South Dakota Republican lawmakers want clarity for the state's abortion laws. They propose a video
South Dakotaโs Republican-controlled Legislature has approved the creation of a video to outline the stateโs abortion laws and to clarify when health care providers are legally allowed to intervene.
South Dakota tribe bans governor from reservation over US-Mexico border remarks
The Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has banned Gov. Kristi Noem from the Pine Ridge Reservation, one of the largest in the U.S. This comes days after the Republican governor gave a speech about wanting to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help deter immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Board: SD Gov. Kristi Noem may have 'engaged in misconductโ
A South Dakota ethics board has found enough information that Gov. Kristi Noem may have โengaged in misconductโ when she intervened in her daughterโs application for a real estate appraiser license to potentially take action against the Republican governor.
Engineer accused of attempting to pass US secrets to Russia
The Justice Department says an engineer who worked for decades as a federal defense contractor has been arrested on charges of trying to pass classified information to someone he thought was a Russian agent but who was actually an undercover FBI employee.
South Dakota lawmakers question Noem's meeting with daughter
South Dakota Republican and Democratic legislators say they want more details from Gov. Kristi Noemโs administration on a meeting last year that included the governor, her daughter and state employees overseeing an agency that had moved to deny her daughterโs application to become a certified real estate appraiser.
South Dakota AG reviewing Noem's meeting with daughter
The South Dakota attorney general says he is reviewing concerns from state lawmakers over a meeting Gov. Kristi Noem held last year that included both her daughter and a state employee who was overseeing her daughterโs application to become a certified real estate appraiser.
As daughter sought state license, Noem summoned agency head
Ethics experts are questioning whether South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem had a conflict of interest by meeting with her daughter and top state officials last year in the governor's office while her daughter was pursuing a real estate certification.
GOP donor pays $1M to deploy South Dakota national guard
In a story June 30, 2021, about a billionaire Republican donor who is paying $1 million to help defray the cost of deploying the South Dakota National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
South Dakota AG pleads not guilty in fatal crash hearing
FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2014, file photo South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg speaks in Sioux Falls, S.D. โ South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded not guilty in an initial court hearing Friday for three misdemeanor charges he is facing for striking and killing a man with his car last summer. The Republican attorney general did not appear at the courthouse in Pierre, South Dakota, but his lawyer Tim Rensch made the plea on his behalf. Nemec called Ravnsborg's decision not to plead guilty at the outset of the case โtroubling.โโHe was obviously outside of his lane. House lawmakers had moved to begin impeachment proceedings against the attorney general last month, but took a step back after the judge's order.
South Dakota House lawmakers leave AG impeachment in doubt
FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2014, file photo South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg speaks in Sioux Falls, S.D. The House State Affairs Committee amended a resolution to impeach Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, striking the articles of impeachment and replacing them with language that said he could potentially be impeached. AdHowever, Nick Nemec, Boever's cousin who has been outspoken against the attorney general since shortly after the crash, confronted lawmakers with his frustrations. AdIf the Legislature reconvenes, the House would need a simple majority to advance the impeachment charges to the Senate. There, it would require two-thirds of senators to convict and remove the attorney general from office.
Police grilled South Dakota AG on phone use before crash
Attorney General Ravnsborg has indicated he will not step down while he waits for the case against him to proceed. AdThe Republican attorney general is facing three misdemeanor charges in the Sept. 12 crash, as well as calls for his resignation from Gov. AdThe attorney general has been charged with using his phone while driving, but prosecutors said his phone records show he had locked the device about a minute before the crash. AdHe said, โI found the body and I just came to Tim, and I said: โTim, Tim, Tim, youโve got to come here. Meanwhile, prosecutors who charged the attorney general had asked the Department of Public Safety to not release the videos.
South Dakota House moves to impeach AG after fatal crash
Attorney General Ravnsborg has indicated he will not step down while he waits for the case against him to proceed. The Republican attorney general faces three misdemeanor charges but no felonies in the September death of 55-year-old Joseph Boever. It would take a simple majority in the House to advance the impeachment charges to the Senate. The attorney general could face up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine on each charge, if convicted. โI never saw him.โ__This story has been corrected to show that the resolution to impeach the attorney general has been filed in the House, but not formally introduced.
