South Dakota
‘We are resilient’: South Dakota couple snowed in after two weeks
A number of blizzards, ice storms, and below-zero temperatures have pummeled the Midwest, leaving two South Dakotans snowed in for greater than two weeks.
OJ and Barb Semans stay on the Rosebud Reservation about 100 miles south of Pierre, South Dakota, close to the Nebraska border. The final time the Semans have been in a position to depart their residence was on Dec. 12.
“Properly, me and my spouse been on this home for 15 days, and she or he hasn’t killed me but. So we’re doing good,” OJ Semans joked to KELO. “Yeah, it’s one thing completely different that’s by no means occurred in my lifetime. You already know, to truly be snowed in, not going to the shop. I imply, not going to the gasoline station, not going uptown, not checking the mail, simply right here, snowed in.”
SEE IT: KRISTI NOEM GETS RED-HOT CHRISTMAS GIFT
Semans mentioned after one week of being snowed in, they ran out of propane. Their son walked by the bitter storm for an hour to deliver them extra.
“We’ve been fortunate. Our electrical energy solely went out for a number of hours and got here again on. So you realize, we’ve our meals and provisions and stuff. We begin the automobile up day-after-day to ensure that if we ever get out, it’ll begin,” Semans mentioned.
The couple misplaced water for a number of days and needed to dig round of their yard for an out of doors spigot to make use of.
Semans acknowledged that not everybody within the space has been as lucky. As the realm’s tribes’ guide with FEMA, he has been working to get federal help.
“I’ve been working forwards and backwards with FEMA emails and getting the paperwork prepared. Attempting to get the presidential declaration despatched to the president to get some assist down right here,” Semans mentioned.
On Thursday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency and activated the state’s Nationwide Guard to ship firewood from the Black Hills Forest Service to the Rosebud Reservation.
Noem spokesman Ian Fury mentioned South Dakota’s Division of Public Security had cleared roads on each reservations, labored to coordinate transportation for dialysis sufferers, assisted stranded drivers, and delivered meals, firewood, and propane to varied communities.
Semans, nonetheless, mentioned their inventory of provides wouldn’t final for much longer and famous extra assistance is essential. He estimated that between seven and 10 individuals have died as a result of current storm.
“Monday night time, we misplaced one other particular person who was caught in White River, lived out within the nation, kinda like I do,” Semans mentioned. “It took them a number of hours to open the roads and get to his home. By the point they obtained there, he was sick, they loaded him up, and on the way in which again, he handed away.”
Semans praised the assistance of the Nationwide Guard and the tribe’s work to clear roads.
“EPP staff which were working, you realize, 24/7,” Semans famous. “You already know, a few of them, it takes three hours to get 1 / 4 mile as a result of that snow is so onerous.”
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He added that their sense of group is carrying them.
“It’s all household,” Semans mentioned. “We’re resilient, we’ll hold doing what we’re doing.”
South Dakota
Staunch conservatives take leadership positions in GOP-led state legislature • South Dakota Searchlight
A group of staunchly conservative Republicans claimed control of key leadership positions in the state Legislature on Friday evening.
The leadership election in Pierre marked a consolidation of power for the faction, which has pushed for a more conservative agenda, including bills to regulate minors’ access to online pornography, curtail a controversial carbon capture pipeline, and cap property taxes.
Those stances have gained traction within the party’s conservative base, especially in rural and eastern parts of the state where the carbon pipeline has been a divisive issue. The proposed project from Summit Carbon Solutions would capture carbon produced by Midwest ethanol plants and ship it to North Dakota for underground sequestration.
Pipeline opponents ousted 11 of the 14 incumbents who lost seats in the June primary. Those incumbents had voted for a bill that was dubbed the “Landowner Bill of Rights” by its supporters, but was seen as a pro-pipeline law by landowner activists. Opponents petitioned the law onto the general election ballot, and voters soundly rejected it on Election Day.
New landscape confronts South Dakota Republicans after political earthquake shakes incumbents
The 2025 House of Representatives will be led by Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, who is set to become the Speaker of the House. Rep. Karla Lems, R-Canton, will serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. Rep. Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, will serve as Majority Leader. Hanson and Odenbach each led political action committees that worked to oust incumbents during the primary.
Rep. Marty Overweg, R-New Holland, will serve as Assistant Majority Leader in the House, and the Whip team will consist of Reps. Jess Bahmuller, Less Heinemann, Bethany Soye, Greg Jamison, and Brandei Schaefbauer.
On the Senate side, the Majority Leader position went to Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre,
Asst. Majority Leader went to Sen. Carl Perry, R-Aberdeen. Sen. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, who will serve his first term in the Senate after leaving the House of Representatives, will serve as Senate Pro Tempore.
The Senate Whip team will consist of Sens. Sue Peterson, Kevin Jensen, Randy Deibert, and Tom Pischke.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
South Dakota
South Dakota’s first non-tribal cannabis dispensary announces closure
HARTFORD, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Thursday, the first licensed cannabis dispensary in the state announced on social media that they would be closing next month.
Unity Rd. shared on Facebook that they and the Hartford Connection will end operation on December 7, citing challenges the state’s cannabis industry has faced.
The full statement can be read below.
Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Donation match helps Feeding South Dakota prep for Thanksgiving Giveaway
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – As we head into the holiday season, Feeding South Dakota needs community members to step in to volunteer and give donations for their upcoming Thanksgiving Giveaway.
“If you donate to Feeding South Dakota through Thanksgiving we’ll be able to make your dollars go twice as far,” Megan Kjose said, the Development Coordinator with Feeding South Dakota.
That’s thanks to a matching gift made by the Greg and Pam Sands Foundation.
“Food is a wonderful tool to bring together adversaries, it’s a wonderful tool to show love,“ Greg Sands said.
Greg said that his passion for giving comes from his mother. He shared a story about growing up in Minneapolis, where he learned a lesson from a rack of BBQ ribs that she had made.
“Some kids jumped through one of the windows and stole the ribs. I got home and, BBQ ribs to this day are still one of my favorite foods, and the ribs were gone. My mom said what we need to learn here is that evidently, they needed the food worse than we did,“ Greg Sands said.
Three thousand meals will be donated on November 23 between the Thanksgiving giveaways in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
Another 3,000 will be distributed through food pantries and other partners in forty different communities.
“Many of these families if not for that box of food, they’re not having a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at all,” Greg Sands said.
“It could be a family that’s maybe come into a tough time, whether it’s a layoff or a medical diagnosis or just needing a little extra through the end of the month,“ Kjose said
The generous match from the Sands Foundation helps make donations go a little farther, but none of it would be possible without the volunteers’ help.
“It’s not just guys writing checks because that doesn’t get it done. All of these volunteers need to be thanked they’re working hard. A lot of times it’s a thankless job, and they’re doing it out of love,“ Greg Sands said.
You can learn more about the Thanksgiving meal giveaway HERE.
Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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