The demolition of the "old steakhouse" on Main was completed, and after 133 years, it had a storied history; the City Council had a first look at the new Capital Improvement Plan and approved a conditional use permit for a dog grooming in-home business; Hometown Christmas is this Saturday with plenty of events and shopping opportunities; and the winter sports season began with a bang last week as two wrestlers placed fourth and the girls basketball team won, plus more!
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Though there have been two weeks of delays, on Tuesday Nov. 28, Soukup Construction out of Sioux Falls started work on the demolition of the old steakhouse building. Work crews started with handtools from the roof of Rainbow Delight to work on the most delicate bits first before using any large equipment.
Photos and more will be available in next week's issue!
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Enjoy this free article! The Gazette is proud to present the local news of Garretson, South Dakota, giving its subscribers news of interest, school coverage, and local/statewide government coverage. Your support of the Gazette and its advertisers ensures this coverage will continue into the future. Consider getting your subscription today! E-edition subscribers get access to their issues sooner than anyone else, both on this site and in your email inbox.
SIOUX FALLS – Commissioners praised a plan from county auditor Leah Anderson to “define and adjust election precinct boundaries” during this week’s Minnehaha County Commission meeting.
The impetus for the auditor’s office to make a new precinct map came from the South Dakota State Legislature’s redistricting the legislative map after the 2020 Census.
Anderson said her staff had been working on this plan for several months, and it not only involved legislative districts, but city of Sioux Falls precincts, various school districts, water districts and other considerations, as well.
She explained that the general rule was to keep precincts under 2,500 voters, and of the 81 precincts in Minnehaha County, she said only “a couple” exceeded that number.
Approximately 600 voters would make up the smallest precinct.
Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson
All in all, Anderson said 10 precincts would be added and four would be eliminated. A total of 37 precincts would see changes of some type.
She added that one of her goals was to reduce the number of multi-legislative district precincts (those which included more than one legislative ballot).
And while the auditor’s office wasn’t able to eliminate those entirely, she said they were able to reduce the total.
Anderson also mentioned another goal, which was to have “greeters” at some of the precincts to help voters make sure they were in the correct location for voting.
Commissioners voted unanimously to accept Anderson’s plan.
Split renewal vote
Also, at this meeting, commissioners had to decide whether or not to renew a liquor license for the Safari Bar & Grill at the Renner Corner along Highway 115.
While these matters usually move through quickly, there were many questions from the commission to bar co-owner Sandy Sorm, who seemed ill-equipped to answer some of them.
The bar’s general manager, who, it seemed, handled more of the day-to-day operations, was not able to attend.
The reason for the separate renewal vote on the Safari was due to a failed compliance check by the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s office on Nov. 1.
To complicate the matter, Commissioner Joe Kippley pointed out that this was the bar’s second alcohol sting failure in the past two years.
Commission chair Jean Bender said “This is something we take very seriously…two violations in a relatively short period is very unusual. We haven’t seen that in the time I’ve been on the commission.”
In a warning, Commissioner Dean Karsky said, “Your business is important to the people who live out in that area, and if you were to lose your liquor license it would have an impact on the people in that community, so I encourage you say ‘this is not acceptable’.”
However, Karsky did make the motion to approve the renewal, and that vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Gerald Beninga voting “no.”
The next commission meeting will be at 9 a.m. next Tuesday, Dec. 5, on the third floor of the Minnehaha County Administration Building.
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Enjoy this free article! The Gazette is proud to present the local news of Garretson, South Dakota, giving its subscribers news of interest, school coverage, and local/statewide government coverage. Your support of the Gazette and its advertisers ensures this coverage will continue into the future. Consider getting your subscription today! E-edition subscribers get access to their issues sooner than anyone else, both on this site and in your email inbox.
The holiday season is off to a jump start in 2023! It began this past Saturday with Shop Small Saturday, but will continue throughout the month. Here's a taste of some of the happenings the Gazette knows of so far.
