South Dakota

A Jewish Florida man looks to South Dakota in bid to overturn Supreme Court ban on school prayer – Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Published

4 months ago

August 30, 2024

A Jewish Florida man looks to South Dakota in bid to overturn Supreme Court ban on school prayer – Jewish Telegraphic Agency

When the Supreme Court sided with Jewish plaintiffs and others in 1962 in ruling that requiring prayer in school violates the First Amendment, one vocal critic of the decision was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, head of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.

Now, a follower of the late rabbi believes he can get today’s Supreme Court, with its conservative supermajority, to overturn that landmark ruling, known as Engel v. Vitale.

Hillel Hellinger, a resident of North Miami Beach, Florida, filed paperwork earlier this month in South Dakota, proposing a ballot measure that, according to its proposed text, would mandate a “daily nondenominational prayer in public schools.” It could appear before voters in 2026.

Public school teachers at all grade levels would be required to begin each day by leading students phrase by phrase in the recitation of the prayer: “Almighty God, who is aware of His creation, who sustains it and judges it, please have mercy on us.” Teachers and parents of students who object on religious grounds would be able to opt-out by submitting a written request to their school’s principal.

Hellinger has cited what he said were high crime rates across the country in explaining his rationale for the measure. He also said prayer can have a positive impact on youth.

“South Dakota may be a very crime-free state, but most of the country is going through a lot of crime,” he told South Dakota Public Broadcasting. “By children knowing there’s a god in this world it would have an influence on their behavior.”

Hellinger’s proposal faces a number of obstacles — from the requirement that 17,509 South Dakotans sign a petition supporting it to potential legal challenges to the vote itself.

It comes as debate over the role of religion in public life has taken center stage ahead of the November election. This year’s Republican Party platform pledges to “champion the First Amendment Right to Pray and Read the Bible in school,” and Republican-led states have recently mandated displaying the Ten Commandments or teaching the Bible in public school classrooms. Plaintiffs in states across the country have also challenged abortion restrictions on religious grounds.

The initiative also follows decades of efforts by Schneerson and his disciples in support of prayer and, later, a moment of silence in public schools. Hellinger’s argument for the ballot measure echoes Schneerson’s original rationale, stated in 1962, that a daily prayer in school “offers in many cases the only opportunity for the children to make some personal ‘contact’ with G‑d every day.”

Hellinger lives a short drive away from The Shul, the Chabad synagogue where, in 2021, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s bill mandating a daily moment of silence in schools. In Arizona, meanwhile, a lawmaker’s conversation with a Chabad rabbi is reportedly what led her to introduce a moment of silence bill in her state that was signed into law in 2022.

A similar effort failed in South Dakota, where lawmakers killed a bill in 2022 that would have required daily “quiet time” in schools. The bill was backed by the state’s governor, Kristi Noem, according to The Dakota Scout.

But this time, Hellinger told several South Dakota media outlets that he chose the state, some 1,700 miles from his home, because he believed it would be easier to succeed there than in Florida or somewhere else.

“It only needs to be submitted in one state,” Hellinger, who did not respond to a request for comment, told South Dakota Public Broadcasting. “If I were to file it in Florida, I could do the same thing, but I would need over 50 times as many signatures to get it on the ballot.”

Hellinger hopes that the Supreme Court ends up ruling on his prayer — whose language, he said, was inspired by the prayer at the center of the 1962 decision. The Supreme Court has, in recent years, stripped away or weakened judicial doctrines separating church and state in favor of an interpretation that the framers of the Constitution intended to bolster and protect religion, not promote secularism.

A landmark moment came in 2022, when the court ruled in favor of a Christian high school football coach who lost his job after leading prayers for his team on the field.

But Adam Laats, a professor of education and history at Binghamton University, said he didn’t think the court would overthrow Engel v. Vitale on the basis of Hellinger’s proposed ballot measure.

“So far the current conservative majority has avoided directly injecting devotional practice into school structures,” Laats wrote in an email to JTA. Referring to the football coach case, he added, “In the most relevant case, for instance, Kennedy v. Bremerton, Justice Gorsuch opined that a public-school coach could lead students in prayer, but only because the coach was performing a private act of worship.”

Laats wrote, “The logic was an egregious stretch, in my opinion, but by that principle, this proposed law would not be allowable.”

Hellinger claims that after consulting at least one prominent lawyer, he’s confident that when challenged at the Supreme Court, the measure would likely receive the support of the majority of justices.

