South Dakota
South Dakota has apologized and must pay $300K to transgender advocates
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
South Dakota has apologized and will pay $300,000 under a settlement with a transgender advocacy group that sued Gov. Kristi Noem and her health secretary last year after the state terminated a contract with it.
Attorneys for the Transformation Project announced the settlement Monday. The nonprofit sued last year after the state canceled the contract for a community health worker in December 2022. The contract included a roughly $136,000 state-administered federal grant, about $39,000 of which the group received, according to its attorneys.
The organization alleged the state’s decision “was based purely on national politics,” citing Noem’s statement to conservative media outlet The Daily Signal that the state government shouldn’t participate in the group’s efforts. The outlet had asked Noem about the group and one of its events.
“This settlement marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to civil rights advocacy,” lead attorney Brendan Johnson said. “We commend the resiliency of the LGBTQ community and remain committed to vigorously upholding their rights.”
The apology, in a letter dated Jan. 18 and signed by South Dakota Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt, reads: “On behalf of the State of South Dakota, I apologize that the Transformation Project’s contract was terminated and for treating the Transformation Project differently than other organizations awarded Community Health Worker contracts.
“I want to emphasize that all South Dakotans are entitled to equal treatment under the law — regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, or sex. South Dakota is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination under any program, activity, or service that it provides,” she wrote.
Transformation Project Executive Director Susan Williams said she is glad the lawsuit is over and “it feels good to know that we won.”
“I would say that we settled with the apology. It would have been nice to have the apology come from our governor,” she said.
Magstadt was not health secretary at the time the contract was terminated. Her predecessor announced her retirement days after the state terminated the contract. The Transformation Project had hired a community health worker before the state ended the contract.
The state alleged contract violations in a letter from the deputy secretary noticing the termination. The group said it had complied.
Spokespersons for Noem and the state Department of Health did not immediately respond to email requests for comment on the settlement.
Transformation Project Community Health Worker/Project Coordinator Jack Fonder said in a statement: “I assumed the role of CHW with the intention of providing trans people in our community with the resources they require to succeed in this state, little realizing that doing so would result in my own outing as a trans man for standing up for what is right. We promise to keep up the battle for transgender rights and to make sure they have access to the resources they require.”
Fundraising helped continue Fonder’s position, Williams said. Fonder helps transgender people find shelter, housing and employment, as well as support with legal paperwork and driving people to appointments, among other needs.
Williams said the organization would apply for future grants from the state, and she hopes similar groups “will feel more confident” to apply, too.
The nonprofit offers help for LGBTQ+ people and their families, such as suicide prevention and guiding people through health care and social services, and educates about gender identity.
South Dakota and other Republican-led states have passed laws in recent years that have raised complaints about discrimination against transgender people, such as restricting school sports participation and banning gender-affirming care for kids.
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
South Dakota
South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation provides donation matching funds to support Nebraska Wildfire Relief
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(SOUTH DAKOTA NEWS WATCH) – South Dakota has one of the lowest overall state tax burdens in the country, largely because it does not tax individual income and lacks several major statewide taxes.
The Tax Foundation ranks South Dakota No. 2 in the State Tax Competitiveness Index when factoring in corporate, individual, sales, property and unemployment insurance taxes. Wyoming is No. 1 overall.
South Dakota is ranked No. 1 in corporate taxes and No. 1 in individual taxes. The state’s lack of an income tax helps keep overall state and local tax burdens among the lowest in the nation.
However, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy regularly ranks South Dakota among the states with the most regressive tax systems, meaning lower-income households pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than higher-income households.
South Dakota does not have an estate tax, inheritance tax or corporate income tax.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
Sources
The Tax Foundation, State Tax Competitive Index
Fidelity, The best state for taxes
Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, ITEP Tax Inequality Index
The Tax Foundation, Taxes in South Dakota
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