This Friday, December 1, the annual First Bank & Trust Christmas Celebration will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Garretson at their location on 644 N Main. This event provides free entertainment for the entire community, with a model train set on display, the high school band performing at 12:00 p.m., and the high school choir performing at 2:30 p.m. Holiday treats will also be available for all who attend.
On December 2, St. Rose of Lima is hosting its annual Christmas Tea. Social time begins at 1:00 p.m. with appetizers, treats, and hot drinks. At 1:30 p.m., the St. Rose Folk Group will perform. All ladies and girls are encouraged to dress in their tea time best and enjoy.
Next week Saturday, December 9, Garretson will celebrate its annual Hometown Christmas event. Encouraging people to shop small, as well as gathering as a community, is the goal for each year.
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On Monday, December 11, the Garretson Middle School and High School Band and Choir will have its Concert and Pie Social. The social will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the concert will start at 7:00 p.m. All proceeds for a freewill donation go toward supporting the music programming at the Garretson School District.
At Hometown Christmas on the 9th, the Garretson Commercial Club is bringing in favorite events such as time with Santa and the Parade of Lights, and local organizations and businesses are going all out. The Legion will be holding its community breakfast on Saturday morning, and the Fire Department will be hosting a chili feed and bingo in the evening.
In between, a vendor fair, kids crafts, a bake sale and silent auction will be available in the afternoon. The museum will be open, and the food pantry will be having an open house.
Events will not be the only items on the list, as businesses will have reasons for you to head on in and patronize their shops. Palisades Art Gallery will be open and showcasing local youth talent with their coloring contest (get your submissions in before December 8!), Palisades Chiropractic is hosting Treatment for Tots, where a donation of a new toy valued $15 or more will earn patrons a free chiropractic adjustment, The Combine will hold an Ugly Sweater Contest, and The Gulch will belt out tunes with karaoke.
Maddie Shepherd on Fundera by Nerdwallet pointed out that, "Small businesses generate $68 of local economic return for every $100 spent with them, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to our economy if every US family spent just $10 a month at a local business, and small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to community causes."
Garretson as a community has always been proud of its local businesses, and has had a strong showing over its history. While everyone reminisces about the businesses that have come and gone, the community still boasts of a locally-owned grocery store, two convenience store/gas stations, three restaurants, a chiropractor, a boutique, a coffee shop, and a bank, just to name a few. Local support has been the foundation block for success as a community.
The annual Parade of Lights is a fun time, and will be held on Main Street at 6:00 p.m. on December 9. The event has been popular each year with both attendees and participants. Anyone is welcome to join the parade, with the only requirement being a decorated vehicle or float of some kind. Anyone who prefers to pre-register can do so at https://visitgarretsonsd.com/hometown-christmas, otherwise entrants can just show up around 5:30 p.m., according to organizer John Brinkman. Entrants will be lining up along 5th Street, to the east of Main.
Plan to enjoy the events and shopping opportunities offered in Garretson in December, and continue to shop local for this holiday season. The Garretson Commercial Club thanks you for your support!
Shop Garretson First winners
The Garretson Commercial Club and Garretson Food Center are hosting the Shop Garretson First Campaign, where every dollar spent gets a punch at local Commercial Club businesses. Full punch cards can then be turned in to Garretson Food Center, and winners are drawn each week for Garretson Gift Certificates. Drawings were held on November 19 and November 26, and the winners for $25 gift certificates are Pam Zendrian, Brenda Burch, Pete Williamson, Bev Howe, Ben Stenhoff, Laurie Bennett, Steve Peters, and Ruth Hoiland. Stay tuned and turn in your cards before Sunday for this week's drawing, where four more will be chosen! On Saturday, December 9 a final drawing will be held, where two lucky winners will receive $50 gift certificates.
Thank you for Shopping Garretson First!
