DEADWOOD, S.D. (Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight) – Two South Dakota counties whose policies violated petition circulators’ First Amendment rights to political speech had to fork over a combined $74,000 in attorney fees and costs for the lawyer representing the group that sued them.

On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered Lawrence County to pay Dakotans for Health’s attorney, Jim Leach, $19,238.90 in fees and costs.

Dakotans for Health prevailed in its lawsuit last year against Lawrence County, where a policy restricted petition circulators at the courthouse in Deadwood to a designated area away from public sidewalks surrounding the complex.

A similar situation and lawsuit occurred in Minnehaha County, resulting in that county agreeing to pay $54,815.15 for Dakotans for Health’s attorney fees and costs after a settlement last fall. South Dakota Searchlight obtained the figure recently after it was not included in public court documents.

Petition circulators for Dakotans for Health were gathering signatures in both counties to put two measures on statewide ballots Nov. 5 — one that would restore abortion rights, and one aimed at eliminating the state sales taxes on groceries. Both petitions have since been submitted and validated with enough signatures to qualify for the election.

In a court order in the Lawrence County case, Judge Roberto Lange wrote that the county’s policy “burdened substantially more speech than necessary” to preserve public safety and allow local citizens to conduct county business without disruption.

 

PIERRE, S.D. – In 2023, Governor Noem signed HB1127 which approved a new grant program to support local volunteer fire departments and help with the purchase of $5-million worth of personal protective Equipment. The Department of Public Safety in partnership with the South Dakota Firefighters Association created the grant program to support local volunteer fire departments. DPS recently delivered a progress report to the Legislature’s interim committee on appropriations announcing 116 VFDs thus far have received $2.27 million in grant funding as additional VFDs continue to submit their requests.

More than 250 volunteer fire departments were approved for funding from the new grant program. Awards ranged from $720 to $40,500 depending on the applications and need. Karl Moser, Leola Fire Chief, spoke on behalf of his department. “We needed to upgrade our PPE to keep our firefighters safe. We just didn’t have the funds to do it,” Moser said. “I’d like to thank our elected officials and the Governor for making this grant possible.”

PPE includes items such as bunker gear, boots, gloves, helmets, and self-contained breathing apparatus. The grant program was administered by the South Dakota Firefighters Association and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

 

SOUTH DAKOTA Undated – Severe thunderstorms packing hurricane-force wind struck parts of western and central South Dakota Saturday night.

The storms began in southeast Montana, where they also dropped large hail on some areas, before moving southeast into South Dakota.

In Meade County, a weather observer reported damage to the roof of a trailer home west of Opal.

In Faith, there were reports of heavy thunderstorm wind damage. There have been reports of downed trees and impassable roads in the northeast Meade County town. Winds were estimated to be between 80 and 90 mph. Residents on Sunday say there was no power in Faith and a lot of damage.

There were also reports of several large trees and down and structural damage in the Haakon County town of Midland.

In Ziebach County, a roof was partially blown off of a barn at the Dupree Rodeo Arena and there were tree branches and a few power poles down as well.

In Harding County, photos Sunday showed a large hole in the siding of a farm outbuilding and there is reported widespread damage between Harding and Camp Crook.

Seven miles west of Redig, two buildings were destroyed along with lots of tree and stockade  damage.

And to the northwest of Hoover in Butte County, many trees were snapped and a barn roof was partially torn off. Stockade damage is also being reported.

The winds still packed a punch when they hit Hughes and Stanley counties and the cities of Pierre and Ft. Pierre, resulting in damage to business signage and properties as well.

 

NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – Last month’s flooding led to the collapse of the center portion and supports of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad bridge across the Big Sioux River at North Sioux City.

An official with BNSF has provided a partial update on the situation saying that the bridge structure has settled a few feet in the river, but there is no threat to any other public infrastructure.

At this time the plans for the removal of the bridge are still just that…plans.

The BNSF, through their spokesman, says that the plans are in the early stages, but they are working closely with the local levee board and the US Army Corps of Engineers to remove the debris from the bridge out of the river as quickly and safely as possible.

 

MINNEAPOLIS, S.D. (Mike Moen / Minnesota News Connection) – Minneapolis-St. Paul is in the top five metro areas where investors in farms are receiving large amounts of government subsidies.

Authors of a new report said loopholes in federal programs hurt communities where the actual farm work happens. The Environmental Working Group said between 2019 and 2023, nearly 2,500 people in the Twin Cities received more than $23 million in farm subsidies.

Scott Faber senior vice president of government affairs for the group, said the figure does not include urban farmers setting up community gardens, as the operations typically do not qualify for such aid. Instead, he stressed laws have been watered down to allow people with a loose connection to a faraway farm to cash in on disaster relief and other payments.

“That loophole allows people who live in St. Paul or Minneapolis, or Edina or Woodbury, who may never visit the farm, to somehow receive a payment,” Faber explained.

The report showed the loophole helps to fuel corporate consolidation in farming, driving up land prices and squeezing out smaller operations in the process. They pointed out GOP lawmakers are trying to add more loopholes in the next Farm Bill. Lawyers who represent so-called “absentee” farmland owners argued they are simply following the laws Congress has approved.

Faber noted it is not only the investors who benefit, pointing to other changes scaling up the number of recipients.

“The last Farm Bill added new loopholes,” Faber emphasized. “The last Farm Bill allowed the cousins, nieces and nephews of a farmer — again, even if they don’t live or work on the farm — to receive farm subsidies.”

Those tracking the payments said they average out to nearly $6,000 dollars a year for each individual, which is more than double the typical benefits people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP would get in a similar payment schedule. But the report added SNAP, also covered by the Farm Bill, is subject to stricter income tests.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Kathleen Shannon / Greater Dakota News Service) – A coalition of South Dakota groups is voicing its opposition to a ballot measure intended to end a state sales tax on consumables.

If passed this November, Initiated Measure 28 would repeal the state’s 4.2% sales tax on “anything sold for human consumption,” including food and other products from toothpaste to tobacco, CBD and vaping products.

Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the South Dakota Education Association, said the teachers union opposes the repeal because it does not include a plan to replace the money the current tax contributes to education.

“Our main reason for opposing this is the lack of a plan for replacing the $176 million and what that will do, not only for K-12 students but for higher education,” Waltman explained. “Districts would probably be looking at a very bare-bones budget.”

Currently, Waltman said about 60% of public school funding comes from state coffers, and the other 40% from local property taxes. She called the potential effect on education “drastic,” saying they could lead to fewer teachers, larger class sizes and cuts to newer resources like mental health support and programs for career and technical education.

Proponents of the measure said repealing the tax could help the nearly 9% of South Dakotans who are food insecure but Waltman countered the same people would likely feel the effects of underfunded school systems.

“To repeal one tax without a more broad conversation about how you replace that revenue is shortsighted, and we think you shouldn’t just be repealing a tax without a plan.”

Other groups opposing the measure include the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Dakotans Against a State Income Tax and the South Dakota Farm Bureau.