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.

Read the entire story here.

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

Just wrapped up our third all-senators briefing on artificial intelligence. Great to have @josegriffiths from @DakotaState there to moderate the panel! pic.twitter.com/lnO5bjoXzE

— Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) July 26, 2023

 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.

###

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.

__________________________

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:

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:

• Prohibit China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from purchasing U.S. farmland and agricultural companies.
• Add the Secretary of Agriculture as an ex officio member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to consider agriculture needs when making determinations affecting our national security.
• Require the president to submit a report to Congress on any waiver granted to a prohibited country.

###

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:

• Thousands of calls have already been made to these applicants to help them take the first steps towards moving to our great state;
• Applicants who have progressed through the process to move to South Dakota received a “Freedom Works Here” South Dakota license plate;
• Governor Noem also sent personalized emails to applicants that hadn’t yet connected with the Department of Labor. This email broke down next steps and provided them with options to begin their move to South Dakota;
• Mailers have been sent to individuals across the country that have been identified as particularly likely to make the move to South Dakota; and
• Digital advertisements are being targeted to that likely population, as well.

“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.

###

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.