Category Archives: State

In addition to voting for candidates in the June 7 primary election, voters will be asked to decide a ballot issue.

This year, all South Dakotas will be asked to weigh in on a question on the primary ballot-Constitutional Amendment C. Even if a person does not have a candidate running in the primary, they can vote on this referendum.

Amendment C would establish a 60 percent voting requirement for certain future ballot measures, specifically those that would increase taxes or cost the state more than  $10 million in the first five years.

Currently, a simple majority vote is needed to pass ballot measures in South Dakota.

Currently the constitution requires that any new tax or tax increase must be approved either by voters or by two-thirds of the members of each legislative branch. To be approved by voters, such a measure must obtain a majority of the votes cast. This constitutional amendment requires that any initiated measure, proposed constitutional amendment, or referred measure imposing or increasing taxes must obtain three-fifths of the votes cast to be approved.

This constitutional amendment also adds the requirement that any initiated measure, proposed constitutional amendment, or referred measure obligating the state to appropriate $10 million or more in any of the first five fiscal years must obtain three-fifths of the votes cast to be approved.

This constitutional amendment additionally requires any initiated measure, proposed constitutional amendment, or referred measure which imposes or increases fees to obtain three-fifths of the votes cast to be approved.

Voting yes on Amendment C supports raising the vote requirement for certain ballot measures from a simple majority to a three-fifths (60%) supermajority.

Voting no opposes raising the vote requirement for certain ballot measures from a simply majority to three-fifths supermajority.

A nearly identical ballot question was voted down by South Dakota voters in 2018.

“It’s important for all eligible South Dakotans to vote on June 7,” said Erik Gailkowski, AARP South Dakota state director.

Allie Spellman, a student at Colome High School, has received two recognitions for her writing.

Her piece “Education” was selected as an honorable mention for the Jerome Norgren poetry contest in the high school division. She has been invited to read her work at the Norgren and Witherington Celebration Reading in May on the SDSU campus in Brookings.

Her work will also be printed in “Winning Writing” (A compilation of selected works).

Spellman, a freshman, was also selected by the National Folklife Network (NFN) for the emerging writer residency.

The NFN is a network of artists, culture bearers and folklorists who strengthen our communities through nurturing folk and traditional arts.

Spellman’s work will be featured by the National Endowment for the Arts on the National Folklife Network website.

Grossenburg Implement’s sales team was recently awarded the Diamond Award with NDEco for achieving elite level of sales performance for 2021 sales.

John Dueck, CEO for NDEco, visited on March 2 and presented the Winner store sales team of this accomplishment. Here are some kind words from John.

“Congratulations to the whole Grossenburg sales team! We recognize the hard work you put into going out and making the sales. Based on the limited contact I have had with the owners and sales staff at Grossenburg, I have come to appreciate the great company you are all a part of. I have no doubt you are all proud to work for such a reputable and respected company.

We want to thank you for your commitment to the NDEco product line. We believe what sets Grossenburg aside from others is the commitment and unwavering support you have for all your customers. We appreciate all your business. NDEco will continue to provide a reliable product and stay strongly committed to our customers. I believe the best is yet to come as both companies grow and build on the strong business relationship that already exists. Again, congratulations on the successful year you had. We are looking forward to what the rest of this year will bring, and beyond.”

Grossenburg’s sales staff is a proud partner with NDEco and their product line fits well with ours. Grossenburg Implement’s commitment to to provide the best product at a reasonable price with the highest level of service matches perfectly with our current product lineup.

The South Dakota Supreme Court unanimously ruled recently that the state can charge juveniles with DUI.

Justice Janine Kern wrote the opinion after appeals made in Pennington and Meade counties.

Three persons under the age of 18 were arrested and charged with DUI between 2018 and 2019.

In each case, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss the charge for a lack of subject matter jurisdiction, arguing they could only be charged under the zero tolerance DUI state statute governing juveniles and their cases could only be heard in juvenile court.

