Sad news out of Rapid City. Former Republican State Senator Royal “Mac” McCracken passed away last Friday at the age of 83.

Mac in his professional life worked for US West, starting as a lineman in the 1960s, eventually rising to the level of Director of Public Affairs for Northwestern Bell (USWest) with the company out of Rapid City, until his retirement in 2000, when he ran and served as Senator representing Rapid City from 2000-2008.

McCracken was a long-time carrier of water for the elephant, and served as Assistant Majority Leader & Majority Whip in the South Dakota Senate during his legislative career, as well as serving on the legislature’s executive board.

Memorial services will be held 3:00 pm Saturday, June 28, 2025 at South Canyon Lutheran Church in Rapid City.

Providing Clarity
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
June 6, 2025

BIG News

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice arrested two Chinese nationals for smuggling an agroterrorism weapon, funded by the Chinese Communist Party, into the United States. I’ve been sounding the alarm for years that the Chinese Communist Party seeks to undermine America’s food supply and national security – this weapon could have devastated both. If these individuals are found guilty, they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

As a member of the Select Committee on China, I have seen and heard many ways China is undermining U.S. interests. We’ve been working in Congress to identify and address these concerns to protect America from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

BIG Idea

Blockchain technology will transform and empower every industry, much sooner than most people realize. The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on my bill, the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The United States has the potential to be a leader in this space and the CLARITY Act establishes a much-needed regulatory framework to foster investment and innovation. My bill will give digital asset markets the clarity they need to thrive, protect consumers, and foster innovation.

Click here or the image above for Johnson’s remarks

BIG Update

Attendees at this year’s Boys State in Aberdeen had some great questions for me when I visited with them earlier this week. We discussed the deficit, the threat of China’s growing influence in the U.S., how to get involved in government, and the importance of volunteering.

Johnson with Boys State attendees

I was able to thank nine more Vietnam-era veterans while in Aberdeen during a Vietnam veteran pinning ceremony this week. These veterans didn’t get the welcome home they deserved, and I was honored to thank them for their service to the United States.

Johnson with Vietnam-era veterans in Aberdeen

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Keeping Our Foot on the Gas
By Sen. John Thune

Since President Trump and Republicans took control of Washington in January, we’ve been hard at work delivering on our promises to the American people. In the Senate, we’re working hard to get all of President Trump’s team in place, pass important legislation, and rein in burdensome regulations and wasteful spending. We’re five months in and have no plans to slow down – we have a job to do.

The Senate got right to work in January to get President Trump’s team in place. President Trump had 21 Cabinet officials confirmed earlier than any incoming administration since George W. Bush’s in 2001. So far, we’ve confirmed more than 70 civilian nominees, including a number of ambassadors who are carrying out the president’s foreign policy in postings around the globe.

The Senate has also been busy passing legislation this year. In January, we sent the Laken Riley Act to the president’s desk. This bill requires law enforcement to detain an illegal immigrant who steals, assaults a law enforcement officer, or kills or seriously injures another person. We also passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would ensure law enforcement has an important tool to prosecute those who bring deadly fentanyl and fentanyl analogues into our country and peddle them in our communities. And last month, President Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law to combat nonconsensual, explicit images being shared online.

The Senate has also been working to repeal burdensome Biden-era regulations. We’ve passed 18 resolutions repealing regulations that would have raised costs, destroyed jobs, and reduced choice for the American people. That includes blocking the Biden natural gas tax, eliminating burdensome new appliance standards, and blocking the California electric vehicle mandate that would have driven up prices and reduced consumer choice nationwide.

We’ve made considerable progress in just a few months, and we are keeping our foot on the gas as we work to codify some of the Trump administration’s spending cuts. The administration has worked to identify wasteful spending, and now Congress will take up its role to save taxpayer dollars.

This month, the Senate is also working to advance President Trump’s agenda through a reconciliation bill that makes America stronger and more prosperous. This bill would prevent a multitrillion dollar tax hike on working families and small businesses. It would invest in border security and deporting illegal immigrants. It would strengthen our military by making a down payment on the weapons and resources that our men and women in uniform need to keep America safe. And it would leverage our natural resources for a reliable and affordable supply of energy.