“I emailed Alan Dershowitz regarding this issue, and he says that with the present Supreme Court, it’s very likely they would overturn the 1962 ruling and allow for nondenominational prayer in public schools,” Hellinger told South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Reached for comment, Dershowitz said he couldn’t remember whether he had corresponded with Hellinger, but added that he could not predict how the current Supreme Court would rule on the matter. He also said he supports the ban on mandated prayer in schools as decided in Engel v. Vitale.

“I am strongly against overturning that case, and I’m strongly opposed to prayer in the schools,” Dershowitz said in a phone interview. “Prayer in the school is a terrible idea. It would further divide our country along religious lines.”

It’s not the first time Hellinger has thrust himself into the debate about religion in public life.

When he was a licensed pharmacist in the late 1990s, he sued a pharmacy chain for refusing to hire him, claiming religious discrimination because he told hiring managers that selling condoms went against his faith. The jury ruled against Hellinger, whose pharmacist’s license expired in 2011, according to an official state database of licenses.

In 2009, he unsuccessfully ran for city council in North Miami Beach and missed several candidate forums because they fell on Shabbat, when traditional Jewish law prohibits work or the use of electricity.

“I am not going to do anything to compromise my religion,” Hellinger said at the time. “And I think people will respect me for that.”

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South Dakota

Noem’s former opponent heading back to Pierre as she prepares to leave • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

3 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Noem’s former opponent heading back to Pierre as she prepares to leave • South Dakota Searchlight

SIOUX FALLS — Three years ago, Kristi Noem kept her job in Pierre, and Jamie Smith left. Now the situation is reversed.

Kind of like Smith predicted.

“Everyone knew she had national ambitions,” he said Wednesday.

Smith, a Democrat, gave up his legislative seat in 2022 and ran against Noem, a Republican, who wound up winning a second term as governor.

Now Noem is preparing to leave South Dakota for Washington, D.C., where she is nominated to serve as secretary of Homeland Security under President-elect Donald Trump. Her nomination hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Smith, meanwhile, won a state Senate seat in a Sioux Falls district during November’s election. He’ll go back to Pierre on Tuesday for the start of the annual legislative session, where he’ll serve as Senate assistant minority leader.

Addressing members of Change Agents at a Sioux Falls library, Smith acknowledged the challenges he and the other Democrats face in the Legislature. They’re outnumbered 96-9 by Republicans.

“We are very limited in what we can do this year, with the number of Democrats that we have in the Legislature,” Smith said. “We are essentially left playing defense.”

Democrats lose ground in Legislature, but pick up seat in longtime Republican district

Members of Change Agents, formed in 2021, say they support pragmatic candidates and oppose extremist rhetoric and policies. Founders include former Sioux Falls Mayor Rick Knobe, financial planner Mike Huber and entrepreneur Craig Brown.

After the meeting, Smith told South Dakota Searchlight why he came back to politics.

“Because I truly believe that I have the skills to try and help people,” he said. “I do believe that one person can make a difference for the people of South Dakota.”

Smith said finding ways to build relationships across the aisle will be crucial for Democrats this session, like the one he said he built with incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, based partly on a simple starting point.

“We share a birthday,” Smith said.

Outlining his priorities, Smith said he plans to introduce a bill that would end incarceration for drug ingestion in South Dakota. South Dakota’s ingestion law is the only one in the nation that allows prosecutors to charge people with felony drug possession for a failed drug test.

Instead, he advocates for expanding treatment programs and diversion efforts, calling incarceration for ingestion punitive and ineffective.

Smith also addressed his desire to amend the state’s abortion ban, his opposition to Noem’s $4 million proposal to fund private and homeschool education, and his resistance to raising sales taxes as a means of lowering property taxes.

South Dakota’s near-total abortion ban allows an exception only to save the life of the mother and lacks clear definitions, said Smith, who called the ban “cruel and unusual.”

“We need to stop it,” he said.

Smith said women’s health care is a top priority for Democrats, but they don’t currently have a bill to increase access to abortion. He said some members want to introduce bills to expand exceptions beyond the life of the mother, while others are arguing for a broader abortion access ballot measure. Voters rejected an abortion-rights measure in November.

Smith also criticized a proposal from some Republicans to reduce property taxes by increasing sales taxes, calling it a potentially unfair shift that could disproportionately impact low-income people.

