This fall 236 South Dakota FFA members from 52 chapters earned their own FFA jacket through the FFA Foundation Blue Jackets Bright Futures FFA jacket program.
Winner students receiving FFA jackets were Jaynee Gregg, Abigal Pajl, Heather Rowe, Casey Stickland and Jalen King.
Jackets are sponsored by various individuals through the South Dakoa FFA Foundation program.
By Maricarrol Kueter For S.D. Newspaper Association
Crime victims would be told when perpetrators appear in court or get out of jail under proposed Constitutional Amendment S on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Proponents say the measure, known as Marsy’s Law, is needed to protect crime victims and to allow them to participate in the judicial process.
But opponents say the victims-right measure is too expansive and would drain county budgets while stressing prosecutors.
The measure is named for Marsalee (Marsy) Nicholas, a California university student who was stalked and killed by an ex-boyfriend. Her family members saw the accused man in a store a week later. They did not know he had been released from jail.
Nicholas’ brother pushed for the bill’s passage in California. Illinois also has approved
it and it has been proposed in seven states in addition to South Dakota.
Proponents say the amendment offers crime victims constitutional protections already afforded to accused offenders. “No rapist should have stronger rights than their victim,” said Jason Glodt, the state director of Marsy’s Law for South Dakota in an email.
In addition to requiring notifications, the proposed amendment would guarantee victims input into the prosecution of their cases and would allow them to confer with prosecutors before any plea agreement was finalized.
The South Dakota State’s Attorneys Association and State Bar of South Dakota have opposed the measure.
Representatives of those organizations say its requirement for prosecutors to notify and involve crime victims in all cases will be time-consuming and could potentially interfere with prosecutors’ ability to spend time on the most serious crimes. And, says Ryan Kolbeck, a Sioux Falls lawyer, the extensive notice requirements will cost budget-strapped county governments money they don’t have. “The counties are broke,” Kolbeck, president of the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense lawyers, said in an email. “If this passes, the counties will bear the responsibility of the majority of the costs of enforcing.”
Kolbeck said expensive enhancements would need to be made to the statewide computer court records system in order to provide the required notice and to allow more expansive tracking of court cases. Opponents say state law currently provides rights to victims of violent crime. Any possible expansions would be better made through the legislative process, not through constitutional amendment. In addition, they say some of the proposed law’s provisions could conflict with the rights of the accused. But Glodt said existing crime victim protections currently apply only to those who are victims of certain serious crimes. Victims of arson, simple assault and hate crimes, for example, are not included in the protections.
South Dakota is “one of the last remaining states to pass constitutional rights for crime victims.” Glodt said. Thirty-two states have at least some protections for victims written into their constitutions.
AMENDMENT R – New governance for technical institutes
South Dakota’s four technical institutes are essential players in the state’s continuing efforts to develop and attract workers.
Constitutional Amendment R would put into the state constitution a new governing structure for those schools. Supporters of the amendment say the current system of oversight for Lake Area Technical Institute, Mitchell Technical Institute, Southeast Technical Institute and Western Dakota Technical Institute doesn’t allow them to be focused exclusively on workforce training needs.
Amendment R would shift responsibility for that oversight from local K-12 school boards to a new governing board determined by the legislature. The new board would not be under the South Dakota Board of Regents, which has oversight of the state’s public universities. Tech schools have a different mission than the degree-granting universities, supporters say. Proponents say the change would help the technical institutes be more responsive in developing skills training as needed to meet the state’s workforce needs.
Rep. Mark Mickelson, Sioux Falls, said in an email that the amendment would provide for “dedicated decision making” for technical education issues.
Such a change would necessitate the establishment of a new, unelected governing board that would be heavily influenced by lobbyists and favored industries, according to Rep. Elizabeth May, of Kyle, who opposes the change. She also pointed to concerns that other laws ultimately might shift the cost of technical schools from the state budget onto local governments.Mickelson said details on the governing board structure are yet to be decided, but it “would likely consist of a citizen board” with some employer representation. The technical schools and the Board of Regents as well as state business and industry representatives support the proposed changes.
Ten questions are on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. You can learn more about the various ballot questions at the S.D. Secretary of State’s website
The South Dakota Association of Cooperatives and the South Dakota Farm Bureau are urging South Dakota voters to reject proposed Constitutional Amendment T on the November ballot. If passed, this amendment would remove 105 elected representatives from the legislative redistricting process and place it in the hands of nine unelected individuals.
“The current system of drawing legislative districts has served South Dakota well,” said Brenda Forman, executive director of the SD Association of Cooperatives. “The rules in our State and Federal Constitutions, along with various laws and court decisions, dictate what legislative districts are to look like. We think that the 105 people elected to represent us are in a far better position to do what is best for South Dakota, rather than nine people appointed by the Board of Elections, which in itself is an appointed board.”
