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SD Senate narrowly advances bill requiring posting and teaching of Ten Commandments in schools • South Dakota Searchlight

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SD Senate narrowly advances bill requiring posting and teaching of Ten Commandments in schools • South Dakota Searchlight


PIERRE — The South Dakota Senate voted 18-17 on Tuesday at the Capitol to advance a bill mandating public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and teach their historical significance.

The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives.

Sen. John Carley, R-Piedmont, proposed the legislation. 

“These are historical principles that have been used in the tradition and founding of America,” Carley said. 

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Opponents characterized the bill as a violation of the federal First Amendment constitutional principle of separation of church and state, and as a burdensome, unnecessary mandate. 

Sen. Jamie Smith, D-Sioux Falls, a former public school teacher, said schools already have the option to display the commandments. They are also required to display the national motto, “In God We Trust,” due to state legislation adopted six years ago. 

“I’m sitting here in a room full of people that believe in smaller government, less government,” Smith said, referring to the Republican-dominated state Senate. “And we’re making a mandate.”

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The bill would require 8-by-14-inch posters with “easily readable font.” Schools would have to additionally display a three-part, roughly 225-word statement near the posters containing information about the commandments’ historical significance. 

The legislation would replace existing language in state law allowing local school boards to choose to display the Ten Commandments.

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The bill would also require the Ten Commandments to be taught as part of history and civics classes three times during a student’s education — at least once during each of the elementary, middle and high school years. Additional provisions in the bill would require instruction on the state and federal constitutions, the federal Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.

The bill would require the Ten Commandments to be presented “as a historical legal document, including the influence of the Ten Commandments on the legal, ethical, and other cultural traditions of Western civilization.”

Carley said displaying and teaching the commandments would instill a moral grounding in students.

He pointed to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which he said upheld public religious displays rooted in tradition. The ruling upheld a football coach’s post-game prayer as protected free speech and religious expression, emphasizing it was personal, voluntary and non-coercive. 

Sen. Lauren Nelson, R-Yankton, said the South Dakota bill is not coercive.

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“It’s not about forcing people to believe a certain way, but about understanding where we came from as a country,” Nelson said.

Video of a Jan. 28, 2025, debate in the South Dakota Senate about legislation that would mandate the teaching and display of the Ten Commandments in public schools. (Courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting)

Sen. Red Dawn Foster, D-Pine Ridge, unsuccessfully proposed an amendment that would have allowed schools to substitute a list of Native American values for the commandments. 

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She said many Native Americans view the bill as perpetuating the historical policies of federal boarding schools, where Indigenous children were forced to speak English, convert to Christianity and forsake their own cultural practices.

Carley replied that he didn’t see any documentation that the list of Native American values proposed for inclusion by Foster had an “influence on the foundation of America.”

Sen. David Wheeler, R-Huron, is a lawyer. He raised the specter of lawsuits, pointing to ongoing litigation against a similar law in Louisiana. That state became the first to enact a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. 

“It’s a guaranteed lawsuit,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler did not vote in favor of the bill, but he did convince senators to add an amendment that would require the state attorney general to defend any lawsuits arising from the legislation at the state’s expense, rather than burdening local school districts.  

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New revenue forecasts don’t improve grim budget situation for South Dakota lawmakers • South Dakota Searchlight

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New revenue forecasts don’t improve grim budget situation for South Dakota lawmakers • South Dakota Searchlight


South Dakota lawmakers already knew it was a tight budget year. They learned Wednesday it could be worse than they thought. 

State government’s day-to-day operations are funded by “ongoing” revenue, such as sales taxes, while money from federal stimulus programs and other “one-time” sources are typically used for one-time needs such as construction projects. 

Legislative Research Council Fiscal Chief Jeff Mehlhaff spoke to the Legislature’s main budget committee at the Capitol in Pierre and said ongoing revenues, including sales taxes, “will see negative growth” this year.

“The last time this occurred was fiscal year 2010, in the midst of the 2009 recession,” he said.  

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Lawmakers will adopt official 2026 revenue estimates Thursday, and those estimates will be used to help build the next annual budget. On Wednesday, Mehlhaff, who works for the Legislature, and State Economist Derek Johnson, who works for the governor, separately presented their revenue estimates to the budget committee.

Before the legislative session began last month, then-Gov. Kristi Noem’s budget proposal estimated $2.46 billion in ongoing revenue for the 2026 budget.

