campaign went on the air with a commercial today, which they have available on their facebook page.

Interestingly, the ad appears to feature Brown County farmer Jared Bossly who according to court documents allegedly threatened to kill surveyors for the Summit pipeline:

When Bossly found out Summit Carbon surveyors came to his farmstead to conduct their surveys, he allegedly threatened to kill them for entering his property without his permission, court documents show.

and..

After the lead surveyor told Bossly he would ensure they clean up after themselves, the farmer allegedly responded, “when I get there, I’m killing the first person I see.”

and..

Upon hearing this, the surveyors left Bossly’s property without completing the surveys and have not returned “due to his threat that he would kill us,” the affidavits state.

Read that entire story here.

Not exactly sure who supposedly was bullying who when they came out with a tripod to do a survey.

From today’s mail, the Dusty Johnson campaign continues to play pin the tax increase on the donkey, with Jon Hansen joining the debate as Dusty for Governor points out Hansen authored the bill that captured the statewide sales tax hike.

Obviously this irks the Rhoden campaign, as they took to social media earlier today to claim they didn’t raise taxes..

It was a lie when Dusty Johnson claimed I raised sales taxes. And it’s still a lie when he tells it about Jon Hansen.

I worked with Speaker Hansen to deliver the largest property tax cut in SD history. We put aside our political differences and got the job done.

South Dakotans… https://t.co/XrMRYG3rqs

— Larry Rhoden (@LarryRhodenSD) May 7, 2026

(insert eyeroll here). The Governor’s team is really splitting hairs on this one, as yes, he proposed the measure (with Hansen) and signed the bill, which has new sales taxes as a component to let counties use them to offset property taxes, as well as allowing cities to get into the sales tax hike game themselves.

No matter how you slice it, sales taxes are going to be going up.  In fact, under the Governor’s post, someone linked a post I was going to refer to as an independent opinion on the whole thing:

Two of the laws use revenue from a higher state sales tax rate and an optional county sales tax to reduce property taxes for homeowners. The third creates a sales tax that cities can use temporarily to pay for special projects such as building an arena.

One of Gov. Larry Rhoden’s three opponents for the Republican nomination for governor is U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who has said the new laws will raise the maximum sales tax rate to 10%.

During a recent press conference, Rhoden said that figure is “fabricated.”

and..

when I go to Pierre in the future, the taxes on my hotel room could be 10.5%, consisting of:

• The 4.5% state sales tax.
• A 2% city sales tax.
• The 1.5% tourism tax.
• A 1% city bed, board and booze tax.
• A 1% city special projects tax.
• And a 0.5% county sales tax.

and..

All of which is to say that when you’re looking for truth in politics, ignore the rhetoric and check the receipts.

Read the entire story here.

Whether anyone involved in the passage of the sales tax increase plan cares to admit it, sales taxes are going up, some will offset property taxes, and the rest will go into government coffers at some level.

That’s not a decrease in sales taxes.  At all.

The big issues that Dusty Johnson has been hitting on in his race for Governor have been the sales tax increases passed this last legislative session, with proceeds being shifted over to reduce property taxes for homeowners.

Governor Rhoden had been the sole target of Johnson advertising on the issue. But with an ad released to twitter tonight, Gubernatorial wannabe Jon Hansen is now being named and included in the Johnson campaign’s advertising as being responsible for upcoming sales tax increases:

As of yet, the Hansen campaign’s efforts to raise money at Pizza Ranch have not been successful enough to put Hansen on the air.

With FCC public files not appearing to show Hansen as having made anything in terms of ad buys to date on either TV or radio, it’s unclear where the campaign is going to go in the last thirty days. Except nowhere fast.

From the internets, the SDGOP chair raises an item of concern about RINO’s.

Good gosh.. what could be the source of all these RINO’s coming into the party…?

It might behoove the (former 32-year Democrat) SDGOP Chair to quit worrying about all the supposed RINO’s in the party, and maybe think about actually doing his job to raise money and support Republican officeholders.

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Karen Muenster

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in honor of former state legislator Karen Muenster. She served in the South Dakota Senate from 1985-1992.

