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SD News Watch Q&A: US Department of Education's impact on South Dakota

I've been curious how the dismantling of the federal Department of Education might affect the school here in Summit, as well as the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribal schools 

The article republished from South Dakota News Watch answers some of those questions.

US Department of Education's impact on South Dakota: Q&A
by Stu Whitney, South Dakota News Watch

At a White House ceremony on March 20, surrounded by schoolchildren in desks set up for the occasion, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the stated intent of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.

"We're going to eliminate it," the president said of the Cabinet-level agency, which has a budget of $268 billion and is responsible for distributing federal education funds, enforcing civil rights laws and supporting educational research.

In South Dakota, like most of the nation, the executive order was met with expressions of uncertainty among educators, parents and students who searched for concrete answers amidst the politics.

Would the actions reduce Title I funding, which provides resources for schools with high percentages of low-income students? What about federal dollars earmarked for special education, or college student loans administered by the Department of Education?

Those questions are particularly poignant in South Dakota, whose $433 million in federal education funds in 2021-22 represented 21.7% of the state’s total K-12 education budget. That percentage was the second-highest in the nation behind Mississippi (23.3%), partly due to South Dakota's significant Native American population.

Coming off a state legislative session that produced a 1.25% education budget increase – lower than the current inflation rate – and several attempts to allow state funds to be used for private school vouchers, public education advocates describe themselves as being on the defensive.

“There seems to be an attack on public education," said Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the South Dakota Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union.

"South Dakota's public schools are where 83% of our students attend. They are the heart of our communities, so this is very concerning to us, and it should be concerning to the people of South Dakota."

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, who proposed legislation in November to eliminate the Department of Education, countered that the action is aimed at cleaning up cumbersome federal bureaucracy as a means of improving academic outcomes.

Gov. Larry Rhoden and South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joe Graves have both voiced support for President Trump's "reduction of federal influence in education," as Graves expressed it in a statement to News Watch.

"Closing the U.S. Department of Education does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them," said Graves, a former superintendent of the Mitchell School District. "K-12 students, students with special needs, and others who rely on essential programs will continue to receive federal funding as they have before."

News Watch talked to state education officials, school administrators, teachers and politicians to provide insight on the role of the U.S. Department of Education and how proposed changes could impact South Dakota.

Each question and answer below is covered in its own section that can be expanded to show the details by clicking on the title or the down arrow.

What is the role of the U.S. Department of Education?

Congress established the department in 1979 and President Jimmy Carter signed into law as an effort to consolidate federal education efforts.

Nationally, federal funds contribute about 10% of overall K-12 funding, with most money coming from state and local tax dollars. The agency’s 2024 fiscal year budget of $268 billion represented roughly 4% of total federal government spending.

For colleges and universities, the Department of Education manages the federal student loan portfolio, which includes approximately $1.5 trillion in student loan debt for more than 40 million borrowers. It also oversees the Pell Grant, which provides aid to students below a certain income threshold.

Through its Office for Civil Rights, the department conducts investigations and issues guidance on federal laws such as Title IX, which prohibits gender-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal assistance.

How much federal education funding does South Dakota receive?

South Dakota’s K-12 schools received $433 million in federal funds for the 2021-22 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

By comparison, the schools received about $954 million from local sources (primarily property tax revenue) and $612 million in state funds that school year.

That 21.7% share of federal money for total education funding was boosted by COVID-19 pandemic-related aid, contributing to a significant increase from 13.7% in 2018-19.

Not all school-related federal money comes from the Department of Education. School lunch programs are funded through the Department of Agriculture and early educational programs such as Head Start are handled by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Of the Department of Education money, the most significant expenditures are for Title I grants to support low-income students and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds for special education and other services for disabled students.

How much do South Dakota schools rely on Title I funds?

The grants are distributed to school districts based on the number of low-income students using U.S. Census Bureau data and school poverty rates such as the percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch.

In South Dakota, schools in larger cities or those based on Native American reservations typically receive larger allotments of Title I funds. In 2024-25, the state’s largest Title I allocations went to public school districts in Sioux Falls ($6.9 million), Rapid City ($6 million), Oglala Lakota County ($5.1 million) and Todd County ($4.6 million). The next highest was Chamberlain at $1.4 million.

Rob Monson, executive director of the School Administrators of South Dakota, said educators make staffing decisions each spring for the following school year and need to factor Title I and IDEA funds into their decision-making.

“I was the principal in Parkston for 15 years, and every year we would say, 'OK, here’s our Title I allocation, what can we afford this year?'" Monson said. "For us, it would typically be a couple of staff members and very limited supplies, maybe a (professional development) piece where you would send those staff people to a Title I conference. There wasn't a lot of fluff, at least in our budget. It was a very narrow margin on what you could afford.”

Can a president eliminate the Department of Education?

The executive branch lacks that constitutional power. Congress established the department, and it would take congressional action to dismantle it and shift its functions to other agencies.

Such action during the current administration would likely face obstacles even with a Republican-controlled Congress. In the Senate, 60 votes are needed to overcome filibusters and advance measures to final votes.

As for appropriated education funding such as Title I being discontinued, that also falls under the power of Congress, not the executive branch. There has been no proposal to cut such funding for the 2025-26 school year.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued the following statement on March 20, the same day President Trump signed the executive order:

“Closing the department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them – we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition."

Why does President Trump want to shut it down?

Eliminating the Department of Education has been a Republican talking point essentially since its inception, with Ronald Reagan pledging to dismantle the agency during his successful presidential run against Carter in 1980.

A Democratically controlled House of Representatives prevented Reagan from achieving that goal. But conservatives have continued to decry the federal government’s involvement in state and local school district decisions, with an eye toward academic outcomes.

Analysis of 2024 test scores by the National Center for Education Statistics showed that America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills since the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math.

South Dakota reading scores dropped in 2024 compared to 2022 at both the fourth- and eighth-grade levels, while remaining at or above the national average. Math scores for eighth-graders in the state remained about the same as 2022, while fourth-grade test scores improved slightly.

Trump’s current actions were presaged by Project 2025, a blueprint from the conservative Heritage Foundation, which envisioned the Department of Education's role merely as a “statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states.”

Trump also said during his 2016 presidential campaign: “No, I’m not cutting services, but I’m cutting spending. I may cut the Department of Education.”

What sort of changes is Sen. Rounds proposing?

Under his "Returning Education to Our States Act," South Dakota's junior senator has proposed eliminating the Department of Education and redistributing "all critical federal programs under other departments."

“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said in announcing his plan.

The bill would put the Department of Health and Human Services in charge of special education and also impact aid, which compensates schools for federally connected students or residents not living on taxable property.

The Department of the Interior would absorb Office of Indian Education responsibilities, while Pell Grant and federal loan administration would be shifted to the Department of the Treasury. The Department of Justice would handle Title IX complaints and other civil rights enforcement.

Rounds has also proposed "returning education decisions to the states" in the form of block grants that would allow for more flexibility in how some federal education money is spent.

That's a concern to public education advocates, who said putting Title I and other federal funds in the hands of state legislators or the South Dakota Department of Education could lead to that money being shifted to voucher programs encompassing private or homeschooled instruction.

"The reason that the U.S. Department of Education was created was to ensure that all students have access to quality education and that poor communities had the resources to provide that education," said SDEA's Waltman.

"If you turn those responsibilities over to the states, and I'm assuming the state Legislature would have a say in that, would they hold true to the purpose of (low-income) Title I grants? I'm not sure that would be a priority."

What are other South Dakota congressional members saying?

In a statement to News Watch, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson said that the "Department of Education is not meeting the needs of America’s school children." The congressman used the word "restructuring" rather than "eliminating" or "dismantling" the agency.

"Reform is needed, and I’m open to restructuring the department," Johnson said. "That being said, we have to make sure any restructuring doesn’t hurt important functions like Pell Grants, impact aid and special education.”

U.S. Sen. John Thune told News Watch in a statement that the Trump administration will find a "willing partner" in Congress to make sure that education is "focused on improving outcomes for students and families, not D.C. bureaucrats."

“I have long believed that education resources and decision-making would be best left to teachers and school administrators who are on the ground and closer to the students who are being served," Thune added. "While local control is best, I believe there are certain limited educational responsibilities for the federal government that should be preserved.”

Troy James, principal of Beresford Elementary School, 35 miles south of Sioux Falls, met with Thune, Rounds and Johnson on March 10-12 in Washington. He was joined by other South Dakota educators as part of the National School Leaders Advocacy Conference.

When the group asked Rounds about funding cuts as part of his plan to eliminate the Department of Education, James said, the senator "assured us that they would not be cutting money to the states, only sending that money through other departments."

"I think we're confident in the assurances we received from Sen. Rounds and others that the money that we need to serve our kids will still be coming," James told News Watch. "It's just a matter of who's writing the check."

How will South Dakota's colleges and universities be impacted?

The most pressing concern among South Dakota higher education officials involves federal student aid programs and work study initiatives administered through the Department of Education.

For the 2023-24 school year, South Dakota's six public universities had 5,283 Pell Grant recipients for $26.3 million, while 13,051 students received federal student loans totaling $122.9 million.

"Our students benefit greatly from those programs and the financial resources that come with them," Nathan Lukkes, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents, told News Watch.

"We'd hate to see anything negatively impacting their availability. Based on everything that's coming out of the White House and Washington to date, every indication is that there is no intention to alter the provision of those resources."

The ability to distribute funds efficiently, a challenge in the best of times, will be watched closely now that the Department of Education's staff has been cut approximately in half since McMahon took over the agency.

Also of interest to colleges and universities is the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX as part of the law's mandate to prevent sex-based discrimination and provide equitable opportunities for female athletes as well as other legal protections.

Critics said that shifting that role to the Department of Justice could impact the rigor of anti-discrimination efforts, despite recent emphasis from Trump and other Republicans on protecting women's and girls sports.

"I think we're in a solid place in South Dakota in terms of not dealing with some of the challenges or issues you might see surfacing in headlines nationally," said Lukkes.

"The question that remains is similar to some of the other programs within the Department of Education at the moment. What is the plan for appropriately staffing, managing and providing oversight in that area moving forward, whether it gets kicked down to the state level or shifted over to another federal agency. That's the question that people are waiting to see the answer on."

The Associated Press contributed to this story, which was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they're published. Contact Stu Whitney at [email protected].

Photo: A South Dakota classroom. From South Dakota News Watch.

This South Dakota News Watch article is republished with permission.

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Amid kvetching about big-money SD ballot measures, new reports show $12M spent in 2024

Bluestem has often posted about South Dakota's ballot measures. I'm mostly in favor of this feature of South Dakota elections and law-making, though my "yes" and "no" votes on them depends on the topic. I'm happy to be asked.

South Dakota Searchlight's Joshua Haiar looked at spending for and against 2024 ballot measures early Saturday afternoon.

From the South Dakota Searchlight.

Amid complaints about big-money ballot measures, new reports show $12 million spent in 2024
by Joshua Haiar

As some lawmakers complain about the amount of money influencing ballot measures in South Dakota, new numbers indicate that 2024’s ballot question campaigns were among the most expensive in state history.

Ballot question committees recently filed their year-end campaign finance reports. Those and earlier reports show the total amount spent to support and oppose the seven measures in last fall’s election was about $12 million. There are no limits on contributions to ballot question committees.

South Dakota’s campaign finance system makes compiling and comparing campaign finance data difficult. Rather than entering information directly into a centralized system, candidates, committees and independent spenders submit scanned forms to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office that have to be viewed one-by-one, which is what South Dakota Searchlight did to compile its analysis.

Only the state’s 2006 and 2016 elections had more expensive ballot question campaigns, reaching nearly $13 million each of those years, according to historical data maintained by the national nonprofit Open Secrets.

Republican legislators cited last year’s spending as part of their motivation to file bills this year that would tighten restrictions on citizen-initiated ballot measures. 

One major bill that passed will move the deadline for submitting petition signatures from May to February, shortening the petition-gathering window by three months. Gov. Larry Rhoden vetoed a bill that would require constitutional amendment petitions to have signatures from registered voters in every state Senate district, and legislators will consider that veto on Monday. Legislators put a measure on the 2026 ballot that will ask voters to raise the approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%.

Rep. John Hughes, R-Sioux Falls, sponsor of the 60% proposal, said during the legislative session that last year’s ballot measures resulted in “millions of dollars in out-of-state money coming for deceptive, emotionally charged ads stating half-truths.”

Open Secrets reports that about 70% of the money contributed to last year’s South Dakota ballot measures came from South Dakota residents.

Last year’s most expensive ballot measure campaign in the state appears to have been Amendment G, an abortion-rights measure that voters rejected. 

It’s difficult to determine exactly how much was spent in the Amendment G campaign, because the main group supporting the amendment, Dakotans for Health, also supported another unsuccessful ballot question that would have repealed sales taxes on groceries. Dakotans for Health spent a combined $1.32 million on those campaigns and did not separate expenses in its reports.

Opponents spent $2.74 million against the abortion-rights measure.

The grocery tax measure was Initiated Measure 28. Besides the amount spent to support it by Dakotans for Health, groups spent about $240,000 against it. 

Another big-dollar campaign was Referred Law 21, a set of carbon dioxide pipeline regulations that voters rejected. Spending totaled $3.15 million, with $2.87 million by supporters and $275,000 by opponents. The majority of funds in support of the measure came from ethanol producers hoping to build a multi-state pipeline to capture and sequester carbon emitted by their production plants. 

An unsuccessful effort to legalize recreational marijuana use, Initiated Measure 29, was nearly a $2 million campaign with $1.4 million in spending by supporters and about $468,000 by opponents.

Constitutional Amendment F, which legislators sent to the ballot and voters approved, authorized the state to consider imposing work requirements on people eligible for expanded Medicaid benefits. All $587,000 of spending on the amendment was by the no side.

Amendment H, which would have established open primary elections but was rejected by voters, was a $1.95 million campaign with most of that amount spent by supporters. 

South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. South Dakota Searchlight maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seth Tupper for questions: [email protected].

