Here’s something that hit facebook this week:

The Western South Dakota Catholic Foundation is blasting out a message out on Facebook promoting the Protecting South Dakota Kids political organization on Initiated Measure 29.

Is the foundation adding something new to the organization’s causes and goals?  So, they’re supporting Seminarian Education, AND fighting the devil’s lettuce?

Or maybe it has something to do with the Western SD Catholic Foundation being led by Jim Kinyon, who also leads the Protecting SD Kids Political Committee.  Which if you read Senator Lee Schoenbeck’s recent guest post, noted how they used funds from the group – including donations from the Presentation Sisters – to send to his favorite candidates, you have to wonder what’s going on.

Which seems to be bleeding over to unrelated, but connected organizations.

 

Boy. Someone votes in their first Republican Primary, and they get delusions of grandeur. I feel like I need to animate the dumpster logo, and have tacky fireworks shooting out of it as I write about Toby Doeden’s latest dumpster fire.  Because according to the ads he’s blasting across facebook, he’s allegedly putting on a self-congratulatory dinner in Sioux Falls in 3 weeks, where the details are secret, unless you fork over $250 for a general admission ticket.

Does that seem light on details? Well, it is.

In fact, all of the details are secret.. unless you’re going to buy a ticket – and then you’ll find out, according to the rules of his ..dumpster fyre-fest:

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Dakota First Action Victory Gala! This exclusive event brings together passionate supporters, community leaders, and key figures dedicated to the future of South Dakota and our great nation. Your attendance will not only provide you with a night of inspiration, networking, and entertainment but also directly contribute to the critical work of electing bold conservatives at every level of government in South Dakota. 

The Victory Gala will feature an unforgettable group of distinguished speakers, live music, a gourmet dinner, and an exciting auction. A night you won’t want to miss! 

Secure your tickets now to guarantee your spot at the premier event of the season. Together, we can make a difference!

Ticket Options:

• VIP Admission: $500 – Includes premium seating, a pre-event cocktail hour with speakers, a VIP gift bag

• General Admission: $250 – Includes entry, dinner, and entertainment.

*Event details to come after ticket purchase*

So, it’s not just a dinner with Doeden, he might let Taffy Howard or Steve Haugaard or someone from that wing of the party have the podium. But you won’t know who the speakers are until you’ve already dropped $250.  But it gets better!  Because there are sponsorships. Many, many sponsorships:

Chairman’s Sponsorship – $17,500

Includes:

1. 1. Ten VIP tickets with center stage, premium dinner seating
   2. Mix and mingle in VIP Reception Room one hour prior to event with photo op, unlimited premium drinks, and passed hors d’oeuvres
   3. Option to host keynote speaker at your dinner table
   4. Title Sponsor recognition on the front cover of Dinner program
   5. Additional full-page ad in the Dinner program as well as additional mention in the program in the sponsor list section
   6. Verbal acknowledgement and on-screen recognition throughout event
   7. Media coverage & recognition on the website 

..and we quickly move down through many levels to such prime positions as Favor Sponsor – $2,000, and  Centerpiece and Floral Sponsor – $1,750.

I’m shocked, I tell you – shocked – that they skipped the opportunity to charge people $1000 to be the coat check sponsor.

As someone who has been involved in events for the Republican Party as well as a non-profit group, It’s challenging enough to sell tickets when you have a marquee event or speaker and you actually publicize it.

I will be curious to see how that it works for them when the time of the event is secret, the location of the event is secret, and the main attraction they’ve laid out big cash to appear is secret. (I had one person suggest it might be a luminary such as the Pillow Guy, but I’m wagering someone from the Congressional Freedom Caucus).

Saddle up..

Gov. Noem Appoints Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala as BIT Commissioner

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced the appointment of  Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala as Commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT). His appointment will be effective on Monday, September 9, 2024.

“South Dakota has made tremendous investments to improve our IT infrastructure, and Madhu is the right person to carry that momentum forward,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “He will focus on putting our citizens first, protecting their data, and helping all of state government serve the people of South Dakota.”

Madhu holds a Master of Science in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, a Master of Business Administration in Engineering and Technology Management from the University of Dalla, and a PhD in Information Systems from Dakota State University.

