South Dakota

South Dakota drug conviction is among the baggage RFK Jr. brings to the ballot

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

South Dakota drug conviction is among the baggage RFK Jr. brings to the ballot

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes questions from the media after his campaign rally at Legends Event Center on Dec. 20, 2023, in Phoenix. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Bill Walsh picked up a ringing phone in Deadwood during the fall of 1983 and heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s voice.

“Bill, I’m off the wagon,” Kennedy said, according to Walsh. “I’ve got a flight coming in tomorrow.”

The two had become friends in 1980. Kennedy campaigned in South Dakota that year for his uncle, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Walsh and RFK Jr. were fellow Irish-Catholic Democrats, and Walsh was a former priest with experience counseling addicted people. He knew about Kennedy’s struggles and had offered to quietly help him seek treatment.

Things didn’t go according to plan.

Drugs in his luggage

Passengers on Kennedy’s flight to Rapid City saw that he was high. The flight crew radioed ahead to authorities, who let Kennedy go but obtained a search warrant and found heroin in his luggage.

Scott McGregor was a deputy prosecutor in the local state’s attorney’s office. He said it wasn’t difficult to find Kennedy, given the widespread knowledge of Walsh’s political connections.

“I got the notion that, well, why would a Kennedy be coming out here anyway?” McGregor recalled. “And it crossed my mind it had to be to go see Bill Walsh.”

Kennedy was charged with felony drug possession, and the story made national news.

Rod Lefholz was the local state’s attorney at the time. As a Democrat — the last one elected to a Pennington County office, as far as he knows — he faced the task of prosecuting a member of the nation’s most famous Democratic family.

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Lefholz approached the case like any other and said it proceeded normally, other than the presence of national media such as People magazine in the courtroom and letters that arrived by the dozens from people with opinions on the case.

“Some of them wanted me to hang him from a lamppost,” Lefholz recalled, “and others said, ‘Why do you keep picking on the Kennedy family?’”

In the end, Kennedy pleaded guilty and avoided prison based on a number of conditions, including two years of probation and the completion of addiction treatment.

He honored the conditions, earned his release from probation a year early and left South Dakota behind — until this week, when his long and strange trip through life brought him back to the state (in name, at least) as a presidential candidate.

His campaign said it turned in 8,000 petition signatures, more than the 3,502 needed from registered South Dakota voters to make the ballot as an independent. The Secretary of State’s Office is reviewing the signatures for authenticity.

A brain worm, a dog (or goat) and a bear

Walsh, now 84, said he stayed in touch with Kennedy for a long time, though not as much lately. Still, Walsh said he accepted an invitation to the launch of Kennedy’s presidential campaign last year, when Kennedy was seeking the Democratic nomination before switching to run as an independent.

Walsh has always felt sympathy for the trauma Kennedy endured during and after the assassinations of his father, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy. Walsh also respects RFK Jr.’s work as an environmental lawyer and agrees with some of his political views.

But, Walsh added, “Every time I think he makes sense, the next day he’s got a worm in his head, or he’s eating a dog or putting a dead bear in Central Park.”

Those are all references to news stories about Kennedy from the past several months.

In May, The New York Times obtained a copy of a deposition Kennedy gave in 2012, when he said earlier bouts of memory loss and mental fog were diagnosed as “a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” He has since learned that the parasite “was not the issue” with his brain, he said, and that it was actually related to metal toxicity from mercury.

The dog-eating accusation was in a July 2 story in Vanity Fair. Kennedy said the animal in the photo obtained by the magazine was a goat he ate during a river trip in Patagonia.

Last Sunday, Kennedy was forced to admit ahead of reporting by The New Yorker that he left a dead bear cub in Manhattan’s Central Park in 2014 because he thought it would be “amusing.” He picked up the roadkill while driving through the Hudson Valley and intended to eat it, he said, but got busy and left it in the park instead. When the bear was found that year, it sparked a media sensation and a mystery that wasn’t solved until Kennedy’s admission this week.