“Having watched previous redistricting efforts by the legislature, it is clear that our elected legislators – both Republican and Democrat – have worked hard to be fair to all the voters in the State,” said Scott VanderWal, president of the SD Farm Bureau. “To place this responsibility in the hands of nine unelected individuals would diminish the idea of a representative democracy and would not serve South Dakotans.”
The two groups point out that under the current system, the 2011 redistricting maps developed by the Legislature reduced the number of divided rural counties from seven to three. “The effort to keep rural counties as whole as possible makes sense for voters and for those elected to represent us in Pierre,” said Mike Held, lobbyist for the SD Farm Bureau.
Gen. Omar Bradley led millions of U.S. soldiers in World War II, but first he led the Jackrabbits.
South Dakota State College’s (now South Dakota State University) 1921 yearbook, the Jack Rabbit, states, “We can truthfully say that this has been one of the most successful years for the military department in the history of the college … The interest the men take and the splendid work the military department is doing are due to the efforts of Major Omar N. Bradley, our commandant. Major Bradley has served in the 14th Infantry since 1915, spending over a year in active service on the border (U.S.-Mexican). He is a graduate of West Point and has taken over the work as a West Point man would.
“Not only has he organized the battalion and brought the drill to cover a larger scope of military tactics than ever before, but he has spent more time and energy in promoting the physical welfare of the students. This he has done by organizing classes in boxing and wrestling. He has also taken an active part in coaching athletics and has won a place in the esteem of every State student.” Bradley had joined the SDSC faculty in the fall of 1919. He had applied for a position as a military instructor at a college with a Reserve Officer Training Corps unit, wanting to teach in Washington or Oregon. The choice he indicated for geographic area, “Northwest,” denoted North Dakota and South Dakota, not the Pacific Northwest.
“As a result of this misunderstanding, on August 25, I was assigned to be assistant professor of military science and tactics at the South Dakota State College (of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts) in Brookings,” Bradley wrote in his autobiography, “A General’s Life.”
“Our year at Brookings was a bitterly cold one, but the work turned out to be interesting and challenging.”
After a summer at an ROTC encampment in Michigan and camping in Minnesota, Bradley and his wife, Mary, returned to Bookings in late August of 1920 prepared for another school year.
“I was soon astonished to receive a telegram ordering me to duty at West Point ‘without delay,’ as an instructor in the math department,” Bradley wrote in his autobiography. Bradley was described as a tall man, at just over 6 feet, lanky, quiet, self-confident, a tough fighter and a brilliant military tactician. During World War II, Bradley was involved in every crucial decision that determined the outcome of the war in Europe from 1943 on. He was known as “The Soldier’s General” by his troops because of his concern for the men he led. Following World War II, Bradley directed the Veterans Administration, succeeded Dwight Eisenhower as Army Chief of Staff and later became first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He died on April 8, 1981, at age 88, the nation’s last five-star general. Though Bradley’s time in South Dakota was short, he seemed to enjoy it. An article in the Brookings Daily Register the day after the general’s death stated that Bradley became chairman of the board at Bulova. At the time of the article’s publication in 1981, Bulova watches were distributed to the outstanding ROTC graduate at SDSU, and outstanding members of the freshman, sophomore and junior classes received autographed copies of Bradley’s autobiography.
A representative of Bulova said that when asked about Brookings, “He (Bradley) spoke at great length of many things, the fact that Brookings, at that time, had no paved streets, the football team he helped to coach, the boxing team that was formulated the same year, the wonderful hunting, the fine people he met, as well as the great group of reserve officers he commanded.” Bradley returned to Brookings at least once, in 1946, to hunt, according to the Register.
“There is no standard against which to compare Bradley as an army group commander. During the fighting in Europe, his calm and effective presence was important in times of crisis, as was his deft touch in handling subordinates,” stated an online article courtesy of the United States Army Center for Military History. This moment in South Dakota history is provided by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. Find us on the web at www.sdhsf.org. Contact us at info@sdhsf.org to submit a story idea.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is encouraging South Dakotans to participate and follow National Heroin and Opiate Awareness Week. The Attorney General’s Office encourages everyone to learn more about the dangers that accompany this abuse. Knowing and recognizing the signs of opiate abuse can help prevent some from falling victim to this addiction.
“The national heroin and opiate epidemic is impacting South Dakota and having a devastating effect on families and communities,” said Jackley. “We have been proactive in South Dakota by equipping our first responders with Narcan, building an effective prescription drug monitoring program, and holding joint law enforcement and medical training. But there is more to be done- this week presents an important opportunity to educate yourself and loved ones about the early signs of addiction.”
The addiction to heroin commonly begins with prescription opiate abuse. Both heroin and opiate addiction impacts the lives of so many individuals. Every single economic level is at risk, and it does not target a particular gender or specific age group. South Dakota suffered 49 accidental drug overdose deaths in 2015, several of which heroin and opiates were contributing factors.
