SDSU EXTENSION 4-H LAUNCHES REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR COUNTY OPERATIONS
BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension’s 4-H program is adding a regional system to support county operations and organizations.
On Dec. 16, 2024, SDSU Extension will reorganize operations support into four regions: North, South, Central and West. Each region consists of about 16 counties and is supported by an assigned regional youth educator.
The youth educators for each region are Regina Bakley, West; Kyle Beach, Central; Hilary Kroupa, South; and Julia Thaden, North. They will assist county 4-H professionals with government relations, conflict mediation and policy support.
Tim Tanner, SDSU Extension State 4-H Program Director, said the regional model will improve response times and create more learning opportunities for youth.
“The 4-H program is embedded at the county level, which strengthens youth outreach and connections in communities. That won’t change,” Tanner said. “These local programming experiences will continue to be led by county 4-H professionals and volunteers through community club and school outreach initiatives.”
Regional youth educators will also work alongside county 4-H professionals to plan regional events for youth and coordinate the scheduling of open and shared county events. These nearby opportunities allow youth to enjoy activities of interest beyond their county borders.
“We are a growing program, but with growth comes new challenges. Our county offices need more responsive support,” said Tanner. “I am excited to see the regional team provide a more connected approach – improving communication, coordination and training as we move forward.”
Bakley, who has been with SDSU Extension 4-H for five years in multiple roles, including as a 4-H educator in Pennington County, said she is particularly excited for the opportunity to help county 4-H programs thrive.
“4-H has played a significant role in my life, and I am deeply passionate about this organization,” she said. “In my new position, I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to its growth and strengthen the program throughout the western side of the state by supporting the individuals serving each county.”
As South Dakota’s largest positive youth development organization, 4-H reaches 40,000 youth each year. Through mentors and hands-on programs, 4-H youth develop essential life, social, leadership and workforce readiness skills.
GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM ISSUES SEVEN PARDONS SINCE SEPTEMBER
PIERRE, S.D. (John Hult / South Dakota Searchlight) – Gov. Kristi Noem has issued seven pardons this fall, bringing the total number she’s granted since taking office to 348.
The pardons went to people convicted of a range of misdemeanors and low-level felonies, including decades-old repeat DUI convictions, drug possession and domestic disorderly conduct. All seven pardons were signed on Nov. 27.
Noem has yet to issue any new commutations since the summer, when she commuted the sentences of two people convicted of murder in 1971 and 1999, respectively. Commutations shrink existing sentences, typically allowing an inmate a chance at early release. Pardons, by contrast, remove a conviction from a person’s record entirely. Noem has issued 27 commutations since her first term began in 2019.
In South Dakota, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends clemency after hearing from the person requesting it, unless the person qualifies for a “paper review” based on having a lower-level offense. All but one of the most recent pardons resulted from paper reviews, the other one resulted from a hearing, and all received positive recommendations.
A majority vote of the board’s nine members sends the recommendation to the governor, who has the sole discretion to issue pardons and commutations under the South Dakota Constitution.
After Noem grants clemency, pardons and commutations are filed with the secretary of state. Pardons are sealed five years later.
The governor hasn’t always waited for or concurred with the board in her clemency decisions. In 2022, she commuted the sentence of Tammy Kvasnicka, who was convicted of vehicular homicide for a 2010 Sioux Falls traffic crash. The board had recommended denial for Kvasnicka. That commutation and six others were issued right around Christmas in 2022.
Just after Christmas last year, Noem commuted the sentences of 12 people convicted for felony drug ingestion. That charge, which is unique to South Dakota, allows prosecutions for drug possession based on a failed drug test. None of the 12 people whose ingestion charges were commuted last Dec. 29 had applied for a commutation through the parole board. In her State of the State speech delivered 11 days after signing the commutations, the governor told lawmakers that the state believes in second chances, and that the people offered them through her commutations will have the chance to return to work and take care of their families.
“If South Dakotans do get involved in drugs or another aspect of crime, that should not be the final word,” Noem said in the Jan. 9 speech. “Their punishment should match their crime, but they should also have the opportunity to rehabilitate and become better, more capable members of our society.”
The most recent pardons may be some of Noem’s last. She has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next Department of Homeland Security secretary. Trump takes office on Jan. 20, and a Senate vote to confirm Noem could come soon afterward.
NATIVE DEMOCRAT LEGISLATORS BREAK WITH PARTY CAUCUS IN 2025
PIERRE, S.D (Austin Goss / The Dakota Scout) – Democratic caucus meetings in the State Capitol next session may have just gotten a little cozier.
