PIERRE, S.D. – U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell and South Dakota Attorney General issued the following statement regarding drug activity in South Dakota:

“The vast majority of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl found in South Dakota originates from our southern border. The cartels are actively engaged in moving these illicit drugs across the southern border which then find their way into our South Dakota communities.

We both appreciate how our respective state and federal law enforcement agencies are approaching drug interdiction and investigations through our strong joint drug task forces comprised of our tribal, local, state, and federal partners.

Just one example of the excellent work our drug task forces are doing to dismantle cartel activity in South Dakota is “Operation Say Uncle,” which ultimately targeted two Sinaloan Cartel members — Luis Antonio Gonzalez-Meza and Javier Reyna. The investigation discovered that 80-100 pounds of methamphetamine were distributed throughout South Dakota and resulted in almost 50 federal and state indictments.”

 

YANKTON, S.D. – Saturday marked an anniversary as it was the 20th year since South Dakota was granted the USS Scorpion Memorial on the bank of the Missouri River.  It was also the observance of 80 years since the USS Scorpion tragically sunk.

During their annual ceremony, submarine veterans conducted a tolling of the bell tribute. The bell tolled 78 times for each man lost at sea aboard the USS Scorpion.

The ceremony was put together by members of a US Submarine Veterans group, the USS Scorpion SS-278 Base, who vowed to never forget and always honor the sacrifice of those in the “silent service.”

The ceremony retold the story of the USS Scorpion. During World War II the USS Scorpion sank ten ships in three prior war patrols before leaving Midway for their fourth war patrol in the northern East China and Yellow Seas. In 1944, they were presumed lost and sunk after losing contact for a few months.

For the ceremony, veterans from multiple chapters came from across the region to remember the 78, including a special guest speaker, Rear Admiral Todd Figanbaum of the U.S. Strategic Command.

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  — A consumer advocacy organization has filed a second civil lawsuit in connection with a video featuring South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and her teeth.

In March, Noem appeared in an online video touting a Houston area dental practice for their cosmetic dental work that she had done at the dental clinic.

Now, the consumer group, Travelers United, has filed a similar lawsuit against Smile Texas, claiming that both the dental practice and Governor Noem broke the law by not disclosing any compensation.

People Are Also ReadingNoem Promotes Work Done On Her Teeth By Texas Dentist 〉

In March, Governor Noem posted a lengthy video on her personal social media accounts, including X, telling people about a great experience she had getting her teeth fixed at Smile Texas.

“Hi, I’m Kristi Noem. I’m the governor of South Dakota, and I had the opportunity to come to Smile Texas to have my teeth fixed, which has been absolutely amazing.

“You know, I think that I chose the team here at Smile Texas because they are the best.”

Travelers United claims Noem is a social media influencer and is subject to certain laws that regulate what the group says is “advertising on behalf of a brand.”

“There are a lot of cosmetic dentists in South Dakota, and so to use this particular business, particularly when somebody is the governor, seems extremely odd and raised a lot of red flags,” said a Travelers United spokesperson.

“Both the influencer and the brand are violating the law when these ads are posted without full disclosure of compensation, so it might go on the influencer’s page but the brand can also be held liable.”

 

DES MOINES, IA (Mark Moran / Iowa News Service) – The latest state tax cuts are expected to cost Iowa more than $2 billion in revenue over the next two years. Advocates for tax fairness argued lawmakers are not considering the long-term consequences of the cuts on schools, workers, and livability.

In the face of a dwindling population and shrinking tax base, Iowa lawmakers doubled down on tax cuts this year, and also passed a measure calling for a constitutional amendment to require any state income tax to be a single rate.

Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, said lawmakers chose to cut taxes despite the state’s growing economic demands like funding Educational Savings Accounts, which allow parents to use public education dollars to pay for private school.

“I understand that in a vacuum, tax cuts can sound pretty good to folks,” Discher acknowledged. “But when you really have a serious conversation about trade-offs, the popularity of tax cuts is a lot less clear-cut.”

