South Dakota
Some unsolicited advice for South Dakota’s next governor • South Dakota Searchlight
Sometime this month Gov. Kristi Noem will get her seal of approval from the U.S. Senate to become the nation’s next secretary of Homeland Security. That paves the way for Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to be the next governor of South Dakota.
With Rhoden’s experience as a legislator and his six years as president of the Senate, he has a firm grip on how things work in the state Capitol. During her tenure, it often seemed like Noem was more concerned about where her next job was coming from than she was in learning how to do the job that she had.
All of Rhoden’s legislative and political know-how will be needed as he takes on the role of governor during a legislative session that includes an influx of lawmakers who are most kindly described as non-traditional Republicans. Given his experience, Rhoden may be the best choice to step into an ongoing legislative session and navigate what are sure to be some choppy political waters.
Anyone going into a new job, even a seasoned veteran of the Legislature like Rhoden, could use some guidance. Here’s some unsolicited advice for the man who will be South Dakota’s 34th governor.
Make peace with the state’s Indian tribes.
It’s best to let the tribes know early and often that there’s a new governor in town who doesn’t think that they’re collaborating with drug cartels and who would like to be welcome on the reservations. If you do believe they’re allied with the cartels, make sure you have some proof before you start making allegations. Even though the tribes are sovereign nations, they should be treated with the respect and courtesy due any other South Dakotans.
Don’t try to solve national problems with state dollars.
With the state budget you’ve inherited, there likely won’t be enough money for any more grand gestures. Even so, please resist the temptation to use taxpayer dollars on National Guard deployments to the Texas border. There’s plenty for you to spend those dollars on here at home.
Embrace the traditional forms of communication.
Sure, you can copy the social media apparatus created by your predecessor. But keep in mind there’s a significant portion of the population that still gets its information from legacy media. To communicate with those people, that means having regular news conferences during the legislative session. That means having a communications staff that answers media questions readily and fully. That means not wasting your time, and the media’s, by howling “fake news” when you don’t like what’s written about you and then calling regular press conferences to update the public during a disaster.
If you want to show that you’ve got a better grip than your predecessor on the importance of transparency, throw your support to Senate Bill 9. That bill calls for making public the calendars and appointment logs of statewide elected officials and department heads. Currently those documents can be, and the governor’s currently is, closed to public scrutiny. Backing SB 9 would show that you’re all for letting the public know how their elected officials are spending their time.
It’s possible to be a Republican without going full-MAGA.
You can have deep feelings about border security without investing South Dakota’s tax dollars in another state. You can hold on to your GOP bonafides without embracing popular conservative causes like Noem’s call for crippling budget cuts for public broadcasting or her plan to spend $4 million in taxpayer dollars on tuition for private school students.
Time is short, but don’t be afraid to take on a big project.
The next election for governor takes place in 2026 and while no announcements have been made, the field of candidates for the Republican primary already looks crowded. You’ll be the incumbent, likely pitted against U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Attorney General Marty Jackley and a player to be named later from the less-than-traditional wing of the Republican Party. There’s still time to offer a big idea about how to handle property tax reform or how to get teacher pay out of the basement of national rankings. Even with two years as governor to bolster your name recognition, you’re going to need to accomplish something big that sets you apart from the crowd.
It’s probably best if you don’t follow Noem’s example.
Noem was always shooting for higher office — when she wasn’t shooting pets or farm animals. Those national ambitions have paid off for her. Now it’s time for South Dakota to have a leader intent on leading the state rather than using the time in office to buff up a resume.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday, April 14, that its newest induction class will feature 21 people, including six who will be inducted posthumously.
The induction ceremony will be on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. These 21 inductees will bring the total up to 418 in the hall of fame.
