Matt Roby Announces Candidacy for District 5 State House of Representatives

WATERTOWN, SD – Watertown resident Matt Roby today announced his candidacy for the State House of Representatives in District 5. “I’m passionate about the Watertown area and will always to do what I can to make it better,” Roby said. ‘My public service, community involvement, and private sector experience give me the tools, relationships, and perspective necessary to be a strong voice for District 5 in Pierre.”

Roby aims to build on the record of common-sense conservative leadership by legislators from the Watertown area. He is interested in advocating for education, enhancing economic development opportunities, addressing the mental health and addiction crisis, and promoting policies to give individuals, families, and businesses the freedom to thrive.

“I pride myself in being in a good listener. I’m eager to continue listening to and learning from District 5 residents as I seek to earn their support in the coming months.”

Roby, 39, is a husband, father, attorney, fourth-generation resident of Watertown, and lifelong Republican. He began his career as an Assistant South Dakota Attorney General and served as Watertown’s City Attorney from 2017 to 2022. He has also worked in the insurance industry and as a private attorney. Outside of work and family, he is actively involved with several non-profit organizations.

Roby and his wife, Stefanie, live in Watertown where he works as legal counsel for an investment firm, and she works as a Physician Assistant. They have four children – Bennett, Griffin, Hannah, and Sutton – and attend Immaculate Conception Church. To learn more, visit www.MattRobyforSD.com or find Matt Roby for SD State House – District 5 on Facebook.

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Gov. Noem Invites California Gun Manufacturers to Move to SD

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem invited California gun manufacturers and law-abiding gun owners to move to South Dakota to escape California’s gun and ammunition tax , which Governor Gavin Newsom signed as the first such tax in the country.

“Why would anyone want to live in a state where your Second Amendment rights are infringed?” said Governor Noem. “South Dakota has been setting the standard as the most Second-Amendment friendly state in the nation for years. Our firearms industry is thriving. Unlike Governor Newsom, South Dakota respects our God-riven rights. So if you are a California gun manufacturer or law-abiding gun owner, we are ready to help you make the move!”

South Dakota’s firearms industry has a total economic impact of $400 million. The state has the second-highest number of registered weapons per 100,000 residents of any state in the nation – this is over three times the nation average and seven times that of California. South Dakota’s concentration of employment in the firearms industry is also 77% higher than the national average and 177% higher than California’s.

Silencer Central has grown from being a local business with a small office space in Sioux Falls to having a national footprint. The gun shop now employs 165 team members and sold more than 100,000 silencers in 42 states last year. They opened their new 47,500-square-foot corporate office in Sioux Falls last June and have grown their staff from 17 to 175, including 120 onsite in Sioux Falls.

Cole-TAC relocated from New Hampshire to the Black Hills, bringing with it 40 jobs. Cole-TAC manufactures tactical accessories, include suppressor covers, ammo storage, hunting gear, and a variety or shooting accessories.

The first bill that Governor Noem ever signed into law guarantees Constitutional Carry for all law-abiding South Dakotans. South Dakota was also the first state to not charge a fee for a concealed carry permit, and it is one of the strongest states for “Stand Your Ground” laws.

State and local governments in South Dakota cannot use an emergency declaration as an excuse to infringe on Second Amendment rights. And, in April, Governor Noem signed an Executive Order blocking state agencies from contracting with large banks that engage in discrimination against firearm-related industries.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development is equipped to help those interested in moving to South Dakota. You can find more information through Governor Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” website.

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Two of the South Dakota Republican Party’s legislators were featured in the Council of State Government’s 2023 Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development Program, with write ups in the CSG’s most recent magazine:

“Congratulations to the diverse, bipartisan, binational group of legislators who make up the new class of BILLD Fellows. The intensive 2023 Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development Program took place in August in Madison, Wis. Over the course of five days, 37 state and provincial legislators participated in a mix of professional development workshops and policy seminars designed to advance their leadership skills and their work as lawmakers. Participants earned the fellowships through a nonpartisan, competitive application process that is overseen by a bipartisan steering committee of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC).
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The goal of BILLD is to help newer legislators (those in their first four years of service) develop the skills necessary to become effective leaders, informed decision-makers and astute policy analysts.“

Sioux Falls Democrat State Senator Liz Larson also participated in the proogram.

Thune: Foreign Ownership of Farmland is a Matter of National Security

“Food security is a critical component of national security, and we need to make sure foreign countries do not hold an undue influence over our food supply.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today participated in a hearing to examine foreign ownership in U.S. agriculture. Thune discussed the importance of protecting South Dakota farmers and ranchers from foreign adversaries – like China, Russia, and Iran – that seek to purchase U.S. farmland and agriculture businesses, which threatens food security.

