Bluestem Prairie

VIDEO: Stop the Spread SD's South Dakota COVID-19 Memorial Display

The memorial service was streamed on Facebook by Stop the Spread SD:

For the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Trevor Mitchell reports in Empty chairs sit on Capitol grounds in memory of state's COVID-19 victims:

Hundreds of empty chairs sat on the grounds of the South Dakota State Capitol on Thanksgiving morning, a memorial for the more than 800 people in the state who have died of COVID-19.

The memorial, put on by Stop The Spread SD and sponsored by the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was livestreamed on Thursday morning, with in-person viewing discouraged to promote safety.

"Shown by this memorial is the massive loss that we have seen and will continue to see in South Dakota," said an organizer who spoke before the event who said his name was Joseph.

"We stand vigil to show families that their loved ones are not forgotten, that their hurt is not ignored," he said. "We sit at the heart of our state because the hurt caused by COVID-19 is in the heart of all of us." . . .

Read the rest at the Argus Leader.

Dakota Free Press's Cory Allen Heidelberger muses in WV GOP Gov. Justice: We Don’t Want to Be Like South Dakota:

Sanford Health’s new CEO, Bill Gassen, is a registered Republican and a big-dollar donor to Governor Kristi Noem, but Gassen says masks help prevent coronavirus and should be required statewide. West Virginia’s Republican Governor, Jim Justice, implemented such a requirement in July and continues to support that requirement with passion.

In his Wednesday briefing on coronavirus and what we need to do to fight the pandemic, Governor Justice rebutted the comments he says he gets from some of us people saying they want to be more like South Dakota. Pointing to the CBS report in which Sioux Falls mayor Paul TenHaken says he can’t enforce mask rules in South Dakota because, “This is cowboy country, man,” Governor Justice said that attitude has led South Dakota to be the deadly model of exactly how not to fight a pandemic. Far from taking away people’s rights, mask requirements are part of Governor Justice’s effort to do everything he can to protect people from getting sick and dying and not being able to exercise their liberties . . .

Governor Justice sounds more like our old Governor Norbeck than our current Governor Kristi Noem.

To recognize the toll of Governor Noem’s relative indifference to the worst public health emergency to hit South Dakota in a century, somber South Dakotans placed 849 empty chairs, one for each reported coronavirus death in our state, in Hilger’s Gulch, across the street north from the State Capitol. The event was mostly silent, but participants also offered prayers both Lutheran and Lakota. . . .

Read and watch more at Dakota Free Press.

Stop the Spread SD describes its mission:

Stop the Spread SD's primary goal is to STOP THE SPREAD of COVID-19 in our great state. We encourage South Dakotans to practice adherence to the Centers for Disease Control recommendations of handwashing, social distancing, and mask-wearing.

Video: Via Facebook.

Image: From the Stop the Spread SD Facebook page; the photo speaks directly about the participation of the singers.  Some background--on Wednesday, the Hill reported in Native Americans feel 'trapped in a house on fire' as coronavirus surges in South Dakota:

While Native Americans in South Dakota make up only 9 percent of the state’s population, they make up 14 percent of all cases and 15 percent of all deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Donate: From the group's Facebook page:

Help us to give a memorial gift to a South Dakota charity that has either been affected by or cares for those affected by COVID-19.

To donate to our cause, you can visit the SD Synod at sdsynod.org and click the red "donate" button. Make sure to note #StoptheSpreadSD in the memo!

 

For checks or mailed donations, please specify #StoptheSpreadSD in the memo line and send to:

Stop the Spread SD, c/o SD Synod

2001 S Summit Ave

Sioux Falls, SD 57197

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient

NDN Collective: Decolonizing Thanksgiving

As its frontpage says, the NDN Collective describes itself:

NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.

Together, we decolonize and transform systems while providing tools and strategies for Indigenous self-determination and movement-building.

We're big fans and today, Thanksgiving Day 2020, its Twitter account shared this:

2020 is the year to tell the REAL story of Thanksgiving. Let’s talk. Read the full thread on our IG: https://t.co/kQUaTHD4x1

S/O to @sywtta for this collaboration and for breaking myths around "Thanksgiving". pic.twitter.com/J0PmWjz4de

— NDN Collective (@ndncollective) November 26, 2020

We agree. Here's the Instagram thread:

The first article recommended at the end of the thread is Ruth Hopkins' The First Thanksgiving: Separating Myth From Fact, published earlier this month at Teen Vogue. Hopkins is "a Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer, biologist, attorney, and former tribal judge," whose husband, Roly S. Hopkins, Jr., was recently elected chair of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate after serving a short period an interim chair (our partner is a citizen of the SWO).

Hopkins begins:

Here in the United States, we’ve all heard the legendary tale of the first Thanksgiving, when Pilgrims dined with Natives in celebration of a bountiful harvest.

