South Dakota

South Dakota House fails to pass bill requiring cash for school events. But it could come back

Published

1 year ago

January 30, 2025

South Dakota House fails to pass bill requiring cash for school events. But it could come back

House Bill 1017, which would require school districts to accept cash payments for admission to school events, failed Thursday despite receiving 34 supporting votes and 32 dissenting votes on the House floor.

Two representatives — Republicans Jessica Bahmuller from Alexandria and Spencer Gosch from Glenham — were excused from the vote. There’s also two fewer legislators in the House after Tony Venhuizen became lieutenant governor and Herman Otten from District 6 declined to serve the term for which he was elected.

So, 34 wasn’t a high enough threshold to pass the bill on Thursday, even though it was the majority at the time.

Speaker of the House Jon Hansen said shortly after the vote that “the intent to reconsider is hereby noted,” so lawmakers may reconsider the bill per joint rule 5-11 on the next legislative day, Feb. 3.

That’s after Rep. John Sjaarda, R-Valley Springs, brought an amendment to limit HB 1017 to apply to events that aren’t sold out, remove the Board of Regents and Board of Technical Education from the legislation, and put a $200 maximum in the bill. That amendment passed in the House.

Sjaarda said he brought HB 1017 after seven large schools in his area stopped accepting cash, which he said impacts accessibility and fairness at local schools.

He did not specify which local schools opted for that policy but in the House Education committee hearing for the bill Monday, testifiers discussed it was related to Brandon Valley, Harrisburg, Sioux Falls and Tea Area school districts’ partnerships with Iowa-based company Bound that provides mostly digital and cashless ticketing.

But those schools have testified that they work ahead of events and with athletic directors to accept cash for those who wish to use it to pay for events. Brandon Valley Superintendent Jarod Larson said that his schools still take cash for events.

Sioux Falls School Board of Education president Carly Reiter said Monday that the concerns brought by a very small number of people who spoke in favor of HB 1017, and against the district’s policy in August, weren’t “great enough” considering the benefits the district’s change to cashless ticketing gained for hundreds of other people.

She said athletic directors at schools have gone “above and beyond” to accommodate requests for paper tickets or to pay for tickets with cash.

What did local legislators say?

Rep. Erik Muckey, D-Sioux Falls, said the intent of the bill is good but agreed that the House shouldn’t override local control and didn’t want to enforce something statewide that is a local issue.

Rep. Brian Mulder, R-Sioux Falls, said the bill was a “knee-jerk” reaction to something new. He suggested the Legislature let local schools fix their policy before implementing a statewide law.

Rep. John Hughes, R-Sioux Falls, said a mandatory cashless policy takes more money from families and schools and gives more money to banks.

Rep. Keri Weems, R-Sioux Falls, said the Legislature is part-time because it gives a lot of control to local entities and urged parents with problems getting their children into local activities and events to contact their local school boards to change their policy.

Legislators across state differed on local control

Rep. Terri Jorgenson, R-Rapid City, said she supported the bill because she felt it was a privacy issue and that use of credit cards and digital means is tracked as opposed to cash.

Rep. Roger DeGroot, R-Brookings, said he agrees people should accept cash, but said the House shouldn’t tell districts what to do.

Rep. Josephine Garcia, R-Watertown, said board members failed to help the people who said they couldn’t use cash.

Rep. Tony Randolph, R-Rapid City, said cash has been part of the economy “forever,” that he didn’t understand the objections to the bill, and said he didn’t see it as a local control issue.

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South Dakota

Coaches select all-state boys basketball players from Class AA, A & B

Published

1 hour ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Here are the 2025-26 South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association All-State boys basketball teams:

Class AA

First Team

Sam DeGroot, SF Lincoln, 6-7, sr., F (20.9 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game)

Blake Ellwein, Huron, 6-10, sr., G (22.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.1 apg)

Gavin Shawd, Tea Area, 6-1, jr., G (21.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Stellen Larson, Harrisburg, 6-3, sr., F (14.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)

Carter Buisker, Watertown, 6-3, sr., G (18.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Brody Schafer, SF Lincoln, 6-0, jr., G (9.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6.3 apg)

Second Team

Colton Smith, Mitchell, 6-5, sr., G-F (17.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3 apg)

Davis Chase, Huron, 6-8, jr., F (15.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Ayuel Deng, Brandon Valley, 6-3, sr., G (13.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg)

Sam Ericsson, SF Lincoln, 6-3, sr., G (13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg)

Colby Nuttbrock, SF Jefferson, 6-5, jr., F (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.9 apg)

Grifin Wiebenga, Tea Area, 6-4, jr., F (16.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Honorable Mention

Jackson McClemans, Watertown, 6-5, sr., G-F (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.0 apg)

Mason Clark, O’Gorman, 6-0, sr., G (13.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.3 apg)

Memphis Bylander, SF Roosevelt, 6-5, sr., F (11.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Justin Bilal, SF Roosevelt, 6-5, sr., F (10.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Hayden Rock, Sturgis, 5-11, sr., G (21.4 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Bergan Tetzlaff, Brookings, 6-6, sr., F (15.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.2 apg)

• Player of Year — DeGroot.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Ellwein, DeGroot and Ericsson, first team; Schafer, Smith and Wiebenga, second team; 2024 (Ellwein and Smith, first team).

