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:
From Facebook:
Senate Passes Rounds Amendment to Ban China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from Buying American Farmland and Agricultural Businesses
WASHINGTON – The United States Senate passed an amendment offered by U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) that bans foreign adversaries from purchasing American farmland and agricultural businesses. The amendment, Rounds 813, will be included in the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment passed by a vote 91-7.
“China and Russia are our near-peer adversaries and North Korea and Iran are no friends of the United States,” said Rounds. “These four adversaries view America as their top competitor and only wish to gain advantage and opportunities to surveil our nation’s capabilities and resources. This commonsense provision will make our homeland more secure. I am pleased this amendment was included in this year’s NDAA, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this legislation across the finish line.”
Specifically, Rounds’ amendment would:
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Gov. Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” Surpasses 3,500 Applicants
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” national workforce recruitment campaign has surpassed 3,500 applicants. 675 are in the final stages of the process of moving to South Dakota.
“South Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in United States history at 1.8%. Even with these record-breaking levels, we have open jobs to spare,” said Governor Noem. “The folks applying to move here through ‘Freedom Works Here’ will be filling these jobs and joining our winning workforce. Our momentum is showing no signs of slowing down!”
“Freedom Works Here” is already the most successful workforce recruitment campaign in South Dakota history:
“These results are fantastic – and they only represent the folks working directly with us through the ‘Freedom Works Here’ program,” said Governor Noem. “We have even more Freedom-loving Americans finding jobs and moving to South Dakota of their own accord after seeing our ads.”
Over 310 million people have seen the “Freedom Works Here” ads. The most applications have come from California (603), Texas, (260), Florida (245), Minnesota (208), and New York (148). 108 South Dakotans have also used the campaign as a tool to get plugged in to career opportunities. A map showing where applicants are from can be found here.
If your South Dakota business has open jobs, find future talent here.
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Chairman Wiik Announces rally with President Donald Trump ticket sales
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, South Dakota Republican Party Chairman John Wiik announced President Donald J. Trump will join the South Dakota Republican Party’s Monumental Leaders rally.
“Our Monumental Leaders rally just got 45 times better as we look forward to hearing from the original America First leader, President Donald Trump,” said Chairman Wiik. “President Trump accomplished so much for our country during his time in office. As the leading presidential candidate, he can inspire our Republican Party to even greater heights.”
The rally will be hosted at The Monument in Rapid City, SD on Friday, September 8th.
Tickets will be available starting on Wednesday July 26, 2023 at 10:00 AM MT. Visit www.SDGOP.com or The Monument to purchase tickets.
Tickets go on sale for our Monumental Leaders Rally with President @realDonaldTrump TOMORROW at 10AM MT.
Purchase your tickets at https://t.co/VgMmFFwaxK before it’s too late! pic.twitter.com/uChBPUhC9n
— South Dakota GOP (@SDGOP) July 25, 2023
While he collects his $189,000 parachute, after resigning in the face of termination for cause, ousted Brookings School Superintendent Klint Willert has apparently landed in Pipestone, Minnesota as their interim Superintendent, after a 5-2 vote by the Pipestone School District.
Not without some controversy, but the Pipestone School Board chair managed to push it through, providing the Brookings former supt. a salary not to exceed $149,500 to go with his $189,000 that he’s pocketing after his demanded resignation from the Brookings School District.
But the real comedy in this episode comes with Willert’s explanation of that whole Brookings School District “elephant in the room” thing, as he explained it to the Pipestone school employees:
“I’m super excited to be here,” Willert told the PAS employees.
He then addressed what he called “the elephant in the room,” which was his resignation as superintendent of the Brookings School District after eight years with the district. Addressing news reports that he was given the option to resign or be terminated after a poor review, Willert said he received what was “arguably the best performance evaluation” of his entire career in July of 2022.
“I’m so proud of it, I’m willing to share it with anybody,” he said. “I’m so proud of it because we’ve been doing some really incredible things where I’m at in Brookings and we continue to do so.”
He said the school board’s goals changed, however, after that 2022 evaluation.
