In case you wanted to read the Attorney General’s demand letter requesting the repayment of $603,000 in COVID funds to the State of South Dakota from Senator Jessica Castleberry – as well as the Supreme Court opinion noting that legislators could not accept those funds – the documents are available below:
MJJ Letter to Sen. Castleberry Re. Little Nest Preschool by Pat Powers on Scribd
For those of you just reading the story in the last hours, at the Governor’s prompting, the Attorney General has demanded repayment of over $603k in funds from State Senator Jessica Castleberry, noting her ineligibility to receive those funds which were disbursed to her business as part of COVID relief.
The letter from Governor Kristi Noem to Attorney General Marty Jackley in the matter notes that the whole matter came to the State’s attention after a recent grant application requested $4000 in funds, and was signed off by Senator Castleberry on the application:
“Payments were found by Department fiscal staff who recognized the Senator’s name on a recent grant application for Little Nest Preschool to receive another $4,000. At that point, further review into Little Nest Preschool turned up over a dozen payments since 2020.”
2023 7 25 Ltr to AGO Re Castleberry Art 3 S 12 by Pat Powers on Scribd
I feel terrible for the Senator, as she’s always been a nice person. She came into the Senate as an appointee of the Governor, and has been a political ally of the administration. So, this is a tough one. And let’s face it – who has $600k laying around?
According to the attorney general, the Senator has 10 days (Aug 7, I believe) to come up with the funds. We’ll see how this plays out.
In response to Governor Noem’s letter to Republican State Senator Jessica Castleberry over her business’ receipt of COVID funds, the Senator noted that prior to acceptance of the funds in dispute, she had an opinion from legal counsel which supported her ability to accept those funds, as well as working with DSS staff on the issue.
As reported this afternoon by the Dakota Scout:
“Prior to applying for any grant monies, I hired independent legal counsel to give an opinion as to whether my company would be eligible to receive the funding under the federal grant which provided the funds to the state,” she said. “After consulting with legal counsel, I believed my company was eligible. Upon several occasions, I communicated directly and transparently with DSS staff regarding grant applications. I am committed to resolving the issue with the state and will work with them to ensure I acted in compliance with the state Constitution.”
Gov. Noem, AG Jackley Respond to State Senator’s Use of COVID Funds
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and Attorney General Marty Jackley released two letters referencing the inappropriate use of COVID relief dollars by state Senator Jessica Castleberry of Rapid City.
Governor Noem sent a letter to Attorney General Jackley on Tuesday, July 25, asking that his office investigate possible Constitutional and statutory violations committed by Senator Castleberry when she and her business had accepted more than $603,000 in COVID relief dollars while she served in the Legislature. The State Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that such payments to elected officials were illegal. You can find Governor Noem’s letter to Attorney General Jackley here.
Attorney General Jackley sent a letter on Wednesday, July 26, to Gov. Noem responding to her request. You can find Attorney General Jackley’s letter to Governor Noem here. Also on July 26, Attorney General Jackley sent a letter to Senator Castleberry requesting she repay the full amount.
Attorney General Jackley stated in his letter that the state will pursue court action if the full amount is not repaid. Senator Castleberry has 10 days to respond. You can find Attorney General Jackley’s letter to Senator Castleberry here.
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Governor Noem Announces “Freedom Works Here” NASCAR Stock Car
Unveiling our https://t.co/Z14sqo8WZH NASCAR! pic.twitter.com/YwWwL7XkaP
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 27, 2023
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Today, Governor Noem announced that the “Freedom Works Here” nationwide workforce recruitment campaign is partnering with Live Fast Motorsports to sponsor a NASCAR stock car.
“The momentum of ‘Freedom Works Here’ isn’t slowing down – and so our efforts will not slow down,” said Governor Noem. “In fact, they’re about to get a lot faster. I’m talking up to 200 miles per hour fast.”
The “Freedom Works Here” ads have been watched more than 300 million times. More than 3,500 Americans from every state have applied to move to South Dakota. 675 of those folks are in the final stages of the process of moving to our state.
“On behalf of Team Live Fast, we want to thank everyone at Freedom works Here for partnering with us this weekend at Richmond and later this season at Bristol,” said Live Fast Motorsports Co-Owner Matt Tifft. “We’re excited to unveil the Freedom Works Here #78 Chevy Camaro and bring recognition to the opportunities in the state of South Dakota!”
The racing team for the “Freedom Works Here” NASCAR stock car is going to be racing for South Dakota small businesses. This campaign is helping businesses across South Dakota fill their workforce needs.
“We appreciate what South Dakota is doing for their people through workforce initiatives while providing a beautiful state to build the American Dream. I look forward to partnering with them and spreading the message of Freedom Works Here,” said the driver of #78, BJ McLeod.
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After a litany of concerns being brought to legislators by families of those with developmental disabilities, the independent review funded by the state legislature has set listening sessions to learn what legislators have been hearing about the program:
South Dakota lawmakers will have two opportunities in the coming weeks to confer with an outside consultant regarding several state Department of Human Services programs that are intended to help developmentally disabled people.
and..
The company has set one-hour listening sessions to learn what legislators have been hearing. The first will be Tuesday, August 8, at 11 a.m. CT. The second is Wednesday, August 9, at 2 p.m. CT.
and..
Two of the Legislature’s interim panels — the Appropriations Committee and the Government Operations and Audit Committee — sought the review. State Auditor General Russ Olson is overseeing it for lawmakers. He gave an update to GOAC members Tuesday and appropriators Wednesday on the consultant’s progress, including a survey for individuals and families and a survey for the service providers.