In August 2016, the Attorney General’s Office hosted an Opioid Abuse Training targeting attorneys, healthcare professionals, policy makers, law enforcement and service providers with the latest education and tools to help combat the problems that arise from opioid abuse.
In addition, September 2016 marked the roll-out of the anti-meth campaign contest created for college students. The Attorney General’s Office along with the South Dakota Chiefs and Sheriff’s Associations, South Dakota Department of Public Safety, United States Attorney’s Office and the South Dakota States Attorneys Association are partnering together to help assist the students in creating an innovative message. Phase I of the competition focuses on the statewide meth problem, with plans to implement the heroin addiction in future phases of the competition. 1302 E. Hwy 14, Suite 1 Pierre, SD 57501 605-773-3215 http://atg.sd.gov/
The Attorney General’s Office sponsored legislation in 2015 that would enable all first responders to carry naloxone, a medicine to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. Having naloxone available is a cost-effective way to save lives especially to our rural first responders. The Attorney General’s Office has authorized the use of available drug control funds to assist units of local government and first responders with the purchase of the Narcan agent.
The South Dakota Prescription Drug Monitoring Program provides physicians and pharmacists the opportunity to voluntarily access the prescription repository in order to have available additional medical history. At the request of the Attorney General, the PDMP was passed into law during the 2010 legislative session. The purpose of this program was to improve patient care by providing physicians and pharmacists with a controlled substance dispensing history for their patients.
By Katie Hunhoff
The garden behind our South Dakota Magazine office becomes an overgrown jungle by the time September arrives. We are still picking tomatoes and zucchini every day. We used to make the usual zucchini jokes as the squash multiplied and began to pile up on our conference room table. But a few years ago we had a zucchini cook-off in the office and the recipes were a hit, especially the desserts. Now our backyard zucchini gets more respect.
Zucchini’s reputation seems to have spiked not just in our office but everywhere. Part of the resurgence is surely linked to zoodles — zucchini as noodles — a healthy replacement for high-carb pasta. But decades before zoodles, South Dakotans were making casseroles, soups, desserts, baked goods, jellies, jams and countless side dishes out of the abundant garden fruit. (It’s not a vegetable because it has seeds.)
The plant does well anywhere — so well that gardeners spin variations of the same joke: we don’t lock our car doors here except in August and September when the neighbors are likely to fill the back seat with zucchini. Farm humorists joke that zucchini — like Canada thistle and cedar trees — will probably grow and prosper so long as it doesn’t make the Chicago Board of Trade. But try planting a few acres with the notion of making a dollar and the vines will shrivel and die.
Zucchini, a member of the squash family, was first used as food in the Americas. Archaeologists found evidence of the dark green fruit in Mexico as early as 7000 B.C. Eventually it made its way to Italy (zucchini is an Italian word meaning little squash) and France, where it was called courgette. It probably made its way to the United States via Italian immigrants.
Although zucchini can grow to giant proportions overnight, it’s best to pick (or buy) when the fruit is immature. Full-grown zucchini (which can be over three feet long) is called marrow and is tougher and less delicate in flavor.
If you’re a gardener or a South Dakotan who doesn’t lock your doors in late summer then, like me, you’re probably looking for creative ways to dispose of zucchini. Here are two recipes I loved and still use from our office cook-off:
Savory Zucchini Pie
2 tablespoons butter 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini 1 cup finely chopped onions 2 tablespoons parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 2 eggs 2 cups mozzarella or Muenster cheese 1 can crescent dinner rolls 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onions; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in parsley flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano.
2. In large bowl, mix eggs and cheese. Add cooked vegetable mixture; stir gently to mix.
3. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place in ungreased 10-inch glass pie plate, 12×8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish or 11-inch quiche pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spread crust with mustard. Pour egg mixture evenly into crust-lined pie plate.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until fork inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (Recipe submitted by Bernie Hunhoff, former editor)
Zucchini Chili
27 ounce can chili beans 15 ounce can black beans, drained 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained 1 pound burger cooked and drained 2 cups grated zucchini 1 quart canned tomatoes with juice or 28 ounce can 1 cup canned tomato juice 2 bell peppers, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons chili powder 2.5 tablespoons cumin 2.5 tablespoons dried cilantro 2 teaspoons paprika
Add all ingredients to a 6-quart Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 40-45 minutes. (Submitted by Jana Lane, former circulation manager)
South Dakota Magazine editor Katie Hunhoff is seeking more zucchini recipes and cooking tips from readers across the country. Please send to editor@southdakotamagazine.com or mail to SD Magazine, Katie Hunhoff, 410 E. 3rd Street, Yankton, SD 57078.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation and Department of Tourism continue to seek public comments on a proposed plan to update and revitalize the state’s interstate rest areas.
