Readers know Bluestem has been following considerations of tribal sovereignty for many years. Since moving to Summit, SD, within the historical boundaries of the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, we've been following the fate of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, since our next door neighbor, a SWO citizen, is the father of three happy and bright adopted brothers, raising the boys along with his non-Indian wife. His own mother is a traditional herbalist who owns a small business, and the boys help gather sage and other herbs for their grandmother, as well as... Continue reading

While my neighbor saw a mountain lion cross her path while out on a walk north of town a few years ago--and an occasional bear ambles into Roberts County--this hasn't been an issue in Summit. I grew up hearing a story about a great-great-grandmother shooting a cougar out of a tree above where her children were playing in early statehood southern Minnesota, so I gather the concerns about safety aren't misplaced, even these days. From South Dakota News Watch: Dangerous wild animals encroaching on South Dakota neighborhoods By Bart Pfankuch SPEARFISH, S.D. – Holly Hansen doesn’t have hard data to... Continue reading

On June 1, Bluestem noted in Third time: Scott Jensen to rejoin usual bunch of quacks at Global Health Freedom Summit, that former state senator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jensen had been saying for a couple of months that he was suing the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and Attorney General Keith Ellison over the Board's investigation of Jensen's unconventional health care views. At that time, no lawsuit had been filed. Bluestem was left to guess had been the topic of the complaints against Jensen, since the inquiries and files of Board of Medical Practice investigations are closed... Continue reading

On Thursday, Bluestem Prairie posted Governor Kristi Noem orders South Dakota National Guard troops to Mexican border again, a South Dakota Searchlight article about the governor's latest border excursion. But there's more to the story: how South Dakota is paying for it. The Searchlight's Seth Tupper reported Friday in Noem plans to use emergency and disaster money to pay for border troop deployment: Gov. Kristi Noem’s funding source for a troop deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border is the state’s Emergency and Disaster Fund, a revelation that caused a top-ranking legislator to criticize the plan and question its legality. Noem announced... Continue reading

Data reporter dude or not-from-around-here-guy? At the Minnesota Reformer, North Star State transplant Christopher Ingraham doesn't quite seem convinced about spending money for wildlife management. I've had to stifle my inner deep-rural, bumpkin heritage conservation and hunter soul to realize the questions are good ones, and Ingraham buries the lede in the last paragraph: The DNR, however, estimates that deer hunting “generates nearly $500 million annually in total economic activity to the state.” If you buy that figure, $32.8 million seems like a reasonable investment. The state herd is threatened by an always fatal prion disorder and habitat issues, so... Continue reading

A recent appearance at a town hall in Rochester by unsuccessful 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen--read about it here at KTTC's Former Minnesota governor candidate Scott Jensen speaks at town hall in Rochester--made me wonder whether he'd again be joining the speakers at the annual anti-vaxxer fest in Alexandria MN, the Global Health Freedom Summit. Yes indeedie, as the screenshot above from the website's Event Speakers page shows. The purpose of the event? From the Global Health Freedom Summit's tickets page: Our goal is to give uncensored updates from names you trust while discovering new and important front-line voices.... Continue reading

Earlier in this decade, Bluestem reported Our own Ludlow? Noem partying like 1914 with use of private money to deploy National Guard and AP: ‘Slow day:’ South Dakota National Guard emails don’t match Noem border ‘war’ talk. Now South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is at it again. Joshua Haiar reports for the South Dakota Searchlight in Noem orders National Guard troops to Mexican border again: Gov. Kristi Noem announced plans Thursday to deploy more South Dakota National Guard troops to the nation’s southern border this summer. Noem has sent South Dakota soldiers to the border previously. She said the new... Continue reading

In February 2022, my beau (a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate elder) and I attended a "signing ceremony," one of the steps necessary for the return of the remains of SWO children who had died at the notorious Carlisle Indian School. Now Keloland reports that Amos LaFramboise will be coming home in September. Rae Yost reports in Tribal student’s remains to be returned to South Dakota: The remains of a South Dakota student who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania will be returned to the state later this year, according to the U.S. Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC). Amos... Continue reading

I was happy to see rain fall in Summit overnight through our region. Water is life and it was getting mighty dry--and a new story from Iowa illustrates that truism. Last December, Bluestem republished Iowa Capital Dispatch's Part of Ocheyedan River, a southwestern MN/northwest IA watershed, has been pumped dry.Jared Strong reported then: A significant stretch of a northwest Iowa river has run dry several times in the past seven years as a rural water utility has pumped more water from the ground — at least a quarter of which is sold out-of-state — with the approval of state regulators.... Continue reading

