AG Jackley: Eligible South Dakotans to Benefit from Turbo Tax Settlement

PIERRE – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that 14,338 eligible South Dakotans will receive checks this month as part of a multi-state settlement with Turbo Tax’s owner Intuit.

“These South Dakotans were among 4.4 million consumers nationwide who were tricked into paying to file their federal tax return which should have been free,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The good thing is those people who were impacted will receive a check in the mail automatically and will not have to file a claim.”

All 50 states and the District of Columbia signed onto the $141 million nationwide agreement which was announced last year. South Dakota’s total from the settlement is $444,456.88.

Those eligible for the money include those who paid to file their federal tax returns through TurboTax for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 but were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program. Eligible consumers will be notified by email by settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting. Checks are expected to be mailed starting this week.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to receive between $29 and $30.

For more information about who is covered by the settlement, and information about the settlement fund, please visit www.AGTurboTaxSettlement.com.

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I write about it every once in a while, but one of the episodes in South Dakota’s great and rich history which I find fascinating (and at times humorous, because of all the trash talking) is the nearly 15 year battle over where South Dakota’s State Capital was to be early in our Statehood.

The process for even serving as a temporary Capital was contentious in 1889, with various factions declaring their location in the state as the superior one.  And in the process, one group of businessmen hatched a scheme, planning on the future growth opportunities that the State Capital would provide, and declared that the optimum location might be to establish a new state capital community named “Harrison” in the land between the towns of Miller and St. Lawrence.

From the Hand County Press, January 3, 1889:

If you’re not familiar with the area between Miller and St Lawrence…

Smack dab in the area between the two communities is an important business location that people in Central South Dakota recognize as the site of the Midway Drive-In – one of the last locations in South Dakota where you can catch a drive-in movie!

Granted the map has changed a bit from 1889, so while it may not have been the exact location, it likely would be in the area of where the Capital Complex would have been, had the plan come to fruition.

Unfortunately for the planned community of “Harrison,” even the local newspaper for Hand County was throwing cold water on the idea in their editorial in the same January 3, 1889 issue.

In that connection we ask our over solicitous and sanguine friends what practical good Miller and St. Lawrence are to derive therefrom? In the first place, only notoriety and finally—only notoriety.  Ouch.

“One thing very positively and impressively impresses itself on us is the fact that so far as this paper is concerned it will not go into any wild and chimerical scheme with a view of securing a capital of South Dakota—without a feather bed to light on. In other words without something substantial to back up the campaign.”

I believe that was their way of demanding the backers of the scheme “show us the money.”

If you ever get over to enjoy the Americana of a Drive-In movie in one of the last places in South Dakota where you can do so in that stretch of Highway 14 between Miller and St. Lawrence, whether you’re carting your kids over to Miler for the Super Mario Brothers Movie, or Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in coming weeks, keep in mind that except for the hand that fate dealt them, you might be parking in a location that could have been the State Capital had the scheme of some Miller businessmen come to fruition.

Five million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the southern border during the Biden administration, more than the population of 26 individual states. Another 1.4 million illegal immigrants, known as “gotaways,” have evaded Border Patrol. And 70 individuals on the terrorist watch list were apprehended in the last six months. But, for over two years, the Biden administration has turned a blind eye to this crisis and rescinded many of the policies that have secured the border in the past.

The number of border crossings only tells part of the tragic story of the border crisis, however. In the last six months alone, Border Patrol seized almost seven tons of fentanyl. Fentanyl entering the United States from Mexico is itself a crisis – fentanyl overdose deaths quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, and it is the leading cause of death for adults age 18-45. And law enforcement officials have attributed the flow of drugs into South Dakota communities to the crisis at our southern border.

Sadly, we may have not seen the worst of what this administration has in store at the southern border. On May 11, the Biden administration will end the use of pandemic-era Title 42 authorities, which have enabled Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to quickly turn back illegal immigrants. While CBP has been overwhelmed thanks to the president dismantling the effective border security policies of his predecessor, Title 42 has been a critical tool for CBP to prevent the open-border crisis from becoming a full-blown catastrophe. Now, Border Patrol expects as many as 13,000 illegal immigrants to cross the border each day when Title 42 is lifted. And border communities, which are already at capacity, are bracing for more migrants, declaring states of emergency, and seeking additional resources.