“As a result of that, six months after I had received this stellar evaluational, I got the tap on the shoulder saying, ‘Yeah, let’s think differently,” Willert said.
He then shifted his attention to his background and his upcoming time with PAS.
Read the entire story here as reported in the Pipestone Star.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the impending loss of school accreditation due to not paying attention as well as other offenses as “the tap on the shoulder.”
While Willert claims to be willing to share it with anybody, the problem with that his side of the tale is that the Brookings School District posted the documents involved on-line as exhibits, and they are ALSO sharing with anybody as well. How did the attorney for the Brookings School District describe it in March of this year…..?
Willert Ultimatum by Pat Powers
…contract communications lacking clarity… ..Communication around the strategic Planning Timeline was not shared with all board members… …incorrect or incomplete documents at board meetings and in executive sessions… …Superintendent goals lacking substance… …lack of follow-up… ..working relationship between city and school not at a place we should expect in Brookings… …(Don’t even get the board started on his competency based education debacle)… ..inaccurate COVID-19 plan.. …Superintendent said he’d start at least 6 committees that were never formed… …Supt displayed apathy and unavailability regarding a donation request from a major donor… ..leadership for Early Childhood vision is lacking… …The Dist claimed he used contracts he was told not to.. AND the kicker to the 3/8 demand for resignation was that the board stated they’d lost “faith and trust” in his ability to lead the District.
And that was all before they received notice that the accreditation for the Brookings School District had been placed on probation by the State of South Dakota. In the March 14, 2023 letter to Willert’s attorney, they flat out note that the threat of the loss of accreditation was “directly attributable to your client’s lack of supervision and constitutes conduct that is seriously prejudicial to the District and amounts to neglect of duty. The neglect of duty specifically…is grounds for termination for cause.“
So, the Brookings School District calls it “neglect of duty” and “grounds for termination by cause,” and the former Superintendent calls it a “tap on the shoulder.”
That might be one way to put it.
Attorney General Jackley Announces Tyndall Man Sentenced To Life in Prison For Triple Homicide Case
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that Francis Lange has been sentenced to life in prison after he had earlier pled guilty to a 2021 triple homicide that occurred in Scotland.
Lange was sentenced Monday in Bon Homme Circuit Court after he had earlier pled guilty but mentally ill to three counts of Murder in the First Degree and to two counts of Aggravated Assault. The defendant received consecutive life sentences for each murder charge and 15-year consecutive sentences for each aggravated assault charge.
“The sentencing today brings some resolution to this tragic case and justice for the victim’s family,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This was a cooperative effort between state and local law enforcement and prosecutors.”
Lange shot and killed three people during an incident Nov.9, 2021 in a Scotland home. Two other individuals received gunshot wounds.
Agencies involved in investigating the shooting were the State Division of Criminal Investigation, the Bon Homme County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Prosecution of the case was handled by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and Bon Homme County State’s Attorney’s Lisa Rothschadl.
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Release: Representative Chris Kassin Selected for Leadership Program
Representative Christopher Kassin was selected to participate in the 2023 Emerging Legislative Leaders Program, sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and held at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
This prestigious program is held every year on the campus of the University of Virginia for a select group of state legislators who have been nominated by the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate or Minority Leader from their state. Leaders are asked to nominate one or more members who by their actions have demonstrated those qualities we associate with leadership—integrity, compassion, intelligence, vision, and common sense.
The goal of this program is to inspire these men and women to continue careers in public service. Class discussions will examine qualities and characteristics of leadership including: ethical leadership, the art of compromise and coalition building, and the philosophical underpinnings of representative democracy. The discussions will be led by a team of distinguished Darden School of Business professors, including: Jared D. Harris, Ph.D. and Mary Margaret Frank, Ph.D. Dr. Thomas Little, Curriculum Director of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, will join the Darden faculty.
Representative Kassin is one of only fifty state legislators chosen from a nationwide pool of nearly 200 outstanding nominees.
As Stephen G. Lakis, President of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, has noted “These legislators represent the best in our legislative institutions, and are destined for future leadership roles in their state. Spending time with these up and coming leaders renews my confidence in our country’s great democratic experiment.”