2026 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame Class
- Taylor Baker: Rapid City Stevens (1998), Kansas State (2004)
- Mike Begeman: Parker (1975), Augustana (1979)
- Howard Blumhardt (posthumously): Bowdle (1946), South Dakota (1950)
- Frank Cutler: Langford (1978), South Dakota State (1983)
- Julie (Krauth) Dearring: Des Moines Roosevelt (IA) (1989), Augustana (1994)
- Laticia DeCory: Pine Ridge (1989), Utah State (1994)
- Jim Dorman: Castlewood (1970), South Dakota State (1975)
- Dan Freidel: Armour (1980), Augustana (1984)
- Barry French (posthumously): Sioux Falls Washington (1940), Purdue (1947)
- Jeff Fylling (posthumously): Lennox (1974), Augustana (1978)
- Randi (Morgan) Haines: Mitchell (2000), Dakota Weslyan (2004)
- Mylo Jackson (posthumously): Ardmore (1929), Northern State (1934)
- Greg Jimmerson: Rapid City Stevens (1993), Stanford (1998)
- Louis Koupal (posthumously): St. Wenceslaus Catholic Parochial High School (1915)
- Tim Miles: Doland, South Dakota native
- Mike Miller: Mitchell (1998), Florida
- Kent Mueller: Freeman (1976), Dakota Weslyan, South Dakota (1985)
- John Papendick: Bridgewater (1978), South Dakota State (1984)
- Thelma (Austin) Smalley (posthumously): Wagner (1926)
- Jim Sorensen: Sioux Falls Washington (1962), Augustana (1966)
- Jason Sutherland: Watertown (1993), Missouri (1997)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Bergen Reilly and the Nebraska volleyball team played in her hometown, Sioux Falls, Saturday afternoon – marking a special moment for the setter.
“It feels just kind of like a full-circle moment to be able to start off my senior year back in my hometown,” Reilly said.
The Cornhuskers’ exhibition match against Iowa State sold out within minutes as fans decked out in red and white piled into the Sanford Pentagon to cheer on Reilly and the Huskers to a sweep.
“It was a lot of emotions,” Reilly said. “I would say definitely some nerves. I felt like everywhere I looked in the crowd, I saw some what I knew, which is not normal. So that was really cool. But yeah, like I said, I think just everyone knew that this was going to be special for me, and they did a really good job of making it feel that way.”
Photo Gallery: Nebraska vs. Iowa State match
“It’s always really special being in your hometown,” Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “I know the Sioux Falls people, they travel to Nebraska frequently to watch us and watch her. But to do it in your hometown, where there’s a lot of pride and is pretty special for her.”
The match was the O’Gorman product’s first time back playing in Sioux Falls. To see more than 3,000 fans turn out for her return, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year reflected on the impact she and this match have had on the community.
“Coach texted me yesterday, Coach [John] Cook, and he said when I was recruiting you, you said you wanted to put Sioux Falls on the map for volleyball,” Reilly said. “And I feel like this was another step in the right direction there. And just seeing how many people care. And it’s sold out so quick, I think that it’s really going in the right direction. And it makes me really happy to see.”
Reilly and Nebraska will be back in South Dakota in September when they visit SDSU.
South Dakota
PBR | No. 1 John Crimber goes 4-for-4, tops final three rounds to win First PREMIER Bank PBR Sioux Falls
Using his pick for an opportunity to compete head-to-head against Lights Out, who has now paired in the Championship round on seven event-winning rides this season, Crimber punctuated his 4-for-4 weekend with a round-winning 91.50 points on Western sports’ ultimate money bull.
The 20-year-old took home 196.5 UTB points for his second event win of the year and improved his lead to 220.5 points over No. 2 Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) – the largest lead the tour’s No. 1-ranked cowboy has had over No. 2 all season.
After his shoulder dislocated on his first attempt earlier in the round, Kimzey made the most of his Round 3 re-ride dance with Jameson (89.30 points) to sneak into the short go with one ride score. However, he finished the weekend 1-for-4, unable to end Magic Potion’s PBR record-holding buckoff streak, which the bovine advanced to 59 in bucking off the only cowboy who has ever lasted 8 seconds on him in 4.51 seconds.
Claudio Montanha Jr. (Ribeirao dos Indios, Brazil) exited Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in second place as the top-performing rider to go 3-for-4. The 36-year-old cowboy wasn’t able to convert in Round 3 but rebounded in the Championship Round in thrilling fashion.