It all started in November 1620, when a group of 102 English religious separatists known as Pilgrims, joined by unaffiliated commercial entrepreneurs, arrived on the shores of North America in a ship called the Mayflower, at present-day Cape Cod. They’d planned to settle in Virginia but were blown 500 miles off course.

Unfortunately, like much of U.S. history, the narrative surrounding the landing of the Mayflower, and what happened to the English settlers on board, has been whitewashed, diluted, or just plain fabricated.

On the 400th anniversary of that fabled landing at Plymouth Rock, let’s delve into the reality of this famous event by sorting myth from fact.

Read the rest at Teen Vogue, and follow @Ruth_HHopkins on Twitter.

We're grateful for the NDN Collective's leadership. If you find you agree, consider making a donation. 

Photo: NDN Collective launched the LANDBACK Campaign on Indigenous Peoples’ Day of this year. Photo by Willi White.

Rapid City letter-to-editor writer objects to Governor Noem's anti-cannabis nanny state

A letter in Wednesday's Rapid City Journal captured our attention. In "The nanny state is here," John Batteen in Rapid City writes:

I’m writing to you on behalf of all freedom loving South Dakotans. The recent lawsuit challenging Amendment A is an affront to our liberty, our voting system, and the will of the electorate.

The hypocrisy of Kristi Noem, Kevin Thom, Rick Miller, and the others who continue to work against cannabis is a blatant insult to the intelligence of our people. She says she trusts South Dakotans to make the right choices for themselves and their families, then turns around and tells us we’ve made the wrong choice.

This is the nanny state government people are so afraid of. The police here for decades now have said about the marijuana laws, “We don’t make the laws, we just enforce them.” Well now, Kevin Thom and Rick Miller think they can make the laws too. That is the very definition of a police state.

Cannabis is a nonpartisan issue. More people voted for Amendment A than voted for Kristi Noem when she got elected. More people voted for IM26 than voted for Donald Trump in our most recent election. If the Republicans choose cannabis as their hill to die on, the 2022 election cycle will not be kind to them. Please do not delay in the smooth implementation of Amendment A. If we can get distributors set up in time for Sturgis 2021, we will make a giant pile of money.

Back in late October, we wrote in The peculiar knots of cannabis policy prompt GOP kinks in South Dakota and Minnesota:

. . . Here in South DaCOVID--where the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported Wednesday South Dakota reaches new highs in COVID-19 hospitalizations, daily cases--Joe Sneve reported earlier in the week, Poll: South Dakotans narrowly favor legal marijuana in the state.

Also popular? The governor's handling of the pandemic, despite the climbing hospitalization and death counts, Sneve report Wednesday in Polling: South Dakotans like Noem's handling of the pandemic.

Sneve reported earlier this week in Personal freedom not part of Noem's thinking on legal pot in South Dakota:

Kristi Noem talks a lot about personal freedom while defending her hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first-term governor of South Dakota, though, doesn't support a libertarian approach to the use of drugs such as marijuana, which voters will decide whether to legalize for both medical and recreational use in next week's election.

Noem has said repeatedly during this campaign season that she opposes both Initiated Measure 26 (medical) and Constitutional Amendment A (recreational). And Friday during an interview with the Argus Leader at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, Noem said she opposes legalizing marijuana in any fashion because it would hurt South Dakota families in the long run.

"I ran for governor telling people that I wanted to build stronger families and create more opportunities for our kids, and i just don't see smoking pot as a gateway to helping people be better," the governor said.

But proponents of legal marijuana say that flies in the face of her repeated calls for less government involvement in people's lives amid the coronavirus pandemic. While Noem has championed personal responsibility during the pandemic, many of her fellow governors issued stay-at-home restrictions and mask mandates.

When both medical and recreational cannabis measures were approved by South Dakota voters, we wondered Will Big Stone Lake become pot tourist haven after South Dakotans vote for legal weed?

Not so fast, Governor Positive Pants and her allies said. In Law enforcement officers ask courts to stop legal marijuana, Joe Sneve reported for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

Two law enforcement officers want the courts to overturn legislation passed by 225,260 voters earlier this year legalizing marijuana in South Dakota.

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Rick Miller filed a lawsuit Friday challenging the constitutionality of Amendment A, which legalized the cultivation, transport, possession and sale of marijuana in in the state.

Voters approved the amendment in the Nov. 3 election with by an 8% margin.

In a release issued Friday announcing the legal challenge, Thom and Miller argue Amendment A violates the constitution because it encompassed more than one subject, a limitation added to the constitution by voters in 2018. And they say the process voters used to pass Amendment A doesn't comply with the constitution. . .. .

Over at Dakota Free Press, Cory Allen Heidelberger took on the nuances of the attack on the will of the voters in Amendment vs. Revision: Anti-Marijuana Litigants Must Show Legal Weed Radically Changes SD Constitution and Government  and Constitutional Question, Not Election Contest: Plaintiffs Show No Voting Irregularities to Justify Challenge to Marijuana Amendment.

