Author Archives: Colton Hall

USDA Rural Development Acting State Director Bruce Jones announced  that $463.8 million was invested in rural South Dakota communities from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.  As outlined in South Dakota’s 2014 Progress Report, the program funds assist housing, business and community development, water and waste water, energy, distance learning and telemedicine, electric companies and telecommunications. Water and waste water funds are limited to communities of less than 10,000 population. Community facility funding is available to towns of 20,000 population or less. Businesses and industries in communities with up to 50,000 residents can obtain funding through the business programs.

“USDA Rural Development is pleased to assist rural communities with their infrastructure needs and support efforts to improve the quality of life for rural residents living in South Dakota’s rural communities,” said Jones.  “We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of rural residents in Fiscal Year 2015.”

Rural Development’s investment include $7 million in South Dakota rural businesses, supporting 37 projects; $196.8 million in loans and grants to build, repair, rehabilitate, and purchase homes – the agency obligated 71 direct loans and 1,465 guaranteed loans; $6.9 million in community facilities loans and grants – the 26 projects included funding for schools, fire and safety equipment to benefit 6,378 rural South Dakota residents; and $238 million through 32 infrastructure projects to provide reliable and clean drinking water, waste treatment systems, electric power, and telecommunications services in about 40 rural communities in South Dakota.

For example the Deuel Area Development, Inc. (DADI) received a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), now known as Rural Business Development Grants,  and leveraged it with other funding to provide technical assistance to small businesses in eastern South Dakota; the Mni Waste’ Water Company will soon have a new water treatment plant connected to an abundant water supply – the Missouri River – thanks to USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal funding and other funding from the Indian Health Service and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; and the Joe and Danielle Donnell family are living in their new home thanks to a USDA Rural Development direct loan that was leveraged with a Homes Are Possible, Inc. (HAPI) silent mortgage, a GROW SD Silent Mortgage for repairs, a GROW SD Silent Mortgage for closing costs, and a NAHI grant for down payment and closings costs.

Since 2009, $2.4 billion has been invested in South Dakota’s economy and of that total, $229.4 million has been secured for projects on reservations.  For more information on reservation projects, see the Rural Development Report on Tribal Projects in South Dakota 2009-2014.

Additional information on Rural Development programs can be found at www.rd.usda.gov/sd or contact a USDA Rural Development office nearest you.

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.

Many transient vendors begin selling products and services in South Dakota starting in the spring.

While many of these vendors are legitimate, the South Dakota Department of Revenue and the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Office advise people to take common-sense steps to ensure vendors are reputable, before doing business with them.

“Every single spring the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives numerous complaints against transient vendors,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “The main goal is to trick consumers into making hasty decisions in purchasing an inferior product, generally at an inflated price. Catching the consumer or business off guard is their most effective tactic.”

“A goal for some bad acting transient vendors can be to take advantage of consumers, and we want to help shield South Dakota citizens from that effort. It is also our responsibility to ensure fair taxes are paid by these traveling businesses,” Doug Schinkel, director of the Department of Revenue’s business tax division said. “If a vendor is unwilling to provide business licenses, consider choosing another vendor. If concerns or questions arise, contact the Department of Revenue.”

If you are considering hiring a person to provide repair or construction services, please be advised to:

•         Ask for a price quote, in advance, in writing.

•         Question the contractor about a permanent address and telephone number, and do not assume that if the information they provide is local, they are a local business.  Transient vendors often have business cards printed with local mailing services or motel addresses and telephone numbers.

•         Ask for a list of local references and check them before making a decision.

•         Ask if the contractor has worker’s compensation and general liability insurance.  If vendors are not properly insured, homeowners may be liable for accidents that occur on their property.

•         Be careful about paying for work in advance; before making final payments, make sure transient vendors have paid their local suppliers or you may be held liable for unpaid materials.

•         Make sure you are completely satisfied with the work before paying the bill, and do not pay more for the job than originally quoted unless you have given written approval for the additional work or cost.

•         Ask the contractor for an excise tax license.

Out-of-state vendors often travel to South Dakota to sell items like fruit, seafood, meat packages, paintings, magazine subscriptions, rugs, T-shirts, sunglasses, household cleaners, furniture, stuffed animals and asphalting and roofing services.  Asking the right questions when approached by those vendors can help you avoid making a purchase you may regret:

•         Question the salesperson about the product, warranties, guarantees, etc.

•         Get something in writing with the company’s name, address and phone number.

•         Ask to see their current South Dakota tax license.  State law requires everyone selling products or services to have a current South Dakota sales or contractors’ excise tax license. To verify if the license is valid, call the Department’s toll-free helpline at (800) 829-9188.

All sellers must provide you with a contract or receipt at the time of sale showing the date, the merchant’s name and address, and a statement informing you of your right to cancel the contract within three days.  After proper cancellation, the seller has 10 days to refund your money.

If you have doubts about the vendor or think you may have been the victim of a scam, call your local police department or county sheriff’s office immediately.  You can also contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Office at (800) 300-1986 or by email at consumerhelp@state.sd.us.  Be prepared to give as much information as you can about the vendor, including the name of the company and salesperson; company address and telephone number; and make, model and license number (if possible) of the vehicle the vendor was driving.  Without tips from the public, law enforcement officials may not be able to catch illegal vendors before they move on to the next community.