A memorial service will be held at 6 pm CT on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Vermillion, SD.

###

Elections have consequences – Support a new path forward
by Samuel McCarty, Candidate for Minnehaha County Auditor

It is often said that elections have consequences, and Minnehaha County has faced challenges following the 2022 election of Leah Anderson. June 2 presents an opportunity to choose a new direction.

Our leaders should be focused on the future; anticipating and addressing challenges proactively. Since taking office, Auditor Anderson has focused extensively on past events. The effort to scrutinize the 2020 presidential election consumed much of her early tenure, and the ballot counting process in 2024 took longer than any other county in the state.

As we look ahead to the 2026 election cycle, we’ve already experienced delays in absentee voting deadlines and heard concerns from long-time residents about voting difficulties related to mail-forwarding services.

While Auditor Anderson has addressed these issues in her own way, the role of Chief Elections Officer deserves strong, clear leadership that ensures smooth and timely processes. This election is an opportunity to bring accountability and renewed efficiency to Minnehaha County.

My candidacy for County Auditor is based on a forward-looking vision, focused on improving the efficiency of the office and rebuilding trust through transparent and reliable processes. My background in civil engineering and land surveying has taught me how to develop streamlined approaches and lead teams in making data-driven decisions. I am committed to making Minnehaha County a leader in delivering timely, accurate election results.

Beyond elections, the auditor’s office plays a vital role in managing the county’s budget, especially as we anticipate changes with property taxes and discussions about a potential county sales tax. We need leadership that can confidently manage these responsibilities without being distracted by past controversies.

As someone who plans projects with careful attention to what lies ahead, I want to bring that same focus to the auditor’s office. It’s time to move forward with clear, competent leadership that empowers a dedicated team to serve Minnehaha County with excellence.

I invite you to join me in supporting a new path forward on June 2, ensuring that our county is recognized for strong, trustworthy administration that meets the needs of every resident.

You would have imagined that the SDGOP would have thought better when it came to light just who they were bringing to the Republican State Convention as a VIP.

Well, with this crew in charge, you can imagine they would have thought better, but that doesn’t mean they did. Because they dropped this graphic on social media trying this week trying to get convention-goers to buy tickets:

They want people to throw out the cash to go see a former no-name activist from a libertarian group.  Why do I say former activist from the Young Americans for Liberty group?  In case I need to remind you of my earlier post on the subject:

…if you have daughters, you might want to demand they find a different VIP.

From FOX News:

The president of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) has been placed on leave as the conservative group investigates sexual assault allegations against him and other leaders in the nonprofit.

YAL’s board released a statement saying it was investigating the matter and calling on anyone who had evidence regarding the claims to come forward to report it. 

The organization, which works to elect conservative and libertarian leaders across the country, said that President Cliff Maloney and vice president of grassroots, Justin Greiss, had been placed on leave until the investigation was complete. 

Read that here.

And that apparently was not all. Among other accusations..

Cambria Co., PA (WJAC) — After nearly ten hours of deliberations, which began Wednesday afternoon, spanned into the night and continued Thursday morning, a jury has reached a verdict in the trial of political commentator Cliff Maloney Jr., who is accused of drugging and raping a woman at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 2013.

The jury found Maloney not guilty on four of the six charges he faced, which included rape of an impaired person, rape of an unconscious victim, aggravated indecent assault of an impaired person and aggravated indecent assault of an unconscious person.

However, the jury could not reach a verdict on the two other charges of aggravated indecent assault without consent and sexual assault.

Read that here.

While the SDGOP claims that this speaker is a proven leader, and a bold disruptor... they left out a lot.  Is the State Republican party scraping down that far in the barrel that this resembles anything remotely close to a VIP?  Are they going to expect the party’s slate of candidates to get within 10 miles of this guy?

Yes, yes they are.   And they deserve every single ounce of guff they end up on the receiving end of for giving this guy a stage.  We will see who wants to actually sponsor this event.

Anyone who has their head on straight, will not just give it a wide berth, but will actively run away from this one.