-The Garretson Commercial Club
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Enjoy this free article! The Gazette is proud to present the local news of Garretson, South Dakota, giving its subscribers news of interest, school coverage, and local/statewide government coverage. Your support of the Gazette and its advertisers ensures this coverage will continue into the future. Consider getting your subscription today! E-edition subscribers get access to their issues sooner than anyone else, both on this site and in your email inbox.
I am recruiting volunteers to conduct mock interviews for the students in my Employability class. The volunteer will play the role of interviewing students and then complete a feedback form. The goal is to help students build confidence and identify areas for improvement to prepare them for future job interviews.
Mock interviews are a fun and engaging way to support our young people and help them prepare for future career success. With just two hours of your time, you can help Garretson High School seniors grow through a hands-on real-world experience.
Mock interviews are scheduled for Tuesday, December 12" from 10:10-11:50. A sample job description and feedback form will be provided. You may use your own questions, or I will provide them upon request. If anyone from your business would be interested in participating, please email me at with your contact information. I welcome any questions and look forward to the opportunity to partner with you.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Bob Douglas, touted as a success story of Gov. Kristi Noem’s "Freedom Works Here” workforce recruitment campaign in South Dakota, confirmed a few things during a recent interview with News Watch.
The 66-year-old recreational vehicle salesman does enjoy freedom, it turns out. And he loves South Dakota. He plans to move to the Sioux Falls area once he sells his house in southern California, maybe as early as next spring. Douglas was referencedin a Sept. 21 press release from the governor’s office as having “recently moved to South Dakota.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is featured prominently in the "Freedom Works Here" ad campaign. (Photo: Screenshot)
As for being heralded by the governor’s staff as an example of Noem’s $6.5 million ad campaign drawing new residents to the Mount Rushmore State, well, that’s not exactly true either.
“I wasn’t really aware of the campaign,” said Douglas, whose experience in the RV industry led to him being hired by Parkston-based Trailmanor as a West Coast representative in 2022. He was then named the company’s national sales and marketing director in April 2023, several months before the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) launched the Freedom Works Here effort.
Douglas told News Watch that politics played a role in his decision to take the Trailmanor job. He called Noem a “rock star” and added that his community of Tehachapi, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, holds rallies supporting former President Donald Trump that he and his wife, Jennifer, attend.
“Once you get out into the valley and mountains and away from the big cities, you’ll find a whole lot of people that think the way that my wife and I think,” said Douglas.
Finding younger workers a challenge in South Dakota
For economic development corporations and businesses in South Dakota,many of which contributed $10,000 to help fund the Freedom Works Here campaign, Douglas’ story is an oversimplification of workforce recruitment.
Politically motivated individuals, many of them at or near retirement age, have helped boost South Dakota’s population by seeking more lenient tax structures or escaping what they perceived as heavy-handed COVID-era policies in Democratic-controlled states such as Minnesota, California and Colorado.
Net migration between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, was one of the main reasons South Dakota ranked fifth in percentage of population growth (1.5%) among U.S. states during that span, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
For South Dakota businesses, however, skilled workers between the ages of 25 and 35 are the “sweet spot” they would like to attract as the state’s unemployment rate hovers at 1.9%, with about 20,000 open jobs. The process of trying to persuade younger workers to take a job in South Dakota is a painstaking process that goes beyond political platitudes, saidWatertown Development Co. executive director Chris Clifton.
“I know when I was 25 to 35 years old, I was not going to fill out a form and make a conscious, life-changing decision after talking to somebody on the internet a few times,” said Clifton. “If you look at the content of 'Freedom Works Here,' I mean, you’re kind of celebrating motherhood, apple pie and Chevrolet, so to speak. For a lot of people it’s like, how can you be against it? But there’s a lot of decision-making that goes into the process.”
'We're in uncharted territory here'
Economic development corporations and some major employers were solicited for contributions by theGovernor’s Office of Economic Development in August to help extend a national run of Noem’s TV and social media commercials. That helped fund a $1.5 million “phase two” of advertisements that GOED said will roll out soon.