When the American people elected President Trump and Republican majorities last year, they expected us to deliver. We have wasted no time in scoring wins for the American people, and we won’t stop now.

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A Midsummers Night Dream
by State Representative Kent Roe, District 4

Hello District 4 voters, & anyone else reading this. While I’m not a Shakespearean, I find his writings fun and challenging. I recently read “A Midsummers Night Dream”, and it’s a pretty good reflection on society.

We’re being treated to various political actors announcing their intentions for South Dakota and you and I. We’ve heard from the woke right, we’ll soon hear from the woke left. I sure hope someone more right-center shows up soon. District 4 and South Dakota deserve measured deliberate thoughtful & considerate leadership.

This country has survived for nearly 250 years, we’ll continue with our hiccups. The founders are considered to be quite radical. At the end of the day, they mostly wanted self-representation and freedom from the King of England. I believe that they would be shocked at today’s polarization, how both ends have picked up causes that attain an oversized influence. What’s wrong with boring? Not to discount causes with merit, but, a boring government probably isn’t going to abuse the citizenry. I’ll observe that the low voter turnout last election was largely due to this boredom. And maybe even a measure of satisfaction with the status quo. So let’s not fall prey to paraolgy, the false legitimation of ideas through consensus.

Do we have problems? Absolutely! Take a look at the national debt. Social issues? Yep, we have them too. But, here in South Dakota, we’ve got it good. We have a balanced budget, we’re a nearly crime free state (statistically speaking), our Churches are strong. The Lutherans are suffering, the Baptists are preaching, the Catholics are catholicing, etc.

Statewide, the prison is our next big issue. Well, it’s not really next. It’s been studied for years. 3-4 years ago a task force of subject matter experts took up a study to develop a plan. At that time the legislature recognized this need and put money away for the project ($600+ million). This last session we heard about the well thought out plan. Of course the zeitgeist had moved in Pierre. A big hubaloo was raised. Many people decided to ignore a well thought out plan and burn it to the ground. I even caught a slight scent of burned hair in the Capitol. So, here we are, mid-June and we have now seen this new study. The initial study was heavily criticized because of the site selection. The cost was a concern, but it was mostly the site selection that caused it’s demise. So, second verse same as the first verse, the second study landed nearly identical in it’s recommendations as the first study. As a former warden stated on the floor of the house, “nobody wants a prison in their back yard”. The prison was built in the 1880’s. It’s obsolete. We need to do something. Let’s follow what 2 commissions recommend, put the prison in Lincoln County on land we (the state) already own.

On the bright side, I’ve been working with Applied Digital, a data-center entrepreneur, on getting meaningful economic development here in South Dakota. Things are in motion. I benefit from good relationships with like-minded legislators. It’s not all gloom and doom. We benefit from a core of smart, bi-partisan, legislators that understand big ideas. We’ll develop legislation that encourages entrepreneurs and benefits the local economy and the state economy. We’ve got entrepreneurs who won’t quit. It’s in our DNA. We’re not always right, but we’re always swinging.

So, it’s summer. Time to read a book or more. If you don’t like Shakespeare I’d recommend Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, maybe Steinbeck. Hopefully you can get them past the librarian as those librarians are under threat of arrest…

Have an enjoyable summer. Take in a rodeo, stock car race, baseball game or just go fishing. Talk to you after Independence Day!

Rep Kent Roe, D4

Interesting note from a correspondent yesterday:

Had a kid who came up to me and said this lady called him to get him to work for Jon and Karla’s campaign a few weeks back. I asked who and he sent me the number which was Kelly Brack.

As in the SDGOP’s Finance/Fundraising Director Kelly Brack. A member of the SDGOP Staff is allegedly recruiting more Hansen/Lemmings?

This anecdote is surprising, considering the words of SDGOP Chair Jim Eschenbaum recently:

It has been brought to my attention this morning that Toby Doeden’s campaign is asking County parties to endorse him. It has been discussed many times that this would not be appropriate for the party to influence the election process, other than supporting Republicans. 

Read that e-mail from the chair here.