Photo: A Sioux Falls resident votes in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Related posts

•  South Dakota lawmakers' assertions about voter fatigue don’t stop them from sending four measures to the 2026 general election ballot 
• In unofficial results, ethanol carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters
• Seven South Dakota ballot measures, $7 million and counting: Reports reveal total spending
• Dark money in SD: Virginia nonprofit outspends in-state groups in open primaries campaign
• Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure
• Jeepers: ethanol coop kicks in another $400,000 to support carbon pipeline ballot question 
• SD abortion-rights measure opposition gets $500,000 from Leonard Leo's Concord Group 
• Cannabis industry is major funder of South Dakota pot legalization ballot question 

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. 

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MNLeg budget targets digest: House bipartisan leadership and Senate Democrats release figures

After a sometimes foggy, sometimes drizzly morning in Summit SD, real rain has begun to fall in advance of snowfall forecast for this evening. We need the moisture, since the entire state of South Dakota is in a drought.

Whatever the outcome of the front, it's the perfect dreary atmosphere for posting about Minnesota's state budget forecasts. While the articles republished below link to pdfs of each body's budget targets, I've embedded them below for quick comparisons.

From Minnesota Information Services' Session Daily:

Committee budget targets released by House leaders
by Mike Cook

With all session committee deadlines less than two weeks away, House leaders announced an agreement Saturday on committee finance targets while crafting a spending plan for the 2026-27 biennium.

The agreement calls for an almost $1.16 billion reduction in General Fund spending, including $300 million in human services and $50 million in both health and workforce.

“Working in a bipartisan fashion, Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota House were able to agree on a budget framework that responsibly slows expenditures in areas that are growing faster than the rate of inflation. This is a responsible approach that ensures budget stability now and into the future, helping to avoid dramatic cuts to essential services down the road,” Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) said in a statement. He and Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) co-chair the House Ways and Means Committee.

[MORE: Senate budget targets, governor’s budget recommendations]

Budget targets provide House and Senate committees with a key piece as they put together their respective budget bills for the biennium that begins July 1, 2025. Differences between the bodies over how the appropriations are to be spent can then be worked out in conference committees.

The February 2025 Budget and Economic Forecast shows a predicted $456 million state surplus for the 2026-27 fiscal biennium, but a projected shortfall of nearly $6 billion in the 2028-29 biennium.

As a reminder, here are the three deadlines for this year (first and second deadlines are the same day):

• Friday, April 4 at 5 p.m.  — Committees must act favorably on bills in the house of origin and committees must act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other body.
• Friday, April 11 at noon — Committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.

The annual Easter/Passover break is scheduled to begin April 11 at noon. The Legislature will be in recess until April 21 at noon.

Per Joint Rule 2.03, “The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.”

Here's the pdf of the House targets.

MN House Finance Committee Targets uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd:

Meanwhile, the Senate DFL Majority has released its own budget targets. The Minnesota Reformer reported on the development on Friday.

From the Minnesota Reformer.

Minnesota Senate Democrats propose budget cuts amid bleak financial outlook
by Michelle Griffith and Madison McVan

Minnesota Senate Democrats released two-year budget targets Friday that would enact nearly $2.5 billion in cuts over the next four years as the state faces a multi-billion dollar deficit unless lawmakers take action.

The Senate Democratic caucus’ targets say they would leave $2.4 billion on the bottom line over the next two years, and would avert a deficit in the following two-year cycle.

But there’s a major caveat: They don’t account for inflation, which is expected to drive up costs by around $1.1 billion in the upcoming budget, although some economists expect even faster inflation given the Trump administration’s tariffs.

That means cuts will be more widespread and deeper than reflected in the targets, as agencies will face rising costs without money appropriated to cover them. State workers — whose compensation typically comprises the bulk of many agency budgets — are sure to demand pay raises that keep up with inflation, for instance.

Budget targets are guidelines for legislative committees that determine how much money each committee has to spend or needs to cut for the 2026-2027 budget. Targets are subject to change, and often do, as lawmakers create their biennial budget in the remaining weeks of session. The Legislature must pass a budget by June 30, though the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 19.

Minnesota’s increasing costs are outpacing revenues and could cause a projected $6 billion budget deficit in fiscal years 2028-2029. 

Senate Democrats want to avoid the deficit by forcing agencies to eat the cost of inflation. That could lead to staff reductions, program cuts and other cost-saving measures.

The Senate Democrats’ budget targets cut spending on health and human services, environment, energy and transportation, while cutting education in the second biennium.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said in an interview that the budget targets are based on the latest forecast and don’t take into account cuts at the federal level. Murphy said the state’s $3.2 billion in budget reserves will help Minnesotans fare whatever future federal cuts, freezes and uncertainties affect Minnesota.

“We’ve kept the budget reserve … intact so that we have some cushion and the ability to manage at least some of what we might get from the trifecta in Washington, D.C., that seems hell bent on making deep cuts that could hurt families, schools, communities and our health care system,” Murphy said.

Murphy didn’t offer specifics about how lawmakers will achieve the cuts included in the budget targets.

The Senate Taxes Committee, according to the targets, has a target cutting $365 million from their budget, i.e., by either raising taxes or cutting tax subsidies or Local Government Aid, which is in the Taxes Committee’s purview.

Gov. Tim Walz has proposed lowering the state’s sales tax from 6.875% to 6.8% — saving Minnesotans 75 cents for every $1,000 they spend on taxable goods.

Walz has also proposed taxing professional services that are currently exempt from sales tax, including legal, banking, brokerage and accounting services. Combined, the sales tax changes would generate around $185 million over the next two years.

Murphy would not say whether Walz’s sales tax proposals would be included in the Senate Taxes Committee’s budget target.

The biggest increases in the Senate DFL’s targets include $100 million for the Higher Education Committee and $106 million for the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

Murphy said that in higher education, lawmakers will earmark some funds to the Minnesota State Grant program — i.e., college financial aid — which is facing a $211 million budget shortfall.

For the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, much of the money will go toward the courts and Department of Corrections, Murphy said.

The Minnesota House, which is tied 67-67 between Republicans and Democrats, will present joint budget targets early next week, a House DFL spokesperson said.

Republicans and Democrats had a long running debate about how to treat inflation in state budgets. For many years, Democrats sought to include inflation in the state’s projected costs as a more accurate depiction of the budget outlook.

Inflation is reflected in the rising cost of everything from construction to gasoline to fleet vehicles — and especially in areas where the government spends the most: health care and education, and especially wages. By not including inflationary costs, Democrats argued, the budget forecasts were giving the public a deceptive picture of the government’s ability to provide services.

So, in 2023, Democrats passed a bill to require inflation to be included in both sides of the ledger in the budget forecasts of Minnesota Management and Budget, which is the state’s budget agency.

“If we want to create an honest and responsible budget for Minnesota, we need an honest picture of our state’s finances,” said Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, in 2023. “Just like a weather forecast, we want a budget forecast that has the most accurate information available to us, which will allow us as policymakers to make the most informed decisions possible with our budget. No business would make budget decisions based on budget projections that factor in inflation on the revenue side of their business, but not the expenditure side. Neither should state government.”

Here's the pdf of the Senate targets.

2025 Session DFL Senate Targets by uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd:

One reaction to the House budget targets from a retired Republican MNHouse member:

Looks like GOP/DFL have done a good job on budget targets. Agreement results in reduction in size of MN government by about 8/9%.

Shrinks government enough to make conservatives happy but doesn’t cut so much that the DFL freaks out. Good compromise.https://t.co/KWH3X8G2mb

— Pat Garofalo 🇺🇸 (@PatGarofalo) March 29, 2025

Photo: Majority Leader Erin Murphy. DFL-St. Paul, and DFL caucus members outline their focus and work ahead for the 2025 session at a press conference February 10, 2025. Photo by A.J. Olmscheid/ Senate Media Services/ via the Minnesota Reformer.

Session Daily stories can be republished by media outlets. The Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Related post

•  Looming federal cuts complicate MN budget; will they change BOAH's avian flu response?

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. 

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$4M news digest: Walz, legislative ag leaders and animal health experts on avian influenza

On Monday, I republished the grim South Dakota News Watch article, Bird flu in South Dakota: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans.

On the heels of that post, Bluestem published Stearns County dairy tests positive for bird flu; MNHouse ag co-chair Hansen on what to do on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, avian influenza prompted a gubernatorial news conference with legislative and animal health experts.  At the Star Tribune, Jeremy Olson reported in On the cusp of spring migration, Walz urges $4M bird flu defense:

Gov. Tim Walz and state leaders on Wednesday urged new strategies to protect Minnesotans and agricultural producers from H5N1, an influenza strain that has spread rapidly in the U.S. among wild and domestic birds and dairy farms over the past three years.

The highly infectious bird flu variant was most recently found in turkey farms in Dakota and Wadena counties in January, and earlier this month in a dairy farm in Stearns County as a result of the state’s new milk surveillance program.

The prevalence of the virus is low statewide: 1,600 dairy farms were checked and only one tested positive. But state Agricultural Commissioner Thom Petersen said that is likely a short-term reprieve, as H5N1 bird flu could gain a foothold in the state this spring as migrating birds carry the virus north.

“We’re watching the migration very closely,” Petersen said. “I live on a river, and my anxiety level goes very high when I see the geese and the swans and everything that are returning at this time.”

H5N1 bird flu can pass from birds to cattle, to other animals or to humans, but there are no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission. In December, researchers reported a genetic mutation could make the bovine form potentially transmissible among humans.

Walz said Wednesday he has bipartisan support from lawmakers for a $4 million budget proposal to replenish an emergency fund that provides personnel and equipment to prevent or contain H5N1 outbreaks among animals.

State leaders assured Minnesotans that the presence of H5N1 does not threaten the food supply.  . . .

Here in South Dakota, spring migration of birds infected with avian influenza already caused a tragedy among the wild flocks, Keloland reported mid-month in Residents clean up thousands of dead geese on Lake Byron. The station followed up with Dead birds, migration part of avian flu spring, a story that includes an interview with former Minnesota state vet Beth Thompson, now serving in that role in her home state of South Dakota.

Yup, it's a real problem in nature, not a conspiracy.

Here's the YouTube of the news conference, from KAAL-TV's coverage, VIDEO: Governor Tim Walz and state leaders hold briefing on bird flu response:

The news of the press conference spread quickly. In Kandiyohi County, home to many turkey farms, Willmar Radio reported Thursday morning in Governor Walz wants 4 million dollars to fight avian flu:

 Governor Tim Walz says the state of Minnesota should be free of avian flu within the next few days. A herd of dairy cows was put in quarantine for the virus in Stearns County. The governor says the state's aggressive approach is working and that the collaboration with the USDA is allowing for “the most robust and effective monitoring” in the country. The governor cautions we could see another spike when migratory birds return to Minnesota. Walz is asking for $4 million in his budget to keep up the fight against avian flu.

 That's the short skinny. Elsewhere in Willmar, the West Central Tribune republished parent Forum Communications' Ag Week Noah Fish's article Minnesota state leaders give update on ‘unified front’ in state’s bird flu containment:

ST. PAUL — Shortly after the Minnesota Board of Animal Health quarantined a Stearns County dairy herd after samples collected as part of the state’s milk surveillance plan tested positive for H5N1, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, state leaders held a news conference to address avian flu.

Gov. Tim Walz took to the podium Wednesday at the Minnesota State Capitol with Minnesota’s Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, Minnesota State Veterinarian Brian Hoefs and the Minnesota Department of Health Senior Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Malia Ireland to discuss the state’s response.

Petersen said the state Legislature provided an ag emergency account of $4 million to help deal with avian influenza, and that account is down to between $1 million to $2 million, depending on how much money will be reimbursed by the USDA.

Included in the governor's budget proposal is an additional $4 million to help with surveillance, salaries for responders, equipment maintenance and depopulation, if needed. Walz added that he expects the USDA to be able to assist with indemnity compensation for depopulation .

"It's a tough time to be in agriculture right now, and it's tough in Minnesota where we've gone from droughts to floods, and we have avian influenza , and we have trade uncertainties that play a role in this," Walz said. "I think the one consistent piece of this is that our producers know, and the people of Minnesota know, there is a unified front around biosecurity and protection of our agricultural business and the health of Minnesotans that is still very strong."

Petersen remarked that three years ago Wednesday, the state had its first case of avian influenza for that year. Before that, cases were found in the state in the first weeks of spring in 2015. Petersen said the state is familiar with what to do in this situation from those experiences.

"Minnesota is very well prepared in dealing with this because of what we went through in 2022, when we had over 100 cases that spring," he said. . . .

Read the entire article at the Tribune or another Forum network paper.

CBS Minnesota/WCCO covered the briefing in Gov. Walz touts "unified front" in Minnesota's bird flu fight, while KSTP offered Gov. Walz, state leaders discuss efforts to combat avian flu.

On Facebook, MNHouse DFL co-chair Rick Hansen, S. St. Paul posted about the briefing on his representative's page. His remarks are an apt close for this post:

Nature will find a way, and surely Minnesotans working together can as well.

 

Photo: A dairy barn cat. Cats with dairy jobs, and housecats fed raw milk and raw pet food, have caught bird flu. Source: CIDRAP.

 

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• Shocking photos in state vet's report to Midwest lawmakers reveal bird flu toll to farmers & flocks 

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. 

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Iowa House of Representatives votes to ban eminent domain for ethanol CO2 pipelines

I'd just republished the South Dakota Searchlight article, Carbon pipeline company files for pause or dismissal of legal fights in South Dakota, when I read the article below published Wednesday night by Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Jeepers, if Taylor Sheridan were more populist or Midwest minded, he might find material for five series about the grassroots rebellion against ethanol carbon pipelines in these parts.

From the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

House votes to ban eminent domain for CO2 pipelines
by Cami Koons

Lawmakers bundle and advance other pipeline-related bills

The Iowa House approved a bill Wednesday that would stop pipelines carrying liquified carbon dioxide from using eminent domain. 

Six other bills related to carbon sequestration pipelines, eminent domain and the Iowa Utilities Commission were combined into one bill, which also advanced. 

The bills were directed at an ongoing fight between landowners and the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would stretch more than 1,000 miles in Iowa connecting to biofuel refineries and transporting the sequestered carbon dioxide to underground storage in North Dakota. 