Her budget plan — inherited by new Gov. Larry Rhoden after Noem departed to become U.S. secretary of Homeland Security — includes numerous cuts to close a $51 million gap between ongoing revenue and ongoing expenses.

Noem budget includes cuts, but also new school choice program and more prison money

Johnson estimated Wednesday that 2026 revenues will be $17.6 million less than Noem’s budget proposal originally estimated.

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Johnson also provided updated numbers for the current budget year. The bureau estimates this year’s ongoing revenue to be $2.38 billion – about $9 million less than lawmakers expected when they made this year’s budget last winter.

The picture presented by Mehlhaff was different. The Legislative Research Council’s earlier ongoing revenue estimate for the current budget year was $2.42 billion, and he said the new estimate is $2.39 billion, a nearly $30 million decline.

Mehlhaff’s estimate for the next budget year is $2.46 billion in ongoing revenue, putting the council’s estimate in line with Noem’s initial estimate.

Both state officials outlined economic conditions affecting the state’s revenue, including persistent inflation, lower farm income, and a slowdown of people filling jobs.

“Since about January 2024, we’ve been flat to negative on employees in South Dakota,” Mehlhaff said. “That, to me, is a bit concerning in terms of growing the economy.”

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Noem estimated $1.45 billion in sales tax revenue for this year. The council’s revised estimate is $10 million less than that, while the bureau’s is about $14 million less.

Johnson said the outlook is negative.

“The consensus seems to be that interest rates are going to be higher for longer,” Johnson said. “That suppresses economic activity.”

One factor in the budgetary difficulties is the Legislature’s own doing. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers reduced the state sales tax rate from 4.5% to 4.2% until 2027, costing an estimated $100 million annually in lost revenue.

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No. 4 Kernel girls overcome shooting woes to top Aberdeen Central

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No. 4 Kernel girls overcome shooting woes to top Aberdeen Central


MITCHELL — Despite a 26.2% shooting clip on Tuesday night, the Mitchell High School girls basketball team found a way past Aberdeen Central.

The Class AA No. 4-ranked Kernels outlasted the Golden Eagles 42-33 at the Corn Palace in Eastern South Dakota Conference action, bouncing back from Saturday’s loss to Spearfish. It’s Mitchell’s ninth win in the past 10 games and also the sixth time this season the Kernels held an opponent to 35 points or less.

Focusing on containing Aberdeen’s post duo of Lauryn Burckhard and Taryn Hermansen, both listed at 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2, respectively, in practice on Monday, Kernels head coach Dave Brooks was pleased by the effort on the defensive side.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we said, ‘There’s just no easy way around it with those big kids,’” Brooks said. “With our other guards, we tried to cover on the backside and we haven’t really done much this year. Hats off to the kids as they all worked their tails off.”

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Mitchell’s Londyn Schroeder races to the basket on a fast break during a Class AA high school girls basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Corn Palace.

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

The pace was slow to begin the game as both teams had trouble finding the basket in the opening quarter. Addie Siemsen’s triple was the lone Kernels field for the first 6 1/2 minutes of the game, until Londyn Schroeder put Mitchell out front with a layup on a fast break.

Burckhard hit a 3-pointer to begin the second quarter, scoring eight of the Golden Eagles’ nine second-quarter points, as Aberdeen held a 12-11 lead. Mitchell went on a 10-3 run to close out the first half, keyed by Londyn Hajek’s triple and the Kernels also adjusting to the post being taken away.

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“We couldn’t get real deep (inside) because you get in there and (Hermansen and Burckhard) are there,” Brooks said. “The girls tried to pull up a little bit and take jump shots or kick it out before they got too far inside.”

2-11-25Mitchell GBB Aberdeen 4.JPG

Mitchell’s Londyn Hajek has a layup blocked by Aberdeen Central’s Lauryn Burckhard (33) during a Class AA high school girls basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Corn Palace.

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

Mitchell’s inconsistent shooting allowed Aberdeen (7-7, 3-4 ESD) to pull ahead by one in the third quarter, as the Kernels went 0-of-10 from the field, but were 6-of-6 from the foul line. At the start of the fourth, Lauren Van Overschelde provided a welcomed spark to the offense, scoring seven consecutive points off motion screens, creating a hole from midrange to shoot.

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“It was an easy read,” said Van Overschelde on her scoring run, who finished with a game-best 12 points with three assists. “When Kenzie (Peterson) or CeCe (Morgan) was setting a ball screen, they never came up from the post, so we always had room to shoot.”