Montanha Jr. opted into a short round dance with Hard Times and matched the bull’s every move en route to recording a career-high 91.25 points.
Successful in seven of his last eight outs, he netted 110 UTB points for his season-best runner-up finish and improved from No. 18 to No. 13.
Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas) recorded a season-high third-place finish in Sioux Falls after becoming the first man to go 3-for-3 Sunday. Keeping bested Tecovas Triple Aught for 88.20 points in Round 3 to earn the second selection in Sunday’s bull draft.
The top-ranked contender in this year’s YETI Championship bull race, No. 1 Pegasus, tossed Keeping to the ground in 4.06 seconds to end the rider’s perfect showing while defending his spot atop the world title hunt.
Keeping earned a crucial 91.5 UTB points and advanced from cutoff bubble territory at No. 32 all the way up to No. 20 courtesy of his clutch weekend.
Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) finished in fourth place as the third and final rider to produce a 3-for-4 slate.
The veteran began his afternoon by going the distance atop Best Bet (87 points) to punch his ticket to Sunday’s short round. Castro later survived the requisite 8 aboard Ice Tray and earned but declined a re-ride, opting to keep his 72.15 points and end his weekend with a 245.50-point aggregate score.
He gained 61 UTB points for his fourth-place finish and improved from No. 26 to No. 19.
Dener Barbosa (Paulo de Faria, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5.
Barbosa parlayed his career-high 93.10-point ride on Pegasus in Round 1 on Friday night with an 84.85-point conversion atop Rip in Round 3 to earn fifth-place honors.
He took home a critical 64 UTB points, advancing from No. 45 to No. 38 with two events remaining before the tour invades Cowtown Coliseum and Dickies Arena for the PBR World Finals (May 7-17) in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ransom earned the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title for bucking off Brady Fielder (Clermont, Australia) in 5.63 seconds during the opening round.
Several of this year’s YETI World Championship Bull contenders produced 45-plus-point scores throughout the weekend, including Ransom (46.15), Eyes On Me (45.60), Red Demon (45.40), Fire Zone (45.15) and No.1 Pegasus (45.60, 45.30), who remains atop the title race standings.
PBR’s Unleash The Beast next bucks into Metra Park – First Interstate Arena in Billings, Montana, for PBR Billings April 17-18.
Action for PBR Billings, the penultimate event of the 2026 regular season, starts at 6:45 p.m. MT, with Round 1 coverage set to begin on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. MT.
Unleash The Beast – First PREMIER Bank PBR Sioux Falls
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. John Crimber, 86.95-89.4-89.95-91.5-357.80-196.5 Points.