The commercials so far have shown Noem acting as plumber, electrician, welder and dentist to illustrate the need for more workers in South Dakota. The governor’s office said that the ads have “been viewed over 800 million times," but GOED officials declined to share with News Watch the specific methodology or data used to arrive at that number.
"This is a combination of impressions – that is actual views – on both the TV ads and the digital ads," Sarah Ebeling, GOED's communications coordinator, wrote in an emailed response to requests for more information.
At a Nov. 13 meeting in Pierre, members of theLegislature’s Appropriations Committee pointed to the lack of hard data connecting new residents to the Freedom Works Here campaign, as opposed to those who made the decision for other reasons.
The legislative oversight is focused on more than $5 million in Future Fund dollars used to enlist the marketing and distribution services of Ohio-based Strategic Media Services and Tennessee-based Designsensory Inc. as part of the GOED initiative.
Economic development officials interviewed by News Watch said they are concerned about getting their money’s worth. As part of their investment, they received raw data of respondents who signed up or provided information through the Freedom Works Here website, a total of about 7,500 names and email addresses.
Noem's office and GOED claim that more than 1,800 applicants "are in the final stages" of moving to South Dakota. Ebeling told News Watch that number is based on how many people created an account on theSouth Dakota Works website through the Department of Labor and Regulation to explore employment options in the state. It's not clear how many will actually relocate.
"This campaign started June 21, 2023," Ebeling wrote in her response. "Five months is a fairly short turnaround time to pick up your life and move to a different state."
Economic development officials are sorting through data they received from GOED, trying to gauge which respondents to the Freedom Works Here campaign have serious interest in moving to South Dakota.
“We have not had anyone relocate yet, but I would qualify that to say that I didn’t expect it would happen this quickly,” said Michael Bokorny, CEO of theAberdeen Development Corp. “We’re in uncharted territory here. There’s not really a technical manual on how to do this. We’re kind of making it up as we go.”
Concerns raised about compiling Freedom Works Here data
Several development officials said more work could have been done by GOED and the Department of Labor to filter data on the front end, such as itemizing by preference of community or profession. They also expressed surprise that they were asked to contribute to a campaign that they weren’t consulted on ahead of time and didn’t know much about until it launched.
“Before I made my way through the data, I wanted to know exactly what the Department of Labor did or what filtration they used,” said Clifton. “I got a bunch of gobbledygook that basically said, ‘We can’t tell you what we did, but we did all we could do.’ I’m a little suspicious about that because I’ve been involved in a lot of marketing campaigns that were very specific about impressions. There's going to be a lot of heavy lifting on the back end to get this into a net result of who actually makes the move and takes a job.”
Elevate Rapid City, which supports economic development in the Black Hills region, encountered problems with names and contact information being duplicated in the data. There was also no record of who had already been contacted and what those conversations entailed, pointing to the competitive nature of different communities promoting their job prospects and quality of life.
More statewide coordination could have helped alleviate those problems, said Tom Johnson, Elevate Rapid City’s president and CEO.
“I’m guessing a lot of folks on this list have been contacted in one form or another by more than a dozen groups and businesses in South Dakota,” Johnson told News Watch. “I could see that becoming overwhelming. We’ve had numerous people on the list who have interpreted these contacts from all the communities as spam, which impacts the effectiveness of the outreach. It’s every community and business for themselves, with multiple entities who paid into the program trying to make the most of the names that were given.”
'We take them one at a time'
Each community took its own approach to curating the data and chasing down leads. Beyond the initial names and addresses, there is a significant amount of follow-up recruitment – what several officials called “handholding” – necessary to persuade someone to uproot their life and move to another state.
The Aberdeen Development Corp. contacted all 7,500 names on the list through email and social media, whittling the group down to about 140 who might be interested in moving to northeast South Dakota.
