House Bill 1015 is calendared to be voted on today which proposes to place offenders subject to a new public safety assessment on pre-trial release as proposed by the Chief Justice of the SD Supreme Court.  As it notes:

It proposes a “pilot project” to place those arrested for a felony under the supervision of a presentence court officer, without any specific requirement of any bond guaranteeing their appearance. Why is a catch and release proposal for felons being contemplated in South Dakota without more discussion of how they’re going to hold their feet to the fire to show up?

Why do we need a brand new pilot project to let those accused of felonies walk the street with few conditions guaranteeing they’re going to show up? Do we think our current system is broken? I think they’ve tried this elsewhere to spectacular failure.

In fact, what could end up being a cashless bail program has been viewed pretty harshly by the Trump administration (Executive Orders 14340 & EO 14339), who directly has threatened states’ federal funds over the measure. According to a fact sheet from the White House from August:

PREVENTING FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR SENSELESS CASHLESS BAIL: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to protect Americans by ensuring Federal policies and resources are not used to support cashless bail policies across the Nation.

• • The Order directs the Attorney General to submit a list of States and local jurisdictions with cashless bail policies.
  • The Order instructs the Administration to identify Federal funds currently provided to cashless bail jurisdictions that may be suspended or terminated. 

STOPPING DANGEROUS RELEASE: Cashless bail policies allow dangerous individuals to immediately return to the streets and further endanger law-abiding, hard-working Americans because they know our laws will not be enforced.

• • A 2023 study out of Yolo County, California found that its “Zero Bail” policy resulted in 163% more crime and 200% more violent crime compared to those who posted bail.
  • Last year, a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, freed without bail after an attempted murder in New York, was rearrested for drug trafficking in Miami and released again, before finally being arrested and held for alleged sex-trafficking of a minor.  
  • A repeat offender, arrested six times in a year, was released without bail after his most recent arrest. At the time, he had 47 priors and 28 convictions for preying on New Yorkers.
  • Earlier this year, a homicide suspect in Rockford, Illinois was able to walk free under its new no-cash-bail system, endangering the community.
  • Just this month, a pair of convicted killers caught dealing drugs in broad daylight were released without bail in New York City.
  • Our brave law enforcement officers risk their lives to arrest dangerous criminals, only to be forced to arrest the same individuals, sometimes for the same crimes, while they await trial on the previous charges – a waste of public resources and obvious threat to public safety.

MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: The American people elected President Trump to get tough on crime and restore safety to communities nationwide.

• • President Trump: “When I’m reelected, I will crack down on the left-wing jurisdictions that refuse to prosecute dangerous criminals and set loose violent felons on cashless bail… If you kill somebody, there’s no bond. Don’t worry about it. Go ahead. Kill somebody else. These people are crazy, I’ll tell you.”
  • Earlier this month, President Trump mobilized the national guard and took over the D.C. Metro Police Department to restore law and order in the District of Columbia.
  • On his first day in office, President Trump sealed the southern border and launched the largest deportation operation in history to remove criminal illegal aliens.
  • President Trump issued an Executive Order in April directing various measures to empower and provide unjust-liability protections to law enforcement across the Nation to firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens.
  • He has consistently pushed for stronger law enforcement policies to ensure violent offenders are detained, protecting law-abiding Americans from repeat criminals.

Read this here.

Legislators need to take a good long look before they act on House Bill 1015. Who knows, our federal funding may depend on it.

From Facebook:

Senate Bill 2 Passes Senate Committee Unanimously

PIERRE–State Senator Casey Crabtree’s (R-District 8) legislation to remove suppressors from the state’s definition of a controlled weapon passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously today. This change removes state regulation of suppressors, and means South Dakotans will only need to comply with federal law.

The legislation is supported by Gov. Larry Rhoden, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), South Dakota Retailers Association, and South Dakota-based company Silencer Central.

“Senate Bill 2 is a win for Second Amendment rights advocates,” said Crabtree. “Gun suppressors are not weapons. They are simply hearing protection, and South Dakota law has no business regulating them. Thank you to my colleagues for their unanimous support.”