And he explores one of the most irritating elements in the attack in Thom, Miller Using Public Resources, Including State Dollars from Noem, to Challenge Amendment A in Court:

. . . Yet the plaintiffs are using public resources to prosecute their complaint against the public vote. Thom and Miller say they are bringing their complaint “in their individual and official capacities,” so they are contending that this effort to overturn the voters’ will is part of their public jobs, meaning they think their effort can be carried out while they are on duty, on the taxpayer’s dime. They have published their complaint on the Department of Public Safety website. Sheriff Thom announced the challenge on official Pennington County Sheriff’s letterhead and directed readers to contact his office’s spokeswoman, (still illegally moonlighting) Senator Helene Duhamel.

And as the kicker, Governor Kristi Noem says the state is helping pay for the plaintiffs’ complaint:

The state of South Dakota is paying for part of the lawsuit.

“The governor approved this because she took an oath to support and defend the constitution. This is part of her duty as governor,” spokesman Ian Fury said.

“In South Dakota we respect our Constitution,” Noem said. “I look forward to the court addressing the serious constitutional concerns laid out in this lawsuit” [Arielle Zionts, “State Paying for Part of Lawsuit Seeking to Overturn Voter-Approved Recreational Marijuana,” Rapid City Journal, 2020.11.20].

That taxpayer cash will go to the plaintiffs’ well-connected, state-favored lawyers, Board of Minerals member and past state bar president Bob Morris of Belle Fourche and Kristi Noem’s favorite lobbyist Matt McCaulley from Sioux Falls. Taxpayer cash will also cover the defense that the Attorney General will mount. So no matter what, taxpayers lose… and win!

Fortunately, the governor and plaintiffs have prompted a defense of the voters choice. For the Rapid City Journal, Arielle Zionts reports in Legal team to fight for ballot measure that legalized marijuana in South Dakota:

The group that successfully campaigned to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in South Dakota through the ballot box will intervene in a lawsuit filed by law enforcement that challenges the constitutionality of the recreational amendment.

“We are prepared to defend Amendment A against the lawsuit filed by Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and Superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol Colonel Rick Miller,” South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws wrote in a news release. “Amendment A was carefully drafted, fully vetted, and approved by a strong majority of South Dakota voters this year.”

Thom and Miller “are trying to invalidate Amendment A and overturn the will of the voters on the basis of two incorrect legal theories,” the release says.

The pair filed a lawsuit last Friday in Hughes County that asks a judge to void the recreational marijuana amendment that was approved by 54% of voters statewide and 59% in Pennington County.

Amendment A violates the South Dakota Constitution because it doesn’t follow the “one-subject rule” and because it’s actually a revision, not an amendment, the lawsuit argues.

The pro-marijuana group says that’s not true and plans to intervene in the case. A legal intervention is when a third-party player who has a stake in the outcome of a lawsuit is allowed to file motions and make arguments in court.

 

“Anyone who reads Amendment A can see that every word relates to the cannabis plant,” the group said.  “Furthermore, Amendment A follows the interpretation of the single-subject rule used by the legislature.”

The revision vs. amendment argument is a “manufactured distinction” that is “unsupported in the law and is utterly insufficient as a basis for overturning a constitutional amendment approved by voters,” the release says. 

The group makes a third argument against the lawsuit: “This lawsuit was filed incorrectly under South Dakota law as a 'contest' to an election. However, the complaint has nothing to do with the manner in which the election was conducted and only relates to the text of Amendment A.”

An election contest is “a legal proceeding, other than a recount, instituted to challenge the determination of any election,” according to SDCL 12-22-1.

Thom and Miller are represented by Robert Morris from Belle Fourche and three attorneys from the Redstone Law Firm in Sioux Falls: Matt McCaulley, Lisa Prostrollo and Christopher Sommers. None of the lawyers responded to messages from the Journal.

McCaulley/Redstone has been awarded $403,375 in contracts to provide legal services and legislative consulting to the governor’s office since Dec 31, 2019, according to public records. McCaulley also a lobbyist for the office and has worked with Noem since 2010, according to a March story from South Dakota News Watch.

Gov. Kristi Noem — who is opposed to recreational and medical marijuana — approved state funds for Miller’s legal fees, according to her spokesman Ian Fury. She didn’t ask Miller and Thom to file the lawsuit, Fury said.

“In South Dakota, we respect our Constitution,” Noem said. “I look forward to the court addressing the serious constitutional concerns laid out in this lawsuit.”

No taxpayer dollars are being used for Thom’s legal fees, said Helene Duhamel, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office and a state senator appointed by Noem. Duhamel, who opposed Amendment A and medical marijuana, declined to say if Thom or a third party is paying the bills.

"No tax dollars is the answer," she said. 