 Attorney General Jackley Announces Grand Jury Indicts Two Prison Inmates For Attack on Officers

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that two state prison inmates have been indicted on charges, including Attempted First Degree Murder, for their attack on two state correctional officers Aug. 24, 2023 at the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

A Minnehaha County Grand Jury Tuesday indicted inmates Lester M. Monroe, 48, and Kyle L. Jones, 30, for Attempted First Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and Aggravated Assault Against a Department of Corrections Employee. The Attempted First Degree Murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The Aggravated Assault charges carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Jones also was indicted on a charge of Simple Assault Against a Department of Corrections Employee involving a second correctional officer. The charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

The first correctional officer was assaulted by the two inmates in Unit D of the Jameson Annex. The second officer was attacked when they arrived to help their colleague. Both officers were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and released.

The State Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident. The Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution.

Inmates Monroe and Jones are being held at the State Penitentiary. They are presumed innocent under the U. S. Constitution.

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The Argus Leader had a somewhat laughable update on their continued gutting by their parent company this week:

The article portrays how moving it’s print production (and selling off it’s building) over to Iowa was somehow progress. Of course, this comes after the axe landed on a significant part of it’s staff.

And now…. They’re just going to mail newspapers from Iowa instead of having them delivered to subscribers, cutting out their local circulation staff.  Which means the news from the state’s largest newspaper will be just that much older when it comes across the borders.

Should they just rename the paper the “Argus Bleeder” at this point? Not that they have much less to squeeze out.

Once again raising the question why it’s important to have legal notices printed in papers that are mailed to South Dakota from another state?

Hot off the press at Facebook:

State Representative Tyler Tordsen is moving from the staff of Senator Mike Rounds to the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance in October as the organizations new CEO.  Congratulations Tyler!

Gov. Noem Inspects Southern Border Warzone
with South Dakota National Guard Troops

EAGLE PASS, T.X. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem inspected the warzone at the Southern border and received a briefing from the South Dakota National Guard. Fifty South Dakota soldiers are deployed on state active duty as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star.

“The situation at our Southern border continues to deteriorate. The Mexican drug cartels are taking advantage of the open border to proliferate their drugs and human trafficking. This criminal activity is making South Dakotans less safe,” said Governor Noem. “The Biden Administration won’t do their job, so South Dakota National Guard troops are serving alongside soldiers from Texas and several other states to bring some stability to this warzone.”

Governor Noem was joined at the border by South Dakota Adjutant General Mark Morrell and South Dakota Secretary of Public Safety Bob Perry.

Due to a recent surge in border crossings, September is expected to surpass previous monthly highs. Border encounters have remained at record high levels for three consecutive years.

Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott invoked Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, “enabling the State of Texas to protect its own territory against invasion by the Mexican drug cartels.”

Two years ago, when Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for help securing the Southern border, Governor Noem was the first governor to send National Guard. Earlier this summer, Governor Noem committed to sending at least 50 National Guard soldiers to Texas to help them secure the border.

Photos from Governor Noem’s inspection of the border and briefing with the South Dakota National Guard can be found here. Video of the Governor’s tour with the South Dakota National Guard can be found here

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Johnson: “We Must Get Our Fiscal House In Order” 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) spoke in support of historic federal spending cuts. House Republicans are voting on a series of individual appropriations bills ahead of the funding deadline on September 30^th. These bills return many non-defense, non-border security programs back to pre-Covid levels.

“We must get our fiscal house in order,” said Johnson. “The appropriations bills before us move us in that direction. They do so through real, robust, and significant cuts—billions of dollars in cuts.”

Good gosh. Sounds like the Minnehaha County Auditor’s office continues to circle the drain with election nuttery. From KELOland, today Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson was up in front of the Minnehaha County Commission requesting the renewal of ballot counting equipment:

Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson asked the commission to approve the contract, but pointed out numerous times she is not the governing board of elections in Minnehaha County when it comes to automatic tabulating systems.

“It puts you as the governing board in authority of deciding how we’re going to conduct our elections in the county,” Anderson said. “While I do love technology and moving into future centuries, with things like the public surplus auction, I also like to be cautious with technology when it comes to something like our elections. As we introduce more technology, I feel like we take away some of the electoral process from the people.”

Anderson said she’d be in favor of Minnehaha County becoming a county with random hand counts at the precinct level along with using tabulators.

Read that here.

As related further in the KELO story, and from the Dakota Scout.. it was about then things went off the rails, as members of the public were there to fan the flames of election conspiracies.

After wondering where all of this came from in the first place, County Commissioners had harsh words for the Auditor, as Commissioner Joe Kippley unloaded on the county auditor, comparing her to Pontius Pilate:

Commissioner Joe Kippley had the harshest criticism for Anderson and her supporters, saying he didn’t appreciate “the smuggling in” of other issues to a routine service agreement.

“I just don’t get this Pontius Pilate, washing my hands, I’m just a tribune to the people, and I will let the public commentors come up and smuggle in all of these issues that have frankly been litigated in court,” Kippley said

Read that here.

It’s going to be a long election..