Crabtree added: “Thanks to President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cut, the federal registration fee dropped from $200 to $0. That’s a big win for gun owners.”

The bill now moves to the Senate floor.

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From today’s Rapid City Journal’s 2-cents worth column:

 

“Now that Libertyland has been defeated, maybe the people in charge of responsible growth will focus on doing things for the people who already live here and with future growth in mind.  We are in desperate need of need of grocery stores, retail and restaurants.”

If I could point to one description of the proposed development that voters decided they didn’t want to support:

Commercial tenants will include restaurants, retail and experience-led businesses, creating a curated mix of independently operated venues within the Libertyland framework.

Adopting a format similar to open-air entertainment districts such as Disney Springs or Universal CityWalk, the development positions itself as a tourism enhancer for Rapid City and the Black Hills region, targeting visitors and locals.

Read that here.

When people are grousing they want more retail and restaurants, If you’ve ever been to developments like this.. the main thing they are comprised of are retail and restaurants! 

In those kinds of shopping districts, you might also find a Whole Foods or other type of grocery.  Brookings is developing a minor shopping complex area (with a TIF’s assistance), and our Aldi is already up and running with a Target under construction.

If the Liberty Land developers want to put up a 50 acre site with retail and restaurants, I’m sure they could find communities more hospitable than Rapid City which instead of saying yes to more tax revenue and actively seeking out development, want to take jobs & development, shut it in a box, call it unwelcome, and dance around the ashes after they light the box on fire.  (Seriously! Bring it to Brookings, and I’m sure we can find room for more restaurants and retail.)

The NIMBY’s and BANANA’s won their pyrrhic victory in Rapid City this week.  As their children set their sights to pack up to move to Denver, Minneapolis, Omaha and Kansas City.  Short-sightedness was in ample supply.

Rapid City should be careful of what they wish for when they seek to keep development, jobs and people out.  They will certainly have their dreams come true.

From Facebook:

Terry Sabers Announces Candidacy for South Dakota House of Representatives, District 20

Mitchell, S.D. — Fifty year Mitchell resident, businessman, and community servant Terry Sabers today announced his candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives, District 20, citing a lifetime of service and a deep desire to ensure South Dakota remains a place where his children and grandchildren can build their futures.

Born in 1955 at St. Joseph Hospital in Mitchell and raised on a farm west of Salem, Sabers learned early the values that still guide him today: faith, family, hard work, and service to others. Those values led him to Mitchell Vo-Tech, now Mitchell Technical College, where he earned a degree in Accounting and Business Management, an experience that shaped his lifelong advocacy for technical education and workforce development.

“I’m running because I want my kids and grandkids to have the same opportunities I had right here in South Dakota,” Sabers said. “I want them to be able to build careers, start businesses, raise families, and succeed not because they had to leave the state, but because South Dakota’s leadership and policies made it possible to stay and be successful here.”

Sabers spent 45 years at Muth Electric, starting part-time while attending technical school and ultimately serving as Co-President before retiring in 2019. During that time, the company grew from approximately 10 employees to more than 400 across 10 locations, providing stable, good-paying jobs to South Dakota families.

He has also helped start several small businesses, an entrepreneurship training program, managed assisted living facilities, and founded the non-profit Mitchell Area Housing Inc. in 2022 to address workforce housing needs in Mitchell. His work has always centered on one principle: strong communities begin with opportunity and accountability.

“Good policy matters,” Sabers said. “When government stays focused on fiscal responsibility, local control, and common sense, families and businesses can thrive.”

Sabers has devoted decades to serving Mitchell, District 20, and South Dakota through extensive volunteer and civic leadership, including:

Youth, Civic & Service Organizations

• Boy Scouts of America: Scoutmaster, Troop 72 (10 years); 25 years more as volunteer and President, Sioux Council – Boy Scouts
• Jaycees Organization — Mitchell President up to SD Jaycees State President
• Mitchell Rotary — 15 year Current member

Education & Workforce Development

• South Dakota Board of Education — (2008-2016) appointed by Governor Mike Rounds)
• South Dakota Board of Technical Education — Original board member; Secretary
• Build Dakota Scholarship Board
• Mitchell Technical College Foundation Board — Current member
• Holy Family School Board — Long-term member