 

.  .  . South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, which is a ballot question political committee, will be represented by three lawyers from the Robins Kaplan law firm, according to Brendan Johnson, a former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota and sponsor of Amendment A. Johnson is teaming up with Timothy Billion and Eric Magnuson, former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Magnuson, a Pawlenty appointee who's now a Robins Kaplan partner, is likely a familiar name to many Minnesota readers.

Johnson and Noem's minions have tangled in court before. Check out the South Dakota ACLU press release from last October, South Dakota Governor Drops Anti-Protest Laws in Settlement Agreement With ACLU.

Freedom only goes so far with the governor of South DaCovid.

Photo: Hemp plants and Governor Kristi Noem.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Session Daily: Board certifies Minnesota election results; three #MNHouse recounts still possible

From Session Daily

by Mike Cook

Confirmation of all House election results is complete. However, recounts could still occur in at least three contests.

The State Canvassing Board unanimously certified the 2020 General Election results Tuesday, including state and judicial offices; the U.S. Senate race; and eight U.S. House of Representatives’ races.

“The election was secure on multiple levels,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “As of today, there have been no reports to the Office of the Secretary of State of particularized fraud or voter misconduct. Minnesota’s record of election integrity has been upheld. As of today, there is no evidence of any successful attempt by any unauthorized source, any adversary and so forth, to infiltrate election infrastructure.”

As things currently stand in Minnesota, the DFL will have a 70-64 seat advantage in the House when the 2021 session begins Jan. 5. However, by law, three races separated by less than one-half of 1 percent are eligible for publicly funded recounts if requested by the losing candidate by Nov. 30:

• 6A: Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL-Hibbing) leads Republican Robert Farnsworth 10,781-10,741 (50.04%-49.85%);
• 19A: Republican Susan Akland leads Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL-St. Peter) 11,621-11,510 (50.15%-49.67%); and
• 38B: Rep. Ami Wazlawik (DFL-White Bear Township) leads Republican Elliott Engen 13,906-13,808 (50.12%-49.77%).

Candidates can pay for a recount themselves for larger margins.

More than 3.29 million Minnesotans cast a ballot in November’s election, more than 1.91 million via absentee ballot, said State Elections Director David Maeda. Simon said the shade under 79.96% voter turnout was not only the best in the country, but highest in Minnesota since 1956.

By comparison, almost 2.97 million votes were cast in the 2016 election, the last year the presidency was on the ballot.

[MORE: View the state canvassing report; post-election review report]

The New House Republican caucus and others filed a lawsuit Monday seeking a temporary restraining order to postpone the result certification.

In a statement, three caucus members said, in part, “Throughout 2020, Secretary Simon illegally altered Minnesota’s election laws. His office issued unlawful consent decrees that greatly affected the rules that govern absentee ballots and who can assist people at the polls. To circumvent the Minnesota Legislature and unilaterally change election law is entirely unconstitutional. This abuse of power must be addressed.”

In a Tuesday ruling, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea ordered all respondents be served a copy of the petition by 4:30 p.m. today, with any response memos due by 9 a.m. Nov. 30.

We'll let readers know if the recounts happen and their consequences--and the same with the lawsuit.

Photo: A view of the House Chamber during the 2018 session. House Photography file photo.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Letter: MN Attorney General Keith Ellison declines invitation to Erik Mortensen's party

Early today, Bluestem posted Newest New House Republican to hold back yard party in Shakopee, invites Walz and Ellison.

A friend at the Attorney General's office just sent us a copy Attorney General Ellison's letter declining the invitation, as he had made plans earlier. Apparently, Ellison takes COVID-19 seriously, since his own mother died from it earlier this year.

Here's the letter:

Letter to Rep-elect Erik Mortensen uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd:

Photo: Keith Ellison.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Newest New House Republican to hold back yard party in Shakopee, invites Walz and Ellison

 

UPDATE #2, November 23, 5:44 p.m.: In a letter, embedded in the new Bluestem post, MN Attorney General Keith Ellison graciously declines invitation to Erik Mortensen's party [end update]

UPDATE, November 23, 3:55 p.m.: Since we posted this article this morning, Ricardo Lopez has reported Incoming GOP state legislator planning Thanksgiving gathering in defiance of Walz COVID-19 orders at the Minnesota Reformer, and Torey van Oot closes Two Republicans join Minnesota House Democrats in urging coronavirus caution with this:

Not all Republicans share West's outlook. On Sunday, GOP Rep.-elect Erik Mortensen, who will represent the Shakopee area, posted a letter online inviting the DFL governor to a Thanksgiving gathering at his home.

The party, set to include darts, a bonfire and "a handful of constituents that live outside my personal residence," would violate Walz's latest executive order limiting private social events.