The Biden administration has largely ignored the border crisis that its early policies helped cause. Now, as this crisis is on the verge of growing much worse, the president has put forward eleventh-hour policy changes attempting to address the expected surge, including sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the border and reinstating some of the very policies he revoked under political pressure. While I hope these actions indicate the president will finally give the border crisis due attention, these measures are too little, too late. What’s needed at the border is presidential leadership, which has been sorely lacking for more than two years now, to uphold the laws on the books and ensure law enforcement can do its job.

For over a year, Republicans, and even some Democrats, warned the president about lifting Title 42 without an adequate plan in place to address the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis. His failure to lead risks further overwhelming Border Patrol, which could allow for drugs, criminals, and terrorists to enter the country undetected and unimpeded while inundating our legal asylum and immigration systems. It’s long past time for the president to seriously acknowledge the crisis, reverse course, and secure the border. I will continue to hold this administration accountable and support legislation to give the Border Patrol the policies and resources they need to help keep our country safe and secure.

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Small businesses are the heart of our communities, providing employment and driving innovation at the national, state, and local levels. In South Dakota, 88,000 small businesses make up 99% of businesses in the state, employing nearly 210,000 people, more than 58% of our workforce. These businesses make large and small impacts in our communities and beyond.

Running a small business certainly comes with challenges. Many business owners are facing regulatory burdens, unfilled job openings, inflation, and limited access to capital. Because of their investment and impact on our communities, we look for opportunities to support small businesses—not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of our friends and family who work there.

As Chairman of the Republican Main Street Caucus, I lead a group of 70 conservatives in Congress that are committed to implementing pro-growth policies for small businesses and fostering economic and individual prosperity. We strive to preserve main streets across America. Inflation and unfilled job openings continue to pressure small businesses, so it’s important to support these businesses however we can. Some ways we can do that are shopping local, eating at a local restaurant, passing policies to support main street, stopping unnecessary federal spending, and reducing overly burdensome regulations.

This Small Business Week, I got to stop by several community favorites in Mitchell like Bonnie’s deKor, Craig Ryans, Einstein’s Vintage Clothing, and some of my favorite restaurants. It’s the people who work at these small businesses that make them so special. Whether it’s your favorite local coffee shop, hardware store, auto repair shop, restaurant, or clothing store, the owners likely know you by name and have built a relationship with you. Supporting small businesses keeps our communities thriving and unique. I’m grateful for the ways South Dakota’s small businesses support our needs. Our local communities would be vastly different without them.

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 “Everyone must visit beautiful South Dakota. Pack your bags and rush to the car and start driving. With so many fun and exciting things to see and do, what will you do first?” Those are the words of an elementary school student who visited the Black Hills with his family last summer. He wrote a school report on his trip called “The Best Place to Visit.”

Stories like this are why we’re celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week. From May 7-13, we will appreciate and honor everything that the travel & tourism industry does for South Dakota.

Tourism is one of South Dakota’s largest industries. Visitors spent a record-breaking $4.7 billion in 2022, generating 11% of total state sales tax collections. And the money that tourism brings in every year eases every South Dakota household’s tax burden by $1,011.

We are so fortunate to welcome people from across the nation and around the world to our “Great Faces, Great Places.” Here in South Dakota, visitors get to create lifelong memories, and every one of our citizens benefits from that.

We broke records last year, but 2023 is looking even better for the travel industry. 84% of Americans have a tentative trip planned for the next 12 months, with the majority planning to travel in June and July. Excitement for leisure travel is at a record high level – and domestic leisure is travelers’ top discretionary spending priority. While many are concerned about the national economic climate, 53% of consumers are prioritizing travel in 2023, and 93% have travel plans in the next 6 months.

This all fits perfectly with the theme of National Travel and Tourism week: Travel Forward. We as South Dakotans know that attitude well. No matter what we face, our state’s residents know how to buckle down and keep moving forward. We also know how to celebrate – so let’s do it. Let’s come together and use this week as a time to celebrate South Dakota’s thriving travel industry.

We can do this in a lot of different ways. Share your favorite South Dakota stories, destinations, and pictures on social media with #HifromSD, #NTTW23, and #TravelForward to show your appreciation for our hard-working tourism folks during National Travel and Tourism Week from May 7-13.

Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy this amazing state yourself. Head out in a direction you’ve never been to see what you can find. Discovery is everywhere in this state. Take some time to explore. Even as a lifelong South Dakotan, I am always surprised with the sights and delights I continue to find across our great state. Whether it’s a fresh donut from a small-town bakery, or crossing Spearfish Canyon off your bucket list, see what you can discover. I promise you’ll be surprised with how much is out there.

National Travel and Tourism Week is an important celebration of one of South Dakota’s strongest and most beautiful industries. Let’s rejoice. Let’s explore. Let’s “Travel Forward” into what’s sure to be one of the state’s best tourism years ever.

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Shane Penfield Named Prosecutor of the Year

PIERRE, S.D.  – The South Dakota State’s Attorneys Association has named Shane Penfield as the Prosecutor of the Year.

Penfield is the State’s Attorney for Corson, Dewey, Perkins, and Ziebach Counties. He received the award Thursday during the association’s annual meeting in Deadwood.

“Shane has been a dedicated public servant who is a strong voice for victims of crime,” said South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley.

The Prosecutor of the Year award, established in 2002, is given annually to an outstanding South Dakota prosecutor.

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From Dakota News Now, the station for political reporter Austin Goss, who was arrested for a prank call impersonating Governor Kristi Noem, is announcing his termination from employment:

“We learned of the incident involving Austin Goss late last night. Once we gathered the facts, we decided to terminate his employment with our stations. Dakota News Now and KOTA Territory were unaware of Mr. Goss’ activities and deeply regret the lack of judgment he showed, which violated our policies and is contrary to our commitment to the highest standards of journalistic integrity.”

Read the entire story here.

That’s too bad, as everyone makes mistakes.

But, when you’re a political reporter and choose to impersonate one of the people you’re covering, that’s kind of a tough one for an employer to get past.

According to UJS records, Goss is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court in Stanley County on May 23rd.

Gov. Noem Signs Executive Order Banning Tencent

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Noem signed Executive Order 2023-06 banning Tencent Holding, Ltd. (“Tencent”) for state government agencies, employees, and contractors using state devices. Tencent is a China-based technology and media conglomerate, is one of the world’s largest companies, and poses similar cybersecurity risks to South Dakota as ByteDance and TikTok. Photos of Governor Noem signing the Executive Order can be found here.

“My number one responsibility as Governor is to keep the people of South Dakota safe. South Dakota started the movement that has swept the country to ban TikTok on government devices,” said Governor Noem. “Now, I am extending that ban to Tencent and other Chinese companies that are threats to our security.”

This Executive Order bans the downloading or use of any application or visiting of any website owned or controlled by Tencent Holdings, Ltd. on state devices, networks, etc. by:

• Employees of the State of South Dakota;
• Agencies of the State of South Dakota; and,
• People or entities who contract with the State of South Dakota, including any state agency, commission, or authority agents thereof.

This Executive Order also gives the Commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications the power to ban any other application, website, platform, service, or product whose use or access would be detrimental to state security in the same way as Tencent and Bytedance. The Commissioner will keep a publicly accessible list of entities banned under this Executive Order and Executive Order 2022-10.

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In continuing developments in the Dakota News Now/Austin Goss arrest story, an on-line profile for Goss which was available earlier today at https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/authors/austin-goss-1/…

…is no longer available, and is leading the user to the following 404/Page Not Found website error…

 

Goss’ information has also been removed from Dakota News Now’s “Meet the team” page.

Dakota News Now has not released any information in the matter aside from the story on their website, as well as on their sister station’s website.

KELOland has a fancy infographic with dramatic music on the Austin Goss arrest story that they’re running on their website. Given that Dakota News Now are their big competitors for the televised media space..

You can view it at keloland.com.