A few days old, but this South Dakota Searchlight article should interest Bluestem's readers. Meanwhile, Summit Carbon Solutions' new talking point is that climate change deniers--like environmental groups one is left to suppose--are part a "hurdle" to its success as the West Central Tribune reported in Climate change denial among hurdles for carbon capture pipeline project in southwestern Minnesota.That's enought to make barn cats laugh. Environmental groups seek Biden moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines By Jared Strong President Joe Biden should prevent the construction of new carbon dioxide pipelines until changes to federal rules are adopted to increase their safety,... Continue reading

On Thursday, the Star Tribune's Burl Gilyard reported in Former SBA administrator will be Minnesota's next DEED commissioner: Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday tapped Matt Varilek as the next commissioner of the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Varilek is president of the Little Falls-based Initiative Foundation, which provides business loans, nonprofit grants and leadership training to 14 central Minnesota counties, plus the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs bands of Ojibwe. He has led the foundation since January 2017. Varilek starts on June 20. "Having grown up in a lower-income household, I'm passionate about helping more people enjoy... Continue reading

Some good news from the South Dakota Searchlight for those of us who appreciate wetland conservation. Feds propose drainage rules to protect wetlands in SD and nearby states By Joshua Haiar A government agency wants to keep water-draining equipment used by farmers away from federally protected wetlands in several states. Drain tiles are underground perforated pipes buried in farmers’ fields. They are used to drain unwanted water – including some wetlands – allowing for more room to plant crops. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a process to determine how close drain tile can be installed to wetlands... Continue reading

On November 23, 2022, South Dakota Searchlight published Incoming Secretary of State looks to hand-count ballots, audit each election, an article which appeared on November 29 in States Newsroom sibling Minnesota EReformer as South Dakota’s new secretary of state has ties to vocal Minnesota election denier. Rick Weible, that vocal Minnesota election denier, is once again speaking about election integrity in Minnesota, in events sponsored by Republican BPOUs. On May 15, his Central Minnesota Election Summit in Milaca was sponsored by Kanabec County Republicans. On May 20, it was a Master Class in Election Integrity, sponsored by the Senate District... Continue reading

Following a legislative news update from a Central Minnesota conservative Republican state representative led me to Here’s the legislation passed by Minnesota’s DFL majority, where Alpha News' Anthony Gockowski reported: . . .One dissenting voice would have been enough to derail their entire agenda. Instead, swing-district senators were reliable green votes on every major piece of legislation. In just four months, the DFL majority: . . . Raised fees for fishing, boating, and visiting state parks; Well, not exactly. As Walker Orenstein reports at MinnPost in Higher fees for boats and jet skis but anglers, park visitors won’t pay more... Continue reading

An interesting read from South Dakota News Watch. about indigenous education. Native American leaders in South Dakota forge ahead with educational reforms By Bart Pfankuch RAPID CITY, S.D. — Early mornings at the new Oceti Sakowin Community Academy are a joyous time for the roughly 28 kindergartners who attend and the two staff members who teach them. Before classes begin, students join in a circle and sing the “Four Directions” song in Lakota, and students shake one another’s hands and share a positive greeting to promote kinship. Meanwhile, head of school Mary Bowman recites uplifting messages to show gratitude for... Continue reading

Bluestem has long respected GAC professor emeritus of mathematics, computer science, and statistics Max Hailperin's knowledge of Minnesota election law and history. Here's his review of changes to the Gopher State's election law by the just-adjourned 2023 session, originally published in the Minnesota Reformer. The 2023 Legislature did a lot on election laws. Here’s a (nearly) comprehensive look. By Max Hailperin The Minnesota Legislature passed three bills that affect election administration, two of which were already signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, with his signature expected for the third. I’ll try to focus on major changes to elections policy.... Continue reading

Just before I plant more vegetables and melons--and begin slapping paint on my home--here's a digest of news about the just-finished Minnesota legislative session. Though it's late, I'll be putting cabbage plants for sauerkraut, so best to start with headlines from conservative Alpha News. The latest? There's Legislators finalize HHS bill that expands MinnesotaCare to illegal immigrants. And DFL-controlled legislature hands $8 billion transportation bill to Walz for signature. Not to mention Legislature passes bill that will increase state government operations by 40 percent and Democrats sneak abortion provisions into omnibus bill. Moving to MinnPost, Peter Callaghan and Walker Ornstein... Continue reading

