JOHNSON REINTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE SITE

WASHINGTON, S.D. (Makenzie Huber / South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson reintroduced a bill Monday to protect 40 acres at the Wounded Knee Massacre site on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Johnson’s Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act passed the House in 2023 but didn’t make it through the Senate last year. The new session of Congress began Friday.

“I’m hopeful the bill passes this Congress to provide greater tribal sovereignty to this sacred land,” Johnson said in a news release.

The massacre occurred on Dec. 29, 1890. Lakota people were camped near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, where they were surrounded by hundreds of Army soldiers. A shot rang out while the soldiers tried to disarm the camp, and chaotic shooting ensued.

Fewer than 40 soldiers were killed (some by friendly fire, according to historians), while estimates of Lakota deaths ran from 200 to 300 or more, depending on the source. After some of the bodies froze on the ground for several days, a military-led burial party dumped them into a mass grave.

Two years ago, the two tribes purchased 40 acres at the massacre site from a private owner. The legislation would place the land in restricted-fee status, which means it could not be sold, taxed, gifted or leased without approval by Congress and both tribes.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, told South Dakota Searchlight that he plans to reintroduce his own version of the bill soon in the Senate. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, took advantage of rules last November allowing a single senator to block consideration of the House-passed bill.

“We’ll do whatever we can to help the leaders of the two tribes to get this accomplished,” Rounds said. “This is their request. This is not a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats all agree this should be done. One way or another, we’ll get it completed.”

Tillis has opposed several tribal-related bills in an attempt to get senators to support his own bill to federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina. He called out the leaders of the Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for allegedly not supporting his efforts. Rounds said Tillis may seek federal recognition in a “different direction” with President-elect Donald Trump’s impending inauguration.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out called the new bill “wholly uncontroversial” in Johnson’s Monday news release.

“This sacred site should forever serve to remind us of where we as a country have been and as a marker for how much further we have to go,” Star Comes Out said.

Meanwhile, efforts to rescind medals of honor awarded to soldiers who participated in the massacre remain in limbo. The medals were subjected to a review last year by the Department of Defense, but there hasn’t been an announcement of the review panel’s recommendations.

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL MARTY JACKLEY ADDRESSES GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN PROPOSED LEGISLATION

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley released drafts of seven bills on Tuesday that he plans to file for the upcoming legislative session, four of which pertain to government accountability.

These bills follow several cases of fraudulent activity involving employees in the South Dakota Departments of Revenue, Social Services, and Public Safety. Jackley says his legislation aims to regain the public’s trust.

There have been prior attempts to address the audit process in South Dakota including the BISON and 605Drive systems, which will be implemented in the coming weeks.

However, the Attorney General is also filing legislation that he says will give more teeth to the state auditor and the Board of Internal Control.

“The goal of giving the state auditor additional investigative powers and access to records along with the Internal Control Board to have additional powers is to be proactive to prevent the thefts from happening,” Jackley said.

Jackley’s legislative package also includes bills that would provide whistleblower protections by allowing the Attorney General’s office to step in not only when wrongdoing has been reported but also when an employee feels there has been retaliation as a result of it.

“If somebody does act inappropriately to them, they don’t have to go hire their own lawyer that the attorney general has the ability to either bring a criminal case if it’s very serious on witness tampering or to a lesser degree a civil case,” Jackley assured.

Representative Marty Overweg, the incoming chair of the House Government Operations and Audit Committee, says he is all in on Jackley’s legislation, recognizing who is really hurt by these cases of fraud activity.

“You know they always say, well it’s state funds, it’s not states funds, the states don’t have funds it’s the taxpayer’s money that these department heads and secretaries are spending,” Overweg said.

Overweg says he would like to see further action, through legislation, that can give committees more power to get testimony out of those in charge.

“Sometimes you can’t get numbers, I’ve asked Commissioners and Secretaries for numbers, they won’t give them to you, they’ll stall you, and as a legislator, running a committee that they answer to, I don’t think that’s right,” Overweg criticized.

Jackley’s legislation will be filed with the Legislative Research Council prior to the start of session next Tuesday.

Jackley is also filing legislation pertaining to human trafficking, corrections, and presumptive probation.

 

LANDOWNERS AND OFFICIALS DISCUSS PRISON PROPOSAL IN LINCOLN COUNTY

CANTON, S.D. (Beth Warden / Dakota News Now) – The tension was palpable at a Lincoln County Commission meeting Tuesday, during a discussion of the proposed new site for a state penitentiary.

Top DOC officials addressed commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting, some of the landowners present amidst a legal battle to stop prison construction.

Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko presented the Prison plan.

Senior Policy Advisor Ryan Brunner gave updates on site preparation so far, costing 62 million dollars.

“To try and move the prison would cost us at least one if not 2, construction seasons to redesign the prison if we even had another location that could be found that puts the cost of moving approximately $100 million dollars,” said Brunner.

Landowners voiced their frustration of the work done, without the final approval of state lawmakers, to complete the penitentiary.

“But now we have the state. We’re so invested. You have to do this. Whose fault is that? It’s not ours. We’re doing our diligence. We’re spending state money ahead of approval. Yes, you got approval to do your site plans and stuff like that. I get it. But this site is not approved through the state legislature,” said landowner Jeff Spyksma

Commissioner Arends asked Wasko what his constituents are asking him.

“Don’t you think that before you settled on a site that you should have actually came to the County Commission here and engaged us, as well as talk to the NOPE people as well as key stakeholders before making the decision on the site as opposed to afterwards?” asked Arends.

“Commissioner Arends, I appreciate the position and I appreciate the question. Again with the with the end insight for the litigation. I would like to. I would like. This to have gone a different way altogether,” said Wasko.

A resident believes the 825 million dollar price tag for a new penitentiary is too much.

Wasko cleared up a few issues, stating that the Lincoln County courts will not have the burden of prosecuting or defending inmates.

 

15-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED OF MAKING ONLINE THREAT TOWARDS NORTHWEST IOWA SCHOOL

OKOBOJI, Iowa (KTIV/KUOO) – A 15-year-old girl was taken into custody in Clay County, Iowa for allegedly making online threats against Okoboji High School.

The local sheriff’s office says on Monday, Jan. 6, they were contacted by the FBI about concerning messages on Snapchat. The FBI told the Clay County Sheriff’s Office they received information from Snapchat about a threat made by a teen living in the county.

This teen allegedly made a threat to Okoboji High School via messages to her friends on Snapchat. After an investigation, the teen was arrested and charged with a felony, threat of terrorism. They were eventually released into the custody of her parents.

According to Okoboji Community School District Superintendent Todd Abrahamson, they were informed of this investigation on Monday and Tuesday. Law enforcement told the district the threat was not credible and classes were not affected. The superintendent says the district did inform parents of this investigation and ensured them that student safety was a priority.

Authorities say the incident remains under investigation by the FBI, Clay County Attorney’s Office, the Milford Police Department and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.