House File 943 is similar to a law recently passed in South Dakota, another state crossed by the pipeline’s proposed route. 

Summit recently asked South Dakota regulators to pause proceedings on its pipeline permit due to the new law. 

The Iowa bill would take effect in May and apply to any eminent domain filings made on or after that date. 

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said businesses should “expect the unexpected” if they plan to use eminent domain in Iowa. 

“Expect that we’re going to make changes when eminent domain is involved, and expect that we’re going to make changes in favor of landowners,” Kaufmann said. 

Pipeline opponents advocated for the bill March 18 during a rally at the Capitol and again on Monday at a press conference with a group of Republican lawmakers opposed to the pipeline project. 

The bill passed 82-12. 

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a press release the decision by the House was “hardly surprising, but it is still disappointing.” 

“IRFA members have been saying for three years that (carbon capture and sequestration) is the most important tool available to grow ethanol demand into new markets both here at home and around the world,” Shaw said in the statement.

Shaw said he believes “cooler heads will prevail in the Senate” and said the opposition to the project has been led by a “small, though loud, minority.” 

“IRFA calls on the Iowa Senate to stand with the majority of impacted landowners, farmers, ethanol producers, and Iowa’s economic future to ensure the state has the tools it needs to meet the brewing economic disaster in the heartland,” Shaw said.

‘No eminent domain for private gain bill’ 

House File 639 would increase the insurance requirements for liquid hazardous pipeline operators. 

The five amendments to the bill would also update the definition of a common carrier, require IUC commissioners to be present at all hearings, expand who is allowed to intervene in an IUC docket, limit the pipeline permits to one term not longer than 25 years and stop the IUC from imposing sanctions on intervenors.  

These were all bills that had already advanced from House committees, but Rep. Steven Holt combined into HF 639. 

Holt, R-Denison, said with all of the amendments, the bill should be called the “no eminent domain for private gain” bill. 

The bill passed 85-10.

A spokesperson for Summit said the company has signed easements with more than 1,320 Iowa landowners and has “adjusted the route based on feedback from stakeholders and regulatory agencies.” 

“Regulatory certainty is crucial for maintaining Iowa’s competitive edge in business, fostering long-term opportunities for farmers, ethanol producers, and rural communities,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Concern about Senate opposition

Some representatives voiced concern because of historic opposition in the Senate.  

Rep. Brian Meyer spoke in support of the bills but said he wondered if lawmakers were “wasting our time here today.” 

“We’ve done this now several years in a row, and the Senate has not acted,” Meyer, D-Des Moines, said. “As far as I can tell, they have not even tried to negotiate … Do something. Do something about this important issue.” 

Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, said he appreciated the concerns about the Senate on the issue and said he believes the House will “do the right thing without regard for what others may do.” 

Holt said the issue is not partisan and that in both the House and the Senate, the two parties disagree with one another on the issue. He disagreed with a claim that he and other lawmakers fighting for the issue are doing so performatively. 

“We’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do,” Holt said. “And regardless of whether the Senate is going to pass it or not, we’re going to fight for it here because it’s the right thing to do.”

Photo: Iowans gathered at the Iowa State Capitol to rally against carbon dioxide pipeline projects March 18, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

This Iowa Capital Dispatch article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Related posts

• Carbon pipeline company files for pause or dismissal of legal fights in South Dakota
• Ethanol carbon pipeline company seeks dismissals of North Dakota court challenges 
• CURE wants 45Q tax credit gone; Iowa state representative calls on Summit Carbon Solutions to pull ethanol carbon pipeline application
• Ethanol leaders see irony in Governor Larry Rhoden's ‘Open for Opportunity’ visit after eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Iowa opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for ethanol carbon pipelines
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• Ethanol carbon capture pipeline news digest: stories from South Dakota--and The Atlantic
• Bill supports ND landowners caught in costly legal battles over eminent domain & easements
• State lawmakers vote down six bills to limit carbon capture in North Dakota
• Bill to kill carbon pipeline property tax exemption in North Dakota fails in state senate
• Iowa House GOP lawmakers introduce suite of pipeline bills on IUC, eminent domain issues
• Iowa House subcommittee advances bill to remove climate change language; aimed at stopping ethanol carbon pipeline
• Landowners, energy industry at odds over bills limiting ethanol CO2 pipelines in North Dakota
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines passes South Dakota House, heads to Senate
• Ethanol carbon pipeline bills set for hearings in North Dakota legislature this week 
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• Carbon pipeline company asks court to force SD regulator’s recusal due to alleged conflict
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• Summit pipeline segment enters final permitting stages in Minnesota; CURE raises objections
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• Sustainable jet fuel company Gevo contributes $167K in defense of carbon pipeline law
• South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance turns in petitions to SD Secretary of State to force a vote on carbon pipeline policy
• South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue
• New Midwest battles brew over CO2 pipelines

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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Carbon pipeline company files for pause or dismissal of legal fights in South Dakota

Another consequence of the populist landowner insurrection in South Dakota.

From the South Dakota Searchlight.

Carbon pipeline company files for pause or dismissal of legal fights in South Dakota
by Joshua Haiar

A carbon dioxide pipeline company has asked courts to pause or dismiss its pending legal fights against landowners and a state regulator in South Dakota after the state’s adoption of a law that prevents the company from using eminent domain.

Eminent domain is a legal process for acquiring access to land for projects that have a public benefit, with compensation for landowners determined by a court. It’s commonly used for projects such as electrical power lines, water pipelines, oil pipelines and highways.

Some South Dakota landowners who oppose the Summit Carbon Solutions project sued to stop the company from surveying their property. They argued that doing so without just compensation was unconstitutional because soil sampling and other invasive practices would occur. 

Summit said it had a right to survey the land because it had eminent domain authority. The company sued some landowners as well. 

The disputes ultimately reached the South Dakota Supreme Court, which determined Summit had not yet proven it meets the legal qualification for using eminent domain, and sent the cases back to lower courts. Lawsuits in which Summit no longer needed to survey the land in question – because an agreement was reached or the route was changed – were then dismissed, leaving four cases remaining. 

Summit filed a motion to dismiss those cases on March 20, two weeks after Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed the bill barring carbon pipeline projects from using eminent domain. 

Regulator case paused

Meanwhile, a judge has paused Summit’s legal effort to remove an elected state regulator from its pipeline permitting case. Summit alleged the regulator has a conflict of interest. The company cited the eminent domain ban as part of its rationale for seeking a stay in the case. 

South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen’s sister-in-law is part of a trust that owns land on the proposed pipeline route. Fiegen declined to recuse herself from Summit’s permit application, and Summit sued to disqualify her from considering the permit.

Both Summit and the state agreed to indefinitely stay the case, and a judge entered the stay on March 14.

Permit pause sought

Summit has also requested a pause for “review and adjustment” of its permit proceedings with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. The commission rejected Summit’s first application in 2023, largely due to the route’s conflicts with local ordinances that mandate minimum distances between pipelines and existing features. Summit later adjusted its route and reapplied. 

The eminent domain ban has been hailed as a victory by some landowners who have resisted Iowa-based Summit’s proposed $9 billion project. The pipeline would transport carbon dioxide emissions from dozens of ethanol plants in five states to an underground storage site in North Dakota. It would qualify for billions in federal tax credits incentivizing the sequestration of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.

The project has permits in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, although some permits are being challenged in court. Nebraska does not have a permitting process.

Summit has said it is not giving up on the project.

“In South Dakota, recent legislative changes have temporarily slowed our timeline, but they have not altered our vision or our determination,” said Summit CEO Lee Blank in a press release. “We remain confident that our project is moving forward in a way that benefits farmers, ethanol producers, and rural communities.”

Photo: Bret Dublinske, a lawyer for Summit Carbon Solutions, argues before the South Dakota Supreme Court on March 19, 2024. The case dealt with eminent domain and other related issues. (Dave Bordewyk/South Dakota NewsMedia Association)

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Related posts

• Ethanol carbon pipeline company seeks dismissals of North Dakota court challenges 
• CURE wants 45Q tax credit gone; Iowa state representative calls on Summit Carbon Solutions to pull ethanol carbon pipeline application
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• Iowa opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for ethanol carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed eminent domain ban on carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Legislature passes eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Carbon pipeline eminent domain ban advances to South Dakota House; ‘compromise’ bill gutted
• SD House: carbon capture pipeline moratorium and land-agent regulations advance, while environmental analysis bill fails
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• Bill supports ND landowners caught in costly legal battles over eminent domain & easements
• State lawmakers vote down six bills to limit carbon capture in North Dakota
• Bill to kill carbon pipeline property tax exemption in North Dakota fails in state senate
• Iowa House GOP lawmakers introduce suite of pipeline bills on IUC, eminent domain issues
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• Landowners, energy industry at odds over bills limiting ethanol CO2 pipelines in North Dakota
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines passes South Dakota House, heads to Senate
• Ethanol carbon pipeline bills set for hearings in North Dakota legislature this week 
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• Minnesota PUC granted a permit for Summit Carbon Solutions Otter Tail to Wilkin County pipeline
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• Oh the irony: ethanol carbon pipeline company has failed to address crossing concerns, DAPL oil pipeline company says
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• In unofficial results, ethanol carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters 
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• Summit pipeline segment enters final permitting stages in Minnesota; CURE raises objections
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• Ethanol carbon pipeline news: Attorneys differ on meaning of common carrier law in Summit case
• Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants
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• Referred pipeline law puts Summit Carbon Solution's permit quest in limbo
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• New Midwest battles brew over CO2 pipelines

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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Judge finds probable cause against Eichorn for enticement of minor, allows release to halfway house

The latest installment of the drama former Minnesota state senator Justin Eichorn brought onto himself.

From the Minnesota Reformer.

Judge finds probable cause against Eichorn for enticement of minor, allows release to halfway house
by Michelle Griffith

A federal judge on Wednesday said she had “no doubt” there’s probable cause — enough evidence — against former state Sen. Justin Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, to sustain a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

U.S. District Judge Shannon Elkins ruled against the prosecution, however, in allowing Eichorn to move to a halfway house under a long list of conditions. The prosecution argued Eichorn should be held in jail as he awaits trial because he allegedly attempted to conceal evidence and lied about owning a firearm.

During a two-hour hearing Wednesday — which combined a hearing for probable cause and a detention hearing — the prosecution and defense dissected the messages Eichorn allegedly sent to a person he believed was a 17-year-old girl but was actually an undercover Bloomington police officer.

Eichorn, who entered the federal courtroom in St. Paul escorted by U.S. Marshal officers wearing bright orange, was arrested on March 17 at a parking lot in Bloomington where he allegedly expected to meet the underage girl to pay for sex. He resigned from his Senate seat a few days after his arrest and moments before the Senate planned to expel him from the body.

Attempted coercion and enticement of a minor comes with a mandatory federal sentence of 10 years in prison.

In a court filing earlier this week, prosecutors alleged that Eichorn made phone calls from jail to an unnamed woman — referred to as “Individual A” in court documents — to arrange for the woman to pick up a laptop from Eichorn’s St. Paul apartment, where he lived during the legislative session.

Charles Hawkins, Eichorn’s defense attorney, on Wednesday revealed that that person was Eichorn’s wife, Brittany Eichorn — who filed for divorce earlier this week.

When law enforcement agents entered Eichorn’s St. Paul apartment, they found a red bag containing $1,000 cash, an SD memory card, a handgun and ammunition, a laptop and a factory-reset iPhone 6.

Eichorn told a probation officer in a pre-trial interview that he didn’t have any firearms in the St. Paul apartment. The prosecution said Eichorn lied, but Hawkins said Eichorn had trouble hearing the interviewer, who was conducting the interview in a U.S. Marshall’s holding cell with eight to ten other people.

“I respectfully suggest that anything that occurred was an honest mistake,” Hawkins told the judge. 

Hawkins also said that Eichorn had the gun in his St. Paul apartment because he had received increasing threats after co-authoring a bill in the Minnesota Senate classifying “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness.

Regarding the factory-reset iPhone 6, FBI Special Agent Matthew Vogel said investigators had not completed forensic analysis of the phone, but preliminary results show the iPhone was likely reset to factory settings on Feb. 28 — weeks prior to Eichorn’s arrest.

On March 20, Brittany Eichorn in a recorded phone call from jail told Justin Eichorn that “apartment stuff is taken care of, just so you know.” She told Eichorn she planned to go to the apartment to pick up a laptop the following day.

As FBI agents prepared to search Eichorn’s apartment on the morning of March 21, they encountered Brittany Eichorn. She asked to enter the apartment to retrieve a laptop she used for business. The FBI agents declined.

Hawkins told the judge that the Eichorns own a rental property company, which oversees 138 units, and Brittany Eichorn was trying to get the laptop for the leasing business, not to conceal or destroy evidence. 

The judge said the prosecution did not present enough evidence to clearly indicate that Eichorn was a danger to the community or tried to tamper with evidence.

“Because it is unclear and because there is so much gray, the court finds the government has not met its burden to prove by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” Elkins said.

In the probable cause hearing, Eichorn’s defense tried to poke holes in the prosecution’s charge, noting that Eichorn didn’t formally agree over the messages to pay for sex, though he did ask about the prices, including how much it would cost to have sex without a condom. The defense likened it asking questions about buying a car.

The prosecution said that Eichorn carried out the act of paying for commercial sex as far as he could take it and repeatedly messaged the undercover officer posing as a girl asking when she was available for sex even when he didn’t receive a response.

“He arrived exactly in the location the undercover agent posing as a minor girl told him to park,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bobier. “The only thing that got in between Eichorn and having sex with a minor and paying for it is that it was a cop instead.”

Hawkins, during a cross examination of FBI agent Vogel, said that Eichorn could have decided to not go through with having sex with the girl once he arrived to the Bloomington location. 

“You don’t know what he intended to do when he arrived there,” Hawkins said to Vogel.

When ruling that there was probable cause against Eichorn, the judge said that there doesn’t need to be a formal agreement to pay for sex, but the law states that an attempt to offer a minor anything in exchange for sex is illegal.