“I’m surprised we got 140 people interested,” Bokorny said. “I did not think we would get that because this is kind of a crap shoot, and there’s a lot of work still to do. We also had to further qualify those 140 names by asking ourselves, 'Are we a good fit for these people? Do they make sense for us as well?'”
Bokorny and his staff worked with partners such as the city of Aberdeen, Northern State University and the local YMCA to put together a package of $5,000 worth of incentives for prospective employees and families who choose to relocate to Aberdeen.
As of mid-November, Bokorny said three individuals had agreed to visit the area to see if moving there makes sense for them, including an optometrist from a “blue state” who reached out primarily for political reasons tied to what his kids were being taught in school.
“If we get one family out of all these efforts to relocate to Aberdeen, to me that’s a win,” Bokorny said. “I mean, we take them one at a time in our neck of the woods.”
Tim Reed serves as a Republican state senator from Brookings and CEO of the community’s economic development group. He said he and other local officials were taken back when GOED director Chris Schilkenrequested money to extend the national ad campaign.
“It was a surprise, and it had to be weighed out whether each of our organizations thought it was worth the money,” Reed said. “In the end my board said basically, ‘Let’s do it,’ but there was some caution to it.”
Upon receiving the data, Reed and his staff sent a mass email to all 7,500 names, directing them to a local job board to find more information about employment options in the Brookings area.
“We had very good open rates,” said Reed, referencing the percentage of people who opened the email rather than ignoring it. “And we know that some of those people have clicked through to our job board. But it’s going to take a while. No one is going to move here in 30 days, right? We know that they’ve gone on a website and said they’re interested, but that’s all we know. Where are they? Are they really ready to move? These are things we need to find out.”
Elevate Rapid City took a similar approach and has seen encouraging response rates. Johnson said that 79 people applied for openings on the Black Hills job board, 66 signed up as job seekers on the Elevate Rapid City website and 30 resumes have been added to the job bank. His staff has conducted seven face-to-face meetings over Zoom.
“We were encouraged (by state officials) to send out emails about our communities and, if able, do a direct mail afterwards, which would be incredibly cost prohibitive,” Johnson said. “Aside from that, the ball was mostly in our court to do what we felt was best for our community.”
As for how many people he expected to relocate to Rapid City for employment, Johnson said: “It’s anyone’s guess. There’s a saying that cash ain’t cash until you collect. The same thing is true here. It’s not going to be real until someone has been hired and relocated here and working for one of our great businesses.”
'I was looking for a change'
People like Bob Douglas, the RV salesman who plans to move to South Dakota from California, don’t need a lot of persuading. South Dakota was in their sights because of Noem’s doctrine of limited government, whether that means lower taxes or fewer restrictions during a public health emergency.
Bob Douglas, shown during a visit to Mount Rushmore, plans to move to South Dakota after being hired by Parkston-based Trailmanor as national sales and marketing director for recreational vehicles. (Photo: Submitted)
South Dakota ranked third behind New Hampshire and Florida for policies impacting economic, social and personal freedoms in 2022, according to the Cato Institute, a Libertarian-leaning think tank, which factored COVID-19 responses into its formula.
Those principles resonated with Chad Armstrong, a 49-year-old U.S. Marine veteran and “hardcore conservative” who moved to Rapid City from Butte, Montana, in October with his wife, Natashja. Armstrong chose South Dakota over Missouri and Texas partly because of Noem's messaging as well as his connection to Bradley Cummings, a veterans employment representative with the Department of Labor.
“I was looking for a change in the way that states regulate themselves,” said Armstrong, who started in November as a substitute fourth-grade teacher at General Beadle Elementary in Rapid City. “I was looking for a place that isn’t under the government welfare system and a place where you can keep your money.”
Armstrong is considering pursuing an online doctorate degree from Liberty University in public policy and Chinese affairs, following up a master’s degree in cybersecurity from Southern New Hampshire University. He also said he might run for school board or sheriff.
