VERMILLION, S.D. – In Vermillion, South Dakota the sanitary sewer flows are now going to the local treatment facility again, meaning the flows are no longer discharging into the Vermillion River.

According to a news release from the City of Vermillion the construction of a temporary suspension bridge was completed last Friday at around 7 p.m.  That bridge is supporting a temporary main connecting the sanitary sewer system to the wastewater treatment facility. That allows the city’s sanitary sewer flows to go to the wastewater treatment facility again.

On Sunday, June 23, Vermillion experienced severe flooding that took two of its three force-main pipes out of action. On Thursday, June 27 the third force-main pipe was lost as well. These force-main pipes transport sanitary sewage across the Vermillion River to the local wastewater treatment plant. With the force-main pipes lost, Vermillion’s sewage had to be discharged into the Vermillion River.

A temporary force main was installed earlier in July and now, with the suspension bridge complete, officials say the next step is to develop a permanent solution for the loss of the three force mains. Vermillion officials say they are working with the state and an engineering consultant to develop a solution ahead of the winter.

Vermillion’s drinking water was not impacted by the sanitary sewer issue.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch) – The campaign to put abortion rights before South Dakota voters on the November 2024 ballot claimed a major victory in state court Monday.

Circuit Court Judge John Pekas ruled in favor of Dakotans for Health, the grassroots organization behind Amendment G, by granting a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion group Life Defense Fund that sought to keep the measure from the ballot.

Rather than itemizing allegations of improper petition circulation raised in the complaint, Pekas noted the importance of following election law and questioned why the South Dakota Secretary of State’s office wasn’t named as a party in the lawsuit.

“I don’t know how the Dakotans for Health can control the Secretary of State,” Pekas said during the hearing at the Minnehaha County Courthouse. “They submitted the (petition) information to the state of South Dakota and it has been accepted. The challenge I believe is now out of the hands of Dakotans for Health. In this particular instance, this is a collateral attack.”

In a press release, Life Defense Fund co-chair Leslee Unruh criticized the judge’s ruling and said that her organization plans to appeal.

“The case was brought because we have a mountain of evidence and hours of video footage showing that (Dakotans for Health) deceived and tricked South Dakotans into signing their petition,” Unruh said in the release. “This unexpected dismissal further plays into their motive to delay our case and refuse to answer our documented allegations. We will follow the judge’s invitation to appeal this case.”

Sara Frankenstein, the lawyer representing Life Defense Fund, and Jon Hansen, the group’s co-founder, did not respond to emailed questions from News Watch.

Jim Leach, who represented Dakotans for Health, called the decision a victory for the ballot initiative process in South Dakota.

“Any appeal decision is up to Life Defense Fund, but I hope they’re not going to pursue this cause any further,” Leach said outside the courtroom. “People want to vote. People signed petitions to vote. They’re saying that people shouldn’t be able to vote. Well, this is America. People should be able to vote.”

South Dakota is currently under a 2005 state trigger law activated in June 2022 when the Supreme Court left it up to states to determine reproductive rights with its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The law makes it a Class 6 felony for anyone “who administers to any pregnant female or prescribes or procures for any pregnant female” a means for an abortion, except to save the life of the mother.

If passed, Amendment G would prevent the state from regulating abortions during the first trimester. During the second trimester, the state could regulate the abortion decision, but any regulation must be reasonably related to the physical health of the mother. During the third trimester, abortion could be prohibited except if it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant woman, according to her physician.

On May 16, South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s office certified the measure for the Nov. 5 ballot, saying that a random sample showed 46,098 signatures were deemed valid, well over the threshold of 35,017.

Nearly a month later, the Life Defense Fund and Frankenstein filed a complaint in state circuit court asking that the amendment be disqualified. It also asked the court to prohibit “Dakotans for Health and those who worked with or for it” from being involved in petition or ballot measure campaigns for a period of four years.