2. Claudio Montanha Jr., 86.95-87.7-0-91.25-265.90-110 Points.
3. Daniel Keeping, 89-86.65-88.2-0-263.85-91.5 Points.
4. Luciano De Castro, 0-86.25-87-72.15-245.40-61 Points.
5. Dener Barbosa, 93.1-0-84.85-0-177.95-64 Points.
6. Alex Cerqueira, 0-88.55-87.7-0-176.25-52 Points.
7. Daylon Swearingen, 88.55-86.05-0-0-174.60-37 Points.
8. Alex Junior da Silva, 87.75-86.65-0-0-174.40-33.5 Points.
9. Sage Steele Kimzey, 0-0-89.3-0-89.30-23 Points.
10. Jess Lockwood, 89.15-0-0-0-89.15-21 Points.
11. Eduardo Aparecido, 88.85-0-0-0-88.85-18 Points.
12. Cort McFadden, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-14 Points.
13. Kase Hitt, 0-87.7-0-0-87.70-16.5 Points.
14. Bob Mitchell, 0-87.35-0-0-87.35-15 Points.
15. Julio Cesar Marques, 0-0-87.15-0-87.15-15 Points.
16. Bruno Carvalho, 0-0-86.95-0-86.95-13 Points.
17. Alan de Souza, 0-86.8-0-0-86.80-14 Points.
18. Marco Rizzo, 0-85.85-0-0-85.85-9 Points.
19. João Ricardo Vieira, 0-84.45-0-0-84.45-8 Points.
Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Maverick Smith, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaiden Loud, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cassio Dias, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Andy Guzman, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0-0.00
JaCauy Hale, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Elijah Jennings, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Damien Krushall, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Romario Leite, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Macaulie Leather, 0-0-0-0-0.00
2026 Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
1. John Crimber, 16, 2, 6, 899.50, $193,100.00
2. Sage Steele Kimzey, 14, 3, 4, 679.00, $178,737.62
3. Leandro Zampollo, 14, 0, 6, 595.50, $121,150.12
4. Brady Fielder, 16, 2, 4, 593.00, $151,204.17
5. Alex Cerqueira, 16, 0, 3, 502.50, $87,565.00
6. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 16, 1, 6, 492.00, $106,855.00
7. Dalton Kasel, 14, 2, 4, 488.50, $130,098.33
8. Clay Guiton, 8, 0, 4, 409.50, $89,715.48
9. Cort McFadden, 13, 0, 2, 406.00, $50,280.48
10. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 15, 1, 1, 405.00, $71,991.67
11. Julio Cesar Marques, 15, 0, 3, 392.00, $73,105.48
11. Marco Rizzo, 16, 1, 3, 392.00, $94,090.00
13. Claudio Montanha Jr., 16, 0, 3, 389.00, $68,182.14
14. Maverick Smith, 15, 0, 2, 367.00, $64,708.33
15. Daylon Swearingen, 12, 1, 1, 362.50, $109,300.00
16. Cassio Dias, 16, 1, 1, 340.50, $64,240.48
17. Kaiden Loud, 15, 0, 3, 336.00, $54,613.33
18. Bob Mitchell, 13, 0, 2, 303.00, $41,731.67
19. Luciano De Castro, 14, 0, 3, 249.00, $37,952.98
20. Daniel Keeping, 15, 0, 1, 247.00, $35,475.00
21. Koltin Hevalow, 16, 0, 1, 246.50, $40,933.33
22. Jess Lockwood, 6, 1, 1, 236.00, $69,325.00
23. Andrew Alvidrez, 15, 1, 1, 229.00, $60,883.33
24. Thiago Salgado, 14, 0, 0, 224.00, $33,500.00
25. Callum Miller, 14, 0, 2, 209.00, $25,197.14
26. Felipe Furlan, 10, 0, 3, 197.00, $39,197.14
27. Kaique Pacheco, 16, 0, 1, 195.50, $18,225.00
28. Bruno Carvalho, 11, 0, 0, 190.50, $7,600.00
29. Alan de Souza, 15, 0, 1, 190.00, $19,650.00
30. Jose Vitor Leme, 10, 0, 1, 181.50, $25,350.00
31. Eduardo Aparecido, 15, 0, 1, 181.00, $31,890.00
32. Hudson Bolton, 8, 0, 1, 173.00, $38,062.50
33. Kase Hitt, 13, 0, 1, 147.00, $16,132.14
34. Lucas Divino, 11, 0, 1, 141.00, $15,050.00
35. Afonso Quintino, 15, 0, 0, 127.00, $11,307.14
36. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 11, 0, 1, 112.00, $18,000.00
37. Kade Madsen, 5, 0, 0, 106.00, $3,150.00
38. Dener Barbosa, 2, 0, 1, 100.00, $10,000.00
39. João Ricardo Vieira, 12, 0, 0, 92.50, $6,683.33
40. Trace Redd, 5, 0, 1, 87.00, $15,800.00
41. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 16, 0, 0, 86.00, $11,100.00
42. Austin Richardson, 8, 0, 0, 80.50, $12,875.00
43. Andy Guzman, 11, 0, 0, 78.00, $11,550.00
44. Alison dos Santos, 9, 0, 0, 65.00, $5,100.00
45. Alex Junior da Silva, 4, 0, 0, 62.50, $3,775.00
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media
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