South Dakota
Who is Kristi Noem? What we know about the Trump VP contender and why she killed a dog
S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem’s COVID-19 plan: ‘Less COVID, more hunting’
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem showed how social distancing is done in her state, while hunting. Tweeted by the governor’s official account on Sept. 23.
Storyful
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been a topic of online chatter after excerpts from her upcoming memoir were published by The Guardian on Friday.
In her book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” Noem details how she had to put a dog down for being “untrainable.”
The confession caught the attention and criticism from politicians on both sides of the aisle.
“Dogs are a gift from God,” tweeted Alyssa Farah Griffin, co-host of “The View” and former Donald Trump White House staffer. “They’re a reflection of his unconditional love. Anyone who would needlessly hurt an animal because they are inconvenient needs help.”
The Democratic National Committee called the excerpts from the book “horrifying” and “disturbing.”
Amid the backlash, Noem responded saying she understands “why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story,” but defended the decision to kill the dog.
“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” Noem said in a post on X. “Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.”
Noem is a contender to become Trump’s vice presidential running mate. Here’s what we know about the governor.
Who is Gov. Kristi Noem?
According to the governor’s website, Noem, who is the governor of South Dakota, is also a rancher, farmer and small business owner.
She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and elected as South Dakota’s first female governor in 2018.
Today, she is also a New York Times best selling author. In January 2022, she published her first book, “Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland,” and the website states she was re-elected as governor with the “largest vote total in the history of South Dakota.”
Could Kristi Noem run with Donald Trump?
The governor is a contender to become Trump’s vice presidential running mate, but recent polling from New River Strategies, which was published by Politico, states that only 14% of Americans consider her to be a good choice for the Republican ticket.
The report also states that 86% of 2020 Trump voters report liking or loving dogs and that 39% of them do not believe she would be a good choice for vice president. Only 22% said she would be.
Why did Kristi Noem kill her dog Cricket?
According to The Guardian, Noem said she killed her dog because of its “aggressive personality” and called the dog “untrainable.”
In her book, she writes that the dog’s name was Cricket and that she was a 14-month-old Wirehair Pointer. According to the RSPCA, puppies become adolescent dogs between 6 and 12 months old or 18 to 24 months.
The American Kennel Club rates the dog breed as “love-dovey” when it comes to how affectionate they are with family.
In her post on X, Noem said that South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down.
“Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did,” she wrote.
She added: “Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor.”
What is Kristi Noem’s new book?
According to its description, Noem’s book “No Going Back” shares “eye-opening realities of DC dysfunction, lessons from leading her state through unprecedented challenge, and how we seize this moment to move America forward.”
On X, she said the book “is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned.”
It’s set to release on May 7.
Some people outraged by the controversy are already dropping negative reviews of the book on GoodReads.
Contributing: Tim Reid, Reuters
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz
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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South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, left, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen unveil a plaque for retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams in the Hall of Honor at the Capitol in Pierre on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) — There’s a new name in the South Dakota Hall of Honor at the state Capitol building.
One-hundred-year-old South Dakota native and retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams was celebrated at a Wednesday ceremony where a plaque honoring him was unveiled, although Williams did not attend.
“In spite of being outnumbered and facing incredible danger, Captain Williams engaged the enemy with courage and skill,” said Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. “Our state has always had a strong tradition of service, and Captain Williams is the very best of that tradition.”
President Donald Trump awarded Williams the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honor, at the State of the Union address earlier this year. The medal honors actions by Williams that had been classified for decades.
“His story was secret for over 50 years, he didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew,” Trump said during the speech in February. “But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
On Nov. 18, 1952, over Korean coastal waters during the Korean War, then-Lt. Williams, from Wilmot, South Dakota, led three F9F Panthers against seven Soviet MiG-15s. He disabled three enemy jets and damaged a fourth.
The Soviet jets, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, were “superior to the F9F in almost every fashion.” The mission was the only direct overwater combat between U.S. Navy fighters and Soviet fighters during the Cold War.
Williams, one of 11 Medal of Honor recipients from South Dakota, now lives in California. The Hall of Honor at the South Dakota Capitol is located in the hallway that visitors enter immediately after going through security.
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