So was Eschenbaum’s admonition that “it’s not appropriate for the party to influence the election process” only applicable when it’s someone who wants to work against the Hansen/Lemmings campaign, since it appears he has a staffer directly recruiting on their behalf?

How long did that last? A whole 5 minutes?

There were never any questions about the party’s employees staying out of the primary election process, until now. And with the current regime in charge of the SDGOP, it sounds like that the traditions that made the Republican party dominant in South Dakota are now being thrown out the door.

Attorney General Jackley Congratulates LET Class Recruits Graduating Friday

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley congratulates the 36 students who graduate Friday from the state Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course in Pierre.

“The Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course is a rigorous 13-week training where students are challenged in different areas of law enforcement,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Congratulations to the recruits who have committed themselves to serving their communities and South Dakota as law enforcement officers.”

The recruits represent 29 different state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. The certification course is required for the students to become fully qualified law enforcement officers in South Dakota.

Graduates are required to complete 520 hours of course work that includes instruction in the law, arrest control tactics, firearms, vehicle handling, and criminal investigations. The training program is taught by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies from across the state.

Friday’s graduation ceremony starts at 10 a.m. CDT in the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center in Pierre. Attorney General Jackley will be the keynote speaker.

Members of the 196th Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course and their law enforcement agency are:

Sadie Bartle, Rapid City Police Department; Carson Between Lodges, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety; David Briesemeister, Mitchell Police Department; Alex Burkel, Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Department; Andrea Carlson, Edmunds County Sheriff’s Department; Jesse Cummings, Box Elder Police Department; Kevin Peterson, Brookings Police Department; Parker DeRouchey, Corson County Sheriff’s Office.

Steven Diaconu, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; Kody Elbert, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; Andrew Erickson, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office; Jacen Hancock, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office; Christopher Jackson, Kingsbury County Sheriff’s Office; Nathan Johnson, Rapid City Police Department; Trey Kelderman, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; Chance Kerner, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; Kendon Koep, Watertown Police Department.

Jacob Kumpf, Brown County Sheriff’s Office; Zane Lewis, Pierre Police Department; Josef Long Solider, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety; Clint Mitchell, Sturgis Police Department; Andrew Nelson, McCook County Sheriff’s Office; Jonathan Otter, Faulk County Sheriff’s Office; Joe Pham, Elk Point Police Department; Jazlyn Phelps, Rapid City Police Department; Tabor Schabot, Aberdeen Police Department; Kaitlyn Schmeling, Watertown Police Department.

Alexander Sorenson, Potter County Sheriff’s Office; Jackson Spurr, Spink County Sheriff’s Office; Troy Thompson, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office; Casey Uthe, Lyman County Sheriff’s Office; Jimmy Wade, Wagner Police Department; James Waldrop, Hand County Sheriff’s Office; Nathan Williams, Harding County Sheriff’s Office; Thane Witt, Sisseton Police Department; Paetyn Yeshulas, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

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605: A Little Slice of Paradise
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
June 5, 2025

My family has ranched the same area of western South Dakota for generations. My hometown of Union Center is a very small community. In town, you’ll find Cammack Ranch Supply, a store that is a big economic driver for our community. It used to be owned by my good friend, Gary Cammack – he sold it to his son, Reed Cammack.

Gary and his wife Amy own some land about 20 miles away south of White Owl in the two rivers country where the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche rivers meet. Their property is a little slice of heaven. It actually adjoins the land that my mother grew up on, but there’s a pretty drastic change in the terrain between her old land and theirs.

After church about a week ago, my wife Sandy and I went to spend the day on their property. I was amazed by the incredible beauty just 20 miles down the road!

They have a stock dam with docks for boating and paddleboarding, beautiful rolling hills, rock formations, and old trees. They had areas on their property that had never been grazed because the country was too rugged to have access to water. So, he found a way to pipe water to those remote areas.

I was impressed by an old stone building, which was built partially into the ground by the original homesteaders. They’ve restored that building and made it beautiful.

I’ve said many times on my Open for Opportunity tour that I’ve been amazed at all the businesses in South Dakota that I never knew about. Imagine my wonder to see such unexpected natural beauty just a couple miles from where my mom grew up!