Rep. Peri Pourier and Sen. Red Dawn Foster, district mates from District 27, have informed their fellow party members that they intend to break off from the official party caucus when the 100th legislative session kicks off in January. The move dwindles the number of lawmakers participating in the super-minority’s strategy session that happens at least daily during the legislative session from nine to seven.
Multiple policymakers in Pierre confirmed the shake-up to The Dakota Scout, including incoming Senate Minority Leader Liz Larson.
“They are respected colleagues of ours and they have made a personal choice to leave the Democratic caucus,” Larson said. “We would welcome them back at any time.”
Both lawmakers declined to provide the rationale for their decision. According to their profiles on the Legislative Research Council’s (LRC) website, they are still identified as Democrats. Colleagues, too, say that they’ve given no indication they intend to switch their party affiliations. However, the chamber’s seating charts, traditionally based on party alignment, provides further evidence of at least a symbolic separation:
Pourier is positioned near the front and center of the House chamber, while Foster takes a prominent spot near the front in the Senate. Democrats, meanwhile, continue to occupy their traditional back-left perches.
Located in southwestern South Dakota, the pair’s district consists of portions of Bennett, Jackson, Pennington, and Oglala Lakota counties. Notably, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located within the confines of the district. Voters there have consistently sent Democrats to Pierre, though Republican Liz May has served in the House for several years.
Both Pourier and Foster have represented the district since 2019, and thus will be ineligible for re-election to the same chambers in 2026.
During the regular legislative session, Republicans and Democrats alike have caucuses that typically take place immediately before legislators head to the floor for votes among the entire body. They serve as a time for discussion about party priorities, and the votes that are ahead for the day. Democrats often caucus together across chamber divides, while Republicans break theirs down among their Senate and House chambers. Democratic caucuses are often open to the public, while Republican ones are not.
Partisan caucus attendance is not a requirement of either party, and skipping meetings in itself is not unheard of. As recently as last legislative session, several Republicans skipped the meetings.
Incoming Senate Assistant Minority Leader and former House lawmaker Jamie Smith echoed Larson’s conciliatory tone.
NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL APPROVES OVER $800,000 IN SETTLEMENTS WITH THREE HIGH-RANKING OFFICERS
NORFOLK, NE – The Norfolk city council voted unanimously to pay out over $800,000 in settlements with former police officers, Chief Don Miller, Captain Chad Reiman, and Lieutenant Josh Bauermeister.
Norfolk city administrator, Andy Colvin, read a statement from the city before the discussion opened during Monday’s meeting. Included in the statement, he read, “To say that our police division has been through a lot in the past four months would be an understatement. That the division has maintained continuity of operations is a tribute to the talented and committed officers in our force. But the reality is that since 2019, the department has endured the exit of 19 officers from a sworn-staff of nearly 40, a fact that hasn’t been far from my mind as we tried to navigate this extremely difficult process.”
Ahead of the vote, there was over an hour of public comment that saw 15 people take the stand to speak: including 4 current Norfolk Police Officers, a dispatcher, and the current interim police Chief, Lieutenant Brian Tighe; others included Norfolk residents, former law enforcement employees, and the wife of Captain Chad Reiman.
Under the agreement, Chief Miller will retire on Dec. 31, 2024. The agreements for Captain Reiman and Lieutenant Bauermeister have them voluntarily resigning from their employment at the Norfolk Police Division. The resignations and settlements will also release the three from the investigation and all liability, allowing them to leave in good standing.
In the settlement agreements, Chief Miller will receive $408,000, Captain Reiman will receive $250,000 and Lieutenant Bauermeister $150,000.
The money used to pay the settlements will come from the city’s ‘Fund Balance.’ City officials say it’s a fund primarily filled by property tax, sales tax, and Nebraska Public Power District leasing funds.
HISTORIC TIME FOR IOWA GOVERNMENT
DES MOINES, IA (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Monday marked a day that Iowa has never had in its 178-year history: the state now has a female governor and lieutenant governor.
Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican and Iowa’s first woman to hold the job, announced that state Senator Chris Cournoyer, a Republican from LeClaire, will fill the vacant lieutenant governor position.
Adam Gregg announced on September 3rd that he was resigning from the job to become the next leader of the Iowa Bankers Association.
Cournoyer resigned as state senator Monday before getting sworn in as lieutenant governor.
Cournoyer was elected to the state senate in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. She has previously served on the school board in the Pleasant Valley Community School District and started a website development and design company.
The governor will have to choose a date for a special election to replace Cournoyer in the senate.