If you have a family member with a developmental disability, pay attention. The Family 360 program is a good program, but it is overwhelmed as it struggles to meet the demands, and in some cases navigate bureaucratic hurdles in trying to serve families of those with a developmental disability.
Especially during COVID when most kids were home, the respite care program, which would occasionally bring someone in to do activities with my child, was one of the only things that allowed me to leave the house when dealing with the needs of my daughter who is on the Autism spectrum. The greatest need is to find ways to expand access to and knowledge of the program, as well as to increase the number of providers who can qualify to participate.
DSU President Moderates AI Briefing for All Senators Hosted by Rounds and AI Working Group
WASHINGTON – Dakota State University (DSU) President Dr. José-Marie Griffiths moderated a briefing on artificial intelligence (AI) for members of the United States Senate on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The briefing was the third bipartisan education session hosted by the Senate’s AI working group led by Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). Griffiths was invited by Rounds to moderate the briefing.
“Dakota State University and Dr. José-Marie Griffiths are nationally recognized as leaders in the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence fields,” said Rounds. “I am grateful President Griffiths was able to share her insights on artificial intelligence with my colleagues in the United States Senate. The goal of the working group is to unite the Senate in a bipartisan way to address the challenges and opportunities posed by AI. This briefing was a positive step in the right direction and I appreciate President Griffiths’ participation in this panel.”
“With so many questions about where AI is heading and how it will change the world, it is important that our leaders and policymakers understand AI technology,” said Griffiths. “I am pleased to have taken part in this process by moderating this all-Senate briefing, to help explain the challenges and capabilities of AI.”
For many years, Rounds has been involved in promoting the work done by students at DSU which is consistently recognized for their three Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, Research and Cyber Operations. There are only ten institutions in the United States that have all three of these designations. The Senate’s FY 2024 NDAA contains language which helps further the working relationship between the Department of Defense and institutions like DSU. In June, Rounds helped finalize an Educational Partnership Agreement between DSU and ArmyCyber.
For additional video of President Griffiths discussing today’s hearing click HERE.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
“I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect man.” – Alexander Hamilton
Our Founding Fathers risked their lives to forge one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. They numbered among the most brilliant men of their time – yet, they were but men, and thus flawed.
Were the Founding Fathers perfect? No. But scrubbing them from history is foolhardy at best and dangerous at worst. As Cicero observed, “To remain ignorant of history is to remain forever a child.” If we are to escape the doom of repeating our mistakes, liberals must cease acting as children who refuse to face our national history, both glorious and horrendous. Rather than suppressing facts, we should learn from them – the good and the bad.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem calls Mt. Rushmore: “the greatest symbol of our freedom and history of the United States.” South Dakota’s lone U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson stated, “There is a reason that Mt. Rushmore is called the shrine to Democracy. When you look at those four leaders, they symbolize the greatest strengths of America, about our unity, about our coming together, about our march toward a more perfect union.”
Yet, Mt. Rushmore is under attack. Calls from agitators continue to mount, demanding our National Monument be demolished or destroyed. To ensure Mt. Rushmore endures as an embodiment of our nation’s history, Representative Johnson introduced the Protect Mt. Rushmore Act, barring the use of federal funds to alter, change, and/or destroy Mt. Rushmore’s name or likeness.
The National Park Service (NPS) offers this graceful description of the monument: “Majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota, tell the story of the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country.” Yet, Biden’s NPS objects to the Protect Mt. Rushmore Act, calling it “unnecessary.” It seems the Biden Administration doth protest too much! In recent years, Thomas Jefferson was ripped from the New York City Hall; Abraham Lincoln was torn from Boston’s Park Square. Protestors toppled statues of George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt in Portland. Given the relentless ideological campaign to abolish any trace of these Founding Fathers, protecting Mt. Rushmore isn’t merely necessary, it’s imperative!
Accordingly, on July 24, 2023, the South Dakota Federation of Republican Women’s executive committee implored Congress to pass the Protect Mt. Rushmore Act.
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Just caught this in my Twitter feed:
State Rep Brandi Schaefbauer is reposting some local loopy internet paranoia claiming states are going to fall like “dominions.” How exactly does a dominion fall? As opposed to those little black things called dominoes that actually do fall.
Rep. Schaefbauer was retweeting some crazy cuckoo paranoia that all the states media are out to get the members of the hard right, including myself, repeating utterly debunkable nuttery that I think originated with Lora Hubbel as a source:
So this other author, no less kooky than Lora, claims I skewer the opponents of Republicans (deriding the GOP as the Uniparty) because I’m paid $40-60k per year by the GOP.
I always have to ask that If that’s the case where is the check?!? I’d love to not need my day job where I deal with insurance claims for things that blow up, burn down, become infested by bedbugs, and where tree branch after tree branch land on vehicles.
Unfortunately, after 18 years of writing the SDWC, no one is paying me from a mysterious pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to write funny things.
In those instances when I’m allegedly skewering the “uniparty opponents,” I have always found that some of the funniest things write themselves, such as this from ex-Noem staffer Caroline Woods.
..and no one paid me to come up with that one.
Stay tuned. (I have to go get dressed so I can deal with a tree branch claim.)
From my mailbox, South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson will be having a fundraiser with former Republican Congressman & Speaker of the House John Boehner on August 4th in Sioux Falls:
