Argus Leader reporter Joe Sneve doesn’t mince many words when it comes to South Dakota Speaker of the House Spencer Gosch, as he takes a hard aim against him for a lack of transparency in the impeachment proceedings on Twitter:

Back in September, Speaker @SpencerGosch promised a transparent impeachment process. Since then, he’s failed repeatedly to live up to that. https://t.co/iWfvahhbEe

— Joe Sneve (@Argus_Joe) December 27, 2021

Republican candidate Christian Skunk has filed paperwork to set up a campaign committee for District 26 State Senate:

It’s especially interesting, as Joel Koskan, who had been a candidate for the D26 seat before, is also said to be running for the Senate. This sets up a primary contest among Republicans for the legislative district’s Senate Seat (generally, as it has been reconfigured in redistricting) held by Troy Heinert who is ineligible to run for the Senate due to Term Limits.

If you are a new candidate running or know of a new candidate jumping in, drop me a note, and I’ll add them to my list. 

While her primary opponent as well as at least one member of House Leadership is casting aspersions at the priorities expressed in the Governor’s budget address, at least one member of the conservative bloc of the State House of Representatives is noting his support for Governor Kristi Noem’s plan to expand child care funding.

Gotta start somewhere.

— Rep. Fred Deutsch (@FredDeutsch) December 26, 2021

From the Argus Leader:

There are four new beer releases on tap for Woodgrain’s holiday release week.

Argus Liter

ABV: 6.8%

The ‘Argus Liter’ is a Brambleberry Pie Sour collaboration with executive editor Cory Myers and the Argus Leader team. We might be biased, but we think this one is pretty delicious.

Read that here.

Hm. Are they brewing that in Des Moines too?

From Twitter, Senator Lindsey Graham is talking about Senator Thune tonight on social media:

I couldn’t agree more with @LeaderMcConnell. I hope my good friend @SenJohnThune seeks re-election.

He’s a valuable member of the Republican Party and the Senate as a whole and a tireless advocate for the people of South Dakota. https://t.co/1lvIxHVXRB

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 24, 2021

More of the story is coming out regarding the collapse of House Majority Leader Kent Peterson during the recent Special Session for Redistricting, and the quick thinking of State Representatives Taylor Rehfeldt & Sydney Davis as trained medical professionals who were in the caucus room at the time of the medical event:

“He was up there and just kind of talking and got to the point to forge this compromised map, and all of a sudden he just went white,” said Rehfeldt, who is a nurse anesthetist and teaches for Mount Marty’s nursing program in Sioux Falls. “And I thought, ‘Oh no, this is not looking good.”

Rehfeldt sprung up from her chair. Davis followed.

“I think just for my job, I’m typically very accustomed to jumping in on critical situations and making quick decisions when people aren’t doing well,” said Davis, who works by-day as a nurse anesthetist at hospital in Vermillion. “I just never anticipated using those skills in Pierre.”

and..

Peterson now says he’s learned to bring a sandwich (and water) to work, having subsisted on Diet Coke for a few days caught up with him. But it was a scary bout with the unknown. He’d never had such reaction. And for a second, it was frightening.

Read the entire story here.

I had a couple of free hours last Saturday and decided to run some errands and try to find a few last-minute Christmas gifts for my family. Walking into a local small business, I immediately spotted a tiny baby outfit that said, “Best Gift Ever!” written across the front. I was so sad to see that they did not have a six-month-old size, as that would have been perfect for my brand-new little granddaughter Adeline West Peters, who I call “Miss Addie.”  

She has truly been the best gift EVER for this new grandma and has dramatically changed our lives. I find myself constantly amazed by the miracle she is – her tiny toes, her long dark hair, her spitfire personality. Listen, when Miss Addie is hungry, she is hungry NOW! 

I tend to lose track of time when I have her in my arms. I’m constantly telling our kids, “Look at her! She is so much more aware than you kids were! She is so smart! Look at how advanced she is!” I am sure they are all rolling their eyes behind my back as I go on and on about all the adventures we are going to have together in the future.  

Miss Addie brings me joy, cheers me up on hard days, and reminds me constantly of something we all need: Hope.  

