IRENE, S.D. – One person died on Wednesday as a result of a plane crash that occurred west of Irene, South Dakota.
Yankton County Sheriff Preston Crissey says that his department and support units were dispatched to 449th Avenue west of Irene at 7:48 Wednesday morning. First responders to the scene discovered a downed aircraft, a small plane, in a bean field.
Sheriff Crissey says that the pilot of the plane was found deceased, however at this time the name of the pilot has not been released pending the notification of family members.
The sheriff’s office says they are working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate this crash.
Authorities are asking the public to stay away from the crash. The sheriff’s office says barricades have been put up and deputies will remain at the scene.
LENNOX, S.D. – A motorcyclist died Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on US Highway 18 near Lennox, SD.
No names have been released pending notification of family members.
The preliminary crash report is that the driver of a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling eastbound on US 18 in the left turning lane. The driver of a Harley Davidson was westbound on US 18. The Silverado collided with the Motorcycle, ejecting the rider, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and a passenger in the Silverado were not injured.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
CHEYENNE CROSSING, S.D. – A motorcyclist died Tuesday evening in a single-vehicle crash on US Highway 85, 13 miles southwest of Cheyenne Crossing in Lawrence County South Dakota.
The name of the rider has not been released pending notification of family members.
The preliminary crash information indicates that the driver of a 2023 Harley Davidson Street Glide was traveling northbound on US 85 near mile marker three. The rider failed to negotiate a curve and, as a result, the motorcycle left the roadway and lost control. The motorcycle overturned as it entered the east ditch where it came to final rest. The driver suffered fatal injuries from the crash.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced yesterday that a Minnehaha County Grand Jury indicted six people on Monday all relating to five different cases involving South Dakota Prison inmates and two other individuals who were Department of Corrections staff members at that time.
Quoting Jackley, “Assaults on prison staff, possession of weapons and contraband, and destruction of property in our prison will not be tolerated. This conduct endangered prison staff and inmates and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” End quote
Those are charged are:
Case One
*** Prison Inmate Tyler Dane Larvie, 28, nine felony counts of Possession of an Article Indulgence (synthetic cannabinoids). The charges occurred on or about Jan. 24, 2024.
Case Two
*** Inmate Tyler Dane Larvie, 28, one felony count of Criminal Solicitation, one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Second Degree Arson, and one felony count of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Arson.
*** Former DOC Medication Aide Madyson Alexis Bixby, 21, Sioux Falls, one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Second Degree Arson and one felony count of Possession of an Unauthorized Article (a cellphone delivered to an inmate).
*** Merced Patlan, 30, Sioux Falls, (not a DOC staff member) one felony count of Second Degree Arson and one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Second Degree Arson.
Larvie and Bixby are charged with conspiring with Patlan to destroy another person’s vehicle. The crimes occurred between Dec. 1, 2023 and Jan. 4, 2024. The actual arson occurred on Jan. 4, 2024 in Sioux Falls.
Case Three
*** Former DOC nurse Alexis Rose Hiller, 27, Sioux Falls, charged with one felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Buprenorphine) with Intent to Distribute, one felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Buprenorphine), and one felony count of Possession of Unauthorized Article (Buprenorphine) With Intent to Deliver to An Inmate. The charges occurred on or near Jan. 31, 2024.
Case Four
*** Prison Inmate Seth Thomas Peplinski, 24, charged with one felony count of Aggravated Assault, and one felony count of Simple Assault. He is accused of assaulting another person in the prison on May 6, 2024.
Case Five
*** Prison Inmate Kelly Michael Irby, 64, Possession of a Weapon by an Inmate (blade). The charges occurred on or about May 8, 2024.
Initial court appearances for those charged have not yet been scheduled. All of the defendants are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
PIERRE, S.D. (Joshua Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – A new analysis of the Nov. 5 ballot measure aiming to eliminate state sales taxes on groceries projects state revenue losses ranging from $134 million to $646 million annually.
On Tuesday in Pierre, the Legislative Research Council presented the analysis to lawmakers on the state budget committee. Council employees provide research, analysis and administrative support to legislators.
Backers of the citizen-initiated ballot measure only aim to prohibit state sales taxes on groceries, but the measure references items sold for “human consumption.” The wide range of potential revenue losses depends on how “human consumption” is interpreted.
“This is why words matter,” said Jeff Mehlhaff, the council’s chief fiscal analyst.
A narrow interpretation limits the measure’s impact to groceries. A broader interpretation includes many goods and services used by people, based on definitions and interpretations of “consume” and “consumption.” Utilities, toiletries and car repairs are some examples cited by the council as goods and services technically “consumed” by humans.