Photo: Sen. Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids), left, consults with Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson), right, during a vote Thursday, May 12. Photo by Catherine J. Davis/Senate Media Services/ via Minnesota Reformer.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Related posts

• While a flurry of contenders seek empty MN Senate seat, prosecutors say Eichorn lied about access to firearms, tried to hide laptop
• Justin Eichorn resigns from Senate following federal charge; LeClaire to seek Senate 6 seat 
• Sex sting charges: MN Senator Eichorn texted ‘when do ya turn 18?’ to undercover cop
• State Senator Justin Eichorn, Republican-Grand Rapids, arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 17-year-old girl
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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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Report: Child labor violations on the rise in MN

Another fine piece of labor journalism from the Minnesota Reformer's Max Nesterak.

Report: Child labor violations are on the rise in Minnesota
by Max Nesterak

Child labor violations have increased significantly in Minnesota — and across the country — in recent years as a tight labor market has coincided with a surge in unaccompanied migrant children.

The number of underage workers found to be employed in violation of child labor laws increased nearly fivefold in the United States and more than twofold in Minnesota from 2015 to 2023, according to a new report from the left-leaning think tank North Star Policy Action.

The reports’ authors tallied 81 minors involved in federal child labor violations in 2023 in Minnesota, up from 66 in 2022 and 33 in 2021. They did not include violations found by state labor regulators.

One-third of the minors counted in 2022 came from just one case where investigators found children employed by Packers Sanitation Services cleaning hazardous equipment during overnight shifts at the JBS plant in Worthington, the Turkey Valley Farms plant in Marshall and the Buckhead Meat plant in St. Cloud. Altogether, federal regulators found the sanitation contractor illegally employed at least 102 minors as young as 13 years old across the country, three of whom were injured on the job.

The violations are surely an undercount of the extent of the problem — like how police only pull over a fraction of drivers who speed. In the same way, drawing conclusions about the prevalence of illegal child labor from violation data is difficult. An increase in citations could be caused by more violations, more investigations, or both.

The report’s authors, North Star Policy Action Research Director Aaron Rosenthal and Economic Policy Institute analyst Nina Mast, acknowledge the increase in citations could be from heightened enforcement. But they also point to larger economic factors at play that make an increase in child labor likely, such as the chronic labor shortage and influx of underage migrants who likely know little about their rights and have a strong financial incentive not to assert them.

One study cited in the report found a state’s child labor violations increase 10% for every 1% increase in unaccompanied minors. Minnesota has seen a surge in unaccompanied minors since 2021, largely in rural counties near slaughterhouses where they’ve been found working overnights in dangerous jobs.

The authors point out that if the rise in violations is just a reflection of increased enforcement, then the findings justify even greater investment in enforcement since the more the government looks for child labor, the more it finds.

They also note that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division reached a 50-year low in investigator staffing, meaning any increased enforcement of child labor comes at the expense of other important worker protection cases.

The New York Times exposed the vast exploitation of migrant children at factories making name brand products for corporations like General Mills and Frito-Lay. In their effort to quickly move kids out of immigration facilities, the Biden administration and federal agencies ignored warnings that migrant children were working grueling jobs.

North Star Policy Action recommends that Minnesota lawmakers bolster labor protections for children by aligning state and federal law. For instance, Minnesota allows 14 and 15-year-olds to work in some hazardous jobs and later hours than are permitted under federal laws.

They argue this is particularly important given the potential for the Trump administration to roll back child labor laws, with Project 2025 calling for the Department of Labor to permit teenagers to work in hazardous jobs with parental consent.

The organization also advocates for the state to fund more inspectors to bolster enforcement of violations, block government contracts from going to companies with repeated child labor violations and create a youth work permit system that increases parental and employer awareness of child labor laws.

Despite the rise in child labor violations and media attention, Republicans in a number of states have moved to loosen child labor laws, arguing teenagers can benefit from the work experience while also expanding the labor pool.

In 2023, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law conflicting with federal standards that allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work later shifts and 16- and 17-year-olds to work in roofing, demolition and excavation as part of employer training. The law also allows teens over 16 to sell and serve alcohol.

In Minnesota, state Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, introduced a bill in 2023 to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work in and around construction sites. It did not gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Florida lawmakers are now weighing a bill that would eliminate restrictions on 16- and 17-year-olds from working before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m., while Gov. Ron DeSantis recently suggested the state’s resorts don’t need immigrants when they can hire teenagers.

North Star Policy Action said work opportunities are important for teenagers to gain experience and earn money, but warned against allowing teens to work jobs that could compromise their health and safety. Three teenagers died working in industrial jobs in the summer of 2023 alone.

“Without proper safeguards in place, however, these opportunities can quickly turn into harmful situations that jeopardize a child’s health, disrupt their education, and undermine their future potential and career prospects,” the authors write.

Photo: Packers Sanitations Services Inc. faced $1.5 million in fines for employing teenage workers at meatpacking plants in eight states. (Department of Labor/ via Minnesota Reformer).

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Related posts

•  Smithfield’s $2M child labor penalty dwarfed by parent company’s annual $26 billion in sales 
• Update: Packers Sanitation Services Inc. fined $1.5M for use of child labor at packing plants 
• DOL investigates JBS & Turkey Valley Farms contractor for hiring minors for cleaning jobs

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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

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Ethanol carbon pipeline company seeks dismissals of North Dakota court challenges

As I wrote on Tuesday in CURE wants 45Q tax credit gone; Iowa state representative calls on Summit Carbon Solutions to pull ethanol carbon pipeline application:

A day doesn't go by without a development in the upper Midwest ethanol carbon pipeline saga.

And it's not just the populist insurrection here in South Dakota.

That afternoon, the North Dakota Monitor published the news brief below.

Carbon pipeline company seeks dismissals of North Dakota court challenges
by Jeff Beach

Summit Carbon Solutions is asking North Dakota judges to dismiss appeals in different legal challenges to its five-state carbon capture and storage project. 

Attorneys for Summit and North Dakota landowners argued a Summit request for dismissal in a Burleigh County Court on Tuesday. Landowners have appealed the legality of the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s order granting Summit permission to pump carbon dioxide into underground sequestration sites in Mercer, Oliver and Morton counties. 

Summit also has filed motions to dismiss appeals related to the North Dakota Public Service Commission’s pipeline route permit. 

Summit is attempting to move carbon captured at ethanol plants in five states to the underground storage site in North Dakota through a network of pipelines. 

The case heard Tuesday in Burleigh County involves landowners who have objected to the storage plan. Summit’s motion to dismiss argues that landowner attorney Derrick Braaten did not notify parties properly and that the case does not belong in Burleigh County but instead belongs in one of the counties where the storage wells are planned. 

“This is not the only case where Summit is making these arguments,” Braaten said. 

The hourlong hearing on Tuesday focused on procedural issues and not the merits of the appeal. Landowners contend the state Department of Mineral Resources withheld information about Summit’s models that would predict where the carbon dioxide would move when the gas is pumped underground.  

Braaten also is involved in appeals on the PSC decision involving Burleigh County, Emmons County, the city of Bismarck and multiple landowners. In those cases, Summit also says not all parties were notified properly. 

Among the issues being challenged are the PSC ruling that state zoning rules trump county zoning ordinances on pipelines and that the PSC did not give enough weight to the safety of residents along the proposed route. 

A hearing on one motion to dismiss was held Monday and another is set for April 22. 

Each of the three cases has a different judge. 

No ruling has been issued in either of the motions argued this week.

 

Photo: Attorney Derrick Braaten asks a question June 11, 2024, in Bismarck during a hearing on the Summit Carbon Solutions project. Braaten also represents landowners in a lawsuit that challenges state laws related to carbon dioxide storage. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor).

This North Dakota Monitor article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Related posts

• CURE wants 45Q tax credit gone; Iowa state representative calls on Summit Carbon Solutions to pull ethanol carbon pipeline application
• Ethanol leaders see irony in Governor Larry Rhoden's ‘Open for Opportunity’ visit after eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Iowa opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for ethanol carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed eminent domain ban on carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Legislature passes eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Carbon pipeline eminent domain ban advances to South Dakota House; ‘compromise’ bill gutted
• SD House: carbon capture pipeline moratorium and land-agent regulations advance, while environmental analysis bill fails
• SD lawmakers endorse hurdles for eminent domain, enviro studies for carbon pipelines
• CURE action alert: carbon pipelines & CCS not Minnesota's answer to a carbon free future
• Ethanol carbon capture pipeline news digest: stories from South Dakota--and The Atlantic
• Bill supports ND landowners caught in costly legal battles over eminent domain & easements
• State lawmakers vote down six bills to limit carbon capture in North Dakota
• Bill to kill carbon pipeline property tax exemption in North Dakota fails in state senate
• Iowa House GOP lawmakers introduce suite of pipeline bills on IUC, eminent domain issues
• Iowa House subcommittee advances bill to remove climate change language; aimed at stopping ethanol carbon pipeline
• Landowners, energy industry at odds over bills limiting ethanol CO2 pipelines in North Dakota
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines passes South Dakota House, heads to Senate
• Ethanol carbon pipeline bills set for hearings in North Dakota legislature this week 
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines makes it out of SD House committee
• Carbon pipeline company asks court to force SD regulator’s recusal due to alleged conflict
• Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline company formally asks SD regulator to recuse herself 
• South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner stays on new carbon pipeline case after prior recusal, with no explanation this time
• Hundreds pack SD PUC Summit ethanol carbon pipeline hearings in Watertown and Aberdeen
• 100s attend first day of SD PUC ethanol carbon pipeline meetings in Mitchell and Sioux Falls
• Federal regulators announce proposed rule for CO2 pipeline safety
• Carbon pipeline opponents rallied Monday in Pierre amid push for eminent domain ban
• North Dakota landowners appeal Summit ethanol carbon storage decision 
• Punt! Lincoln County commissioners push back decision on ethanol carbon pipeline rules
• Summit Carbon Solutions in the news: landowners & counties appeal North Dakota pipeline permit; Summit tells Iowans to cease & desist; Pipeline Fighters Hub & CURE statements
• North Dakota Industrial Commission approves CO2 storage for Summit ethanol carbon pipeline
• Minnesota PUC granted a permit for Summit Carbon Solutions Otter Tail to Wilkin County pipeline
• South Dakota Public Utilities Commission schedules public input meetings on Summit carbon pipeline application
• Summit ethanol CO2 injection wells up for approval but court appeal already in the works
• Oh the irony: ethanol carbon pipeline company has failed to address crossing concerns, DAPL oil pipeline company says
• Iowa Supreme Court upholds land survey abilities of pipeline companies in Summit case
• U.S. appeals court hears Summit pipeline case against Iowa's Shelby and Story counties
• Never mind the voters: ethanol carbon pipeline company reapplies for South Dakota permit
• Summit ethanol carbon pipeline news digest: Summit sues another Iowa county and more!
• North Dakota Public Service Commission approves Summit carbon pipeline route
• North Dakota couple plans to ‘dig in’ if Summit ethanol carbon pipeline is approved
• Summit ethanol carbon pipeline news digest: CO2 pipeline in MN moves forward; ND Public Service Commission decision coming Friday
• SD pipeline foes secure legislative leadership; MN Summit decision could come Dec. 12
• In unofficial results, ethanol carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters 
• CURE: MN Administrative Law Judge’s report on Summit’s CO 2 pipeline expected November 4
• Seven South Dakota ballot measures, $7 million and counting: Reports reveal total spending
• Jeepers: ethanol coop kicks in another $400,000 to support carbon pipeline ballot question 
• Ethanol carbon news digest: Summit Carbon pipeline in MN, Iowa & North Dakota media
• Summit Carbon Solutions CEO asks for prayer, while MN PUC wants public comment on FEIS of Otter Tail – Wilkin portion of CO2 Pipeline
• Public can comment on Otter Tail – Wilkin Co section of ethanol carbon pipeline until Sept. 11
• VIDEO: Carbon capture in Minnesota: public lands, fast money, and pipe dreams
• Summit pipeline segment enters final permitting stages in Minnesota; CURE raises objections
• Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure
• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Summit Carbon Solutions numbers don’t add up in South Dakota 
• Referred Law 21 & carbon pipelines: A landowner bill of rights or an undermining of local control
• Summit Carbon Solution's ethanol carbon pipeline takes #2 spot on Heatmap's The Most At-Risk Projects of The Energy Transition 
• Ethanol carbon pipeline news: Attorneys differ on meaning of common carrier law in Summit case
• Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants
• South Dakota Supreme Court ruling complicates Summit Carbon Solution’s push for land
• Referred pipeline law puts Summit Carbon Solution's permit quest in limbo
• Breaking crowded South Dakota ballot news: carbon pipeline law referendum validated
• Sustainable jet fuel company Gevo contributes $167K in defense of carbon pipeline law
• South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance turns in petitions to SD Secretary of State to force a vote on carbon pipeline policy
• South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue
• New Midwest battles brew over CO2 pipelines

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. 

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Is the entire state of South Dakota in a drought?

With dry weather like that which we're experiencing up here on the Prairie Coteau, I don't need a meteorologist to tell me which way the water flows, with several watersheds and a Continental Divide within driving distance.

A Fact Brief from South Dakota News Watch confirms the condition. To think that last spring was so wet, my melon seeds rotted in the ground. Here's hoping the Ali Baba, Sweet Dakota Rose and Blacktail Mountain watermelons have better luck this year.

Is the entire state of South Dakota in a drought?
by Megan Luther

Yes.

As of March 18, 2025, 100% of South Dakota is under drought conditions with 42% of the state under severe or extreme drought.

During the same time last year, 11% of the state was experiencing drought with no areas under severe or extreme drought.

Each week, federal government drought experts check several variables including precipitation, temperatures, soil moisture, water levels in streams and lakes and snow cover to determine drought conditions.

Experts predict that South Dakota drought conditions will persist for at least another month.

With dry conditions and high wind gusts, the fire danger index has repeatedly been listed this season as very high for both eastern grasslands and the Black Hills area.

While 37% of the U.S. is suffering from drought conditions, no other state is completely drought-ridden like South Dakota.

Currently, 55% of North Dakota is under a drought.