Class A

First Team

Brant Wassenaar, SF Christian, 6-4, jr., G (22.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5.5 apg)

Marvin Richard III, Pine Ridge, 6-3, sr., G (30.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, 92 steals)

Connor Mebius, West Central, 5-10, jr., G (17.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.6 apg)

Trey Hansen, Vermillion, 6-4, sr., G (25.9 ppg, 8 rpg, 6.1 apg, 68 steals)

Jackson Wadsworth, Hamlin, 6-3, jr., G (21.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.4 apg)

Sully Felberg, Clark-Willow Lake, 6-8, so., F (15.6 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Second Team

Will Kuhl, West Central, 6-10, sr., F-C (15.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Wyatt Gylten, St. Thomas More, 6-4, sr., G-F (19.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Ryder Johnson, Groton Area, 6-5, sr., G (16.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Riley Casey, Little Wound, 6-1, sr., G (26.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, 75 steals)

Boden Stevenson, Hamlin, 6-5, jr., F (17.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.1 apg)

Tatum Sorensen, Dakota Valley, 6-2, sr., G (22.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 60 steals)

Third Team

Eddie Duffy, Stanley County, 6-2, jr., G-F (20.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)

Tate Gerdes, Lennox, 6-3, sr., G (15.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg)

Aiden Hanssen, Lennox, 6-0, jr., G (17.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg)

Chris Bevers, Clark-Willow Lake, 6-3, jr., G (14.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg)

Zane Messick, Hill City, 6-0, sr., G (19 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 59 steals)

Cooper Goodbary, SF Christian, 6-4, sr., F (12.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.9 apg)

Honorable Mention

Luke Sheppard, Flandreau, 6-5, sr., F (16.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.2 apg)

Damien Clown, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 6-0, sr., G (15 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg)

Carter Craven, Winner, 6-6, jr., F (23.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Brady Hiltunen, Sioux Valley, 6-2, jr., G (17 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Levi Elk Nation, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 6-2, sr., G (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg)

Isaak Hunter, Miller, 6-4, sr., F (18.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3 apg)

Paxton Deal, Stanley County, 6-0, sr., G (16.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 47 steals)

• Player of Year — Wassenaar.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Richard and Wassenaar, first team; Hansen, Gerdes and Mebius, second team; Craven, Johnson, Hunter and Felberg, third team; Goodbary and Kuhl, honorable mention); 2024 (Richard, first team; Hansen, honorable mention).

Class B

First Team

Grant Wilkinson, De Smet, 6-10, sr., C (24.4 ppg, 18.8 rpg, 45 blocks)

Teelen Kjerstad, Wall, 6-3, jr., G (27.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4 apg, 91 steals)

Wesley Wittler, Sully Buttes, 6-1, sr., G (22.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 81 steals)

Brady Schroedermeier, Viborg-Hurley, 6-2, sr., F (22.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 70 steals)

Kamden Keszler, Castlewood, 6-3, jr., G (19.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg)

David Walter, Freeman, 6-5, so., G (17.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3 apg)

Second Team

Brycen Bruening, Parkston, 6-2, jr., G (19.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 61 steals)

Colby Flowers, Wessington Springs, 6-5, sr., F (19 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg)

MJ Diehm, Lyman, 5-11, jr., G (19 ppg, 3 rpg, 6 apg, 60 steals)

Chance Schoenfeld, Deubrook Area, 6-9, sr., F-G (19.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 48 blocks)

Brooks Jett, Aberdeen Christian, 6-5, jr., f (13.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 29 blocks)

Ben Weber, Bridgewater-Emery, 6-6, sr., F (18.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 6 apg)

Third Team

Parker Graff, Wessington Springs, 6-1, sr., G (16 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg)

Tate Sorensen, Freeman, 6-2, sr., F (10.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)

Emmet Dinger, Wall, 6-3, sr., F (15.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Holden Wollman, Bridgewater-Emery, 6-2, sr., G (21.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg)

Jake Austin, Viborg-Hurley, 5-9, sr., G (12 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Lucas Peskey, Iroquois-Lake Preston, 6-0, jr., G (19.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 56 steals)

Honorable Mention

Noah Luethmers, De Smet, 6-3, jr., G (14.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Dawsen Volmer, Lyman, 6-4, jr., F-G (13 ppg, 7 rpg, 40 blocks)

Colt Keiser, Gregory, 6-6, sr., F (18.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 47 blocks)

Westyn Thorpe, Leola-Frederick Area, 5-10, sr., G (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Kassen Keough, Langford Area, 6-0, sr., G (21 ppg, 5 rpg, 45 steals)

Hogan Hlavacek, Waubay-Summit, 6-7, so., C-F (16 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Caleb Richmond, Wolsey-Wessington, 6-1, sr., G (15.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg)

• Player of Year — Wilkinson.

• Repeat Selections — 2025 (Wilkinson and Wittler, first team; Schroedermeier, Flowers and Weber, second team; Kjestad, Walter, Jett, Graff and Dinger, third team; Bruening, honorable mention); 20024 (Graff, third team; Weber and Wittler, honorable mention).

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

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South Dakota

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

Published

13 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.

HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.

Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.

“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”

You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.

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South Dakota

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.

Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.

She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.

“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”

Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.

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