From Facebook, South Dakota College Republican Chairwoman Jorja Whempner has decided to step down from her position, as she pursues a new professional opportunity.

 

A postscript to the case on one-time South Dakota candidate Ryan Gaddy, who unsuccessfully tried to run as Libertarian for PUC in 2014, and unsuccessfully tried to organize a decriminalization effort for marijuana in 2015, has been sentenced for threatening a legislator out in Idaho according to news reports:

A Shoshone County man was placed on probation after threatening a North Idaho lawmaker, though the judge in the case warned that he will be kept on the “tightest of leashes” during the period of his probation.

and..

While on probation, Gaddy must wear a GPS monitor and complete 250 hours of community service. He is not allowed to use social media or own any weapons.

Gaddy must engage in therapy to address mental illness and anger management. He must continue treatment for his chronic physical ailments and update his probation officer weekly about his medical treatments.

If Gaddy violates the terms of his probation, Simmons said he can expect to serve the full five-year prison sentence.

“No pleas of how much your family needs you will sway this court,” she said.

and..

Gaddy’s posts included commentary about firebombing Redman’s office. He also made a video outside Redman’s business, Redman and Company Insurance in Coeur d’Alene.

“Mr. Gaddy made clear in his statements to law enforcement that day that his goal was to kill Mr. Redman and that his motive was to influence the legislative process,” said prosecuting attorney Kyle Singleton.

Read the entire story here.

Thune: An End to the Schumer Shutdown Is Finally in Sight
“After 40 days of uncertainty, I’m profoundly glad to be able to announce that nutrition programs, our veterans, and other critical priorities will have their full-year funding.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, after 40 long days, I’m hopeful that we can finally bring this shutdown to an end.

“I don’t need to go over all the reasons why it’s imperative that we get the government open as soon as possible.

“From the truly precarious situation we are in with regard to air travel to the fact that our staffs have been working without pay for a full 40 days now, all of us, Republicans and Democrats, who support this bill know that the time to act is now.

“And so in just a few minutes I will call up the vehicle for a clean continuing resolution packaged with three bipartisan, year-long appropriations bills: agriculture appropriations, military construction-VA appropriations, and legislative branch appropriations.

“These bills will fund SNAP for the entire fiscal year. They will fund WIC for the entire fiscal year. And they will fund our veterans for the entire fiscal year.

“After 40 days of uncertainty, I’m profoundly glad to be able to announce that nutrition programs, our veterans, and other critical priorities will have their full-year funding.

“And my goal is to quickly move to other full-year appropriations bills.

“As I’ve said many times, I firmly believe that the way to fund the government is by passing appropriations bills through regular order – a process that gives senators from both parties the fullest chance to make their voices heard.

“Mr. President, I also want to mention health care –

“There’s been a lot of talk over the last several weeks – on both sides of the aisle – about the health care crisis in this country.

“And I’m thankful to be able to say that we have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way.

“These senators are not interested in political games – they’re interested in finding real ways to address health care costs for American families.

“We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue.

“And so I’m looking forward to seeing what solutions might be brought forward.

“Regardless, as I have said for weeks to my Democrat friends, I will schedule a vote on their proposal, and I have committed to having that vote no later than the second week in December.

“Mr. President, again, I am optimistic that after almost six weeks of this shutdown, we’ll finally be able to end it.

“I will call up the bill in a matter of minutes.

“And I look forward to passing the clean continuing resolution and appropriations bill package in the very near future.”

###

When Will Democrats Say Enough Is Enough?
By Sen. John Thune

Democrats now have the extremely dubious honor of instigating the longest and most severe government shutdown in American history. More than six weeks ago, Democrats chose to shut down the government rather than vote for a clean, nonpartisan funding extension. The American people have suffered the consequences of Democrats’ recklessness, day after day. But as the shutdown dragged on, the Senate Democrat leader was boasting that every day was getting better for Democrats.

Over the last six weeks, the American people have faced growing uncertainty and chaos. Federal workers have gone without their regular paychecks for over a month, and many have turned to food banks to feed their families. Air travel has been a nightmare due to air traffic control staffing shortages. Thousands of flights have been delayed, and millions of Americans have been stranded at airports. Beginning on Day 38 of the shutdown, in order to keep the skies safe, the FAA required a reduction in air traffic across the country. That means more flight disruptions, supply chain issues, and hundreds of thousands more Americans dealing with cancellations every day.

Then there are military families and veterans. November is the month that we honor military families and celebrate Veterans Day. It is shameful that Democrats’ shutdown has forced service members to go to food banks in order to feed their families, that veterans can’t access certain VA programs, and that Veterans Day celebrations are being canceled throughout the country because of Democrats’ shutdown. Not to mention that when they were given the opportunity to pay America’s troops through the shutdown, Democrats shamelessly voted no.

Democrats have shut down the government, they say, over health care. For six weeks, Republicans have been abundantly clear that we are willing to have discussions about health care – just not while the government is being held hostage. But Democrats refused to take yes for an answer. And that’s because at its core, this shutdown isn’t really about helping Americans. What this has really been about is Democrats wanting to show the far left that they’re “fighting” President Trump.