For himself, Mortensen vowed to continue to carry on in a tweet:

The America hating and anti-freedom media outlets are attacking me; trying to make me back down. But I will continue to be a warrior for everyone’s individual rights whether they appreciate it or not. https://t.co/wTeBVEDsMJ

— Erik Mortensen (@RepMortensen) November 23, 2020

[End update]

Governor Tim Walz's new coronavirus restrictions, detailed at Minnesota's Stay Safe Plan on the state's COVID 19 Response page, includes this item "Gathering outdoors is allowed with immediate household members ONLY."

That's prompted state representative-elect Erik Mortensen, R-Shakopee, to ask ". . . some close personal friends over next week for a get together . . . "

Back on Friday the 13th, Alpha News reported in Newly-elected GOP rep joins four incumbents who defected from Kurt Daudt’s leadership that Mortensen would join the New House Republican Caucus. Careful observers might have guessed this, given the number of Jeremy Munson signs in the election night watch party photo (from Facebook) at the top this post.

Here's Mortensen's first Facebook post about his backyard gathering, from November 20:

Just in case there were doubts about the invites to Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison, Mortensen posted the letters on Sunday (with the details of the party blacked out since it's not like he's asking the whole state over):

#StandUpToWalz Governor Tim Walz has gone too far and I will not obey his illegal and unconstitutional orders telling me...

Posted by Representative Erik Mortensen on Sunday, November 22, 2020

Lawn darts, beanbag toss and civil disobedience...

Meanwhile, a tweet by Representative-elect Mortensen prompted a tweet by liberal writer David Brauer:

This is the yutz that replaced @BradTabke. Pot party candidate got 7.4% here. Tabke won 2 years earlier in a two-way. What a downgrade for Shakopee. https://t.co/PGwSkccXyO

— David Brauer (@dbrauer) November 23, 2020

Given this copy in the Alpha News article, we had thought Mortensen was just a party-pooper:

Daudt was reelected to his leadership role during a House Republican Caucus meeting last Friday, which Mortensen claims he wasn’t invited to but attended anyway.

Mortensen said he plans to “pull back the veil” on what’s really happening at the Capitol and expose “how shady so much of this is.”

“I went into that meeting. They had no idea I was coming, which made it a lot of fun,” Mortensen said in a recent video. “They even tried to kick me out. They tried to pull me aside and say, ‘you need to leave or pledge that you’re going to join this caucus.’”

Mortensen won the Republican primary in August over former Rep. Bob Loonan, the House GOP’s preferred candidate for the seat. In his video, Mortensen said “establishment Republicans” spent “tens of thousands of dollars against” him, including the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, an organization founded by a former Daudt staffer.

“Unfortunately, that group elected the minority leader all over again, Kurt Daudt, and that person has lied to me repeatedly, he’s campaigned against me,” said Mortensen. “There’s no way I could look up to that person as a leader.”

In a recent email to his supporters, Mortensen confirmed that he will join the New House Republican Caucus when he’s sworn in, a decision he made after attending Friday’s caucus meeting.

“Unfortunately, Rep. Kurt Daudt was elected as minority leader again. Of course in his press release, Daudt made it sound like his support was unanimous but I can assure you that was not the case,” said Mortensen. “There was a lot of division in the room, other lawmakers even thanked me for speaking out against his leadership.” . . .

Perhaps being left out is where Mortensen got the idea to invite Walz and Ellison. Or he could simply be a yutz, as Brauer writes.

The MN Jobs Coalition spent $4,940 in independent expenditures (IE) against Mortensen and $2470 for his Republican primary opponent, according to its filings at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. That was the only Republican-leaning IE spent against Mortensen this year, according to data at the state campaign finance board, which indicates a total of $124,284.33 was spend for and against the race.

Most of the IE spending in the race was sprinkled about by the conservative Freedom Club PAC ($39,914.85; $30,914.85 pre-primary); and the state of Virginia-based Make Liberty Win PAC ($62,745.22; $28,102.63 pre-primary) according to pre-general campaign finance reports online at the board.

Looks like the pro-Mortensen conservative money-bags outspent the MN Jobs Coalition. Details, details.

Related posts:

• Facebook fundraising: Jeremy Munson cashes in on "Give to the Max Day" for political campaign
• MAGASOTA's surprising speakers list for Northfield Trump Rally Minnesota 2020 Saturday
• MN55A: Mortensen deletes fake news about Tabke's views after area hunter calls him out

Photo: An election night party, via Mortensen's Facebook page. No doubt about it, this one's a party animal. Or maybe not. If the Facebook embeds become unavailable, we'll fill the holes with screengrabs.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

 

State rep hosts meeting in county making national news as COVID hotspot, slams Walz order

English writer Thomas Hardy waxed poetic about the Titanic meeting an iceberg in The Convergence of the Twain.

Two headlines in the Alexandria Echo Press and the Detroit Lakes Online (it's in Minnesota  BTW), nearly moved us to poetry this morning, but we're settling for a blog post.