Armstrong founded a nonprofit, the Forgotten Fifteen Foundation, with fellow Marines he served with during the 2006 Battle of Ramadi in the Iraq War. The goal is to provide support for veterans who are struggling to make the transition from military to civilian life.
Noem’s office said in a press release that the nonprofit would be headquartered in South Dakota, but the organization listed no revenue or expenses on its 2022 disclosure form.
“My dream would be to build a Forgotten Fifteen compound and the front of it would look just like the entrance to Mount Rushmore,” said Armstrong.
Asked if it would be built in South Dakota, he said it was more likely to be built in the state where most of his fellow Marines currently reside.
“That would be California,” he said.
— This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at sdnewswatch.org.
Editor's note: This is the third in a series of stories on children that Jackie Hendry, producer and host of South Dakota Public Broadcasting's "South Dakota Focus" will write for South Dakota News Watch. Each month, she will preview the show that will air the following week.
This piece contains discussions of violence, sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 for 24-7 support.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Phil Hamman knew someone died. The rumors began over a November weekend in 1973. He was a sophomore at Sioux Falls Washington High School.
"We'd gotten some word in the neighborhood that some kids from our school had been killed, but we didn't know any details," Hamman remembered. "We thought maybe it was a car accident or something."
The following Monday, as he got ready for school, Hamman heard four names announced on the radio: 18-year-old Stewart Baade; his 14-year-old brother, Dana Baade; 17-year-old Roger Essem; and 15-year-old Mike Hadrath, Hamman's childhood best friend.
"I became physically sick. I went to the bathroom and almost threw up," Hamman said.
A portion of the Argus Leader front page is shown from Nov. 19, 1973.
All four boys had been shot to death near their campsite in Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, just across the border into northwestern Iowa. A couple driving through the park found their bodies the next morning. At first, there was no suspect or motive.
Hamman went to school to find other students crying in the hallways. All, like him, were shocked and desperate to understand what happened.
"But the teachers were starting to get irritated," Hamman said. "They were yelling at kids. 'Don't talk about this! Just go to class. No more talking about this Gitchie Manitou thing!'"
Hamman said he and other students obeyed without much resistance. "It's not that the teachers were doing anything out of line. That was the philosophy in those days. You just be quiet."
Privately, though, friends talked among themselves about who could've done such a terrible thing and why. When the suspects – three brothers – were captured, new questions arose. Turns out, there had been a witness: a 13-year-old girl named Sandra Cheskey.
Sandra Cheskey: The Gitchie Girl
Cheskey met Essem at a drive-in movie theater earlier that summer, and they'd been smitten with each other ever since. He'd invited her to join him and his three friends for a campfire at Gitchie Manitou the night of Nov. 17, 1973.
Three men, later identified as brothers Allen Fryer, James Fryer and David Fryer, posed as law enforcement. They shot Essem to death before taking the rest hostage. Cheskey was separated from the others, raped and threatened to silence before one of the Fryers dropped her off at her home late at night.
The next day, as rumors began spreading in Hamman's neighborhood that some kids had been killed, Cheskey learned none of the boys made it home. She took her story to the authorities. Despite her fear and the officer's initial doubt to her story, Cheskey played a crucial role in finding the Fryer brothers. She served as the only witness in the subsequent trial that landed each brother with a life sentence.
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The next episode of "South Dakota Focus" airs on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Central time / 6 p.m. Mountain time. It can be viewed on SDPB-TV 1, Facebook, YouTube and SD.net.
The episode includes:
How support for child victims has changed in schools and the court system since the 1973 Gitchie Manitou murders
How adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can influence a child's future, and how understanding that influence can help break cycles of trauma
Peer support for mental health makes a difference on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation
Another historic photo from the town of Sherman. Once upon a time, the Blacksmith was front and center of a town’s commerce. Everyone used horses and hand tools and if you wanted transportation, the smithy was where you’d be going.