Lawmakers also passed a cluster of bills to accelerate cuts in the state income tax rate from 3.9% to 3.8%, which Discher argued will have long-term economic effects. Supporters of the tax cut measures, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, have promised more fiscal austerity.

The deeper tax cuts mean an average reduction of about $6 to someone in the bottom 20% of the income bracket, $402 for the middle 20%, and more than $20,000 for someone making more than $1.5 million a year. Lawmakers said they plan to cover the tax cuts with Iowa’s budget surplus, which Discher called shortsighted.

“The moment in which that’s really going to impact services can be pushed out, right?” Discher noted. “But the thing about surpluses is they are one-time money, and you can’t count on them in the long run. And so, when the surpluses are gone, we’re going to be looking at a level of tax cuts that are really going to put a lot of important services at risk.”

Discher contends implementing a flat-rate income tax would be regressive and hurt lower-income Iowans most. Supporters counter it would be more fair and efficient.

 

AUSTIN, MN (Mike Moen / Minnesota News Connection) – A Minnesota community college serving rural students is getting a lift as it works to bring more innovation to its campus.

The school was selected as part of a national effort to ensure smaller institutions have the tools to thrive.

Riverland Community College, with locations in greater southeastern Minnesota, was chosen for support from the Accelerating Equitable Outcomes initiative.

It’s part of an organization known as Achieving the Dream.

The group’s President and CEO Karen Stout said rural community colleges tend to work with tight budgets, making it hard to access outside expertise, and their contributions are often overlooked.

“Sometimes, our community colleges in rural communities are the largest employer,” said Stout. “They are sometimes the cultural hub for the community, they can be the social services hub for the community, you know, they can be the recreational hub for the community.”

Stout said many students at these schools also lack key resources, and improving their campus experience might propel them to better outcomes.

Just across the border, Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin was also chosen to join the support network. The program offers a three-year engagement process where school leaders work with coaches and each other on various strategies.

Stout said a lot of these schools are the only post-secondary education option for miles around. She noted they hope to make them ready to adapt to the changing needs of their surrounding communities.

“Some of them are bringing digital skills into their general education work,” said Stout, “so that every graduate of that rural community college is digitally savvy.”

Stout added that as smaller towns become more diverse, these schools are likely to be serving many first-generation college students in the years ahead.

Understanding what those individuals need to succeed is viewed as a top priority. This initiative is funded through a donation from private philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

 

ST. PAUL, MN (Mike Moen / Minnesota News Connection) – In the future, clean energy projects in Minnesota might come together more quickly, since state lawmakers have advanced a permitting reform measure.

The policy effort gained steam throughout the legislative session, with final negotiations playing out late last week.

Researchers say Minnesota’s current permitting process for solar projects used to take an average of 300 days – now it’s nearly 550.

There’s also pressure to get additional transmission lines up and running so there’s more space on the power grid for renewables.

Clean Grid Alliance Regional Policy Director Peder Mewis said he feels the new provisions will be a big help.

“Basically what the bill does is, it completely rewrites the siting and permitting statutes in Minnesota and combines them all into one,” said Mewis, “so it’s a lot easier to track things.”

Mewis described the state’s current process as strong, but cumbersome.

For skeptics worried about removing opportunities for the public to scrutinize these projects, supporters insist that won’t be an issue.

The bipartisan bill arose from a recent task force report that included input from utilities, developers, environmental groups and property rights advocates.

Just like some other Midwestern states, Minnesota has adopted ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions.

Mewis said there’s increasing awareness that regulatory hurdles need to be dealt with as climate plans are mapped out.

“If you look at what we did in Michigan last year, where we enacted a carbon-free standard,” said Mewis, “and with that, we did siting and permitting reform because the state recognized that’s a key component.”

Last year, Minnesota established a standard of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

As for the permitting reform plan, Gov. Tim Walz expressed support for the idea going into the session. He’s expected to sign the bill sent to his desk.