Smith attacked Noem’s $4 million plan for education savings accounts, calling it a voucher program that would divert public dollars to private schools and homeschoolers. Smith said the program would lack accountability, because alternative schools and homeschoolers are not required to follow the same transparency, testing and other standards as public schools.

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South Dakota

Court documents reveal more details about the Yankton man accused of murder

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Court documents reveal more details about the Yankton man accused of murder

YANKTON S.D. (KTIV) -Court documents are now revealing more details about the man accused of murdering his girlfriend, last week.

In December of 2021, 32-year-old Craig Allen Nichols Jr. of Yankton, South Dakota was charged with four counts of felony aggravated assault and four counts of simple assault in Minnehaha County.

Craig Allen Nichols Jr. was arrested on several charges related to a death in Yankton, S.D.(Yankton County Sheriff)

Documents say Nichols reportedly used a taser to assault another man, resulting in injury. Nichols was found not guilty by reason of insanity in June of 2023 and then committed to the Human Services Center, located in Yankton, for treatment.

Records report Nichols was released from the center in August of 2024.

As previously reported, Nichols is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and two counts of contempt of court, after he was taken into custody by Yankton officials and accused of murdering 41-year-old Heather Bodden on Thursday, January 2.

The investigation began after three women told police they found Heather Bodden’s body inside the East Meadow Apartments at 1001 Memory Lane.

As of now, the case remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe has been started for Bodden, which can be found online.

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South Dakota

College football QB transfer tracker: South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski commits to Iowa

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

College football QB transfer tracker: South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski commits to Iowa

It’s both transfer season and bowl season in college football.

The poor timing of the sport’s calendar means that players need to enter the transfer portal immediately after the end of the season to enroll at a new school for the second semester. That means players across the country have to leave their current teams before a bowl game to find a new school. And that coaches have to both prepare their current players for a bowl game while also recruiting transfers for the 2025 season.

Here’s our tracker of notable QB transfers across college football ahead of the 2025 season.

SDSU’s Mark Gronowski commits to Iowa

Iowa has landed a top transfer quarterback.

Former South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski told ESPN that he’s committing to the Hawkeyes for his final season of eligibility. Gronowski entered the transfer portal after coach Jimmy Rogers became the head coach at Washington State following SDSU’s FCS semifinal loss to national champion North Dakota State.

Gronowski has been one of the best players at the FCS level over the past three seasons. In 2024, he was 206-of-338 passing for 2,721 yards and threw 23 TDs with seven interceptions. He also rushed for 10 touchdowns. In his career, Gronowski has thrown for 93 TDs to just 20 interceptions and has also rushed for 37 scores.

Iowa has been looking for an upgrade at quarterback in recent seasons. The team added former Michigan QB Cade McNamara ahead of the 2023 season, but McNamara suffered a season-ending knee injury a season ago and also dealt with injuries during the 2024 season before entering the transfer portal again for a potential seventh season of college football.

Overall, Iowa quarterbacks McNamara, Brendan Sullivan and Jackson Stratton were 163-of-260 passing for 1,711 yards and 10 TDs with eight interceptions during the 2024 season. The Hawkeyes finished the season 8-5 after losing to Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

Malachi Nelson transferring to UTEP

Former five-star recruit Malachi Nelson is heading to UTEP.

Per ESPN, the former USC and Boise State quarterback will continue his college career with the Miners. Nelson was the No. 2 QB at Boise State this season after transferring from USC following his freshman season in 2023.

Through two seasons of college football, Nelson has played in four games. He threw three passes in one game at USC and was 12-of-17 for 128 yards and a pick in three games at Boise State. He’ll have three more years of eligibility remaining.

When he signed with USC, Nelson was the No. 4 pro style QB in the class of 2023 and the No. 14 player in the country.

Dequan Finn transferring to Miami (Ohio)

Dequan Finn is heading back to the MAC.

The former Toledo star is transferring to Miami (Ohio) after spending the 2024 season at Baylor. Finn was the 2023 MAC player of the year with the Rockets as he was 201-of-317 passing for 2,657 yards and 22 TDs along with 563 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.

However, he played in just three games at Baylor in 2024 as Sawyer Robertson emerged as the team’s starting quarterback during the season. In limited playing time at Baylor, Finn was 23-of-43 passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed 21 times for 66 yards and two scores.

Finn will be in his seventh season of college football in 2025. He has an extra season of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic and also played in just three games in 2019 and reportedly applied for a medical waiver for the 2025 season.

Beau Pribula to Missouri

After leaving Penn State ahead of the College Football Playoff, Beau Pribula has found his new home.

Pribula is set to transfer to Missouri, according to multiple reports on Sunday night. Pribula served as Drew Allar’s backup quarterback this season at Penn State, though Pribula announced that he was going to transfer away before the Nittany Lions’ blowout win over SMU in the first round of the playoffs. Allar announced he will return to Penn State next season, too.

Pribula will have two years of eligibility remaining at Missouri, where he’ll likely replace Brady Cook. Pribula, a former four-star recruit, went 26-of-35 for 275 yards with five touchdowns and an interception this season. He had 242 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries, too. Missouri also has Drew Pyne, who backed up Cook this past season, on its roster.

The Tigers went 9-3 this season, the fifth under coach Eli Drinkwitz. They will wrap up their season against Iowa in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

Michigan adds Fresno State’s Mikey Keene

Michigan was looking for a veteran quarterback who might provide a one-year bridge to five-star recruit Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines found one with Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, who has one more year of eligibility.

As a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, Keene threw for 5,868 yards and 42 touchdowns, completing 68.7% of his passes. He is also familiar with Michigan’s new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, whom he played under at UCF in 2022.

Michigan’s QB play has major room for improvement after the 2024 season. The Wolverines ranked near the worst in the nation in passing offense, averaging 133.6 yards per game and 5.5 yards per attempt.

Davis Warren threw for 1,126 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games, while Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle also started games last season. Orji has entered the transfer portal while Tuttle retired from football due to injury. Warren has a fifth year of eligibility remaining and could return. Redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis will also be in the QB mix with Underwood and Keene.

Fernando Mendoza to Indiana

After a huge season at Cal, Fernando Mendoza is headed to the Big Ten.

Mendoza committed to play at Indiana next season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Mendoza, who was one of the top quarterbacks available in the portal this offseason, threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns at Cal. His younger brother is a freshman quarterback at Indiana, too.

The Hoosiers are coming off of their best season in school history. They won a program high 11 games and reached the College Football Playoff, though they fell to Notre Dame in the opening round. Kurtis Rourke led the Hoosiers in his final college season, and he racked up 3,042 yards with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Maalik Murphy transferring to Oregon State

Former Texas and Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy is heading west.

Murphy committed to Oregon State on Thursday according to multiple reports. He joins the Beavers after one season in Durham following his transfer from Texas.

Murphy was 254-of-421 passing for 2,933 yards and 26 TDs with 12 interceptions in 2024. He spent the 2023 season as Texas’ No. 2 quarterback and started in Quinn Ewers’ absence when Ewers suffered a shoulder injury. However, due to the timing of the transfer portal, he left the Longhorns before the College Football Playoff.

Murphy will have two seasons of eligibility with the Beavers. Oregon State went 5-7 in 2024 as three different quarterbacks played in at least five games.

After Murphy entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, Duke moved quickly to secure a commitment from Tulane’s Darian Mensah.

Liberty’s Kaidon Salter heads to Colorado

One of the most productive QBs in college football during the 2023 season is heading to Colorado.

Liberty’s Kaidon Salter committed to Colorado on Wednesday for his final season of eligibility. Salter had 44 total touchdowns in 2023 as Liberty went undefeated and won Conference USA before losing to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Salter returned to Liberty for the 2024 season after he briefly entered the portal following the Fiesta Bowl loss.

Billy Edwards commits to Wisconsin

Former Maryland QB Billy Edwards said Monday that he was heading to Wisconsin. Edwards was 273-of-420 passing for 2,881 yards and 15 TDs with nine interceptions over 11 games in 2024. He also rushed for 148 yards and five touchdowns. Edwards appeared in 15 games over his first two seasons at Maryland before becoming the team’s primary QB in 2024.

Wisconsin is undergoing an overhaul at the QB position as the team made a coordinator change at the end of the season. QBs Braedyn Locke and Tyler Van Dyke have entered the transfer portal already. Locke was the team’s starter for most of the season after Van Dyke suffered a torn ACL against Alabama.

Wazzu QB John Mateer enters portal

Washington State QB John Mateer was one of the most dynamic players in college football in 2024. He’ll be playing at a new school in 2025.

Mateer is entering the portal after leading college football with 44 total TDs. He threw for 29 scores and rushed for 15 others as he had at least one passing TD and one rushing TD in 10 of Washington State’s 12 games.

Penn State QB Beau Pribula leaves team before playoff

The Nittany Lions will have a new backup behind Drew Allar for the College Football Playoff.

No. 2 QB Beau Pribula announced Sunday that he was entering the transfer portal ahead of the postseason. Pribula lamented the timing of his announcement because of college football’s calendar, and his sentiments were backed up by coach James Franklin, who said he supported his QB’s decision to find a new school.

Pribula’s decision to transfer came a day before Allar announced he will return to Penn State for the 2025 season.

Pribula saw significant playing time in 2024 behind Allar. He was 26-of-35 passing for 275 yards and five TDs and rushed 38 times for 242 yards and four scores while appearing in all 13 of PSU’s games.

Miller Moss will spend final season at Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals will likely have a one-year transfer starting at quarterback for a second straight season.

Former USC QB Miller Moss committed to the Cardinals on Saturday. Moss was USC’s starter for much of the season in 2024 before he was replaced by Jayden Maiava. Moss was 233-of-362 passing for 2,555 yards with 18 TDs and nine interceptions across nine games.

The Cardinals and coach Jeff Brohm got an up-close look at what Moss can do in the Holiday Bowl at the end of the 2023 season. With Caleb Williams opting out for the NFL Draft, Moss started the game and was 23-of-33 for 372 yards and six TDs.

Tyler Shough spent the 2024 season as Louisville’s starter after stints at Oregon and Texas Tech. In his seventh season of college football, Shough has completed 63% of his passes and thrown for 23 TDs and just six interceptions.

Ex-Stanford QB Ashton Daniels joins Jackson Arnold at Auburn

Auburn added a second starting QB in less than a week on Monday when Stanford’s Ashton Daniels committed to the Tigers. In 11 games in 2024, Daniels was 170-of-271 passing for 1,700 yards and 10 TDs with 12 interceptions. He also was the Cardinal’s leading rusher with 148 carries for 669 yards and three TDs.

Daniels has appeared in 33 games over his Stanford career and is 366-of-602 passing for 3,986 yards. His commitment came days after former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold committed to Auburn. The Tigers will have a new starter in 2025 after Payton Thorne is out of eligibility and Hank Brown transferred to Iowa.

Utah adds New Mexico QB Devon Dampier and OC

Dual-threat QB Devon Dampier is heading to Utah.

The Utes got a commitment from Dampier on Dec. 11 after the Utes hired former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck to call plays.

Dampier thrived under Beck in 2024 as one of the most underrated players in college football. Dampier was 226-of-390 passing for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 155 times for 1,166 yards and 19 scores. He was the only player to rush for over 1,000 yards while throwing for over 2,500 yards this season.

Dampier is set to be the presumptive starter for the Utes as they attempt to rebound from a poor 2024. QB Isaac Wilson was the team’s primary starter after Cam Rising’s multiple injuries. Wilson was briefly in the transfer portal before recommitting to Utah.

Thomas Castellanos goes to Florida State

After an ignominious end to his Boston College career, Thomas Castellanos is heading to Florida State.

The former BC QB entered the transfer portal at the end of the season after he lost his starting job in November. Through eight games in 2024, Castellanos threw for 1,366 yards and 18 TDs.

But Castellanos’ season was effectively over after Grayson James replaced him in a win over Syracuse. Castellanos stepped away from the team after BC coach Bill O’Brien announced that James would remain the team’s primary QB and announced he was heading into the portal a short time later.

Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman heads to Houston

Conner Weigman decided to stay in Texas after transferring from Texas A&M.

The former Aggies starter committed to Houston after putting his name in the portal. Weigman was the team’s starting quarterback but lost his job to Marcel Reed during the Aggies’ comeback win over LSU.

A former four-star recruit, Weigman has dealt with injuries during each of the past two seasons. He missed time in 2024 because of a shoulder injury and played in just four games in 2023 before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Maalik Murphy transfers from Duke, Darian Mensah commits

Duke effectively made an early transfer portal QB trade once the 2024 season ended.

Starter Maalik Murphy entered the portal after one season with the Blue Devils. Just days after Murphy said he was transferring, Duke added former Tulane QB Darian Mensah.

Mensah was one of the top-rated QBs in the portal since he announced he was leaving Tulane two days after the AAC title game. He threw for over 2,723 yards and 22 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024.

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