“If they had a complaint, they should have sued the Secretary of State,” said Leach. “She’s the one who counted all the signatures and then ruled. There were more than enough signatures to put this on the ballot so the people could vote. If they’ve got a problem with it, they need to talk to her.”

Life Defense Fund, led by Republican state legislator Hansen and longtime anti-abortion advocate Leslee Unruh, alleged in their lawsuit that petition circulators violated a residency affidavit requirement introduced into state law in 2018, among other charges.

That law was later superseded by Senate Bill 180, which was halted in federal court in January 2023 as part of a permanent injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol, an action upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Dakotans for Health filed a motion in federal court to enforce the permanent injunction, but U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier on July 5 ruled that state court proceedings should be allowed to continue before determining if federal intervention was warranted.

After Monday’s dismissal in state court, legal options for Life Defense Fund include appealing to the South Dakota Supreme Court or re-filing the lawsuit with the Secretary of State as defendant.

Time is a factor, considering that Aug. 13 is the deadline under state law for the Secretary of State to certify copies of all ballot questions to the county auditors.

“I’ve thought all along that this was a bridge too far for them to think they could dismiss 55,000 South Dakotans based on some petitioner residency requirement that’s not on the books,” Weiland said. “Every time they’ve tried to disrupt this and make it about something other than letting the people vote, they’ve been unsuccessful.”

Of the five counts detailed in the complaint as alleged violations, several were recast from clashes between Life Defense Fund and Dakotans for Health during the petition campaign and legislative session.

Among those accusations are that circulators left petitions unattended, failed to provide a circulator handout as required by law, and purposely confused the public with a “bait and switch” involving the grocery tax and abortion measures.

Attorney General Marty Jackley sent a letter to Dakotans for Health on Oct. 31, 2023, that mentioned “video and photographic evidence” of such encounters and warned of potentially illegal actions taken by petition circulators. No charges were filed.

Leach called the allegations “deceptive and overblown” in a February interview with News Watch. On Monday, he stressed that it was important to let the people have their say at the ballot box as part of South Dakota’s longstanding initiative process.

A statewide poll co-sponsored by News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota conducted in May showed that 53% of respondents support Constitutional Amendment G, compared to 35% opposed and 11% undecided.

 

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Gov. Kristi Noem announced on Monday that South Dakota closed the 2024 budget year with a surplus of $80.7 million.

Gov. Noem plans to set aside the surplus to offset the cost of prison construction.

“South Dakota makes common sense decisions based on small government, low taxes, and spending within our means. We don’t just talk about fiscal responsibility – we follow through!” said Gov. Noem. “We will continue to budget responsibly for the people, and we will avoid unnecessary debt by using this surplus for prison construction costs. This will help South Dakotans keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.”

According to Gov. Noem’s office, state government spent $56.4 million less than appropriated in the fiscal year 2024, with the total revenue finishing above the legislative adopted forecast by $24.3 million.

By law, the fiscal year 2024 surplus was transferred to the state’s budget reserves. The state’s reserves now total $322.8 million or 13.3% of the fiscal year 2025 general fund budget, according to Gov. Noem’s office.

NOPE Lincoln County shared the following statement in response to the surplus going toward the proposed new state penitentiary:

NOPE Lincoln County is deeply concerned about the Governor’s decision to allocate the state budget surplus to building a new penitentiary. The current site is suitable for expansion at a fraction of the cost, and this approach would save taxpayers money while minimizing community disruption. Additionally, the pressing issues within the Department of Corrections need immediate attention, and building a new facility without addressing these problems is not a viable solution. We urge the Governor and state legislators to prioritize fiscal responsibility, effective corrections reform, and community well-being over expensive and potentially ineffective projects.

 

 

MILWAUKEE, WI – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has reacted to the selection of JD Vance being named as the vice presidential selection of Donald Trump.  On a post to X Noem wrote, “Republicans, we’ve got our ticket! President Trump and @JDVance1 will unite this country, and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help them win.”

The Governor went on to address the attendees of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last night.  You can read her comments made last night below.

