RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – We’re only months away from the general election and there’s a chance recreational marijuana could get legalized here in South Dakota.

On November 5, South Dakota voters will have the opportunity to vote on Initiated Measure 29 which would legalize the possession, distribution, and use of recreational marijuana for people ages 21 and older.

This wouldn’t be the first time legalization has been on the South Dakota ballot.

In 2020, the legalization of marijuana was originally approved by state voters through Constitutional Amendment A, but that was overturned in court on a constitutional challenge.

In 2022, voters voted no against the passing of marijuana legalization.

A supporter for the legalization of recreational marijuana is confident it will finally be passed in November.

“29,000 people signed the ballot. People are really wanting to push this home. The state might have some fatigue on the issue in [and] of itself, but with so many other issues on the ballot and turnout expected to be so high, I think it will be pretty clear where the state lies in November,” Member of the “Yes on 29″ Ballot Committee Brad Jurgensen said.

Not everyone in the state is for the measure being passed, with one opponent believing the legalization of marijuana would be problematic.

”The number one predictor of increased jail and incarceration is substance abuse and drug abuse. And there’s no question at all that marijuana, the research is very clear, is a gateway drug, and it leads to harder and more serious drugs for our kids,” Chairperson for “Protecting South Dakota Kids” Jim Kimyon said.

Whether people are for or against legalizing marijuana, a decision on the future of cannabis in South Dakota will be made in November.

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WEST FARGO — Next fall, Northern Cass and West Fargo Legion baseball standout Trey Husar will be heading to Brookings, South Dakota.

Husar announced his commitment to Division I South Dakota State on social media on Saturday. He said a friendly coaching staff made him feel welcome from the beginning.

“I always felt like I was respected and appreciated,” Husar said. “And overall, Brookings had a good vibe and felt like a good city that I could spend the next four years of my career in.”

Academics played a key role for Husar in the decision. He plans on majoring in engineering while at SDSU. Husar also noted that Brookings made him feel like he was at home.

“I like the small-town vibe,” Husar said. “Everyone supports everyone. The sports programs support each other. It kind of reminds me of Northern Cass or the Class B setting.”

Husar is projected to join the Jackrabbits program as a pitcher.

West Fargo Patriots head coach Jordan Rheault said Husar’s competitive nature will be a positive addition at SDSU.

“He’s super athletic,” Rheault said. “His fastball has got some velocity, especially from the left-handed side. … Most importantly, he’s a great kid and a great individual to have in the dugout.”

The Jackrabbits told Husar they’d like him to continue building muscle and putting on weight throughout the year.

Husar paced the Jaguars last season with a .489 batting average in 47 at-bats with 22 RBIs. He held a .915 slugging percentage with seven doubles, two triples and three home runs.

On the mound, Husar finished with a 6-1 record and a 0.89 earned-run average. Husar threw a no-hitter against Enderlin and mustered 15 strikeouts in the performance.

Husar, who was Class B First Team All-State selection, admitted that he didn’t settle in with the Patriots as quickly as would have liked.

“It took me a while to find my role in West Fargo,” Husar said. “I felt like I found it towards the end of the year. I’m looking to build on that this upcoming summer.”

Husar rounded out the second half of the Patriots season with a .334 batting average and 22 RBIs. He went 3-for-6 with two doubles during the American Legion Central Plains Regional tournament at Young Field.

Baseball isn’t Husar’s only specialty.

Husar was a member of the Jaguars’ 4×200 relay team that won the Class B state championship and set a school record at 3 minutes, 35.90 seconds. He was also a runner-up at the state meet in the triple jump.

While baseball is his primary focus, Husar noted solid communication between his track and baseball coaches have been key in his busy spring schedule.

A state title in track did not compare to his championship in Legion baseball.

“It was nice to represent our school, but winning that state championship with West Fargo this summer felt unreal,” Husar said. “We faced adversity in the beginning of the year, fought our way through, got really hot in July and kept rolling. It felt great.”

Husar said he’s looking to make a run at a state tournament berth along with his fellow seniors in the final year.

“We have seven or eight seniors,” Husar said. “It’s kind of our last hurrah.”

After graduating from North Dakota State University, Haugland joined the Forum in January of 2023. Readers can reach him at 701-241-5508 or by emailing ahaugland@forumcomm.com

WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal appeals court to reverse the dismissal of a case alleging former President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents at his Florida home after he left the Oval Office.

The appeals process could take months, likely closing the door on any movement in the classified documents case against Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, before November’s election.

Smith argued late Monday that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision to toss the case was based on a “flawed” argument that Smith was illegally appointed to the office of special counsel.

Over an 81-page brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Smith cited statutes and a Watergate-era Supreme Court decision to argue the time-tested legality of U.S. attorneys general to appoint and fund independent, or special, counsels.

Federal judge dismisses Trump classified documents criminal case

“In ruling otherwise, the district court deviated from binding Supreme Court precedent, misconstrued the statutes that authorized the Special Counsel’s appointment, and took inadequate account of the longstanding history of Attorney General appointments of special counsels,” Smith wrote.

Further, he warned, “[t]he district court’s rationale could jeopardize the longstanding operation of the Justice Department and call into question hundreds of appointments throughout the Executive Branch.”

Cannon, a federal judge for the Southern District of Florida, dismissed the classified documents case against Trump on July 15 — two days after Trump was injured in an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania and just as the Republican National Convention kicked off in Wisconsin.

Cannon is a Trump appointee who was nominated in 2020 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate later that year.

Trump had argued for the case’s dismissal in February.

Days before he was set to officially accept the party’s nomination for president, Trump hailed Cannon’s dismissal as a way to unite the nation following the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Cannon argued Smith’s appointment violated two clauses of the U.S. Constitution that govern how presidential administrations and Congress appoint and approve “Officers of the United States,” and how taxpayer money can be used to pay their salaries and other expenses.

Smith appealed her decision just days later.

Historic classified documents case

Smith’s historic case against Trump marked the first time a former U.S. president faced federal criminal charges.

A grand jury handed up a 37-count indictment in June 2023 charging the former president, along with his aide Walt Nauta, with felonies related to mishandling classified documents after Trump’s term in office, including storing them at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. A superseding indictment that added charges and another co-defendant was handed up a little over a month later.

The classified documents case is just one of several legal entanglements for Trump, who became a convicted felon in New York state court in May.

The former president also continues to face federal criminal charges for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. That case has also been in a holding pattern for several months as Trump appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the charges should be dropped based on presidential criminal immunity.

The Supreme Court ruled in early July that the former presidents enjoy immunity for official “core Constitutional” acts and returned the case to the federal trial court in Washington, D.C.

Smith has until the end of August to assess how the immunity decision affects the election subversion case against Trump. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5.