South Dakota

Inaccuracies found in Noem’s new memoir ahead of release

Published

2 years ago

May 3, 2024

Inaccuracies found in Noem’s new memoir ahead of release

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) memoir has not been released, but inaccuracies in the text are already emerging.

Noem’s spokesperson said “two small errors” have been brought to the Republican governor’s attention. The book is titled “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.”

The Dakota Scout reported Thursday that Noem’s book said she met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while she was serving in Congress on the House Armed Services Committee.

“Though my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee, I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders,” she reportedly wrote in the forthcoming book. “I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”

The Dakota Scout spoke with congressional staffers and North Korea analysts who explained why such a meeting was all but impossible. Although Noem visited China in 2014 as part of the committee, there is no record of Kim leaving North Korea until 2018, when Noem was campaigning for governor.

An analyst noted to the outlet that not even former President Obama had met Kim, and former President Trump met Kim in summer 2018.

In an emailed statement to The Hill, Noem’s spokesperson Ian Fury said Kim “was included in a list of world leaders and shouldn’t have been.”

Noem also wrote about a “weird” conversation she had with former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who Noem said called her and offered to be a mentor in summer 2021.

According to an excerpt of the book obtained by Politico, Noem writes that Haley said she had “heard quite a bit” about her, but Noem said she felt threatened by the call.

Noem said Haley made it clear that there was only room for one Republican woman to be in the spotlight. The South Dakota governor has been rumored to be on Trump’s vice-presidential short-list, though another story in her book — about killing her dog — has not helped her prospects.

Politico reported that a Haley spokesperson said the two women spoke, but in 2020, not 2021. Fury confirmed the 2020 timing of the conversation in his statement.

Fury said the errors have “been communicated to the ghostwriter and editor” and “the book has not been released yet, and all future editions will be corrected.”

“The media will, of course, try and make these tiny issues huge,” Fury said in a statement, going on to list dubious claims made by President Biden about his own life.

Last week, Noem made national headlines after excerpts of the book were reported where she detailed shooting her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, after he misbehaved during a hunting trip.

Noem doubled down on her actions, despite receiving sharp criticism from across the political spectrum.

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South Dakota

Coaches select all-state boys basketball players from Class AA, A & B

Published

7 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Here are the 2025-26 South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association All-State boys basketball teams:

Class AA

First Team

Sam DeGroot, SF Lincoln, 6-7, sr., F (20.9 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game)

Blake Ellwein, Huron, 6-10, sr., G (22.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)

Gavin Shawd, Tea Area, 6-1, jr., G (21.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Stellen Larson, Harrisburg, 6-3, sr., F (14.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)

Carter Buisker, Watertown, 6-3, sr., G (18.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Brody Schafer, SF Lincoln, 6-0, jr., G (9.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6.3 apg)

Second Team

Colton Smith, Mitchell, 6-5, sr., G-F (17.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3 apg)

Davis Chase, Huron, 6-8, jr., F (15.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Ayuel Deng, Brandon Valley, 6-3, sr., G (13.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg)

Sam Ericsson, SF Lincoln, 6-3, sr., G (13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg)

Colby Nuttbrock, SF Jefferson, 6-5, jr., F (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.9 apg)

Grifin Wiebenga, Tea Area, 6-4, jr., F (16.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Honorable Mention

Jackson McClemans, Watertown, 6-5, sr., G-F (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.0 apg)

Mason Clark, O’Gorman, 6-0, sr., G (13.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.3 apg)

Memphis Bylander, SF Roosevelt, 6-5, sr., F (11.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Justin Bilal, SF Roosevelt, 6-5, sr., F (10.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Hayden Rock, Sturgis, 5-11, sr., G (21.4 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Bergan Tetzlaff, Brookings, 6-6, sr., F (15.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.2 apg)

• Player of Year — DeGroot.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Ellwein, DeGroot and Ericsson, first team; Schafer, Smith and Wiebenga, second team; 2024 (Ellwein and Smith, first team).

Class A

First Team

Brant Wassenaar, SF Christian, 6-4, jr., G (22.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.5 apg)

Marvin Richard III, Pine Ridge, 6-3, sr., G (30.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, 92 steals)

Connor Mebius, West Central, 5-10, jr., G (17.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.6 apg)

Trey Hansen, Vermillion, 6-4, sr., G (25.9 ppg, 8 rpg, 6.1 apg, 68 steals)

Jackson Wadsworth, Hamlin, 6-3, jr., G (21.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.4 apg)

Sully Felberg, Clark-Willow Lake, 6-8, so., F (15.6 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Second Team

Will Kuhl, West Central, 6-10, sr., F-C (15.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Wyatt Gylten, St. Thomas More, 6-4, sr., G-F (19.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Ryder Johnson, Groton Area, 6-5, sr., G (16.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Riley Casey, Little Wound, 6-1, sr., G (26.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, 75 steals)

Boden Stevenson, Hamlin, 6-5, jr., F (17.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.1 apg)

Tatum Sorensen, Dakota Valley, 6-2, sr., G (22.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 60 steals)

Third Team

Eddie Duffy, Stanley County, 6-2, jr., G-F (20.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)

Tate Gerdes, Lennox, 6-3, sr., G (15.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg)

Aiden Hanssen, Lennox, 6-0, jr., G (17.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg)

Chris Bevers, Clark-Willow Lake, 6-3, jr., G (14.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg)

Zane Messick, Hill City, 6-0, sr., G (19 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 59 steals)

Cooper Goodbary, SF Christian, 6-4, sr., F (12.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Honorable Mention

Luke Sheppard, Flandreau, 6-5, sr., F (16.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.2 apg)

Damien Clown, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 6-0, sr., G (15 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg)

Carter Craven, Winner, 6-6, jr., F (23.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Brady Hiltunen, Sioux Valley, 6-2, jr., G (17 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Levi Elk Nation, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 6-2, sr., G (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg)

Isaak Hunter, Miller, 6-4, sr., F (18.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3 apg)

Paxton Deal, Stanley County, 6-0, sr., G (16.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 47 steals)

• Player of Year — Wassenaar.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Richard and Wassenaar, first team; Hansen, Gerdes and Mebius, second team; Craven, Johnson, Hunter and Felberg, third team; Goodbary and Kuhl, honorable mention); 2024 (Richard, first team; Hansen, honorable mention).

Class B

First Team

Grant Wilkinson, De Smet, 6-10, sr., C (24.4 ppg, 18.8 rpg, 45 blocks)

Teelen Kjerstad, Wall, 6-3, jr., G (27.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4 apg, 91 steals)

Wesley Wittler, Sully Buttes, 6-1, sr., G (22.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 81 steals)

Brady Schroedermeier, Viborg-Hurley, 6-2, sr., F (22.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 70 steals)

Kamden Keszler, Castlewood, 6-3, jr., G (19.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg)

David Walter, Freeman, 6-5, so., G (17.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3 apg)

Second Team

Brycen Bruening, Parkston, 6-2, jr., G (19.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 61 steals)

Colby Flowers, Wessington Springs, 6-5, sr., F (19 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg)

MJ Diehm, Lyman, 5-11, jr., G (19 ppg, 3 rpg, 6 apg, 60 steals)

Chance Schoenfeld, Deubrook Area, 6-9, sr., F-G (19.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 48 blocks)

Brooks Jett, Aberdeen Christian, 6-5, jr., f (13.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 29 blocks)

Ben Weber, Bridgewater-Emery, 6-6, sr., F (18.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 6 apg)

Third Team

Parker Graff, Wessington Springs, 6-1, sr., G (16 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg)

Tate Sorensen, Freeman, 6-2, sr., F (10.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)

Emmet Dinger, Wall, 6-3, sr., F (15.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Holden Wollman, Bridgewater-Emery, 6-2, sr., G (21.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg)

Jake Austin, Viborg-Hurley, 5-9, sr., G (12 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Lucas Peskey, Iroquois-Lake Preston, 6-0, jr., G (19.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 56 steals)

Honorable Mention

Noah Luethmers, De Smet, 6-3, jr., G (14.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Dawsen Volmer, Lyman, 6-4, jr., F-G (13 ppg, 7 rpg, 40 blocks)

Colt Keiser, Gregory, 6-6, sr., F (18.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 47 blocks)

Westyn Thorpe, Leola-Frederick Area, 5-10, sr., G (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Kassen Keough, Langford Area, 6-0, sr., G (21 ppg, 5 rpg, 45 steals)

Hogan Hlavacek, Waubay-Summit, 6-7, so., C-F (16 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Caleb Richmond, Wolsey-Wessington, 6-1, sr., G (15.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg)

• Player of Year — Wilkinson.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Wilkinson and Wittler, first team; Schroedermeier, Flowers and Weber, second team; Kjestad, Walter, Jett, Graff and Dinger, third team; Bruening, honorable mention); 20024 (Graff, third team; Weber and Wittler, honorable mention).

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

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South Dakota

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

Published

19 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.

HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.

Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.

“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”

You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.

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South Dakota

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.

Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.

She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.

“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”

Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.

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