First, Google alerts called Karen Tolkkinen's article in the Echo Press, Otter Tail County meeting slams Walz over shutdown order, to our attention:

Personal liberty and keeping businesses afloat during the pandemic were among concerns expressed at meeting in the town of Ottertail hosted by Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, on Friday, Nov. 20.

The 7 a.m. meeting was held at Betty's Pantry on the final day restaurants can be open in Minnesota before a four-week shutdown along with bars, salons and other businesses ordered by Gov. Tim Walz. It drew about two dozen people from around Otter Tail County. Most were not wearing masks.

COVID rates have been climbing in the heavily conservative county. On Friday, there were 463 active cases in the county, with 15 total COVID deaths since March. That was up from 20 active cases on Sept. 20.

Walz and his order drew heavy criticism from the crowd.

"Speaking of the Constitution, we also have the freedom of assembly, and the government has said now you can no longer assemble with your friends, with your family," Franson said. "Well, I find it hard to believe that our local police officers are going to come to our door."

She said police are cracking down in other countries, citing a Twitter comment about police telling an Australian he couldn't walk his dog.

"We watch these other countries saying, 'How, how is it possible? We are so lucky over here. And then we see what is happening over there start creeping into our country and we're like, how did we allow this to happen? Like frogs boiling."

What can we do with that, other than to recall James Fallows' classic 2006  short essay, The boiled-frog myth: stop the lying now!.

Of course, we are dealing with Representative Mary Franson, so perhaps it's too much to ask.

The newspaper article concludes:

There was resentment about Minnesota's large cities overruling the desires of rural Minnesota and about Walmart and Amazon taking business away from local businesses. They generally agreed that the coronavirus is real, but that people are too afraid of it, and that it's not as serious as people think.

Franson said that it's time for Walz to relinquish his emergency powers.

"We all went into it willingly," to give him his first 15-day emergency powers, but did not expect it to stretch into eight months, she said.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, was originally scheduled to attend the meeting, but was unable to, Franson said.

We congratulate Senator Ingebrigtsen on his absence and hope nothing bad kept him away. Franson had shared notice of the meeting on Facebook earlier in the week and had said she'd be driving:

Ottertail is a thriving small town in Otter Tail County; its population has more than tripled since 1970.

One hopes that trend isn't reversed, whatever those smarty-pants at the New York Times print. Elsewhere in the Forum newspaper chain, Nick Broadway reports in the DL-Online article Otter Tail County makes national news as COVID-19 hotspot:

Data compiled by The New York Times says Fergus Falls, Minn., has one of the fastest rates of coronavirus spread in the United States.

The Otter Tail County seat placed second highest in the nation on Monday, Nov. 16. The ranking has lowered since then, but the area is still in the top 20 as of Wednesday, Nov. 18.

When comparing the Times report to their data, public health director Jody Lien said it appears to represent Otter Tail County as a whole. Fergus Falls by itself does not meet the 50,000 population threshold.

However, the spread has indeed gotten worse. Lien said small gatherings are mainly to blame, including in more rural areas.

CEO of Lake Region Healthcare Kent Mattson said their numbers do stick out when compared to the rest of Minnesota. He told Forum News Service that 30% of the area's overall positive tests occurred in just the last two weeks.

"We can only control so much in the hospital, but the community really controls the breadth of the spread, the rate of the spread," Mattson said. "To help us take care of them, we're just asking them to just do their part and slow it down. Let it come at us more evenly."

As of Thursday, Nov. 19, 65 of Mattson's hospital staff members were unable to work. He said if that gets between 75 and 100, they could be in trouble. He is urging the community to continue masking up and avoiding small gatherings.

"Now is really the time to change that behavior," Mattson said.

Dear reader, in case you missed it, the nuggets from each story:

The 7 a.m. meeting was held at Betty's Pantry on the final day restaurants can be open in Minnesota before a four-week shutdown along with bars, salons and other businesses ordered by Gov. Tim Walz. It drew about two dozen people from around Otter Tail County. Most were not wearing masks.( Otter Tail County meeting slams Walz over shutdown order)

As of Thursday, Nov. 19, 65 of Mattson's hospital staff members were unable to work. He said if that gets between 75 and 100, they could be in trouble. He is urging the community to continue masking up and avoiding small gatherings. (Otter Tail County makes national news as COVID-19 hotspot)

Draw your own conclusion.

Photo: From the article Otter Tail County meeting slams Walz over shutdown order: "State Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, greets those at a Nov. 20 breakfast meeting in Ottertail to discuss Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's emergency order closing restaurants and other businesses for four weeks. She soon pulled her mask over her mouth and nose. (Karen Tolkkinen / Echo Press)."

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Recount widens Commissioner-elect Gardner's margin in Kandiyohi County Board District 2

In Ahmann out? Steve Gardner likely to be next Kandiyohi County Commissioner for District 2 and Ahmann and Gardner recount on for Kandiyohi County Commissioner District 2 seat, we've written about former Willmar city council member Steve Gardner's kitten whisker margin of victory.