This world is desperate for hope right now. We have been through incredibly challenging times in the last couple of years. Unpredictable events left this country reeling and unsteady in its approach to taking care of people. Fear and anger were used to manipulate people’s actions in unprecedented ways. We can all spend our time focusing on division and disagreement and continue to perpetuate that fear, or we can choose something else: Hope. 

Bryon and I attended the Christmas at the Cathedral production this past weekend at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls. Bishop Donald DeGrood opened the evening asking those in attendance to think about the evening’s theme “Be Born in Me” in a different way. 

Christmas is a time for telling the story of Jesus’s birth. The bishop encouraged us to truly let Christ live in us and to personalize the story in a way that brings newness and life. He reminded us that faith must be lived. Christ’s presence must be in us in order to be what God truly intended for us. God sent his son to endure incredible hardships so that we may be redeemed and have hope.  

The actress who portrayed Mary, Apolonia Davalos, said these words that evening that are so powerful. She said, “The opposite of fear is not courage. The opposite of fear is trust.” Mary trusted in her Lord, and He used her to bring salvation to the world. That trust is the basis for the Christian faith upon which this country was founded.  

Now, not all of us living here today share the Christian faith, and that diversity of faith and acceptance by all is what makes America special. Everyone living here in this country enjoys freedom of religion and it is a precious right we must still protect. However, I do believe we all can garner some wisdom from the lessons of Christmas and the season we enjoy.  

While Miss Addie is truly an amazing blessing in my life, the best gift ever is Jesus. And while we could focus on the darkness, hardships, and trials of his arrival, let us all reflect on and embrace what his birth meant to all of us: Hope.  

Merry Christmas from the Noem family!

###

Sanford Health has their latest numbers out just in time for Christmas:

The latest numbers for COVID have taken a slight dip from last weeks’ spike (224 Hospitalized, 70 in ICU, and 50 on ventilators), but as has consistently been the case, the unvaccinated are taking the brunt of the pandemic’s effects.

(h/t to Larry Mann) I just saw this on Facebook that former Republican State Senator Jim Emery recently passed away:

James William (Jim) Emery, 87, died Friday, December 10, 2021, in the memory care unit at Peaceful Pines Senior Living Center in Rapid City.

An enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Jim was born at Cheyenne Agency, SD on January 24, 1934 to James E. Emery and Edith V. (Claymore) Emery. He attended school in Pluma, Nisland and Deadwood, SD graduating from Deadwood High School in 1952.

and..

Jim spent much of his life serving others. He was an officer with the Rapid City Jaycees, the chairman of the South Dakota Commission on Indian Affairs, a member of the Hot Springs and Custer City Councils, the president of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, the founder and first president of the Hot Springs Development Corporation, a member of the Development Committee of the Custer Chamber of Commerce, the president of the South Dakota State Board of Education and a board member for the Black Hills Area Boy Scout Council and Children’s Home Society. He was a long-time member of both Rotary Club and Lions Club.

Jim served in the South Dakota State Legislature, representing District 30, for 12 years (1985 – 1996) – one year in the House of Representatives and 11 years in the Senate. He was also a member of the board of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation for nearly 40 years, serving as treasurer and a member of the executive committee.

Read the obituary here, and please keep his family in your prayers.

BFM Releases 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the Bureau of Finance and Management (BFM) released South Dakota’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2021. The ACFR is the audited financial statements for state government.

“South Dakota is setting an example for the nation with our strong financial position and our continued dedication to being ‘Open for Business,’” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I look forward to working with the legislature in the coming months to invest wisely for the future and continue our commitment to fiscal responsibility.”

With the continued dedicated effort of the Department of Legislative Audit and other state agencies, BFM has succeeded in issuing the ACFR by the end of the year. Highlights from the fiscal year 2021 ACFR include:

• The State’s total net position (net worth) is $8.1 billion, an increase of 10% from the prior fiscal year;
• The combined ending balance of the State’s reserves is $307.1 million, an increase of $91.2 million;
• The South Dakota Retirement System has a funded status of 105.5%, one of the strongest pension plans in the nation; and
• The State has maintained its AAA public issuer rating from Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s for the past five fiscal years. This represents the highest rating possible from all three bond rating agencies.

The ACFR can be viewed online at bfm.sd.gov/acfr, or for printed copies, contact BFM at 605-773-3411.

###