Earlier this year, a task force visited each of the state’s rest areas to study the condition, functionality and accessibility of the facilities and have proposed a three to five year improvement plan, which is available on the SDDOT website at http://www.sddot.com/resources/reports/InterstateRestAreaFinalReport.pdf.
The committee has made the following summarized recommendations:
· Closing the rest areas at Tilford on I-90 near Sturgis and at Hidewood on I-29 near Watertown on Oct. 31, leaving the parking areas functional.
· Reconstructing the rest areas at the I-90 Minnesota/South Dakota border (Valley Springs) and the I-29 Iowa/South Dakota border (Homestead) as Welcome Centers.
· Adding additional space to the I-29 rest area near the North Dakota border (Wilmot) to include a Welcome Center.
· Remodeling or upgrading the rest areas at Wasta, Belvidere, Presho, White Lake and Salem on I-90 and Ward Road and Glacial Lakes on I-29. Upgrades will address ADA accessibility needs as well as an updated security camera system.
· When the Welcome Centers at the interstate borders become operational, the staffed information centers at other rest areas will be closed.
Written comments should be submitted by Sept. 30, and can be sent via email to dotgeneralinfo@state.sd.us or mailed to:
Darin Bergquist, Secretary
South Dakota Department of Transportation
700 East Broadway Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501-2586
Christopher Brockhoft, son of Mike and Kris Brockhoft of Winner and grandson of June Nelson of Winner and Jo Brockhoft of Sioux Falls, was recently awarded the Center for Architecture Design Scholarship by the American Institute of Architects. This scholarship is awarded to one architecture student in the United States each year; selection is based on the student’s academic record, an architecture portfolio of the student’s work, and recommendations from professors and the college’s dean.
Brockhoft lives in New York City and is currently pursuing his Master of Architecture at Columbia University and completed his Bachelor of Science in Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
During his studies at Columbia University, Brockhoft has completed public housing research in Berlin, Germany, and worked on the design of hospitals and medical campuses in the United Arab Emirates. Most recently, Brockhoft designed proposals for a research institute in Atlantic City, NJ, and a mixed-income housing complex in New York City. Brockhoft will complete his graduate studies at Columbia in May of 2017.
For the efforts of those who work closely with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proclaimed the week of Sept. 11-17, Direct Support Professionals (DSP) week in South Dakota.
DSPs are the primary providers of publicly funded long-term supports and services for individuals with disabilities. The supports and services provided by DSPs allow South Dakotans with disabilities to live and work as independently as possible. DSPs also help keep individuals with disabilities connected to their families, friends and communities.
Department of Human Services (DHS) Cabinet Secretary Gloria Pearson said, “Direct support professionals form the backbone of South Dakota’s community supports and services.” Pearson added, “It’s important for South Dakota to be able to recruit, train and retain a highly qualified DSP workforce and to recognize the skilled and compassionate supports they provide.”
DSPs work at the 19 Community Support Provider agencies throughout the state as well as at the South Dakota Developmental Center in Redfield.
Various programs, activities and ceremonies will take place across South Dakota to honor the state’s long-term supports and services workforce.
DSP week in South Dakota coincides with National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week to celebrate DSPs across the country and also begins on Sept. 11.
The South Dakota Retailers Association invites customers, vendors and civic organizations to nominate their favorite retail store, grocery store or restaurant for the South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award.
Each year, the Association presents the award to a business owner or manager who is committed to running an excellent business and who plays a positive role in their community.
“Every community has those business people who stand out because they go the extra mile in taking care of their customers, they are supportive of their employees, and they give back to their community in meaningful ways,” says Shawn Lyons, Executive Director of the South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA). “Those are the people who help to make a city or town a better place to live, and we want to hear about them.”
Individual business owners and managers are eligible for the award, as are partners and families who run a business as a team.
Previous recipients of the Retailer of the Year Award include hardware stores, restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores, flower shops, appliance stores, gift shops, pharmacies, implement dealers, book stores, and other businesses that play a vital role in the daily life of communities across the state.
Nominations may be mailed, emailed or faxed by Nov. 1, 2016. Nomination forms and instructions are available online at www.sdra.org/EducationEvents/RetailerofYear. Nominations may also be submitted by letter to SDRA at PO Box 638, Pierre, SD 57501, by fax at 605.224.2059 or by email at donna@sdra.org.
A committee of retailers will select the recipient, who will be honored at the SDRA Awards Banquet in Pierre in January. The event is attended by legislators and state officials, as well as by business people from across the state.
Nominees who are finalists for the award will receive a Certificate of Distinguished Service by mail.
For more information, contact the South Dakota Retailers Association in Pierre at 800-658-5545, visit the association’s website at www.sdra.org or email donna@sdra.org.
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