Still more baggage

That’s a small sample of Kennedy’s alternately tragic, inspiring, bizarre and troubling life and times. The more concerning incidents include his rampant spreading of vaccine misinformation — such as his false statement that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” — and an allegation that he forcibly groped a woman in her 20s who was working for the Kennedy family as a babysitter during the 1990s. Kennedy has since apologized “for anything” he may have done to the woman but said he has “no memory” of the incident.

Four decades after his drug conviction in Rapid City, Kennedy says he remains in recovery from addiction. He deserves credit for that. But his other personal baggage weighs heavily on some voters who might otherwise be strongly inclined to support a Kennedy for president.

Just ask Bill Walsh, who’s still very Irish, Catholic and Democratic, and still fond of RFK Jr. and the broader Kennedy legacy.

None of those loyalties will convince Walsh to support Kennedy if his name is on the ballot Nov. 5.

“I’m not going to vote for him,” Walsh said.

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Related Topics:Bill Walsh Featured Kennedy Robert F. Kennedy Jr.South Dakota Ted Kennedy

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 8, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 8 drawing

01-31-32-45-52, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’

Published

21 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’

Kristi Noem’s stint as governor of South Dakota has come under fresh scrutiny by a former local mayor, who said she “did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” just days after she was fired from her role as Homeland Security secretary.

Noem, who served as governor from 2019 to 2025, became the first cabinet member to be fired by Trump during his second term.

The embarrassing dismissal came amid growing scrutiny of her aggressive immigration operations across the country, DHS’s purchase of multiple luxury jets for staff, major reductions in FEMA staff, and rumors of an affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Mike Levsen, the former mayor of Aberdeen in Noem’s home state of South Dakota, says her dismissal came as no surprise given her “lack of any significant accomplishment” during her time as governor of the state.

“The Noem governorship covered six years — then did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” Levsen wrote in a blog post, comparing Noem to the former Alaska Gov. who resigned midway through her first term, citing mounting legal fees being brought by various ethics investigations being brought against her. Palin was Senator John McCain’s running mate during the 2008 presidential election.

Kristi Noem’s tenure as governor has come under criticism following her firing as DHS secretary (AFP/Getty)

“Her legacy was minimal involvement with the Legislature, frequent absences, no transparency, repeated operational screwups, soaring turnover and instances of self-dealing for herself and her family,” Levsen wrote.

Levsen criticized Noem’s Covid-era ad campaign, “Freedom Works Here,” as a “Trump-based ploy that likely contributed to South Dakota’s listing high on some periodical per capita death lists.”

The campaign, which attempted to draw new residents to the state, cost $6.5 million, and South Dakota News Watch reported at the time that there were “hurdles” with the campaign.

Levsen also noted Noem’s “difficult relationship” with tribal governments, as all nine of South Dakota’s indigenous tribes voted in 2024 to ban Noem from their lands, according to CNN.

“Is there a single thing in South Dakota now better as a result of her time in office?” Levsen questioned in the post.

Noem was fired by Trump amidst mounting scrutiny over fallout in Minnesota, following DHS’s disastrous Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which saw two U.S. citizens shot dead in confrontations with federal agents.

Noem described the two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as domestic terrorists. She has refused to apologize for the comments.

She also drew fierce criticism with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with Lewandowski.

Noem was axed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday (Getty)

The final nail in the coffin appears to have been Noem’s congressional testimony this past week, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized her management and judgment.

A day after her second hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Noem was out at DHS — and that he was nominating Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

An administration official told NBC News that the president axed Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.

Before she was fired, Noem defended her performance during her hearings on Capitol Hill.

She also drew fire for insisting that the $220 million DHS ad campaign had been launched with the president’s approval, which Trump has denied.

Days after her humiliating firing, Trump named Noem as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that Trump says will focus on the Western Hemisphere.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing

17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 7 drawing

06-08-17-18-45, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 7 drawing

01-02-06-22-26

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 7 drawing

10-32-45-53-54, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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