This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.

Sources

National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), South Dakota

NIDIS, Historical Data & Conditions

NIDIS, U.S. Drought Monitor

NIDIS, Drought Outlook

National Weather Service, Sioux Falls Fire Weather

USDA, Forest Service

NIDIS, United States

This South Dakota News Watch Fact Brief is republished online with permission of SDNW.

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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

 

Stearns County dairy tests positive for bird flu; MNHouse ag co-chair Hansen on what to do

On Monday, I posted Bird flu in South Dakota: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans, a South Dakota News Watch overview of the avian influenza situation in the Rushmore State.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, another dairy herd was stricken by the disease. While it's not fatal in cattle, the quarantines of herds cause producers to lose revenue, and across the country. there have been cases of dairy workers and barn cats catching the disease.

From the Minnesota Board of Animal Health:

Statewide milk surveillance detects H5N1 at Stearns County dairy

H5N1 influenza has been confirmed in a Stearns County dairy herd from samples collected as part of Minnesota’s milk surveillance plan. The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the results March 21, and the Board of Animal Health has  the herd until they meet testing requirements indicating it’s no longer infected. There is no concern for the safety of the public milk supply, as all milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses, and pasteurization has been shown to effectively eliminate active H5N1 virus present in milk.

“While under quarantine, the herd will be able to apply for movement permits for animals and animal products such as waste milk and manure. Milk sold for pasteurization does not need a permit and is allowed to go to processing to facilitate business while keeping the risk of the spread of disease low,” said State Veterinarian, Dr. Brian Hoefs. “Our surveillance and response approach to H5N1 is a team effort to ensure we’re covering all angles where it’s detected and limiting its ability to spread.”

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is conducting testing of pre-pasteurized, or raw, cow milk samples already collected from each of Minnesota's approximately 1,600 dairy farms on a monthly basis. These routinely collected bulk milk samples, which are taken before the pasteurization process, are subsampled by industry labs and sent for H5N1 testing to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota.     

"Identifying which dairy herds are infected is important so we can prevent disease spread and protect both animal and human health," MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen said. "Regular sampling and testing will allow the MDA and partners to identify where the virus is present, monitor trends, and prevent spread of the virus in order to protect unaffected dairy herds and poultry flocks."

The Board is notified of any preliminary detections of the virus in samples and responds by sending a case manager to the affected farm to issue a quarantine and guide the producer through the entire response process. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) also monitors the health of people who have direct contact with infected animals or their environment and provides public health recommendations to help reduce the risk for infection. MDH also provides testing, antivirals, and personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed. The risk to the public from this virus remains low at this time. People who work with or have direct contact with infected animals or their environment are at most risk for getting sick.

Dairy farmers should monitor their herd and contact their veterinarian immediately if cows appear sick. H5N1 symptoms in dairy mostly affect late-stage lactating cows and include fever, a drop in milk production, loss of appetite, and changes in manure consistency. Biosecurity reduces the risk of disease spreading onto or off farms:

• Keep a log of farm visitors and ensure they follow your farm protocols.
• Milk any sick cows last, after your healthy herd.
• Keep feed covered and clean up feed spills immediately.
• Provide cows a clean source of water kept secure from wildlife, especially waterfowl.

Dairy farms are always required to dispose of milk from sick animals to remove it from the milk supply. In addition to an affected herd disposing of milk from sick cows and isolating them, the Board quarantine also requires the farm to have three consecutive negative milk tests to be released from quarantine.

Farmers can request a one-time distribution of PPE from MDH if they’re unable to get it through their regular sources. People who have questions about avian influenza and human health can contact MDH at 651-201-5414.

The Board will report any new detections and updates on cow cases in Minnesota on its website. Please note, this herd was previously infected in July 2024 and will not be categorized as a new herd on the website dashboard. Instead, it remains categorized as “Stearns MN 010” and any new information will be posted in that row of data.

South Saint Paul state representative Rick Hansen, the DFL co-chair of the Minnesota House Finance and Policy Committee, responded to the news with a press release, After detection of bid flu at Stearns County dairy, Rep. Hansen calls for increased safeguards:

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced the detection of H5N1 avian influenza in a Stearns County dairy herd as part of Minnesota’s milk surveillance plan. The BAH has quarantined the herd until it meets testing requirements indicating it’s no longer infected.

In response, Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), the DFL co-chair of the House Agriculture Finance & Policy Committee, is calling for added safeguards to address H5N1, including the testing of retail milk, voluntary testing for poultry and dairy workers, as well as monitoring of the wastewater supply for the virus.

“The potential disaster of a bigger avian flu outbreak in Minnesota calls for a ‘trust but verify’ approach. While the BAH points out that pasteurized milk kills bacteria and viruses, further testing and monitoring is necessary to protect the public, not to mention the people who work with potentially affected poultry flocks and dairy herds,” Rep. Hansen said. “The unpredictability of federal funding to monitor and address threats like avian flu poses a significant challenge, but Minnesotans deserve additional proactive steps to protect workers and assure trust in our food supply.”

Wastewater monitoring was highly effective in tracking the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tool could now be used to provide valuable data on the presence and spread of H5N1 to guide response efforts.

Farmers are able to request PPE through the Minnesota Department of Health. BAH will continue to provide updates on its website.

In a Legislative Update sent Tuesday March 25, 2025,  Hansen elaborated on that news:

Bird Flu Update

I’m calling for added safeguards for poultry and dairy workers, retail milk testing, and wastewater monitoring to address H5N1 avian influenza after the Board of Animal Health detected bird flu in a Stearns County dairy herd yesterday.

The potential disaster of a bigger avian flu outbreak in Minnesota calls for a ‘trust but verify’ approach. While the BAH points out that pasteurized milk kills bacteria and viruses, further testing and monitoring is necessary to protect the public, not to mention the people who work with potentially affected poultry flocks and dairy herds

The unpredictability of federal funding to monitor and address threats like avian flu poses a significant challenge, but Minnesotans deserve additional proactive steps to protect workers and assure trust in our food supply. You can read my full press release here.

This week in the Agriculture Committee, I will be chairing a hearing on DFL-led legislation to better address avian influenza and how we must act proactively to protect workers, consumers, and all Minnesotans.

The committee's webpage can be viewed here.

Photo: Dairy Holsteins in a dairy barn. Not those on the quarantined herd, which has not been identified in any public statements.

Related posts

• Bird flu in South Dakota: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans
• USDA launches national testing of milk from dairy farms to track bird flu outbreak
• HPAI update: first case of bird flu in hog discovered on small Oregon farm 
• Are HPAI outbreaks on dairy farms contributing to spread of avian influenza in Kandiyohi, Renville County breeder turkey farms? 
• HPAI dairy update: fourth human case of bird flu diagnosed in Colorado dairy farm worker
• Fed health officials prepare for bird flu jump to people by commissioning Moderna vaccine, tests
• Board of Animal Health: First case of bird flu in MN dairy cows strikes Benton County herd
• HPAI digest: 3rd worker catches flu; testing not reaching workers; more MN flocks stricken
• At a Michigan dairy: CDC confirms second bird flu infection of dairy worker
• U.S. Department of Agriculture to require bird flu tests of lactating dairy cattle before transport 
• How two vets discovered avian flu in dairy cows
• Sick cows news digest: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza detected in South Dakota dairy herd 
• [VIDEO] State vet briefs MN House Ag Committee on avian flu (HPAI) in dairy cows and people
• Not an April Fools' Day joke: Person in contact with HPAI infected cows in Texas catches bird flu
• Dairy cattle in Kansas and Texas catch highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from wild birds
• Minnesota Board of Animal Health: Stevens County goat tests positive for avian influenza
• MN Board of Animal Health: HPAI confirmed in commercial Meeker County turkey flock 
• MN DNR: Wild fox in Minnesota tests positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza
• In America's turkey industry, SD producers hit hardest by highly pathogenic avian influenza
• Board of Animal Health: Minnesota poultry sales and exhibitions temporarily banned for 31 days
• Board of Animal Health: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza confirmed in two Minnesota flocks 
• SD Game, Fish & Parks: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detected in South Dakota 
• Associated Press: Bird flu detected among commercial flock in southeastern South Dakota
• Minnesota Reformer: Menacing bird flu detected in western Iowa backyard chicken and duck flock
• Shocking photos in state vet's report to Midwest lawmakers reveal bird flu toll to farmers & flocks 

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. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

CURE wants 45Q tax credit gone; Iowa state representative calls on Summit Carbon Solutions to pull ethanol carbon pipeline application

A day doesn't go by without a development in the upper Midwest ethanol carbon pipeline saga.

And it's not just the populist insurrection here in South Dakota.

Last week, the grassroots Montevideo-based organization CURE posted CO2 Pipeline Resistance to Congress: Cut the Waste, Repeal 45Q, documenting a trip to Washington SC to try to pull the carbon out of the federal tax credit profiteers:

Last week, I traveled to the Capitol with a small but determined group of Minnesotans: landowners, farmers, and community members who are experiencing the threats posed by the carbon capture industry. We didn’t just come for a photo op; we came with a message for Congress: it’s time to end the reckless and wasteful tax breaks to the carbon capture industry.

The 45Q tax credit – a multi-billion-dollar handout to fossil fuel companies —has driven a surge of proposed carbon pipelines across rural America.* On paper, these projects promise climate solutions. In reality, they’re another way for big corporations to rake in public dollars from projects that put rural peoples’ land, water, and safety at risk. . . .

Read the rest on CURE's blog.

From Washington DC to Des Moines, Iowa, where the Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice held a press conference to defend property rights.

From Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Rep. Charley Thomson calls on Summit to withdraw pipeline application
by Cami Koons

Republican lawmaker Rep. Charley Thomson, at a press conference Monday, called on Summit Carbon Solutions to withdraw its already-approved permit application to build a carbon sequestration pipeline through Iowa. 

The Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice, consisting of more than 40 Iowa lawmakers, gathered for a press conference about their continued fight against what the group alleges are “unconstitutional” attacks on Iowa property rights. 

The group formed in June 2023 and has sued the Iowa Utilities Commission for its decision to grant a permit to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would span more than 1,000 miles in Iowa to transport liquid carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota. 

The IUC approved Summit’s permit in June, on the condition that the company secure permits in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. 

Officials in North Dakota and Minnesota approved the pipeline routes through their states, but Summit requested a pause in proceedings for its application in South Dakota, following the recent passage of a law that blocks the company from condemning agricultural land for the project. 

“I’m calling today for Summit to withdraw their petition from the IUC,” Thomson, of Charles City, said at the press conference. “Now that we’ve seen what South Dakota has done with their view on eminent domain, there’s no basis under the current IUC order to proceed.” 

A spokesperson for the commission said in a statement to Iowa Capital Dispatch, that the South Dakota law did “not affect the validity of the permit already granted” for the project. 

Thomson said the IUC’s initial decision to grant the permit did not comply with Iowa law, nor the constitution. 

“Iowans have a tradition of very clean government — this is not clean government,” Thomson said. 

A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions said the IUC reviewed the project “thoroughly” after “years of public input, regulatory review, and strong support from farmers, landowners, ethanol producers, and business leaders across the state.”

“We respect the role of elected officials in the policymaking process and remain focused on delivering a project that supports Iowa agriculture, ethanol, and national energy dominance,” the spokesperson said, asked about Thomson’s request.

Thomson also pointed to a proposed rule from Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, on CO2 pipelines, which he said “confirmed” that “it’s not the same risk to have a carbon dioxide pipeline running through your land as it is for natural gas.” 

“It’s far riskier,” Thomson said. 

Rep. Cindy Golding said she fears the South Dakota law, and Summit’s request for a stay on the proceedings in the state, will lead Iowans to think the project “is done.” 

“This has not gone away,” Golding said. “It’s still hanging over your head.” 

This session representatives put forward a number of bills pertaining to eminent domain and CO2 pipeline regulations. Rep. Steven Holt  said the bills might be combined into one or two bills to fit the time constraints of the session.

Last week, Democratic Senator Tony Bisignano introduced an amendment to the resolution on Senate rules that would have allowed a majority to force a Senate floor vote on a bill. Bisignano noted the Senate’s history of not debating pipeline related bills in his arguments for the amendment, which was defeated 30-18.

Sen. Dennis Guth, said he voted against the amendment in favor of a commitment he made with Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, to advance some of the eminent domain bills through the Senate. 

“I apologize to those that are disappointed, because I think if I had to do over again, I would have changed my vote,” Guth said at the press conference.

Sen. Lynn Evans from Aurelia said he’s not sure the effort from the Democrats was a “genuine” effort to fight for property rights, and noted that no one from the other side of the aisle was in the room.

“If they want to join us in this fight, this is an official invitation, that they can join us and stand shoulder to shoulder with us,” Evans said. 

Sen. Cherielynn Westrich and the rest of the group applauded the pipeline fighters who show up at the Iowa Capitol every Tuesday to voice their opposition to the pipeline. “We see you, we hear you, and we’re fighting for you,” Westrich said. 

Kathy Carter, a landowner and regular pipeline opponent at the Capitol said landowners are “exhausted.” 

“You tell us to continue to pursue with the senators, which we have been continually doing,” Carter said. “I’m not sure what else we can do, but we’re not going to give up.” 

Photo: Republican lawmakers applaud landowners whom they have worked with in opposition to a proposed carbon sequestration pipeline. From left, Rep. Eddie Andrews, Sen. Dennis Guth, Sen. Cherielynn Westrich, Rep. Charley Thomson. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch).