Emma Dohrer hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining in the game to pull the Golden Eagles within four points of the Kernels’ lead, but it was as close as they came, as Mitchell sealed the victory at the free throw line with a late offensive board from Siemsen and a steal from Hajek.

Hajek also scored 12 points on 7-of-8 free-throw shooting, narrowly missing a double-double by grabbing nine rebounds. Siemsen added nine points, four rebounds and an assist, and Morgan and Schoeder each had three points off the bench in the game.

Burckhard led the Golden Eagles with 12 points while Hermansen added 11 points, scoring seven in the third quarter. Dohrer finished with seven points and Kenadi Withers finished with three points.

Mitchell (13-3, 6-1 ESD) will have a week off before hitting the road for three of its final four games, beginning with a matchup against No. 2 Sioux Falls Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 18, in Sioux Falls.

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No. 4 Mitchell 42, Aberdeen Central 33
Aberdeen Central (7-7): Kamdyn Borge 0 0-0 0 Kenadi Withers 0 3-4 3 Emma Dohrer 2 1-2 7 Lauryn Burckhard 4 2-4 12 Taryn Hermansen 4 3-6 11 Ava Yeske 0 0-0 0 Julia Malsam 0 0-0 0 Camryn Albrect 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 9-16 33.
Mitchell (13-3): Londyn Hajek 2-11 7-8 12 Lauren Van Overschelde 4-10 3-3 12 Carsyn Weich 1-4 0-2 3 Addie Siemsen 2-5 4-4 9 Kenzie Peterson 0-4 1-2 1 Londyn Schroeder 1-2 1-2 3 Matteah Graves 0-1 0-0 0 Delaney Zoss 0-0 0-0 0 CeCe Morgan 1-5 0-0 3. Totals: 11-42 16-21 42.
AC 6 15 28 33
MHS 8 21 27 42
3-pointers: AC 4 (Dohrer 2, Burckhard 2), MHS 4-16 (Hajek 1-7, Van Overschelde 1-3, Siemsen 1-2, Graves 0-1, Morgan 1-3). Rebounds: AC 29, MHS 27 (Hajek 9). Assists: AC n/a, MHS 6 (Van Overschelde 3). Steals: AC n/a, MHS 5 (Van Overschelde 2).

Blake Durham

Blake Durham is a Sports Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having joined in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Durham can be found covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the area.





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Aberdeen GOP Sen. Carl Perry introduces bill to cap fluoride in water in South Dakota

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Aberdeen GOP Sen. Carl Perry introduces bill to cap fluoride in water in South Dakota


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  • A South Dakota bill, SB 133, would give municipalities control over fluoride levels in their drinking water.
  • Proponents of the bill cite potential changes in federal fluoridation policy and concerns about excessive fluoride consumption.

A bill that would make fluoridation of drinking water optional for South Dakota cities is headed to the Senate chamber.

Cities add fluoride to tap water to prevent tooth decay and strengthen teeth, in South Dakota and throughout the United States. Research shows that community water fluoridation reduces cavities by around 25%, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls water fluoridation one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century.

Senate Bill 133, introduced by Aberdeen Republican Sen. Carl Perry, would allow municipalities controlling a public water supply or a person controlling a private water supply to determine the amount of fluoride in their drinking water. Currently, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources regulates fluoride levels and testing methods.

The bill would cap water fluoridation at 4 milligrams per liter, the limit already imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. South Dakota cities would not be required to include any fluoride in the municipal drinking water, so some could discontinue the practice.

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Skeptics of fluoridation benefits have raised concerns about excessive fluoride consumption for years. President Donald Trump tapped outspoken water fluoridation opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The U.S. Senate has yet to confirm his nomination.

Perry told lawmakers that the federal government could change fluoridation policy under Kennedy’s influence, so South Dakota “should be ahead of that.”

Several dental and medical organizations opposed the bill, saying it would lead to more health problems in the state. South Dakota Municipal League, South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems, South Dakota Department of Health, and South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources also opposed the bill.

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Ensuring access to safe and reliable drinking water is the “primary” public health initiative for the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said Mark Mayer, water director for the department.

“We feel that community water system fluoridation is one of the safest, most beneficial and cost effective ways to prevent tooth decay,” Mayer said.

The legislation passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee 6-1 “without recommendation” after an attempt to defeat the bill failed. That means that a majority of senators must agree to place it on the calendar before it’s debated, said Brookings Republican Sen. Tim Reed, otherwise the bill dies.

South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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