-submitted by Oran Sorenson, from the Collection of Jerry Hunsley
School Days Guessing Game
Week 5 of our guessing game. This one will be tougher, some may not be with us anymore. You seniors, dig out your old yearbooks.
Last week's students were Kenny Henjum, Paul Beck, Jim Coburn, Mark Bly, & Todd Schmidt.
Spitrock Bowling:
The Splitrock Ladies bowled on November 14th, 2023, with the following results:
High Team Game & Series - JSA Engineers/Land Surveyors - 867 & 2567.
High Individual Game - Marcia Bork – 170.
High Individual Series - Jan Fonder – 471.
Kathie Franz picked up the 9-10 split.
Diane Fueston picked up the 3-10 split.
Marcia Bork picked up the 2-9 & 2-7 splits.
Pat Paulsen picked up the 2-6-7-10 split.
Bonnie Bruggeman picked up the 3-9-10 split.
Holiday Coloring Contest!
Palisades Art Gallery is sponsoring a community-wide coloring contest to encourage a love of art! This holiday season, express yourself and color the image below, grab a copy from the Gazette lobby at 506 N Main, or print your own copy from https://www.garretsongazette.com/holiday-coloring-contest/.
Everyone is encouraged to enter, as there are contest categories for the following ages: 1-3, 4-8, 8-12, and 12+ (including adults!).
All submissions are due by December 8 so they can be featured at Palisades Art Gallery during Hometown Christmas on December 9. Category winners will win an art supply package worth up to $25. Submissions can be dropped off at the Gazette office or mailed to PO Box 327, Garretson, SD 57030. Please include contact information with the submission (on the back or on a post-it note). For minors please include parent/guardian name and phone or email. Click here for a printable copy: Holiday Coloring Contest Printable
I am a husband, father of three and a certified organic farmer south of Madison, South Dakota. I share my story because it resonates with the stories of thousands of South Dakotans—farmers and property owners—who could find themselves facing a situation similar to mine.
My story is about the potential threat to the very future of my ability to farm and to the legacy that future generations could carry on. A proposed CO2 pipeline route is 250 feet from my mailbox and a mere 800 feet from the edge of my home.
As a father, my primary concern is the safety of my children. Consider the alarming risks of a carbon pipeline rupture—an explosive release of toxic CO2 gas, endangering not only our livelihoods but the lives of anyone in close proximity. The safety of our families is at stake, and that's something we cannot afford to compromise. I firmly believe that the pipeline’s potential threats far outweigh any supposed benefits it claims to bring to our communities.
Additionally, the abuse of eminent domain laws by corporations is an injustice that strikes at the heart of property rights. No private entity should have the power to strip South Dakota landowners of their property rights, all while socializing risks and privatizing profits.
We must stand together against the exploitation of eminent domain, rallying to protect our rights as farmers, as parents, and as responsible citizens. That's why I became involved with South Dakotans First—a collective effort to defend our communities and fight for the future that South Dakotans truly deserve.
In unity, we can safeguard our lands, our families, and our shared future. Let us work together to prioritize the well-being of South Dakotans. Together, we can put South Dakotans First.
We need to get on the agenda at every County Commission meeting and ask them to write Moratoriums until they can draft Ordinances routing these pipelines.
We, the citizens in every County, deserve reasonable protection from the CO2 pipelines being forced on us by private companies. The CO2 pipelines of the type proposed for our area have never been built anywhere and are being built by companies that have never built or managed a hazardous CO2 pipeline. Summit Carbon Solutions is a new private for-profit company formed to take advantage of massive lucrative 45Q Federal tax credits (directly and indirectly), also known as corporate welfare.