Related posts

• Ethanol leaders see irony in Governor Larry Rhoden's ‘Open for Opportunity’ visit after eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Iowa opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for ethanol carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed eminent domain ban on carbon pipelines
• South Dakota Legislature passes eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
• Carbon pipeline eminent domain ban advances to South Dakota House; ‘compromise’ bill gutted
• SD House: carbon capture pipeline moratorium and land-agent regulations advance, while environmental analysis bill fails
• SD lawmakers endorse hurdles for eminent domain, enviro studies for carbon pipelines
• CURE action alert: carbon pipelines & CCS not Minnesota's answer to a carbon free future
• Ethanol carbon capture pipeline news digest: stories from South Dakota--and The Atlantic
• Bill supports ND landowners caught in costly legal battles over eminent domain & easements
• State lawmakers vote down six bills to limit carbon capture in North Dakota
• Bill to kill carbon pipeline property tax exemption in North Dakota fails in state senate
• Iowa House GOP lawmakers introduce suite of pipeline bills on IUC, eminent domain issues
• Iowa House subcommittee advances bill to remove climate change language; aimed at stopping ethanol carbon pipeline
• Landowners, energy industry at odds over bills limiting ethanol CO2 pipelines in North Dakota
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines passes South Dakota House, heads to Senate
• Ethanol carbon pipeline bills set for hearings in North Dakota legislature this week 
• Ban on eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines makes it out of SD House committee
• Carbon pipeline company asks court to force SD regulator’s recusal due to alleged conflict
• Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline company formally asks SD regulator to recuse herself 
• South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner stays on new carbon pipeline case after prior recusal, with no explanation this time
• Hundreds pack SD PUC Summit ethanol carbon pipeline hearings in Watertown and Aberdeen
• 100s attend first day of SD PUC ethanol carbon pipeline meetings in Mitchell and Sioux Falls
• Federal regulators announce proposed rule for CO2 pipeline safety
• Carbon pipeline opponents rallied Monday in Pierre amid push for eminent domain ban
• North Dakota landowners appeal Summit ethanol carbon storage decision 
• Punt! Lincoln County commissioners push back decision on ethanol carbon pipeline rules
• Summit Carbon Solutions in the news: landowners & counties appeal North Dakota pipeline permit; Summit tells Iowans to cease & desist; Pipeline Fighters Hub & CURE statements
• North Dakota Industrial Commission approves CO2 storage for Summit ethanol carbon pipeline
• Minnesota PUC granted a permit for Summit Carbon Solutions Otter Tail to Wilkin County pipeline
• South Dakota Public Utilities Commission schedules public input meetings on Summit carbon pipeline application
• Summit ethanol CO2 injection wells up for approval but court appeal already in the works
• Oh the irony: ethanol carbon pipeline company has failed to address crossing concerns, DAPL oil pipeline company says
• Iowa Supreme Court upholds land survey abilities of pipeline companies in Summit case
• U.S. appeals court hears Summit pipeline case against Iowa's Shelby and Story counties
• Never mind the voters: ethanol carbon pipeline company reapplies for South Dakota permit
• Summit ethanol carbon pipeline news digest: Summit sues another Iowa county and more!
• North Dakota Public Service Commission approves Summit carbon pipeline route
• North Dakota couple plans to ‘dig in’ if Summit ethanol carbon pipeline is approved
• Summit ethanol carbon pipeline news digest: CO2 pipeline in MN moves forward; ND Public Service Commission decision coming Friday
• SD pipeline foes secure legislative leadership; MN Summit decision could come Dec. 12
• In unofficial results, ethanol carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters 
• CURE: MN Administrative Law Judge’s report on Summit’s CO 2 pipeline expected November 4
• Seven South Dakota ballot measures, $7 million and counting: Reports reveal total spending
• Jeepers: ethanol coop kicks in another $400,000 to support carbon pipeline ballot question 
• Ethanol carbon news digest: Summit Carbon pipeline in MN, Iowa & North Dakota media
• Summit Carbon Solutions CEO asks for prayer, while MN PUC wants public comment on FEIS of Otter Tail – Wilkin portion of CO2 Pipeline
• Public can comment on Otter Tail – Wilkin Co section of ethanol carbon pipeline until Sept. 11
• VIDEO: Carbon capture in Minnesota: public lands, fast money, and pipe dreams
• Summit pipeline segment enters final permitting stages in Minnesota; CURE raises objections
• Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure
• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Summit Carbon Solutions numbers don’t add up in South Dakota 
• Referred Law 21 & carbon pipelines: A landowner bill of rights or an undermining of local control
• Summit Carbon Solution's ethanol carbon pipeline takes #2 spot on Heatmap's The Most At-Risk Projects of The Energy Transition 
• Ethanol carbon pipeline news: Attorneys differ on meaning of common carrier law in Summit case
• Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants
• South Dakota Supreme Court ruling complicates Summit Carbon Solution’s push for land
• Referred pipeline law puts Summit Carbon Solution's permit quest in limbo
• Breaking crowded South Dakota ballot news: carbon pipeline law referendum validated
• Sustainable jet fuel company Gevo contributes $167K in defense of carbon pipeline law
• South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance turns in petitions to SD Secretary of State to force a vote on carbon pipeline policy
• South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue
• New Midwest battles brew over CO2 pipelines

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Jeremy Giefer's jail sentence for sexual misconduct with minor affirmed by appeals court

Over the years, Bluestem Prairie has posted about the criminal troubles of Jeremy Alan Giefer, most recently of St. Peter.

At the Mankato Free Press, Brian Arola reports in St. Peter man's conviction for sexual misconduct affirmed by appeals court:

ST. PETER — Appeals court judges on Monday upheld a St. Peter man’s jail sentence for sexual misconduct with a minor in 2021.

Jeremy Alan Giefer, 51, received a 150-day sentence in jail, minus 39 days credited to him, in March 2024, after a judge found him guilty of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in a bench trial in Nicollet County District Court. He had a 36-month prison sentence stayed for 15 years while he serves on supervised probation.

The case stemmed from accusations by a 13-year-old girl, who told police Giefer inappropriately touched her at his residence.

Giefer was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a minor when he was 19 years old in 1994. Gov. Tim Pawlenty pardoned him in 2008.

In 2010 a girl accused Giefer of sexually abusing her starting when she was 9-10 years old, but she later recanted and Giefer was never convicted in that case.

In his appeal of the 2024 conviction, Giefer argued the state failed to prove he acted with sexual or aggressive intent beyond a reasonable doubt. . . .

Here's the ruling (contains graphic language)

STATE OF MINNESOTA IN COURT OF APPEALS A24-0521 State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Jeremy Alan Gi... uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Bear in mind that Giefer is out on probation.

Photo: The Nicollet County Courthouse in St. Peter, MN, where Giefer was mostly recently convicted.

Related posts

• Once pardoned, Jeremy Giefer gets jail time, 15 years probation for criminal sexual conduct
• MN pardons sitenote: Giefer guilty on 3 counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor
• Mankato Free Press reports Jeremy Giefer accused of another child sex assault
• Prairie gothic meets rococo: Jonathan Giefer convicted of sexually assaulting girl under 13
• Johnathan Giefer arrested again in new charges of sexually assaulting minor in Vernon Center
• Mankato Free Press: Blue Earth County to drop charges against Jeremy Giefer in sexual assault case 
• MFP: Jeremy Giefer's spouse charged in December 2 incident 
• In one of Mankato's 2010 top ten stories, county commissioner says he was duped by Giefer
• Reader tip: Jeremy Giefer back in Blue Earth County Jail 
• Pawlenty pardon update: incidents in the life of Jeremy Giefer in 2008
• Pardoned by Pawlenty board in 2008, sex offender hit with criminal sex, incest charges

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. 

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While a flurry of contenders seek empty MN Senate seat, prosecutors say Eichorn lied about access to firearms, tried to hide laptop

There's a flurry of new filings for the Minnesota state senate seating left vacant by the resignation of former lawmaker Justin Eichorn, while Eichorn himself seems to have gotten himself in more trouble since his arrest, as the Minnesota Reformer article republished below reports.

A talented boy, that one.

I noted last week in an update to Justin Eichorn resigns from Senate following federal charge; LeClaire to seek Senate 6 seat that Keri Heintzeman, wife of Nisswa Republican House member Josh Heintzeman, was seeking the office, as well as DFLer Emily LeClaire.

Since then, there's news of additional contenders. The Brainerd Dispatch reported  Josh Gazelka joins race for Senate District 6 seat on March 21. Yup, that's former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka's son.

Numerous sources report that the former MNGOP state chair and current mayor of Nisswa has declared her candidacy in Jennifer Carnahan announces campaign for Eichorn’s seat in Senate District 6. A paragraph in the KSTP article:

. . .Carnahan resigned as Minnesota GOP Chair in 2021 after Anton “Tony” Lazarro, whom she had close ties with, was federally charged with child sex trafficking. Lazarro was a prominent fundraiser and donor for the state’s Republican party. . . .

That makes me wonder if voters will elect to honor Eichorn's legacy?

But there's hope. Today's Brainerd Dispatch reports that there's another Republican contender with Cotariu announces candidacy for Minnesota Senate District 6. 

Update 4:36: In Former Minn. GOP chair Jennifer Carnahan, others enter race to replace former Sen. Justin Eichorn, Ryan Faircloth and Allison Kite add these GOP contenders to the: ". . .Angel Zierden, . . . John Howe and Doug Kern. .. " [end update]

Bluestem thinks the candidacy of the "West Point graduate, U.S. Army veteran and accomplished businessman" has everything to keep the Republican contender in the special election from being the political equivalent of an ingrown toenail, but I won't be holding my breath.

From the Minnesota Reformer.

Prosecutors say Eichorn lied about access to firearms, tried to hide laptop
by Madison McVan

Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to reconsider the pretrial release of former state Sen. Justin Eichorn — facing a charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor — after Eichorn allegedly attempted to conceal evidence.

Eichorn was arrested on March 17 after arranging to pay for sex with a person he believed to be a 17-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover Bloomington police officer, according to federal charging documents. He resigned from his Senate seat a few days after his arrest.

At his first court appearance Thursday, a federal judge ordered Eichorn to be released from jail under a long list of conditions. Eichorn was expected to be released to a halfway house on Tuesday.

After Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors say they learned additional information that warrants Eichorn staying in jail until his trial.

According to the federal prosecutors: Eichorn made phone calls from jail to an unnamed woman — referred to as “Individual A” in the court documents — apparently arranging for the woman to pick up a laptop from Eichorn’s St. Paul apartment, where he lived during the legislative session. The woman lives in Eichorn’s hometown of Grand Rapids and is described as a “close associate” — during one phone conversation, Eichorn asked her to pick up a ring from his apartment. 

“Apartment stuff is taken care of, just so you know,” the woman told Eichorn on March 20. She told Eichorn she planned to go to the apartment to pick up a laptop the following day. 

As FBI agents prepared to search Eichorn’s St. Paul apartment on the morning of March 21, they encountered the woman. She asked to enter the apartment to retrieve a laptop she used for business. The FBI agents declined.

When law enforcement agents entered the apartment, they found a red bag containing $1,000 cash, an SD card, a handgun and ammunition, a laptop and a factory-reset iPhone. 

Eichorn told the court he didn’t have any firearms in the St. Paul apartment. Lying about the gun is enough to detain Eichorn until his trial, prosecutors argued. 

Eichorn’s alleged attempt to coordinate the removal of a laptop from his apartment, and the potential wiping of one of his iPhones, also warrants detention, according to prosecutors. 

“Eichorn’s post-arrest conduct, including his lie to pretrial services concerning his possession of a gun, make clear that he does not intend to be truthful or to respect legal process. Instead, his conduct strongly suggests a willingness — and actual steps taken — to frustrate the ongoing child-sex investigation into his conduct.”

Prosecutors requested a hearing ahead of Eichorn’s scheduled release to a halfway house on Tuesday.

The court filing was first reported by KARE11. 

A call to Eichorn’s attorney was not immediately returned. 

Photo: Sen. Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids), left, consults with Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson), right, during a vote Thursday, May 12, years ago before Gruenhagen filled the Hutchinson seat. Photo by Catherine J. Davis/Senate Media Services/via Minnesota Reformer.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Related posts

•  Justin Eichorn resigns from Senate following federal charge; LeClaire to seek Senate 6 seat 
• Sex sting charges: MN Senator Eichorn texted ‘when do ya turn 18?’ to undercover cop
• State Senator Justin Eichorn, Republican-Grand Rapids, arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 17-year-old girl
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• MN Chronic Wasting Disease dilemma: should new deer farms be blocked? The old bought out?
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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. 

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I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Bird flu in South Dakota: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans

My next door neighbor is grieving the thousands of snow geese that were found dead in and along Lake Byron, a lake where she fished as a child. Avian influenza is hitting South Dakota's wild and domestic flocks hard.

I favor the concept of bird flu vaccine for poultry, and hope South Dakota farmers will embrace the use of lasers as a form of biosecurity to keep wild birds away from their poultry barns, as some Minnesota turkey growers have done.

From South Dakota News Watch.

Bird flu in SD: Millions of birds dead, worry shifts to humans
Bart Pfankuch

BRIDGEWATER, S.D. – As bird flu ravages poultry farms across the country – including in South Dakota – fears are growing that the highly contagious avian influenza virus could mutate and begin to spread widely among the world's human population.

The virus already has caused devastating effects in the state, which has seen the second-highest number of outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks in the nation.

The 114 commercial outbreaks in South Dakota, along with another 26 backyard flock infections, have led to the death or intentional killing of more than 6 million turkeys, chickens and other birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Many of the outbreaks in the state, the latest coming in January, have been at turkey farms operated by Hutterite colonies in the eastern half of the state, including at the Oaklane Hutterite Colony near Bridgewater.

But in 2024, the virus was detected in a flock of farm-raised pheasants in South Dakota, leading to the killing of about 30,000 of the birds that draw hunters from around the world each fall. As in other states, the virus has also spread to mammals in the state, causing the death of a handful of cattle and more than a dozen domestic cats.

So far, no human cases have been reported in South Dakota. Nationally, however, about 70 people have been sickened by the virus, mostly farm workers or veterinarians who were exposed to infected birds or cattle. In January, an elderly resident of Louisiana with underlying medical conditions became the first person to die of bird flu in the U.S. after being exposed to sick birds.

166 million birds destroyed

The current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or H5N1 virus, began in the U.S. in February 2022. Since then, the virus has been detected in all 50 states, causing more than 1,600 individual outbreaks in commercial and backyard poultry flocks and leading to the death or euthanasia of 166 million chickens, turkeys and other birds.