The narrow definition would reduce state revenues by an estimated $133.6 million. The broader interpretation would result in an estimated revenue loss of up to $646.2 million. The state’s total annual budget is $7.3 billion.
A coalition formed to oppose the ballot measure says that in addition to affecting state sales taxes, the measure would affect city sales taxes, due to a state law that say cities cannot tax anything the state doesn’t tax. Yet the actual language of the measure says “municipalities may continue to impose such taxes.”
When asked about that, Mehlhaff said, “I’m just leaving that where it is because it says municipalities may continue to impose such taxes.”
Rep. Tony Venhuizen, R-Sioux Falls, said voter passage of the measure could precipitate the worst budget cuts since the 10% across-the-board reductions during the 2011 legislative session.
“If the people vote for this, they need to know that when we come during January, we are not going to be doing increases for anything,” he said. “We’re going to make significant budget cuts.”
Retailers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club and Dollar General, which classify a significant portion of their sales as groceries and consumables, could see a substantial portion of their sales untaxed under the new measure, according to the analysis. It estimates that 59% to 81% of sales at those retailers could be affected.
The analysis says the Legislature would need to clarify the definition of “human consumption” to determine the measure’s full fiscal impact, should the measure pass.
Proponent says LRC recommended language
Rick Weiland runs Dakotans for Health, the group behind the ballot measure. He said the measure initially said “anything sold for eating or drinking by humans,” but was changed to “anything sold for human consumption” because the Legislative Research Council recommended it.
A 2022 letter to Weiland from the council suggested the initial wording was “overly vague, inviting various interpretations in determining its meaning.” The council recommended using terms like ingestion, chewing or consumed.
“These terms seem to be more precise than ‘eating and drinking,’ as they may better capture the various elements of food and beverage consumption,” the council wrote to Weiland.
Following this advice, Weiland said, his team revised the language to “anything sold for human consumption, except alcoholic beverages and prepared food.”
Attorney General Marty Jackley has since stated that “human consumption” is not defined by state law, and its common definition encompasses more than just food and drinks.
Weiland’s attorney sought clarification from Jackley in a February 2023 letter and email, but said he received no response.
Mehlhaff told budget committee members that the language used in the final draft is not the council’s recommendation, pointing to another line in the 2022 letter that offered a possible rewrite: “The retail sale of any food or food ingredient for any purpose is exempt from any tax imposed by law.”
Mehlhaff said if the measure passes, lawmakers could attempt to amend or repeal it before its effective date on July 1, 2025.
STURGIS, S.D. – A 40 year old man from Sturgis has been sentenced to 65 years in prison after earlier being convicted of 11 counts of felony crimes involving five different children.
Lance Lowell Long was sentenced Monday in Corson County Circuit Court. He’d been convicted in May by a Corson County Jury of one count of Second Degree Rape, one count of Third Degree Rape, one count of Fourth Degree Rape, three counts of Aggravated Assault, and five counts of Abuse of or Cruelty to a Minor.
Howell was sentenced to 50 years in prison on the various rape and assault charges. He also was sentenced to 15 years in prison on the various child abuse charges, which will be served consecutively with the 50-year sentence.
Long had previously served time in prison for similar child abuse crimes that occurred in Minnehaha County. The Corson County case was prosecuted after the child victims disclosed the abuse to law enforcement in Sioux Falls.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal investigation investigated the Corson County. The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.
“Our thoughts and support remain with these young victims,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This was a difficult case to investigate and prosecute, and thank you to those who worked on this case.”
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE – Visitors to the Dakota-Thurston fair Wednesday were greeted by a truck that was hired by PETA, that’s the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, blasting sounds of chicken slaughter.
Fair organizers were generally unbothered, encouraging anyone who cares about livestock to attend the fair to learn more.
There were a few puzzled looks but no real action as this truck broadcast the sounds of the final moments of chickens sent to slaughter. PETA contracted with the driver to protest the processing of chickens outside the Dakota-Thurston County Fair.
PETA calls the truck a realistic representation of what happens to chickens in the moments before their death. But organizers say the chickens at the fair are some of the most well taken care of because the kids care so deeply about their livestock.
Exhibitors with 4-H will be showing chickens, along with a lot of other livestock and, yes, officials say some will be slaughtered, but not in an inhumane way.
The Dakota-Thurston County Fair runs through Sunday. It’s free parking and free admission to see the animals, with some paid events like a tractor pull and a rodeo. Thursday night, the fair parade will make its way down Dakota Avenue starting at 6 p.m.
