Tag: South Dakota

DNA From Sitting Bull’s Hair Confirms Living Great-Grandson’s Ancestry

WASHINGTON—A sample of Sitting Bull’s hair has helped scientists confirm that a South Dakota man is the famed 19th century Native American leader’s great-grandson using a new method to analyze family lineages with DNA fragments from long-dead people. Researchers said on Wednesday that DNA extracted from the hair, which had been stored at the Smithsonian…


South Dakota Gov. Noem Signs Order to ‘Protect’ State Employees From Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday signed an executive order she says will “protect” state employees against President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate by allowing them to easily obtain medical and religious exemptions. “South Dakota is fighting back against the heavy hand of @JoeBiden & his Administration,” the Republican governor announced on Twitter. “Today…


South Dakota Governor Addresses Report Over Daughter’s Licensure

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, shared a statement by video late Friday to address a report about a meeting she reportedly held last year that included her daughter and a state employee who was overseeing her daughter’s application to become a real estate appraiser. Noem’s daughter, Kassidy Peters, was present at a meeting in July 2020…


South Dakota Governor Addresses Reports Over Daughter’s Licensure

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, shared a statement by video late Friday to address media reports about an alleged meeting she held last year that included her daughter and a state employee who was overseeing her daughter’s application to become a real estate appraiser. Noem’s daughter, Kassidy Peters, was present at a meeting in July 2020…


South Dakota Attorney General Reviewing Noem’s Meeting With Daughter, Officials

South Dakota’s attorney general is looking into a meeting Gov. Kristi Noem had with her daughter and top officials last year. “I have been contacted by concerned citizens and legislators. I am actively reviewing their concerns and I will be following the steps prescribed in codified law in relation to those questions,” South Dakota Attorney…


South Dakota Governor Orders Review of Abortion Laws After Texas 6-Week Ban Stands

South Dakota’s governor on Thursday said she ordered her office to review a new Texas law that bans most abortions in an effort to see whether laws can be tightened in her state. The Texas law, which went into effect on Sept. 1, bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, with exceptions for medical…


South Dakota AG Gets Fines, No Jail Time in Pedestrian Death

FORT PIERRE, S.D.—South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded no contest Thursday to a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges over a crash last year that killed a pedestrian, avoiding jail time despite bitter complaints from the victim’s family that he was being too lightly punished for actions they called “inexcusable.” Circuit Judge John Brown had…


Widow of Man Killed by South Dakota AG Wants Records Private

PIERRE, S.D.—The widow of a man struck and killed on a South Dakota highway by the state’s attorney general is attempting to block the release of her husband’s mental health records. A judge recently ordered several hospitals and clinics to provide records about Joe Boever’s psychiatric state. The order from retired Circuit Court Judge John…


South Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is Back

The Black Hills of South Dakota are roaring with motorcycles and crowds at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Some 700,000 people were expected to celebrate their enthusiasm for motorcycles at the 10-day event that kicked off Friday in the western South Dakota city. The 81st annual biker rally, which runs from Aug. 6 through Aug. 15,…


Critical Race Theory Is Not the Basis for Instruction at South Dakota’s Colleges: Regents

South Dakota Board of Regents announced on Thursday that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is not currently, nor in the future, the basis for instruction at public universities in the state. The South Dakota Board of Regents said their history program will include instruction on America’s flaws and mistakes so students can learn from the past…