Rep. Kassin noted, “I am incredibly honored to have been recognized as one of the top first-term legislators in the United States by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF). Last week, I had the privilege of participating in the highly esteemed Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia alongside other exceptional senators and representatives from across the nation.”
“It was a remarkable chance to be challenged, motivated, and equipped with the necessary tools to serve the people of District 17 in Pierre. My commitment to public service is driven by the desire to safeguard the quality of life we are fortunate to experience in South Dakota. I am determined to ensure that the opportunities I have enjoyed are preserved for the benefit of my children and the future generations of South Dakotans. The SLLF conference was a significant strategic and educational opportunity. Other states also share many of the challenges faced by South Dakota in the country. Learning about different ideas and solutions at the conference is invaluable as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session in January 2024,” Kassin said.
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to professional development for our nation’s current and future state legislative leaders. SLLF receives most of its funding from the private sector through annual dues, grants, and program sponsorship fees. The Foundation’s principal source of funds is its 70-member Advisory Council, comprised of representatives of leading corporations. SLLF does not accept public funds.
Kassin was elected to his first term in the South Dakota State House in November 2022. He serves on the Committee on Appropriations. Kassin and his family live in Vermillion, SD, where he works for the University of South Dakota Foundation.
While Stu Whitney over at SD News Watch might feel the obligation to write his quarterly “Hate Kristi Noem” column, the rest of South Dakota loves their Governor.
So much so, that Governor Kristi Noem is the 6th most popular Governor in the country, according to polling conducted by the Morning Consult website:
With 35% disapproval and a powerful 63% approval, only three Republicans and two Democrats nationwide can claim higher support that Governor Noem.
You can read the entire story and see all the numbers here at Morning Consult.
From BRAC to B-21: Ellsworth’s Mission Goes On
By Sen. John Thune
Just a few months after I was elected to the Senate, we got the dreaded news that Ellsworth Air Force Base was being recommended for closure. The odds of saving the base were slim. The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission in charge of these decisions rarely reversed course. But, through an all-hands effort by our congressional delegation and state and community leaders, we proved to the Air Force and the BRAC Commission that Ellsworth was too valuable to lose.
We didn’t stop there, though. Having saved Ellsworth from closure, we got right to work building up the base so we would never again find ourselves in the same position. In 2007, the Air Force Financial Services Center opened at Ellsworth. The 89th Attack Squadron, which remotely commands MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, arrived a few years later. In 2015, after a nearly decade-long effort, we quadrupled the base’s local training airspace, making the Powder River Training Complex the largest range in the lower 48. And in 2021, Ellsworth was designated Main Operating Base 1 for the B-21 Raider, meaning it will host the Formal Training Unit and first operational squadron.
The B-21 will extend Ellsworth’s already incredible contributions to America’s national security for years to come. A sixth-generation long-range bomber, the Raider has been called the future backbone of the bomber force. And that’s no exaggeration. Operating from the United States, it will be able to reach targets around the world that 90 percent of our current bomber force can’t. It will use stealth technologies that you have to see – or not see – to believe. And it’s designed to be able to incorporate new technologies within its airframe and work alongside the technologies of tomorrow, like unmanned aircraft and artificial intelligence, enabling the B-21 to evolve with a changing threat environment.
It will be another few years before the first B-21s make their home in the Black Hills, but the men and women of Ellsworth are working hard to prepare for this important new mission. And I’m working to ensure they have everything they need to successfully carry it out. In recent years, I’ve secured full funding for the B-21 project and its support facilities at Ellsworth. I also worked to establish a dynamic airspace pilot program that will allow airspace boundaries to evolve as exercises progress, which is critical for training in long-range aircraft like the B-21. And I’m proud to report that this year’s defense bill includes full authorization for continued B-21 development and base preparation.
Looking at Ellsworth today, it’s hard to imagine that its future was in jeopardy not long ago. Once slated for closure, Ellsworth is set to be a critical part of our nation’s defense long into the future. I will continue to do everything I can to support both the base’s mission and the men and women who make it happen.
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