Trump loyalists in South Dakota turn on home state senator
Trump flags still fly over homes across South Dakota, showing enduring support for the former president. When Thune disputed the baseless allegations of election fraud, Trump declared the senator's โpolitical career overโ and suggested GOP Gov. One of them, Bruce W. Whalen, said Thuneโs refusal to support Trump's claims of fraud has fueled interest. Volk has observed a steady rightward lurch in Republican politics over the years that has culminated in widespread support for Trump. โBut thereโs no way theyโre going to get him to go away.โOthers, like Tom Barnett, a former director of the stateโs bar association, have given up on the Republican Party.
Experts say experience convinced Midwest of virus dangers
Since the middle of November, the entire region has returned to levels similar to those seen in October. Governors have used the declining numbers to justify their divergent approaches to fighting the pandemic, even jousting at times. As the pandemic crept into communities across the Midwest, more people had loved ones, friends or acquaintances fall ill or die. Many health experts warned that the region was ripe for widespread infections, especially as the weather cooled and people gathered inside, making it easier for the coronavirus to spread. Other experts say some pockets of people, such as those who work in meatpacking plants where infections were widespread, had experienced such high rates of infections that the virus has slowed.
Gonzaga strengthens grip on No. 1 spot in AP poll
1 spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll after beating Iowa. The Zags received 61 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel in the poll released on Monday. 2 Baylor got the remaining three first-place votes and No. Gonzaga had 54 first-place votes last week. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
'Hurting for hope,' South Dakota rural churches mark Advent
โ The Nativity stable at Canton Lutheran Church will be silent this year, breaking from a community tradition of gathering for a live Christmas performance. Instead, churches in this rural corner of South Dakota are grappling with how to approach an Advent filled with quiet mourning after the coronavirus tore through the region. South Dakota and North Dakota, states largely spared from the worst of the pandemic during the spring and summer, have seen a frightening pace of death since October. โAdvent is the season when we look forward, and long and wait for that new life to come upon us,โ the Rev. How do you do that when you canโt give them a hug?โ said Thies, the pastor at Canton Lutheran.
Man drives supplies from Ann Arbor to Lakota tribes in South Dakota during pandemic
ANN ARBOR โ Kevin Leeser has been active in organizing donations of PPE since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and now that includes cleaning supplies. Leeser, who launched Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor, recently donated 500 face shields to the Lakota people in South Dakota who have experienced high case numbers. After they asked for cleaning supplies for their quarantined members, Leeser decided to rally the local community to donate supplies, which he is delivering himself this week. Read: Ann Arborโs Operation Face Shield surpasses 50K donationsFor those who wish to donate funds, tax deductible donations can still be made to โOperation Face Shieldโ via CashApp. Local businesses Jerusalem Garden and Stadium Hardware donated supplies over the weekend.
The Latest: Japan's virus cases hit record for fourth day
___HEREโS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:โ US reaches 12 million total coronavirus casesโ Italy hits nearly 35,000 new daily virus casesโ Calif Gov. ___PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon has reported a record number of coronavirus cases for the second day in a row. California had a record 13,000 new cases on Thursday and more than 1 million total confirmed cases. Overall, Russia has recorded more than 2,064,000 confirmed cases and 35,778 confirmed deaths. ___NEW DELHI โ India has reported 46,232 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, with the situation particularly alarming in New Delhi.
Study: Motorcycle rally sparked COVID-19 cases in next state
NEW YORK โ When nearly a half-million motorcycle enthusiasts gathered in South Dakota this summer, health experts worried the gathering would ignite new outbreaks of coronavirus cases. Minnesota officials counted 86 cases that they said were related to the rally โ 51 people who went to Sturgis and 35 who came into contact with those people later. The rally has been a source of contention between the governors of Minnesota and South Dakota. Tim Walz criticized South Dakota Gov. Walz, a Democrat, said the Sturgis rally was โabsolutely unnecessary."
Americans across party lines, regions embrace marijuana
Montana Advanced Caregivers owner Richard Abromeit talks about different strains of marijuana stored in a refrigerator at the Billings, Mont., medical marijuana dispensary on Nov. 11, 2020. Recreational marijuana initiatives passed in four states this year, from liberal New Jersey to conservative Montana and South Dakota. Fifteen states have now broadly legalized it, while 36 states allow medical marijuana. The owner of a chain of medical marijuana dispensaries in Billings, Montana, credited passage of the recreational marijuana initiative to a yearslong campaign by medical marijuana supporters to educate the public about the benefits of cannabis. Chris Nylen, 50, of Flagstaff, Arizona, is a Trump supporter who voted to legalize recreational marijuana.