The West Central Tribune reported earlier today in Gardner confirmed the winner following Kandiyohi County Board District 2 recount:

Steven Gardner will be sworn in as the next Kandiyohi County Commissioner in District 2, following the recount performed Friday. He defeated incumbent commissioner Steve Ahmann 1,440 to 1,422.

Gardner increased his lead over Ahmann by 5 additional votes, while Ahmann's total remained the same.

The recount was requested by Ahmann, who trailed Gardner by 13 votes prior to the recount. Once the recount was completed, that difference widened to 18 votes. . . .

The transition looks like it will be a smooth one. The West Central Tribune's Shelby Lindrud reports in Gardner wins Kandiyohi County Board seat; Ahmann says he's enjoyed his 20 years of public service:

. . . "I am happy we got a resolution to it," Gardner said. "I am looking forward to getting on with the work."

Ahmann, who is finishing his first term on the County Board, said he accepts the results.

"The vote was tallied and it is correct and I believe the process is correct," Ahmann said. "The final tally was in favor of Mr. Gardner. A very close race." .  .  .

Each campaign was allowed two representatives to directly watch the recount. Ahmann and his wife, Heidi Jo Ahmann, were on hand, as were Bruce deBlieck and Rebecca Trongaard, acting as representatives for Gardner, who was unable to attend the recount. . . .

While his re-election campaign did not end the way he had hoped, Ahmann said he has nothing to complain about.

"I had 20 years of good service," said Ahmann, who served 16 years on the Willmar City Council before being elected to the Kandiyohi County Board in 2016. "I have 20 years of people putting their trust in me. I think that is a win as far as I am concerned."

Gardner said he is looking forward to representing District 2 and the county as a whole once he is sworn into office in January.

"We worked really hard to make our case to the voters," Gardner said. "They seemed to like what we had to say. I look forward to working on their behalf over the next four years."

That's the sort of faith in the election process we like to see.

Photo: Kandiyohi County Commissioner-elect Steve Gardner, via West Central Tribune.

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For National American Indian Heritage Month: Keeler to MnHouse; Kunesh-Podein to MnSenate

It's National American Indian Heritage Month. One of the exciting developments for that heritage is the election of indigenous women to state and federal office.

In Minnesota, Evan Frost interviewed Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan for MPR in ‘We are changing those systems for the better’: Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor, reflects on what it means to be an Indigenous Minnesotan right now. Flanagan reflected:

. . . I also feel like we're in this moment where you can feel things shifting and changing. Like just the number of Indigenous women who are leading across so many sectors right now, it’s not an accident, right? Like we know that Native women have been leaders since time immemorial. It's just the rest of society that is catching up to us. So I think at this moment, what it means to be Indigenous Minnesotan is complicated, but it's also I think, a really helpful and powerful time. . . .

I also hope that we have leadership that accurately reflects the communities it seeks to represent. I think that every election cycle we get closer and closer. Heather Keeler, who is just elected in Moorhead is going to be an incredible addition to the Minnesota House. We have leaders like Jamie Becker-Finn, who is a state representative who's just an incredible leader. Mary Kunesh-Podein, who's now over in the Senate. . . .

News about all three came across our feed today.

Here's a Facebook post from Heather Keeler--Yankton Sioux--marking her first steps on the Minnesota House floor. We first saw it on Facebook via Roseville DFLer and Leech Lake Ojibwe descendant Jamie Becker-Finn:

In all the election drama, maybe you didn’t notice that the people of Moorhead (yes rural MN) elected a strong, progressive Indigenous woman to serve in the Minnesota House. I’m so excited to serve with you Heather!!

 

My first step onto the House Floor, I brought many generations of resilience, pride and hope with me. 🦅 This was surreal. I'm beyond humbled by this opportunity to serve 4A.

Posted by Heather Keeler on Thursday, November 19, 2020

Along with Susan Allen and Peggy Flanagan, Becker-Finn formed Something new for the Minnesota Legislature: a caucus of first Minnesotans in 2017, Briana Bierschbach reported in 2017 for MinnPost. Allen, "the first woman who identified as American Indian elected to the Minnesota Legislature," retired in 2018. Flanagan was elected Lt. Governor that year, the first Native American to hold statewide office in Minnesota.

Mary Kunesh-Podein also moved up, winning a Minnesota Senate seat earlier this month. Known for her work on legislation to counter the scourge of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, she's the first indigenous woman to join the Senate. (Native men have served in the Senate since early statehood, including Becker-Finn's father Skip Finn from 1991-1996).

To get a clear picture of Kunesh-Podein, check out the Minnesota Senate Media Services YouTube posted last week:

Want to read more about indigenous women winning office in Minnesota? In Breaking barriers: Native women and the 2020 election, Emma Quinn reports on Audrey Thayer and Liz Jaakola's victories in city council races in Bemidji and Cloquet. At the Bemidji Pioneer, Hannah Olson provides more details on Thayer's win in A pebble in a lake’: Audrey Thayer to be first Indigenous woman on Bemidji City Council.