With over 20 years of experience in IT, Madhu has held various leadership roles, including as Senior Director of IT for Business Solutions at Sanford Health from 2019 until earlier this year. He recently began serving as the Chief Technology Officer for BIT. Madhu also serves on the Advisory Committee of the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University.

“I’m truly honored and excited to step into the role of Commissioner for BIT. I’m deeply grateful to Governor Noem for the trust placed in me and eager to make a meaningful impact by driving innovative and secure technology solutions across our state,” said Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala. “I look forward to working closely with our government and communities to enhance our digital infrastructure, empower our citizens, and build a stronger, more connected future for all South Dakotans.”

Madhu and his wife, Vasantha, are proud parents of two boys, aged 17 and 13. The family shares a love for the outdoors and has explored every state park in South Dakota. In their free time, they can often be found camping, hiking, or unwinding by a lake. Madhu, an avid motorcycle enthusiast and old Western movie lover, also has a deep passion for technology. He is constantly researching and exploring emerging technologies, driven by a commitment to applying them in ways that better serve the community.

You can find a photo of Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala here.

From my mailbox, Joe Kirby, Spokesman for the Amendment H open primaries measure has a message for Republicans on why they should support Amendment H.

For your consideration:

The Republican Party in South Dakota needs a new election system. The party is fractured, with fringe elements dominating the state conventions and primaries. Mainstream Republicans (aka RINOs) are increasingly marginalized, and the party’s elected officials no longer consistently represent traditional South Dakota conservative values. This shift threatens the state’s historically stable, business-friendly environment.

Despite these challenges, party bosses remain defensive, refusing to acknowledge the issues. Their loyalty seems more aligned with their view of party interests than with the well-being of the state and its voters.

Open primaries would broaden the party’s base and allow South Dakota’s traditional conservative values to dominate our politics once again. Vote YES on H!

Joe Kirby

Amendment H has picked up a few advocates who are active Republican elected officials, including State Senator Michael Rohl.

You can find out more about Amendment H here.

The South Dakota Federation of Republican Woman have launched an “Election” page on their website with election resources to help cut through the clutter that people my have to wade through with other resources such as the Secretary of State’s website.  They’ve also included a one-page sheet for Republicans to share:

 

The SDFRW webpage does have that one-pager on it… it also has links to the SOS candidate search, voter registration site, and the link to look up your voter registration, district, polling place, and sample ballot. They also have a downloadable document on there listing all the ballot measures and their descriptions from the AG.

You might also notice they are not lobbying for any ballot measure positions…. And their purpose is to inform, not influence.

Check it out.

On the Road in South Dakota
By Sen. John Thune

Like many South Dakotans, I spend a lot of summer days on the road. The longer state work period gives me the chance to spend more time traveling our state far and wide and doing one thing I find very rewarding: listening to you. This summer took me everywhere from Leola to Brookings to Fort Pierre, my hometown of Murdo, and many places in between.

Of course, there’s no better place to spend a South Dakota summer day than at a fair. I look forward to fair season all year. It’s a pleasure to see familiar faces, hear from people about what’s happening in their community, and get some great food too, like my favorite: the Tubby Burger at the Brown County Fair.

Traveling the state also provides me an important opportunity to hear from farmers and ranchers. I enjoyed joining the Aberdeen Chamber’s Agribusiness luncheon at this year’s Brown County Fair. Each year the South Dakota Farm Bureau also hosts a congressional update at Dakotafest in Mitchell, and I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from members of the agriculture community about the need for Congress to pass a farm bill. I share their deep frustration that Congress will likely simply extend the current farm bill instead of passing an updated law, but I’m committed working hard until the job is done.

It was great to be in our West River communities this summer and see how they are supporting military families. I visited the Liberty Center in Box Elder, which offers year-round indoor exercise and recreation space for Ellsworth airmen, their families, and the local community. And I had the privilege of joining service members and their families in Rapid City for the annual Military Appreciation Barbecue. I’m proud that South Dakota not only punches above its weight in military service, but our communities go the extra mile to support those who serve.

Summertime travels also give me the chance to meet with some of the people who keep our communities and their local economies going. I visited Ricky’s Restaurant in Roscoe, met with homebuilders in Sioux Falls and health care professionals in Howard, and I learned about some of the great things happening at South Dakota State University and Black Hills State University among other visits and meetings.