Noem's pitch to aid Trump seems to benefit own campaign fund
Kristi Noem speaks during the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via AP)SIOUX FALLS, S.D. The Republican governor, a close Trump ally, launched a fundraising campaign soon after the election was called for Biden on Saturday. Ryan, a campaign finance lawyer, pointed out that the governor can give a maximum of $2,800 to Trumpโs campaign under federal law. Trump's solicitation, though billed as raising money for his legal fight, notes that half of contributions will go to pay off general election campaign debt.
AP Projects: Donald Trump wins South Dakota in presidential election
The Associated Press is projecting that Republican presidential candidate and incumbent Donald Trump won the state of South Dakota in the General Election. As of 9:01 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, AP is calling the presidential race in the state of South Dakota in favor of Donald Trump. Trump will receive three electoral votes from South Dakota. A presidential candidate requires at least 270 electoral votes to win the election. Follow live 2020 General Election results here.
Report: South Dakota official distracted before fatal crash
โ South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was distracted before he drove onto a highway shoulder where he struck and killed a pedestrian in September, state Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price said Monday. Whether Ravnsborg can be charged for distracted driving depends on what caused him to leave the roadway, Price said. โI think the attorney general should be charged at the very least with distracted driving,โ Nemec said. A crash reconstruction expert from Wyoming and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted the South Dakota Highway Patrol in the investigation. Such accidents would ordinarily be investigated by the South Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which answers to the attorney generalโs office.
Midwestern states with few virus rules have low unemployment
Midwest governors credit their lack of restrictions for low unemployment rates, but economists and others say other factors might be more important in the states low jobless rates. That would be very deadly and push unemployment rates back up,โ said Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha. That contrasts with states that rely on tourism, such as California, Nevada and Hawaii, which have the nationโs highest unemployment rates. More recently, though, many of those rural areas have seen some of the nationโs highest virus rates. Despite the low unemployment figures, all of the states now have fewer jobs than before the pandemic hit.
State leaders facing 2nd wave resist steps to curb virus
They include Nebraska and South Dakota, where the number of new cases topped previous highs for each state. But this fall's resurgence of the virus, despite being far more widespread, has brought a decidedly more limited response in many states. Most are led by Republican governors backing a president who insists, falsely, that the country is getting the virus under control. โAt the end of the day, personal responsibility is the only way. โI believe in personal responsibility and that it is our responsibility as American citizens to choose if we want to wear it or not,โ she said.
Voting by mail isn't so easy on Native American reservations
Voter advocates say that long trips to access polling places and the fact that some people lack reliable transportation has led to low voter turnout. โPoverty, time, distance, transportation has always been a barrier to participating in elections,โ Semans said, describing the compounding obstacles that lead to low voter turnout on many large reservations. Some states, including the Dakotas, had laws preventing tribal members from voting into the 1950s. In recent years, voting rights advocates and tribes have won or settled 86 election-related lawsuits in a state-by-state legal battle to increase voting access for Native Americans. Data from this year's primaries, which relied heavily on mail-in voting, reveals shortfalls in voter turnout on reservations.
Election could stoke US marijuana market, sway Congress
In conservative Mississippi, voters will consider competing ballot proposals that would legalize medicinal marijuana, which is allowed in 33 states. In Colorado, one supporter of legal cannabis could lose his seat. Legal sales would mean tax money for education and other services, and social-justice issues are also in play, after decades of enforcement during the war on drugs. Despite the pandemic and challenges including heavy taxes and regulation, marijuana sales are climbing. The amendment also subjects cannabis to the stateโs sales tax, and lets towns and cities add local taxes.
Justices reject South Dakota's only death row inmate's case
WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court refused on Monday to take up an appeal from South Dakotaโs only death row inmate, who pleaded guilty to taking part in a torture killing 20 years ago. One has been executed and the other is serving a life sentence in prison. The episode ended with the men stoning Poage to death. The South Dakota Supreme Court upheld Poage's sentence in 2019. South Dakota's last execution was in November 2019, when Charles Russell Rhines died by lethal injection for the 1992 fatal stabbing of a doughnut shop worker.