White Earth Nation member Steve Green serves on the Republican side of the aisle in the Minnesota House, although he has not reported that heritage to the Legislative Reference Library staff.

UPDATE November 22: A couple of hours after we posted this, Briana Bierschbach and C.J. Sinner reported in the Star Tribune article, Native American voters across Minnesota turned out to oust Trump:

. . . In Minnesota, Mary Kunesh-Podein, of Standing Rock Lakota descent, will become the first Native woman to serve in the state Senate in its more than 150-year history. Yankton Sioux Tribe member Heather Keeler of Moorhead will join Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, DFL-Roseville, in the House.

. . . On the local level, Audrey Thayer, a White Earth band member, won a Bemidji City Council seat, and Fond du Lac band member Lyz Jaakola won a seat on the City Council in Cloquet, Minn.

. . .“Every year they kind of stack on each other,” said Keeler, who recently tweeted a picture of her moccasins planted on the floor of the Minnesota House. “A lot of people will stick to tribal government and they’ll step up in those spaces, but we have to blow the door open and say we’re here. We’re on our land, we’re supporting the people in our communities.”

The Bierschbach and Sinner article is worth a read on the larger issue of native voting. Check it out. [end update]

Photo: Heather Keeler's moccasins and ribbon skirt. Via Twitter.

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Hunted and roadkill wild deer in Dakota and Olmsted Counties test positive for CWD

Since we know readers haven't gotten enough news about terrible diseases, there's more news about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Minnesota.

Via the West Central Tribune, Forum News Services reports in 2 more southern Minnesota deer test positive for chronic wasting disease:

A wild deer harvested in Dakota County on Nov. 7 and a vehicle-killed deer in Olmsted County on Nov. 4 were confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Thursday.

That makes a total of 95 wild deer in the state that have tested positive for CWD out of more than 90,000 samples taken since 2002.

The case of the Dakota County deer, an adult male, marks the first time the fatal neurological disease has been detected in a hunter-harvested wild deer in the newly established south metro disease management zone. The deer was harvested less than a mile from a CWD-positive wild deer discovered in March and was tested after the hunter provided the sample as part of the DNR’s voluntary sampling program.

The Olmsted County deer, an adult female, appeared to suffer injury from a vehicle before dying in Rochester. The resident who reported the dead deer brought the carcass to be sampled by DNR staff for CWD testing. While this is not the first wild deer to have the disease within Deer Permit Area 643, it is the farthest northwest that CWD has been found in the southeast disease management zone.

The DNR has notified the hunter and resident who submitted the deer for sampling of the positive test results, and the meat and carcasses from both deer have been properly disposed.

“It’s concerning to see these two positive test results. We will continue gathering data to see how prevalent the disease is in these areas, and maintain our aggressive management response,” Michelle Carstensen, DNR wildlife health program supervisor, said.

The DNR continues to collect samples from hunter-harvested deer in designated areas during all hunting seasons to help monitor the spread of the disease. Hunters in CWD management zones, control zones or surveillance areas are urged to drop off the head of deer 1 year of age or older at self-service sampling stations. Current sampling locations are listed at dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/index.html.

“We’re grateful to hunters and other Minnesotans for providing samples to test for this disease and help safeguard the health of our wild deer population,” Carstensen said. “These two positive test results are unfortunate, but highlight the importance of our sampling efforts in getting information that shows us how prevalent the disease is in an area. We urge hunters to continue bringing deer to sampling stations. Every sample counts.”

Here's the rest of  the DNR press release: Deer testing finds additional cases of chronic wasting disease; New detections are in the south metro and southeast management zones, from which the

. . .Keeping Minnesota’s wild deer population healthy remains the goal in the DNR’s response to chronic wasting disease. Since CWD was first detected in Minnesota in 2002, the DNR has tested more than 90,000 wild deer in the state.

CWD test results, including locations of confirmed positive test results and statistics, are available on the DNR website.

As part of its CWD response plan, the DNR is monitoring for CWD in disease management zones around areas that CWD has been detected in wild deer, as well as in CWD surveillance areas where CWD has been found in captive deer. The CWD management zones are located in the southeast, north-central and south metro areas of Minnesota; the CWD surveillance areas are located in the east-central, west-central and south metro areas of Minnesota.

Additional CWD information

CWD affects the cervid family, which includes deer, elk and moose. It is spread through direct contact with an infected deer’s saliva, urine, blood, feces, antler velvet or carcass. There is no vaccine or treatment for this disease.

For more information on chronic wasting disease, including maps of CWD surveillance areas, frequently asked questions and hunter information, visit the chronic wasting disease management page.

Photo: White tail deer in a Minnesota woods.

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