The longest and most severe government shutdown in history is because Democrats would not take yes for an answer. All of this pain and chaos could have been avoided but for Democrats’ need to satisfy far-left activists. The American people deserve better than to be mere leverage and collateral damage in Democrats’ political games.

###

From Twitter:

Thank you Mr. President for doing the right thing for the American cattle rancher! Next stop: Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling. pic.twitter.com/KxmJhO4woj

— Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) November 8, 2025

Thank you, veterans
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
November 7, 2025

This coming Tuesday is an opportunity to thank the brave men and women who have served our country. South Dakota is home to more than 60,000 veterans who served from World War II through today. Veterans Day is an important reminder to take time to thank those who sacrificed to preserve and protect the United States. Our military is the best in the world because of the strength of our service men and women.

During my time in Congress, I’ve taken great pride in honoring those who served during the Vietnam-era. Since 2019, I’ve honored more than 1,270 Vietnam-era veterans in 90 commemorative pinning ceremonies across South Dakota. I’ve enjoyed hearing each veteran’s story, shaking their hand, and telling them thank you. From those who served in combat to medical specialists, intelligence workers, technicians, and more, these brave men and women answered their country’s call to serve, and we owe them our gratitude. Many who served in the Vietnam-era didn’t get the welcome home they deserved.

It was great to be in Sioux Falls today to thank an additional 37 veterans. Thank you to all the veterans and family members who have attended these special events over the years.

Johnson with veterans in Sioux Falls

The families who stand by our service members as they serve are also worthy of recognition. The sacrifices they endure and strength they carry as their loved ones serve is deserving of respect and our support as well.

Our service members and their families deserve the best support we can provide. If you or a family member need help receiving veterans benefits or navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office by visiting dustyjohnson.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency or call 605-275-2868 to see if we’re able to assist you.

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Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 38

“[A]s for the claim that Democrats got some kind of mandate from the American people on Tuesday to continue jeopardizing food stamps for 40 million Americans in need – give me a break.”

Click here to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

‘Team Rapid City’ Launches to Support Destination District,  $10M+ Infrastructure for Sports Complex

From Facebook, State Senator Taffy Howard sounds off about all those RINO’s you guys are sending to Pierre who are going to raise our taxes:

I’m sure folks believe that what happened yesterday in NY, NJ, and VA could never happen here…but those states did not just wake up that crazy, it happened slowly over time. And it always starts by electing RINOs, or Republicans who say they are conservative but are anything but, and THAT is already happening statewide in our state..

and..

From the article, “Mamdani campaigned on proposals to raise the corporate tax rate, shift more of the tax burden to “richer and whiter neighborhoods…”

Those darn RINO’s. Damn them! But, wait a minute. I seem to recall someone in South Dakota talking about new and increased taxes recently. It must have been Taffy’s evil twin Senator TAXXY Howard who was earlier taking about income taxes in the Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force committee, and who ultimately proposed this package of tax increases on South Dakotans:

• • Increases state sales tax from 4.2% to 4.5%, which will generate $105.3 million
  • Increases contractor’s excise tax from 2.0% to 2.25%,which will generate $27.4 million
  • Increases the wholesale alcohol excise tax from 2% to 4%, which will generate $3.2 million
  • Increases alcohol beverage excise taxes by 25%, which will generate $2.3 million
  • Implements a new tax on vaping at 40%, which will generate $8.3 million
  • Increases a tobacco products excise tax from 35% to 40%, which will generate $1.7 million
  • Increases the tax mill rate on cigarettes from 76.5 to 101.5, which will generate $9.0 million
  • Utilizes 33% of the future fund revenues for property tax reduction, which will equal $8.0 million
  • Increases the tourism tax from 1.5% to 4%, which will generate $29.2 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for advertising services, which will generate $41.3 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for radio and television broadcasting, which will generate $7.2 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for services performed for rodeos, which will generate $1.5 million
  • Applies sales tax to mini storage, which will generate $1.5 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for the supply of bulk water, which will generate $7.7 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for membership fees to organizations, which will generate $9.3 million
  • Removes the sales tax exemption for social services and credit counseling services, which will generate $12.0 million
  • Removes the tax credit to insurance companies for giving money to educational scholarships, which will generate $5.0 million
  • Reduces general fund expenditures by 5.07%

You can read all of TAXXY’s proposals to increase tax burdens on businesses and agriculture here.

Kind of ironic when someone trying to portray themselves as the hero ends up actually being the villain.

(And she might have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!)

Former  State Representative Byron Callies reached out to let me (and voters in his district) know that he will be seeking re-election for District 5 House of Representatives for the seat he had formerly been elected to in 2022.

During his time in Pierre while representing Watertown, Callies was an effective legislator able to get legislation signed by Governor Noem.  (unlike the goofball who is there now, who was 0-9 bills this last session and is a dumpster fire of a committee chairman).

Byron had previously served on the House Commerce & Energy Committee, House Education, and on House Military and Veterans affairs committees.  In addition to being a college professor for 10 years, Callies has served the state and nation in the National Guard, completing nearly 41 years of service, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2006. And in the past, he has served as the national vice-commander of the two-million member American Legion.