This article appeared in the Minnesota Reformer, then the South Dakota Searchlight, an example of the great work the States Newsroom is doing in an era of shrinking commercial newsrooms. It should appeal to our readership in both states. Bill that could doom Fairview-Sanford merger heads to Walz’s desk; Fairview, Sanford undeterred By Michelle Griffith The Minnesota Legislature on Sunday passed a bill that bans anti-competitive health care mergers, which could kill the proposed marriage of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health. The bill also prohibits out-of-state entities from owning in whole or part University of Minnesota... Continue reading

We're facing a day of unavoidable errands, so we'll rely again on other sources for coverage of the transportation omnibus bill conference committee report's passage. There's a strong look at what's in the agreement in Peter Callaghan's DFL transportation deal includes tying gas tax to inflation, adding new 50-cent delivery fee, metro sales tax in MinnPost. At the Star Tribune, Janet Moore, Jessie Van Berkel and Briana Bierschbach reported Minnesota Legislature passes $1.3B transportation deal with gas tax hike, sending it to Walz. From Session Daily: DFLers call transportation package a ‘generational investment’ as House gives a green light By... Continue reading

In the past few weeks, I've been helping turtles across the roads here in Northeast South Dakota, knowing that at least we hadn't have to worry about commercial turtle harvests diminishing their populations as well. As Bluestem Prairie has reported in the past, the reptiles' reproductive cycle is even slower than their pace, although I have seen snapping turtles gain some speed by running on their tiptoes. A friend of Bluestem texted this update about what's going into law once Governor Walz signs HF2130: Below is a summary of the turtle provisions in HF 2310 (Art. 4, Sec. 54, 72-75,... Continue reading

On Sunday, the Minnesota Senate has passed HF1938, the conference committee report on taxes, which the House passed on Saturday. Here's the vote board in a tweet from the Minnesota Farmers Union, along with highlights for its members: The #mnsenate just passed the tax bill that: ✅ Renews + expands the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit ✅ Increases first tier ag homestead to rein in property taxes ✅ Funds SWCDs. In the words of @AricForMN, these are “great things for ag.” Next step: @GovTimWalz’s signature! pic.twitter.com/W7WP7SJ0Vo — Minnesota Farmers Union (@MNFarmersUnion) May 21, 2023 Here's Session Daily's story about the bill,... Continue reading

On Thursday night, Tim Walker reported for Session Daily, House passes finalized cannabis legalization bill, sends it to Senate. Early Saturday morning, KARE 11 political reporter John Croman tweeted: History made in the wee hours -- Minnesota Senate gives final approval to the adult-use cannabis bill, sending it to Gov. Walz's desk. Recreational marijuana prohibition will end this summer. Straight party-line vote. pic.twitter.com/izHfvXBQ8x — John Croman (@JohnCroman) May 20, 2023 The legislature now passes the bill to Governor Walz, who supports legal adult recreational cannabis, for his signature. At Minnesota Public Radio, Dana Ferguson and Brian Bakst report in Capitol... Continue reading

The concerns about violations of surface water quality standards for selenium, as well as being on territory unceded under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty caught my interest in this story from the South Dakota Searchight. State board considering expansion of Black Hills gold mine By Makenzie Huber A state board won’t make a final decision on the proposed expansion of South Dakota’s lone large-scale gold mine for another two months, after the board listened to two days of testimony during a hearing this week in Pierre. The expansion of the Coeur Wharf Resources mine, just north of Terry Peak and... Continue reading

Articles published before the passage by the Minnesota Legislature of the omnibus environment, natural resources, climate and energy budget conference committee report stressed the historic importance of the legislation. At Minnesota Public Radio, Dan Kraker reported in State lawmakers agree to 'historic' environment and climate bill: State lawmakers have reached an agreement on what backers say is a historic environment, energy and climate budget bill that will make transformative investments to help Minnesota combat climate change and move more aggressively toward a carbon-free economy. The $2 billion package tackles big conservation issues like so-called “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, and chronic... Continue reading

In last fall's campaign, Governor Kristi Noem came out for the repeal of the sales tax on food. Now circumstances and her stance has changed. At South Dakota News Watch, Stu Whitney reports in Gov. Kristi Noem pulls support for grocery tax measure over jeopardized tobacco money: South Dakota News Watch editor’s note: This is the second in a series of South Dakota News Watch stories providing analysis of potential South Dakota ballot initiatives for the 2024 election. A citizen-led campaign to eliminate South Dakota’s state grocery tax through a measure on the 2024 ballot won’t have the backing of... Continue reading