If my friend Gary had never bought that land and invited us to join him, we would have never experienced this little slice of South Dakota. The overall opportunity of our state would have been just a little bit less. We’d be capitalizing just a bit less on our abundant natural beauty. And my wife and I wouldn’t have had such a great weekend.

So open the door in front of you, even if it’s a door that nobody else saw, even if it might be locked – at least check the lock. You might create your own little slice of paradise. You might launch an opportunity that nobody else saw. You might change lives, your community, or even our state.

Every year on June 5, we celebrate “Forever 605 Day” across South Dakota. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our single area code: 605. And it’s a great chance to look at what unites us.

From the Big Sioux to the Cheyenne River, from the Black Hills to the prairie lakes – we have a beautiful, diverse state united by shared values and special people. I spent another day about a week ago in the southeast corner of our state – it was entirely different than anywhere else in South Dakota, but no less beautiful.

The idea behind “Forever 605” is bigger than a state; it’s a state of mind. It’s a pledge to be both a brave wanderer and a passionate steward of the 605 state. Forever 605 means celebrating our natural beauty and protecting it for our future generations.

Whether you live in Sioux Falls or Union Center, you probably have a 605 area code. You’re a South Dakotan. And you are just as much a part of creating opportunities for our next generation as the rest of us.

Our state is pretty special. I will keep doing my part as Governor to keep our state Open for Opportunity – not just for my generation, and not just the next generation – but for those who come after us, as well. Happy “Forever 605 Day!”

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An article just came out from the Dakota Scout this afternoon noting that former SDGOP Executive Director Ryan Budmayr has been chosen to lead the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce as it’s new President and CEO:

The former executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party will take the reins of the state’s primary business networking organization.

The South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry announced Wednesday the appointment of Ryan Budmayr as its new president and CEO, succeeding longtime state chamber leader David Owen.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, well-respected across the state, and his extensive experience and deep ties to South Dakota make him the ideal leader to build on David’s legacy and guide us into the future,” said Michael Bender, chairman of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Read the entire story here.

And congratulations to Ryan in his new role!

Attorney General Jackley Announces Sioux Falls Woman Indicted On Grand Theft Charge

PIERRE, S.D.—South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a Sioux Falls woman has been indicted on one count of Grand Theft for taking unauthorized control of monies owned by 16 different victims that had a combined value of between $100,000 and $500,000.

Margaret Jean Spears-Pederson, 67, was indicted May 22 by a Codington County Grand Jury. The alleged theft occurred in Codington County between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2025.

“The defendant is alleged to have violated the victims’ trust,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This is a good reminder for consumers to do due diligence when agreeing to pay for services. Make sure everything is in writing upfront before you provide payment.”

Spears-Pederson made her initial court appearance on Wednesday, June 4 (today). Bond has been set at $50,000 cash surety.

If convicted, Spears-Pederson faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

Agencies investigating the case were South Dakota Consumer Protection Division, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and Watertown Police Department. The Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case.

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Ladies & gentlemen of Butte County, here’s your District 28B State Representative Travis Ismay, as he imparts wisdom in the Butte County Commission chambers, on how non-violent juvenile offenders should break rocks in quarries, how we need an income-based tax for property, and how to poison people with eye drops for fun and entertainment.

All caught on the cameras for the Butte County Commission chambers.  Seriously.  The Butte County Commission had gone into executive session for a period of time, and while they were there, State Representative Ismay took the opportunity to impart his steaming nuggets of wisdom.

Juvenile incarceration? Let them break rocks. Nevermind that the work camp approach killed Gina Score, and cost state taxpayers $1.25 million.  Property Tax Relief? Let’s create a new income tax for property.  Which party is he with again? Because creating a South Dakota Income Tax sounds a lot like a Democrat talking point.

And what every member of the House Education committee discusses with their constituents – “Want to give someone chronic diarrhea?” Of course, he tells his friend to poison them with eye drops, which can actually kill you dead as hell.

Don’t take my word for it – Here’s selected video clips from the May 25th Butte County Commission hearing room:

In case you want to go through the extensive video yourself, you can find it on YouTube.