While the most tangible outcome of bird flu for consumers has been the rising cost of eggs and chicken breasts, a different, more ominous concern is rising among scientists and public health officials who closely monitor bird flu and study ways to prevent its spread.

There has been no known human-to-human spread of bird flu so far in the U.S, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And yet, numerous scientists are becoming concerned that bird flu could become the next pandemic and potentially cause devastating consequences to human populations across the world.

"We're afraid this virus could cause a human pandemic because humans have very little immunity against this particular avian flu virus," Scott Hensley, a leading bird flu researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a January video presentation. "The problem is that flu viruses acquire mutations all the time. And we know that the virus is only one or two mutations away from being able to cause severe disease in humans."

The current risk to humans, especially those outside the agriculture industry, remains "very low," according to the CDC. So far, the bird flu virus has not been found to bind well to human cells or take hold in the human respiratory system.

But the virus has already shown a ready ability to mutate, not unlike how the Influenza A and B and COVID-19 viruses show slight mutations each year. Bird flu can be spread through direct contact, by breathing airborne particles or through shared water sources.

The spread of infection from wild migrating birds to captive poultry flocks, and the subsequent mutations from birds to bovines and now cats is a cause for alarm, said Todd Tetrow, the director of veterinary services at Dakota Provisions, a large turkey processing company in Huron.

"It can jump species, so anytime there’s virus out there, and other species can be exposed, it can sure jump," Tetrow told News Watch. "Anytime it jumps into a new species, there’s more concern and thoughts that this thing is getting to where it’s scary for humans."

Turkey farms hit hard by bird flu

South Dakota has been a hotbed for bird flu infections for two reasons.

The state is along the flyway for many species of migratory birds, which are the known carriers of the virus.

Also, South Dakota is a major producer of turkeys that are mainly raised indoors within concentrated animal feeding operations. The state also has smaller chicken and pheasant breeding operations that can be susceptible to bird flu outbreaks.

The 41 Hutterite turkey producers who make up the farmer-owned Dakota Provisions cooperative have suffered so many bird flu outbreaks in the past three years that the group has purchased its own industrial firefighting foam system. Firefighting foam, which eliminates oxygen when dispensed, is the current preferred method of quickly and efficiently "depopulating" a flock of infected birds.

The Oaklane Hutterite Colony west of Sioux Falls has endured two bird flu outbreaks in the past two years, which in total required the killing of about 21,000 adult turkeys and poults, said colony director John Wipf.

On both occasions, Wipf said, he noticed that water consumption among his turkeys had fallen, and some birds showed signs of malaise and a few died. Both times, birds were sent to South Dakota State University for confirmation that bird flu was the cause.

When any bird is infected, all birds from that barn must be destroyed, he said. The USDA sends in experts to monitor the killing, which was done by a local firefighting agency.

Watching his flocks be depopulated is heart wrenching, he said.

“The smallest ones really wanted to live and they tried to climb on top of the foam, but it wouldn’t hold them up,” he said.

Dead birds are then composted in a landfill onsite, and the barns must then be sanitized and approved by the USDA before reopening.

The value of the lost birds was likely about $300,000, though the federal government indemnifies farms for bird flu and pays farmers an adjusted amount to cover most losses.

Wipf said he takes precautions to prevent further infection, such as requiring staff to wear boots and other protective clothing, and by keeping things clean and disinfected.

He isn’t sure how his flocks became infected, but he believes migratory birds are the likely culprits.

“It’s a bad luck situation for sure because it’s very difficult to diagnose where it came from and how it got in here," Wipf said. "We have no clue, but I think part of it was bird migration, geese and ducks that fly over and poop on the barn and our materials. Or it could have been brought in by wild birds that get into the barns.”

Pheasant farmers lose major flock

The bird flu outbreak that struck the Gisi Pheasant Farm near Ipswich, 30 miles west of Aberdeen, began with a single bird testing positive in December 2023, according to farm co-owner Loretta Omland. Ultimately, three positive tests for bird flu were confirmed, she said.

To the family members that run the farm, the flu cases appeared isolated to one of six barns at their breeding operation at nearby Craven. No other birds appeared to be sick or dying in those barns or at other locations in Wessington Springs and Miller, Omland said.

Suddenly, the family found itself embroiled in a difficult, emotionally draining effort to save their other breeders and hens. Gisi Farms in 2022 provided about 480,000 ringneck pheasants to a large number of customers that mostly include South Dakota hunting resorts and preserves.

In the days following the positive tests, they ran up against USDA officials who were unwilling to make exceptions to rules stating that entire flocks of birds must be destroyed quickly, even if only one or a few birds test positive for bird flu.

“We told them, ‘We don’t care about indemnification,’ because those were our birds,” Omland told News Watch. “I had to call all these customers and tell them that we can’t get your birds, and that affects the restaurants, the grocery stores, the preserves and all these people in the hospitality and hunting industries.”

The family sought the help of the South Dakota state veterinarian and the state congressional delegation to ask for an exception that would allow them to mitigate the loss of birds and investment.

“The USDA came back and said that if we didn’t kill those birds, we’d be in jeopardy of losing indemnification and that South Dakota could be in violation of international trade laws,” Omland said.

The family ultimately relented and agreed to the killing of about 30,000 pheasants, later receiving roughly $1 million in indemnification that did not cover their full losses and cleanup costs, Omland said.

“It was horrible, just horrible because those were all healthy birds,” she said.

Since then, Gisi Farms has enhanced its biosecurity efforts to prevent further outbreaks, Omland said.

“We test and test and test and clean and clean and clean, but you can only get so far in what you do,” she said. “You do everything you can, but at the end of the day, you just say more prayers.”

Research and prevention steps underway

News is breaking almost weekly about the impacts of bird flu and the efforts of the scientific community to slow or stop its spread and to reduce its ability to infect humans.

In January, a new strain of bird flu called H5N9 was determined to be the source of infection of a commercial duck farm in California. While that new strain was not seen as more infectious or dangerous to birds or humans, scientists said it shows how quickly the virus is mutating.

In mid-March, thousands of geese were found dead in and along Lake Byron in Beadle County and state game officials said they believe bird flu was the cause of the mass die-off.

Some experts worry that if separate viruses intermingle – such as a person who has influenza A is then exposed to H5N1 – that a cross-virus mutation could occur and open the door to greater human infections or birth of a virus that can spread among humans.

In December, the USDA launched its National Milk Testing Strategy, which among other things tests milk held in silos for H5N1 prior to distribution to humans. South Dakota is one of 45 states to sign up for silo testing.

The CDC, USDA and Food and Drug Administration are all working to monitor bird flu outbreaks and spread. The USDA has created an easy-to-navigate website where bird flu data is tracked by state and the CDC has a bird flu information page.

The farm-level response to bird flu in South Dakota has centered around close monitoring of bird health and behavior and through testing of poultry flocks prior to slaughter, Tetrow said.

Some farmers in South Dakota and other states have used cannons or fireworks to scare away migratory birds or have tried to eliminate ponds where migratory birds congregate near their barns.

Tetrow said he hopes the agricultural, governmental and scientific communities can work together to take more steps to evaluate the causes and effects of bird flu and take preventative methods to slow its spread.

"I'd like to see us reevaluate what we're going to see if there are more approaches and tools we can add to our toolbox to fight this," he said.

The USDA in February gave conditional approval to a bird flu vaccine for poultry, made by the firm Zoetis. But to date, the U.S. has not followed the path of other countries such as China, Mexico and some European countries where use of poultry vaccines is widespread.

Tetrow, who spent more than a decade working in the South Dakota state veterinarian's office, said he supports the concept of vaccinating poultry in order to protect both bird and human populations.

"It won't prevent infection, but it decreases mortality and the amount of virus that is shed," he said. "If we can find a vaccine that can do those things, I think we need to figure out how to employ that."

Hensley, the University of Pennsylvania biologist, said a major goal of ongoing research is to develop a human vaccine. "We want to be able to respond if this virus acquires the mutations that are needed to effectively transmit from human to human," he said.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Bart Pfankuch at [email protected].

Graph:  From South Dakota News Watch.

This article is republished with permission of South Dakota News Watch.

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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. 

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South Dakota veterans’ advocates say VA staffing cuts put veterans out of work

On Friday, I'd republished South Dakota News Watch's Dusty Johnson's Sturgis military event reveals division among South Dakota veterans.

The Sunday South Dakota Searchlight article republished below takes a broader look at those divisions.

Veterans’ advocates say VA staffing cuts put vets out of work
by Joshua Haiar

Further impacts feared from Trump administration plan to cut 80,000 employees

Staffing cuts in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs are disproportionately affecting the veterans that the department preferentially hires, said members of a South Dakota veterans’ advocacy group. 

They worry the Trump administration’s goal of cutting 80,000 VA employees will put more veterans out of work without a vetting process, and erode the quality of services provided. 

Eugene Murphy, of Sioux Falls, is a past national commander of Disabled American Veterans and a Vietnam War vet who was paralyzed by gunshot wounds.

“How are you going to treat my brothers and sisters like that?” he said. “This is not right.” 

The VA provides services for veterans including health care, housing options, life insurance, pensions, education stipends and more. One-quarter of the VA’s 482,000 employees are veterans.

Disabled American Veterans of South Dakota says the Trump administration’s initial round of cuts to probationary employees disproportionately impacted disabled veterans. The national organization shared testimonials on its website of some of the disabled and decorated veterans who have already been fired. 

“I found out I lost my job off the clock, on my day off, without a warning, without a meeting, without even a termination letter,” said Navy veteran Kara Oliver, of Michigan. “Just a locked computer screen and a stunned supervisor confirming the news. And here’s the worst part: The veterans lost more than I did.”

About 2,400 of the VA’s roughly 46,000 probationary employees — generally those who’ve been in their jobs less than two years — were terminated last month. 

Judges have ruled that the mass firings of federal probationary workers that began last month were illegal, and ordered the workers reinstated pending further litigation. The Trump administration has begun the process of reinstating tens of thousands of them, though most are just being placed on administrative leave as the government cites the “burdens” of rehiring, court filings reviewed by States Newsroom show.

The cuts are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration and the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, leader of Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, to reduce government spending.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said in a recent video that he intends to return the agency to 2019 staffing levels of around 398,000. He said the savings will be reinvested in health care and services.

“The federal government doesn’t exist to employ people. It exists to serve people,” Collins said.

He said doctors and nurses are not being fired.

“You know where we’re going to be looking? At the bureaucracy layer that goes from my doctor to the central office in Washington, D.C.,” Collins said.

‘Makes my blood boil’

That doesn’t ease the concerns of Marty Pennock, an Army veteran who directs the South Dakota department of Disabled American Veterans, headquartered in Sioux Falls. 

“It just makes my blood boil knowing the politicians doing this never have to worry about where their paychecks are going to come from,” he said. 

Pennock referenced the example of a disabled veteran and single mother who served 16 years in the military and was recently fired from the Sioux Falls VA hospital. 

“I have great concern that all these cuts are going to impact the services provided, but I’m also concerned about the impact on those let go,” Pennock said. “Many of the people working for the department are disabled veterans. And if not, they’re all people who have put in time to serve people I care about. They deserve better than being fired without any justification or a basis.”

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, serves on the Armed Services and Appropriations committees. He said the volume of calls his staff receives has more than doubled following the Trump-Musk cuts. He said they will continue monitoring the situation and advocate for rehirings when appropriate. He shares concerns about firing veterans. 

“I think that’s what we have got to be on guard for,” Rounds said. 

The cuts come at a time when veterans’ health care needs are increasing. The VA enrolled 400,000 veterans in its benefits system from March 2023 through March 2024, 30% more than the prior year. It also expanded eligibility for former service members to receive VA health care.

The agency has grown in recent years in response to the increase in veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan needing services as they age, as well as a new benefit from a 2022 toxic exposure law known as the PACT Act. The law is intended to help veterans exposed to the military’s use of open-air burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Because of that, Pennock said, VA staff cuts will hurt benefits.

“Since the PACT Act, demands on the system increased greatly,” Pennock said. “Many of the new people were brought on to help with a backlog of disability claims.” 

Staff shortages have led to long wait times for care, with some VA clinics so understaffed that they are unable to take new patients for primary care or mental health needs.

Pennock met with the state’s congressional delegation about one month ago in Washington, D.C. While Secretary Collins said benefits could ultimately improve via a reallocation of funding, Pennock said he left D.C. not feeling optimistic.

Pennock is worried that options presented in the Congressional Budget Office’s recent report on reducing the federal deficit may soon come true. Possibilities include eliminating disability compensation for households making over $137,000 (or “means testing”), reducing disability benefits for retired veterans, and making veteran disability income taxable.

“Most families would lose their benefits if that means-testing option is implemented,” Pennock said. This is huge,” Pennock said.

Rounds said the Congressional Budget Office’s report does nothing more than offer options where cuts could be made.

“None of those have been presented as a proposal to be voted on,” Rounds said. 

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, said in a statement that he has heard concerns about changes to the VA, “and I’m seeking more information on the administration’s plans.”

“Despite the claims of some, Congress won’t cut VA benefits as a part of this year’s appropriations process,” Johnson said. “Of course, we’ll work to find efficiencies, but saved dollars will be reinvested in the system to improve care.”

SD veteran protests

Protests last week drew more than 100 people to the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Sheila and Donald Aaker attended the protest. The two are worried veterans’ health care services will be negatively impacted. Donald served in Vietnam, “and he did his duty,” Sheila said. 

“It’s just not right,” Sheila said. “It’s not right for people to have to struggle with an illness and wonder if their health care will be available. He was promised that, and I think the country owes it to him.”

Air Force veteran Larry Williams said witnessing gruesome deaths during a deployment to Europe during the 1970s wore on his mental health.

“I got the help that I needed,” Williams said. “And today I’m doing a lot better than I was. But I am here for my fellow comrades. These services are vital. We signed a blank check saying we will surrender our lives in battle, but some of us have come home. And we’re still being treated like s—.” 

Jody Fleischhacker is an Air Force veteran. She said what is happening in D.C. is “unbelievable.” Her daughter was a federal employee fired by the Trump administration. 

“There is such a disregard for a lot of people,” she said. “And they don’t care. It’s the billionaire boys club out there. Rounds, Thune and Dusty Johnson are worthless. They sit up there and turn their backs on South Dakota.”