Faith-Based Service

• Holy Family Church — Volunteer & Properties
• St. John Paul II School — Volunteer
• Knights of Columbus – Life member and Treasurer
• Sioux Falls Diocese — Bishop’s Pastoral Council member

Local Government & Economic Development

• Mitchell Airport Board — 12 years of service
• Mitchell Area Development Corporation — Multiple leadership roles, including President

Community & Nonprofit Leadership

• United Way of Mitchell: Board member (12 years), Campaign Chair, President
• Mitchell Area Housing Inc. — 2022 Founder & President

Throughout his life, Sabers has been guided by his Catholic faith and a belief that leadership means serving others, especially the next generation.

As a Republican candidate, Sabers is focused on protecting the South Dakota way of life, supporting families, strengthening technical and workforce education, respecting taxpayers, and ensuring young people have real opportunities to stay and succeed here.

“For too long, too many young people feel they have to leave to get ahead,” Sabers said. “I want South Dakota to remain a place where our sons and daughters and our grandchildren choose to stay because the opportunities are here. We must slow the Brain Drain that occurs when young people leave SD for a perceived advancement”

Terry has been married to his wife Deb for 50 years. They have two sons, Eric and Blake, both raising their families in Mitchell, and Terry and Deb are proud grandparents to five grandchildren.

“Everything I do comes back to family,” Sabers said. “I want to make sure South Dakota remains strong not just for us today, but for the generations coming behind us. That’s a tradition worth protecting.”

Sabers is running for the South Dakota House of Representatives to bring steady, conservative leadership, grounded in real-world experience and a lifetime of service, to Pierre, focused not on politics, but on people.

For more information or to get involved, contact the campaign at

www.terrysabers4SD.com
terry@sabers4SD.com

South Dakota is laser focused on being the middle of the pack in the race to be the best place in the country to start a business, according to the WalletHub website:

According to the study, conducted in December of 2025:

In order to determine the best and worst states to start a business, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Business Environment, 2) Access to Resources and 3) Business Costs.

We evaluated those dimensions using 25 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for new-business creation.

Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Read that here.

Comparatively, that’s down from 24th according to the same study in 2024.

Now, Forbes magazine liked South Dakota better than WalletHub in 2024, ranking the state 4th at the time. But many would argue that our economic star isn’t as bright and shiny as it used to be.

And we might need to work at it a bit harder than we had to do during COVID, when freedom was more attractive than worrying about whether you had a WalMart within 50 miles.

$891,088.63 raised. $199,200.82 spent. $969,539.28 cash on hand. Congressman Dusty Johnson, in his pursuit of becoming South Dakota’s next Governor, isn’t messing around.  And in one of the first reports posted for the year end 2025 state reports, Johnson’s political action committee may be dwarfing some of his competitors in what the side committee reports raising, versus their main committees.

Dusty State PAC by Pat Powers

I would venture this will blow the doors off of what Toby Doeden is able to raise, since he’s self-funding. And the most unlikeable candidate ever to run for office.  And the PAC coming in with nearly a million is likely to dwarf what Jon Hansen pulled out of Pizza Ranch, unless Karla Lems starts selling some land.   Governor Rhoden might be the most competitive, but getting into the race later than expected might have his fundraising lagging in the contest, but we’ll see.

Nearly 1 million cash on hand in this side PAC, with well over 2/3 coming from South Dakotans.  That’s a pretty strong report.

From the Internets, the Governor Rhoden event for Friday in Watertown is postponed to Feb 27th at 5PM at the Redlin Art Center.

That whole 40 below thing can put a damper on fundraisers.

The Liberty Land destination district in Rapid City, which promised to bring millions of new dollars in sales tax revenue to South Dakota’s second largest city, will not have access to Tax Increment Financing after the city ordinance approving the measure was struck down at the ballot box on a nearly 2-1 basis.

And odd bedfellows are sometimes made as members of the ultra-right snuggled right up with Rapid City Democrats to defeat this opportunity for economic development for the community, as related in the Rapid City Journal: