Michael Waldner, of Madison, will lead the effort to establish the state’s local government cybersecurity grant program, Dakota State University announced in a news release Monday.
The Municipal Cybersecurity Grant Program, under the Attorney General’s Office and in partnership with the university, aims to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure for South Dakota local governments.
Michael Waldner will serve as the director of the Municipal Cybersecurity Grant Program. (Courtesy of Dakota State University)
Even though the program’s name focuses on municipalities, it’s open to cities and counties. The program will provide “secure email solutions, technical support, risk assessments, and specialized training,” based on the news release.
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The Legislature approved $7 million in funding for the program last winter as a response to mounting cybersecurity concerns among city and county governments. Many lack proper training and equipment to defend themselves and the taxpayer money and information they’re entrusted with.
Waldner previously directed South Dakota’s centralized education email system, which is what lawmakers hoped to model the program after. Waldner held the role for nine years before leaving in 2008. He also served as project manager for FirstNet, the network used by law enforcement in the state. Most recently, he served as coordinator for the ConnectSD Broadband initiative, which aims to expand internet access statewide.
The need for a centralized local government email system has grown in recent years as local governments become larger targets for cybersecurity attacks.
Brown County suffered a cyberattack in 2021 affecting services, and the city of Sioux Falls sent two electronic payments to someone impersonating a vendor in 2018. Hutchinson County was hit by a ransomware attack in 2019, which temporarily shut down accounts that contained receipts and records for $4 million in county business, according to the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.
State spends over $100,000 each year bolstering local governments’ cybersecurity
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“This program is an important step toward making South Dakota a model of cybersecurity for the nation,” Attorney General Marty Jackley said in the news release.
State and local governments experienced 148% more malware attacks and 51% more ransomware incidents during the first eight months of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022, according to a Center for Internet Security report.
The 2024 report on ransomware in state and local government identified a 51% drop in ransomware attacks, which is attributed to fewer governments paying ransoms, making them less attractive targets to cybercriminals. But when the attacks are successful, they’re growing more costly to local governments.
The state effort is a four year program, set to end during the summer of 2028, according to the university. An advisory council including representatives from state, local and federal government departments and agencies, as well as cybersecurity organizations in the state, will provide assistance.
A committee of South Dakota legislators advanced a bill Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would define lab-grown meat and require it to be clearly labeled.
The state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources proposed the legislation. Cheyenne Tant, a policy adviser for the department, explained it to legislators.
“South Dakota consumers deserve transparency when deciding whether to purchase a product grown in a lab versus products grown by our hardworking farmers and ranchers,” Tant said.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted 13-0 to send the bill to the full House of Representatives.
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Was that chicken cutlet grown in a lab? These states (including SD) want you to know.
The legislation describes lab-grown meat as “cell-cultured protein” and defines it as “a product that is produced for use as human food, made wholly or in part from any cell culture or the DNA of a host animal, and grown or cultivated outside a live animal.”
The bill also says any product that contains cell-cultured protein without being clearly labeled as “cell-cultured” or “lab-grown” would be considered misbranded. That provision builds on a state law adopted in 2019 that prohibits the mislabeling of meat. Enforcement would fall to the state Animal Industry Board, Tant said, which could work with companies to change their labels or take steps to remove noncompliant products from South Dakota shelves.
Nobody testified against the bill, and supporters represented diverse interests.
Hunter Roberts, secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, called lab-grown meat “gross.” Several groups representing farmers and ranchers said they want transparency in labeling to differentiate their traditionally raised meat from lab-grown versions.
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Good Food Institute, a group that works to advance innovation in alternative proteins, also supported the bill. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization was represented at the committee meeting by Erin Rees Clayton, a Pierre-based senior scientific adviser for the institute.
She said producers of alternative proteins also want to differentiate their products.
“Just as South Dakota farmers and ranchers are proud of their products, cultivated meat producers are proud of their products, too,” Rees Clayton said. “They want to celebrate the innovation and production processes behind the meat they produce.”
She said lab-cultivated meat has existed for a little more than a decade. It starts from a small sample of animal cells that are fed the sugars, water, proteins and vitamins needed to grow into muscle and fat.
“Cultivated meat is meat at the cellular level, offering similar taste, texture and safety profiles,” Rees Clayton said. “It’s just produced in a different way.”
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She said the fledgling industry may someday be able to help satisfy the rising global population’s demand for protein. It could also add resiliency to food supply chains, she said, because it’s less vulnerable to natural disasters and other unpredictable events that can affect traditional meat production.
For now, Rees Clayton said, federal regulators have approved only two U.S. companies to produce and sell cultivated meat, and neither company has brought a product to the market yet.
Rees Clayton failed to convince legislators to consider what she described as a “minor” amendment. It would add terms such as “cell-cultivated” or “cultivated” to the bill’s definition of lab-grown meat, which she said would better align the legislation with industry standards.
Some other states, including Florida and Alabama, have banned lab-grown meat. Nebraska is considering a ban.
BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State University announces Katelyn Engel of Hays has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2024 semester.
Engel is a student in SDSU’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
To earn dean’s list distinctions in SDSU’s colleges, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Overall, 3,901 students from 40 states and 32 foreign nations are on the list. More than 1,600 students received a 4.0 GPA.
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About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education.
MARSHALL— The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning in effect until noon CST Tuesday for portions of southwest Minnesota and east-central South Dakota.
The affected area includes cities such as Hendricks, Ivanhoe, Madison, Pipestone, Arlington, Lake Preston, Orland, Flandreau, Brookings, De Smet, Marshall, Tyler, Slayton, Lake Benton, and Fulda.
Wind chills may plunge as low as -40°F, creating life-threatening conditions. Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 10 minutes.
Limit outdoor exposure. If you must go outside, dress in layers, including a hat, face mask, and gloves. Keep pets indoors and check on vulnerable individuals, including older adults and neighbors. Use portable heaters safely and avoid indoor use of generators or grills.
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