For more information on transient vendors, contact the South Dakota Department of Revenue’s toll-free helpline at (800) 829-9188, press “1” for the Business Tax Division.

The Winner Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary would like to encourage the assistance of the public in the Winner and surrounding area to help spread the message below.

The Department of Defense with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency whose mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation has put out the following statistics regarding POW & MIA military findings.

DNA Samples Needed for MIA Identifications: There are 83,000 missing and unaccounted for Americans from World War II forward, yet many families of the missing have yet to provide a family reference sample to assist in DNA identifications. Currently, 89 percent of Korean War families have provided samples, as well as 83 percent of Cold War families and 81 percent of Vietnam War families, but only 4 percent of WWII families have.

The government last year identified 107 MIAs, but more could have been identified—and faster—if more family reference samples were on file.

If you know of anyone who has a family member unaccounted for, please help them get to the right agency or give their name to the appropriate office listed below.

Army: 800-892-2490

Marine Corps: 800-847-1597

Navy: 800-443-9298

Air Force: 800-531-5501

State Department: 202-485-6106

For more information, please call the local Veterans Service Officer at the Tripp County Court House and/or go to: http://www.dpaa.mil/Resources/FAQs.aspx.

By Katie Hunhoff

Thousands of young South Dakotans will celebrate graduations this month, and they’ll hear heartfelt advice from well-qualified speakers urging them to dream big, change the world and dance like no one is watching.

In our 30 years of publishing South Dakota Magazine, we’ve met some interesting people who’ll probably not ever be invited to give a commencement address, and so we decided to collaborate with some of them. The end result is a collection of 18 “letters to grads” published in our May/June issue. Their advice is unconventional, and perhaps more personal than what you’ll hear on graduation day.

For example, one letter comes from Chol Atem, a 23 year old here in Yankton who fled from his home in Sudan at the age of 5 in 1988. He was one of the  “Lost Boys of Sudan” and arrived in South Dakota 13 years later to study at Mount Marty College. His advice is to never take home for granted, a lesson he learned the hard way.

“It was as if someone took me out of my family at the young age and abandoned me on a deserted island,” he says of being displaced and separated from his family. “It took 23 years before I was reunited with them in April 2011. And during that period there was no form of communication. That experience taught me that you do not know how important it is to have a home until you do not have one.” Atem urges South Dakota youth to invest and build in their home state.

Demi Beautiful Bald Eagle, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, grew up in Dupree. She encourages youth, especially reservation youth, to try to ignore statistics and low expectations when they begin to carve their paths for the future. Easier said than done, but Demi is living it right now as a college student at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D.

“Now that I’m in college, I see why so many drop out. It’s not the work that’s hard or being away from home. I’m weary from the expectations, the expense and the pressure. I was, and still am scared to fail. Fail in my community’s eyes. Fail in mine,” she writes. Demi encourages youth to keep trying. Her motivation is to carve a path for her brother and sister, and “all kids who have great minds but get overlooked and repressed.” She hopes to return home to teach.

Another one of my favorite letters comes from writer Linda Hasselstrom. Linda has an enviable life. She is a well-known, well-respected author and lives on a beautiful West River ranch with her husband, Jerry. But as a young lady just leaving college, she envisioned her life a bit differently. “I expected to be a wife, mother, writer, teacher, rancher and Great American novelist,” she wrote. “I’d ride Arabian horses across the South Dakota range with my gorgeous husband and our three beautiful children. At night I’d write brilliant novels that would sell millions of copies. We’d vacation in Paris, but live in South Dakota.”

Now her best material is what happened to her instead of the life she planned. “Like most folks, I spend much of my time doing the small routine tasks of daily life. I spend more time picking up the waste products deposited by my dogs than accepting awards; more time removing hairs from my chin than counting my money. But she also learned that what her father used to say was true: A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be. “I was skeptical. Now I believe,” she writes to young South Dakotans. “I create my joy by something as simple as watching a sunrise or scratching a dog’s ears.”

Other letters were written by cowboys, teachers, poets and even a young lawyer from Lemmon. Like them, we also wish congratulations to all our high school and college graduates. Enjoy your day in the sun. Wherever life takes you, be glad you started your life’s path in South Dakota.

The state Public Utilities Commission set new dates Thursday for taking testimony whether TransCanada can still meet the conditions set five years ago for building the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through South Dakota.

The evidentiary hearing will be July 27-31 with Aug. 3-4 if needed. The hearing had been scheduled for May 5-8 until the commission decided to push it back.

State law requires the certification hearing because TransCanada wasn’t able to proceed on the project within four years after the state permit was granted in 2010.

The company is waiting for clearance from President Barrack Obama’s administration for the pipeline to cross the Canada-U.S. border.

The commission listened to the sides argue for some 90 minutes Thursday about the protective order that had been granted earlier to TransCanada.

The order allows TransCanada to keep information out of the pubic domain but be available to lawyers and consultants working on the case.

The interveners opposing the pipeline’s construction wanted the commission to scrap the protective order