Good evening! I’m Governor Kristi Noem from the great state of South Dakota.

Leadership has consequences. It matters who’s in the White House. I’ve been a governor under both President Trump and Biden. People ask me the biggest difference, I tell them President Trump honored the Constitution. He let me do my job. And he let me keep my people free.

Leadership on the state level matters too. It certainly mattered in South Dakota. I am proud to say that South Dakota’s strong economy has become a beacon of Freedom for America.

Most of you probably first learned about me during COVID – because South Dakota was the only state in America that stayed Open for Business.

We didn’t mandate anything. We never ordered a single business or church to close. I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don’t believe the government has the authority to tell you your business isn’t essential. 

When other states were pushing mandates and lockdowns, we hit the gas. South Dakota embraced liberty. We told our story and invited people to come and enjoy our state.

All the things conservatives talked about, we just did it. And it worked. Our economy took off. Since I’ve been Governor, we broke the national record for lowest unemployment rate in American history at 1.8%. We paid off state debts and bonds. We fixed dams and bridges. We built roads. We have a fully-funded pension plan and a AAA credit rating. We broke records for surpluses. We balance our budget every single year. And last year we passed the largest tax cut in South Dakota history.

Under my administration, incomes have gone up over 36%. Women owned businesses are thriving. We have the highest birth rate in the nation. People are having babies because they are happy. In South Dakota we love babies. Our mental health challenges have gone down, our suicide rates are declining, and we are the #1 state in the country for decline in overdoses because people have HOPE!

We are growing so fast that we need more workers to keep up! So we launched the most successful workforce recruitment campaign in South Dakota history. And they have come by the thousands to join us. Remember when I was a lousy plumber? Or a terrible electrician? Since we started those ads, we saw a 78% increase in licensed plumbers and a 44% increase in electricians in our state. People aren’t moving to South Dakota for our beaches or beautiful January weather. They are moving for opportunity and Freedom. All of this happened because we were bold, we took action, and I was strong.

South Dakota proved that Freedom will MAKE AMERICA WEALTHY AGAIN! And with President Trump in the White House, with Senator J.D. Vance by his side, we will prove it across America.

But two days ago, the whole world changed. Evil displayed itself in the very worst way, through a cowardly act. An innocent American lost his life, and we continue to lift his family up in our prayers.

Prior to this week, we already knew that Donald Trump is a fighter. He is the toughest man I’ve ever met. Nobody has endured more than what he’s been through. They attacked his reputation, impeached him, tried to bankrupt him, and unjustly prosecuted him.

But even in the most perilous moment this week, his instinct was to stand and FIGHT.

He is our man in the Arena. He will never stop fighting for us.

And now, he’s bringing us together.

I know that many of you are angry. But now is the time for us to UNITE!

We must work – win the hearts and minds of every American. Wake them up with truth and wisdom. LISTEN to them. You can’t win people over by arguing with them. Visit with your neighbors at the gas pump and at the grocery store.

There are moments in our history – often after great hardship or tragedy – when true leaders unite our country.

At one time President Lincoln united our country. He delivered my favorite presidential address of all time. In fact, it’s the only speech, poem, or song that I ever made my kids memorize when they were young. It was the Gettysburg Address delivered during our nation’s bloodiest conflict. That speech so inspired people, they continued to fight for years and lost loved ones in order to preserve this union we call the United States of America.

At that time, President Lincoln encouraged us to “take increased devotion… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Like Lincoln, in the midst of our pain and division, Donald Trump is calling us to be “touched… by the better angels of our nature.”

As Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

We must NOT be afraid. Even in our darkest days, we have NEVER given up hope.

Don’t quit on America… If we lose this country, where else will we go that provides more Freedom and opportunity for our kids and grandkids?

Yes, democracy can be messy – but there is a great invisible strength to a people’s union. We have shown the world that we can endure sacrifice and unite. We should still aspire to be worthy of our union – America.

President Donald J. Trump is the leader we need for such a time as this.

Now get to work.

May God Bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.