Their proposed carbon pipeline will be the largest and longest CO2 pipelines ever constructed in the United States, and will only take CO2 from Ethanol plants. They do NOT take CO2 from any other sources that do exist. This company has not previously built, or has no management experience in hazardous CO2 pipelines. South Dakota will be the guinea pig for their experiment.
This is NOT all about CO2 pipeline going in the ground. If this project goes through, they will be applying to the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) for permits to take MILLIONS of gallons of water from the artesian aquifer to cool their pumps along the route. DNR had considered granting a permit to Redfield Energy for this purpose. This will affect many farm, ranches, and small towns that rely on this water source for domestic use.
Spink, Brown, and McPherson County Commissioners have done an OUTSTANDING job of protecting their citizens by passing ordinances that route this hazardous pipeline away from home, cities, feedlots, hospitals, schools, etc. These counties have NOT been swayed by the taxes this pipeline could possibly generate and further commissioner enticement of “grant money” to be used for anything; this would be quid pro quo to ascertain affirmative support. SCS claims that the taxes will benefit county residents. Does this out-weigh the dangers that would be present? Greed for 45Q Federal tax is what is driving the need for this and similar pipelines.
The SD PUC has followed the State statute that gives the Counties the authority to route pipelines. SCS at several meetings stated that these counties have miles of existing hazardous pipelines. This is a true statement for Oil and Natural Gas pipelines. There are NO current CO2 pipelines in any County in South Dakota.
Oil and Natural Gas leaks are easily contained and cleaned up. CO2 is an asphyxiant, (killing any people or animals). It would look like a fog as it is heavier than air. Anyone entering the cloud would need to wear a respirator.
SCS personnel are currently out in Northern Spink and Southern Brown, trying to obtain easements and planning 4 different possible routes. The easements are paying 20% up front with the other 80% being paid once the pipeline has been built.
At many Commission meetings SCS is on the agenda for 15 minutes and often take more than 1 hour. They have asked for a 2-hour meeting several times. Our County Commissioners have full agendas with many important items to evaluate and decisions to be made. The number of times SCS has kept coming back is almost to the point of harassment.
When SCS re-files with the SD PUC for a new permit, possibly before the end of 2023. It will be very important for the Citizens of SD to attend the PUC meetings with comments to present. Please be ready to step up at these meetings and present your comments. Also be sure to post them on the new docket.
Any Landowner willing to sign one of these easements, needs to be sure to have this pipeline at least 6ft. in the ground and at least 2500ft from a resident’s buildings. Once you sign, you have given up all your rights to the land you own. I suggest you do your research and get informed first. Ask yourself, how will this affect my family, business, livestock, and if the money is worth the trouble? Be sure to contact a lawyer before you give up your property rights to your land.
This CO2 does not come from the combustion engine (that is CO Carbon Monoxide). CO2 is coming from only the fermentation of corn in the Ethanol plant. At present it is being injected into the steam that is part of the cook-off process making ethanol.
There are foreign investments and ties to foreign companies in Summit’s company, including a South Korean company SKE&S, which is related to SK Holdings, a company fined over 70 million dollars for defrauding US military contracts. The Department of Justice documents show SK Holdings pleaded guilty in 2018 and again in 2020 to Government Fraud. Another case was listed as a settlement, while another is still pending.
There are currently 229,287 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines (Natural Gas, Oil and CO2) in the US. About 2.2% or 5,100 miles are CO2 pipelines - - currently the most in the world. The vast majority, above 90%, of CO2 pipelines are used for enhanced oil recovery. At least 80% of CO2 in the pipes comes from high pressure, high purity natural geological underground domes. The 5,100 miles of CO2 pipelines include the Cortez (502 miles), Sheep Mountain (408 miles) and Bravo (218 miles). The rest of the pipelines are around 100 miles or less each.
This article is to support County Commissions that are doing the right thing to protect their Citizens. I urge other Counties to follow the lead of Brown, Spink and McPherson Counties. Landowners need to be informed of these issues before they sign any agreement.