All of the dismissal requests were denied in magistrate court and then in circuit court.

The state submitted that the jurisdiction in magistrate court was proper since a DUI charge is a traffic offense “excluded from the delinquency statues and not listed in the definitions of a (children in need of supervision or CHINS).”

“Despite the appellants’ perceived disharmony among the different avenues that the state may take when charging underage drivers under the zero tolerance or DUI statutes, these arguments involved the wisdom of the legislature’s penal code, which are ‘questions of public policy, not appellate error,” Kern wrote.

She wrote that contrary to the claim that the overlapping statutes cause disharmony, the conclusion upon reading the statutes is that the legislature intended to  provide prosecutors with the option of charging juveniles under either statute.

Kern concluded that the appellants failed to support their arguments that the language of the statutes prevents the state from charging them in magistrate court.

“The statutes are clear and unambiguous,” she wrote, noting the state has the discretion to charge juveniles with DUIs in magistrate or juvenile court.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

The Winner Area Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of Pheasants Forever were well represented at this year’s Pheasant Fest held Oct. 11-13 in Omaha, Neb.

Attending were Mike Scott, executive director of the Chamber, Jeremy Clay, James Mathis, Tom Mathis, Marty Mortenson, John Halverson Dione Rowe.

The Chamber and Pheasants Forever shared a booth.

It is estimated there were 21,939 persons in attendance.

Scott said they gave out 300 Hunt SD t-shirts and various trinkets.

Scott noted the t-shirts were a big hit along with the game of Plinko.

Persons who visited the booth had a chance to register to win a Pheasants Forever print.

“It is a good way to continue to build relationships with people who have hunted in Winner in the past,” explained Scott. “They enjoyed coming to the Winner area and  told us where they hunted and how long they have hunted in this area.”

Scott noted Pheasant Fest is two different things. It is trying to build relationships and make people aware they can come here for future hunts. The second connection is meeting those people who have been here before and reaffirming that friendship and letting them know they are welcome to come back to Tripp County to hunt.

Scott appreciated all the persons who worked the booth and also the help of Pheasants Forever.

Next year Pheasant Fest will be held in Minneapolis, Minn.

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota 4-H recently welcomed Oakley G. Perry as the new Program Manager for 4-H County Operations and Professional Development.

“We are excited to welcome Oakley to the South Dakota 4-H Team!” said Tim Tanner, State 4-H Program Director. “His experiences in both 4-H and as a county administrator will prove vital as he trains 4-H professionals and relates to county government leaders across the state.”

Coming to South Dakota from Jeff Davis County in Georgia, Perry obtained his master’s degree in agriculture extension and education from Utah State University and completed his undergraduate program from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Involved in the 4-H program since the fifth grade, Perry knew he wanted to continue to work in 4-H and Extension in his professional career. Previously, Perry was a county administrator in Georgia and a 4-H agent in western Tennessee.

Perry is excited to use his experiences to bring a fresh perspective to South Dakota 4-H. His goal, first and foremost, is to develop a stronger 4-H program for the counties of South Dakota.

To achieve his goal, Perry will work with local governments to invest in local 4-H programs and provide education and resources regarding how 4-H can better serve their communities and counties. Through this role, he will also provide trainings for county extension personnel and county operations teams on professional development.

“I have lived in the south, out west, but not in the Midwest, so that is what drove me to look for opportunities here in South Dakota,” said Perry. “I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone in my new profession.”

Perry grew up on his family’s farm in southern Georgia, where they produced commodities like cotton, tobacco and peanuts. Through his involvement in 4-H, Perry transitioned his interest in agronomy and rural agriculture crops to horticulture and ornamental crops and became a Master 4-H’er for ornamental crops, like fruits, vegetables and nuts. Perry also previously served as the Georgia State 4-H President.

Perry is excited to work with a new group of people and be a part of the journey to continue developing 4-H programs in South Dakota. He can be contacted at Oakley.Perry@sdstate.edu or (605) 688-5614.