South Dakota
Remembering Governor George S. Mickelson and the Tragic Plane Crash of April 19th, 1993
On April 19th, 1993, South Dakota was plunged into mourning as Governor George S. Mickelson and seven others met a tragic end in a devastating plane crash near Dubuque, Iowa.
Mickelson, a figure of significant prominence in South Dakota politics, had risen through the ranks, serving as a representative in the State House before being elected as the 28th Governor of South Dakota in 1986 and reelected four years later. His leadership and dedication to the state were evident throughout his tenure as governor.
The ill-fated journey began as Mickelson was returning to Pierre from Cincinnati, where he and economic development specialists from South Dakota and the City of Sioux Falls had talked with John Morrell officials about keeping the company’s Sioux Falls meatpacking plant open.
Tragedy struck around 4 p.m. when pilots reported a loss of a left engine and cabin pressure, causing the plane to drop altitude. The plane, a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU2, hit a silo and exploded. All eight men died instantly on impact. The wreckage of the plane came to rest in a field.
Also killed in the crash were Roland Dolly, commissioner of the State Office of Economic Development; Ron Reed, Director of the State Office of Energy Policy; Angus Anson, General Manager of Northern State Power, South Dakota Region; David Birkeland, President and Chief Executive of First Bank of South Dakota; Roger Hainje, President of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation; Ron Becker, state chief pilot and David Hansen, state pilot.
In the aftermath of the crash, South Dakota found itself grappling with grief and disbelief. Walter Dale Miller stepped into the role of the 29th Governor of South Dakota and was tasked with leading the state through a period of mourning and transition.
The outpouring of support and remembrance for Governor Mickelson and his fellow passengers was immense. An estimated twelve to thirteen thousand people attended a memorial a few days later. Over 1,500 watched his funeral in person or on screens in the First United Methodist Church’s basement in Pierre. Mourners lined up along a 185-mile stretch of Highway 14 from Pierre to Brookings for the procession to Greenwood Cemetery in Brookings.
Mickelson’s namesake is remembered across South Dakota on various institutions and schools that bear his name. The 108-mile Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills was named after the governor, who spearheaded the project before his death.
The Fighting Stallions Memorial sits on the grounds of the South Dakota Capitol and is a tribute to the eight men who died on that fateful day in 1993.
Other Media
Governor Mickelson’s 1988 State of the State speech
George S. Mickelson Inauguration – 1991
George S. Mickelson Trail – 1991 Dedication Event
Five Days in April: A George S. Mickelson Retrospective
South Dakota
Republican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
Republican businessman Toby Doeden has advanced to a runoff in South Dakota governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Kristi Noem last year when President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was battling with Rep. Dusty Johnson and former state House Speaker Jon Hansen for a second spot in the July 28 runoff. The primary will go to a runoff because no candidate eclipsed 35% of the vote.
Trump did not issue an endorsement in the race. Doeden branded himself on his campaign website as “a total political outsider who’s tired of the government’s failure to deliver on its promises” and one of Trump’s “fiercest supporters.”
Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and lawmaker, campaigned on property tax cuts and lowering crime in his bid for a four-year term.
Johnson is the state’s lone representative in the House, where he previously was chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Hansen, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2010, held several leadership positions before he became speaker.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite to win the general election in the solidly red state this fall. A Democrat has not served as governor in South Dakota since the 1970s, and Trump carried the state by 29 points in 2024.
News
Agronomist: eastern South Dakota crops hit and miss
An agronomist in eastern South Dakota says corn and soybeans are hit and miss as the growing season begins.
Steven Zemlicka with AgTegra Cooperative tells Brownfield, “We’ve got corn anywhere from V1 all the way up to V4. Biggest stuff’s maybe touching V5. Corn’s coming right along, looks pretty good. A little bit of hail here too, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue. Stands for the most part are pretty good, pretty solid.”
Zemlicka says soybean emergence has been slow due to the wet, cool conditions, and there are a few fields that still need planted.
“People were still working on planting soybeans when we got the recent rain.”
He says recent rain totals ranged from a half inch to as much as four inches in the northeast part of South Dakota; the southern part of the state has been drier.
South Dakota’s corn is rated 61 percent good to excellent, with soybean conditions rated 57 percent good to excellent, according to USDA’s first condition ratings of the season.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Community Foundation is encouraging nonprofits to apply for funding this June.
Beth Massa and Ginger Niemann joined us live with what you need to know before applying.
Watch the full interview above.
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