And what would the summer be without a few celebrations? I had a blast at the Fort Pierre Fourth of July parade seeing South Dakotans at their patriotic best, and it was great to be back in Murdo to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Pioneer Auto Show and remember longtime museum owner, David Geisler.

Exploring our state is wonderful any time of year, but there’s something extra special about South Dakota in the summertime. The sunshine on the open prairie, the smell of the Ponderosa Pine, and the people I get to meet along the way remind me how lucky I am to be a South Dakotan and what an honor it is to represent our state in the U.S. Senate.

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Necessary Transparency
By Congressman Dusty Johnson

BIG Update

Shein and Temu are two Chinese fast fashion online shopping platforms that are known for their low prices in American markets. Their low prices are partly due to the “de minimis” rule, which allows goods with a value of $800 or less per shipment to enter the U.S. duty free, allowing these companies to avoid paying taxes and duty fees to ship to America. This loophole could threaten American competitiveness and increase prices on U.S. goods.

The de minimis rule also allows them to avoid bearing responsibility for complying with forced labor standards. Work from the Select Committee on China has revealed there are serious concerns about both companies’ products being made with forced labor, and an extremely high risk that Temu utilizes forced labor. This is unacceptable, and America must step up enforcement to ensure these goods do not cross our shores.

Recently, 21 state attorneys general sent a letter to Temu to pursue answers for these concerns and other concerns over Americans’ private data that may be collected by Temu. I hope consumers are informed and can make wise decisions to protect their data while shopping.

For more information, view Keloland’s story here.

BIG Idea

Lewis Drug and independent pharmacies are working to meet the needs of their community members day in and day out. They do this while burdened by a system that unfairly benefits pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Congress must continue to work to pass policies aimed at creating more price transparency and fairness for pharmacists. Many small, rural communities rely on their independent pharmacy to receive their drugs. Without them, rural Americans will be left without viable options.

This week, I visited the Lewis Drug in Huron. They did a phenomenal job showing me around their workflow and processes.

Johnson and Lewis Drug employees

BIG News

The Biden Administration’s continued attempts to cancel unpaid student loans was paused again by the Supreme Court. Over the past three years, President Biden has attempted to spend an unprecedented $1 trillion to cancel student debts.

The President doesn’t have authority to unilaterally spend these funds – the power of the purse lies with Congress. The United States is facing an unprecedented debt and deficit crisis. Instead of spending into oblivion, we should work to identify ways to make college tuition more affordable for students.

Fairgoing
By: Gov. Kristi Noem
August 30, 2024

Each year, we celebrate the South Dakota State Fair in the days leading up to Labor Day. Things kick off Wednesday and wrap up Monday. I love the State Fair for so many reasons. I always head for the pork sandwiches and ice cream. The bull riding and concerts are excellent, and we have plenty of celebrations!

What I love in particular is the wide variety of those celebrations. I spent a day at the Fair this year, and these are just a few of the things that we celebrated:

• Family farms and ranches that have been in the same family for 100 years, 125 years, or 150 years – (isn’t that incredible?);
• Our annual Salute to Veterans program, which thanks all of our veterans from each American conflict and those who didn’t make it home;
• The Daughters of the American Revolution and the work that they do to educate our kids on America’s history and founding principles;
• The work that our various agriculture advocacy groups do to promote our state’s most important industry;
• The groundbreaking of the next revolutionary facility at the State Fairgrounds: the SHED; and
• The Bull Bash, a terrific competition that also included another program to honor our veterans.
• And that was just Thursday at the State Fair!

Even with all of South Dakota’s amazing growth, we are still a state that runs on small town values. And we see that in full effect at the State Fair. People are happy and friendly. They have a smile on their face and say “hello” when you walk by. They run into old friends and make plenty of new ones.

I wish that every South Dakotan took the opportunity to see everything that our State Fair has to offer. It’s a tremendous educational opportunity for our kids, and there’s lots of fun to be had, as well! And the concerts offer something for folks of all different musical tastes.

Next year’s State Fair will take place between Wednesday, August 27, and Monday, September 1, 2025. We hope to see you there!

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That’s quite the statement coming from President Trump with regards to the legalization of marijuana.

Does that mean the initiated measure 29 people are going to get a boost from his support?

In case you were wondering whatever happened to Annette Bosworth..

Just think.. she could have been our US Senator instead.