Bruce Watts joined the Army out of high school and served in Korea. He too wants to see South Dakota’s congressional delegation take action.

“Step up and protect veterans’ rights,” he said. “And stop this anti-democratic move happening in Washington.” 

State-provided veterans benefits and staffing will not be impacted by the federal cuts, according to the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. Public affairs officers with the Sioux Falls and Rapid City VA offices did not respond to requests for comment.

Photo: Vietnam infantry veteran James Sanden carries a flag on Mar. 14, 2025, during a protest at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center. Sanden and others were protesting Veterans Affairs staffing cuts. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight).

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Related post

• Dusty Johnson's Sturgis military event reveals division among South Dakota veterans

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Medicaid cuts rippling through rural America could bring more hospital closures, job losses

On Thursday, the Minnesota Reformer's Madison McVan focused on the Hennepin County Medical Center in Health care leaders say Medicaid cuts would further strain state hospitals and clinics.

Saturday, the Reformer's sibling site Iowa Capital Dispatch published an overview of the effect of Medicaid cuts on the countryside by State Newsroom's Jennifer Shutt.

Looks as if the cuts won't be a form of place-baiting.

Medicaid cuts rippling through rural America could bring hospital closures, job losses
by Jennifer Shutt

WASHINGTON — Americans living in rural communities throughout the country could see their access to health care diminish if Congress changes eligibility for Medicaid or significantly reduces its federal funding.

While rural residents who depend on the state-federal program for lower income people would experience the most substantial impacts, those who have private health insurance or have other coverage, like Medicare, would likely encounter changes as well.

Rural hospitals and primary care physicians’ incomes would likely go down if Medicaid patients are no longer able to afford the same level of health care, potentially leading to reductions in services offered for everyone or even closures, according to experts.

Whitney Zahnd, assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa, said that cuts to Medicaid “will disproportionately hit rural communities,” where 24% of people are covered by the program, including 47% of all births and a majority of nursing home patients.

“This is something that’s going to impact them more than those in urban areas and that’s on top of the already lower access to care, higher need for care, older populations,” Zahnd said. “It’s just going to make things that are already a challenge even more challenging for rural communities.”

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy categorizes about 20.3% of Americans, or 62.8 million people, as living in rural areas, based on 2020 Census data.

Hospital closings in rural America

Rural areas have seen hospitals close their doors at higher rates than facilities in non-rural areas and that trend doesn’t appear likely to reverse any time soon.

The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has an interactive map showing where 87 rural hospitals have closed completely since 2010, while an additional 65 “no longer provide in-patient services, but continue to provide some health care services.”

And a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform released in February shows that more “than 700 rural hospitals — one-third of all rural hospitals in the country — are at risk of closing because of the serious financial problems they are experiencing.”

Losing income from Medicaid patients could lead to a “domino effect,” Zahnd said, exacerbating budget challenges for rural health care providers and potentially communities overall.

“Economically in a lot of rural communities, the hospital is the largest employer,” Zahnd said. “So if you have a hospital close, it’s not just that people are losing access to health care, they might be losing their job or their family member may be losing their job.”

Rural health care providers that are able to stay open might have to cut the services they offer to keep their accounts from going too far into the red. Such a decision wouldn’t just harm Medicaid patients, but anyone living in a rural community who goes to that doctor or hospital.  

“So those are some risks we would anticipate if there are these big cuts to Medicaid,” Zahnd said.

Winners and losers

Timothy McBride, co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, said during a briefing on Medicaid in mid-March that financial margins for rural hospitals are “razor-thin.”

“Even in the urban hospitals, they’re probably just a few percentage points, but in rural hospitals, they can be just a percentage point or 2 or negative,” McBride said. “So if you take away the Medicaid dollars, they’re certainly going to go negative. And if you wonder why rural hospitals close, that’s why.”

McBride also made the point during a March 13 briefing hosted by SciLine, a service for journalists and scientists based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, that Medicaid provides funding for a lot of rural health care providers.

“In an economic system, if we cut the spending, we can go, ‘Oh, that’s great. We cut $880 billion.’ But whose income is that? It’s income to hospitals, it’s income to doctors,” McBride said. “And that’s going to, you know, be really hard on rural systems and on rural hospitals and urban systems.

“Yeah, it’s going to help the taxpayers, but, you know, just be mindful of who is going to be hurt. There’s winners and losers here.”

Budget process

Republicans in Congress are planning to use the complicated budget reconciliation process to extend the 2017 tax cuts they enacted during President Donald Trump’s first term to the tune of about $4.5 trillion in new deficits. They also want to boost spending on defense and border security by hundreds of billions of dollars and rewrite energy policy.

In order to pay for some of the package, the House’s budget resolution instructs the committee that oversees Medicaid to cut $880 billion in spending during the next decade — the figure cited by McBride.

Republicans in the Senate haven’t yet agreed to that outline, with several expressing concerns about how steep cuts to federal funding would affect their constituents.

Census data shows that more than 85% of the United States remains rural, meaning every one of the 53 Republican senators represents a state with at least some rural areas.

The Senate in the weeks ahead is expected to debate the budget resolution the House voted along party lines to approve in February. Senators are likely to make changes and send it back across the Capitol for the House to give final approval.

Once the two chambers vote to adopt the same budget resolution with identical reconciliation instructions, Congress can formally begin advancing legislation that could restructure Medicaid. But the GOP will need to stay united throughout the process.

Republicans hold a paper-thin majority in the House of Representatives, requiring that any proposed changes to Medicaid garner the support of centrist and far-right GOP lawmakers.

Even a few defections over Medicaid changes, or other elements in the bill, would stop the package from becoming law.

Avoiding high medical costs, bankruptcy

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said that in addition to being “a critical backbone to our healthcare system,” Medicaid helps prevent lower-income Americans from going into medical debt and reduces the number of people landing in emergency departments for conditions that can be managed by primary care providers.

“We spend a lot of time, of course, rightly, thinking about Medicaid and the question of access. But fundamentally, Medicaid is an economic support — a critical piece of the puzzle for families who are struggling to pay bills with the high cost of housing and food,” Alker said. “And so that’s the number one most important thing: If you are uninsured in this country, unless you are a billionaire, you are going to be exposed to high medical costs, and those can lead to debt, and even bankruptcy.”

When people lose access to health insurance or programs like Medicaid, they tend to delay or avoid going to primary care providers, who can diagnose issues early and help patients manage chronic conditions.

“That’s not the way we want our health system to work,” Alker said. “Their condition will have worsened. They won’t have had access to prescription drugs that they needed to address chronic conditions, like asthma or diabetes or hypertension. And so they get worse and show up in the emergency room.”

Medicaid also covers health care for about half of the children in the United States and more than 40% of the births, making the program a significant source of income for both pediatricians and OBGYNs. They would see their budgets decreased if patients lose access to the program.

“There are already challenges, and these kinds of cuts will really exacerbate those for families living in these communities, whether they’re enrolled in Medicaid or not,” Alker said.

Entire community affected

Megan Cole, associate professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University School of Public Health, said during the SciLine briefing that if Congress cuts Medicaid, it would have wide-ranging effects on rural health care. 

“I think these cuts will have impacts not just on Medicaid recipients but on whole economies and health systems; so particularly safety net health systems, community health centers, rural hospitals,” Cole said. “As those institutions have less patient revenue. They may face reductions in services. They may close certain sites depending on finances. They may eliminate staff. So that affects not just the Medicaid enrollees, but also affects anyone who is otherwise served by those providers.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence.

Photo: A sign at the entrance for Mahaska Health, a hospital in Oskaloosa, Iowa, that has received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Photo by Cecilia Lynch/USDA/ via Iowa Capital Dispatch). 

Related post

•  Looming federal cuts complicate MN budget; will they change BOAH's avian flu response? 

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Dusty Johnson's Sturgis military event reveals division among South Dakota veterans

My younger veteran friends who live in other states have shared concerns about changes at the Veteran Administration under the second Trumpy administration, so this South Dakota News Watch article struck home with me.

From South Dakota News Watch.

Sturgis military event reveals division among SD veterans
by Bart Pfankuch

STURGIS, S.D. – An event hosted by Congressman Dusty Johnson to honor Vietnam veterans in Sturgis this week unwittingly revealed the growing division among some veterans in South Dakota and beyond.

As Johnson told those assembled inside he wanted to make up for poor treatment of veterans in the 1960s and 1970s, a group of people outside the Sturgis Veteran's Club protested how veterans are being treated now by the Trump administration and Congress.

On the sidewalk outside the club, a dozen people carried signs and chanted slogans. The protesters, including some former military members, said widespread employee cuts in the Department of Veterans Affairs are weakening health care for veterans.

Inside the club, a few dozen people gathered for the ceremony led by Johnson, a third-term Republican. He started the event by lamenting how poorly many Vietnam veterans were treated upon returning home after their service.

"America is the best country in the world, but that doesn't mean that it's perfect," said Johnson. "If you needed to point to a piece of evidence of that imperfection, one place to start would be how we treated people in uniform in the 1960s and 1970s."

Johnson said that has changed over time and that American military personnel and veterans are now treated with far more respect and reverence and that "they're more likely to get a round of applause than they are to get spit on."

Johnson welcomed about 20 Vietnam veterans or their family members to the front of the room a few at a time, and each was given a commemorative coin, a certificate, a lapel pin and a handshake.

Veterans were given a microphone to share their stories of service in Vietnam. And while some remembrances were humorous, others were deeply moving and revealed the pride they feel about their service. At least one veteran began to weep.

One veteran told how he was greeted in Vietnam by a commander but also by stacks of boxes containing dead soldiers waiting to be flown back to the states. The sister of one late veteran told how her brother became a journalist on the front lines in Vietnam, and read aloud an eloquent letter he wrote home. She said her brother "died twice" from afflictions due to exposure to Agent Orange.

"This is an opportunity for our country to do the right thing," Johnson said later. "I look every one of these veterans in the eyes, I shake their hand, and I tell them that a grateful nation honors and thanks them for their service."

Protesters angry over VA cuts

But outside the veteran's club, protesters decried efforts by President Donald Trump and his adviser, Elon Musk, to cut VA staffing and programs.

They carried signs saying, "VA cuts hurt veterans," "Support vets and heroes" and "Veterans deserve better!"

The group of mostly gray-haired men and women shouted "Save our veterans," "Hee hee, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go," "Trump is not our king," and "Show me what democracy looks like." One woman then added, "This is what democracy looks like, so take a good look because it won't be here for long."

Roseanna Renaud, 71, said she found it "despicable" that Johnson was honoring veterans at a time veteran services are being cut and many veterans are losing their jobs, and the Republican-controlled Congress is doing nothing to stop it.

"Veterans are starting to wake up and notice that they can't get that appointment that they need, that they can't get that treatment," said Renaud, who said she is a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, a Vietnam-era Army veteran and a retired police lieutenant.

"I find it just absolutely disgusting. I mean, there's a sign over there about the Veterans Crisis Line and at the same time they have slashed mental health services for veterans. You think that's right? Hell, no."

At one point, a man entered into an argument with a protester and shoved the 74-year-old man to the ground. Later, John Henry, 76, of Sturgis, was arrested for simple assault, said Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDerwater. The protester was not seriously injured.

VA might cut thousands of jobs

Actions by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency already have led to the firing of a few thousand VA employees and the suspension of hundreds of contracts for services, according to The Associated Press.

The AP reported on March 5 that an internal VA memo announced a major reorganization this summer that will cut 80,000 more jobs from the agency that provides health care and other services to millions of veterans.

More than a quarter of the VA’s workforce is comprised of veterans, and veterans made up nearly a third of the overall federal workforce, which has seen dramatic job cuts under the Trump administration. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has said the job cuts are not in mission-critical positions and that veteran care would not be affected.

But during the ceremony, one Vietnam veteran who was being honored by Johnson shared his concerns that staff and funding cuts to the VA could harm the ability of sick or injured service members to receive the care and services they need.

Robert Orr, who said he served in the Air Force Strategic Air Command from 1970-77, spoke up about VA cuts when Johnson handed him the microphone.

"I'm very pleased with the care I've gotten at the VA," Orr said. "Congressman Johnson, if you can, do what you can to restore the funding and personnel to the VA."

Orr added that, "I've never heard there was a surplus of staff at the VA," a comment that drew applause from ceremony attendees.

Orr later told News Watch that he has seen VA services slipping for some veterans he knows and is worried that any position, program or funding cuts could make it even harder for them to receive care.

Orr said he felt it was a "conflict" for Johnson to lead a ceremony honoring veterans while the president and Republican leadership in Congress have or will cut the VA budget and staff.

"I'd say it's a lack of critical thinking," Orr said.

In an interview after the ceremony, Johnson said he supports the ability of the protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights to criticize the government.

He said he had not spoken with the protesters but is monitoring the cuts and proposed cuts to the VA to ensure medical care and other services are not impacted.

Johnson: VA seeking efficiencies

Johnson said he is friends with VA secretary Collins, they have discussed how the VA is being managed and together have called out the Trump administration when the cuts "are not the right fit."

Johnson said the White House has been receptive to their concerns and suggestions.

"Congress hasn't and will not cut VA funding. There will certainly be some efficiencies that are found as we work together, but those efficiencies are going to be reinvested in the system," he said. "We have got to reduce these debts, and we know that no front care or provisioning staff have been cut. There have been some positions eliminated that we've got some concerns about. We're asking some tough questions to the (Trump) administration (because) we need to get this right."

Johnson told News Watch he wasn't sure how many VA positions have been cut in South Dakota so far, but his understanding is that it is not a large number.

The South Dakota VA health system includes hospitals in Sturgis, Hot Springs and Sioux Falls and outpatient clinics in nine cities across the state.

Johnson said he and other members of Congress have spoken to agency heads, Cabinet secretaries and the White House to stay abreast of DOGE actions and cuts, including any related to the VA.

"Every week that goes by, we're building, I think, more successes as we go," Johnson said. "Clearly, there's a lot of change coming at us very quickly. We know that nobody's going to bat 1,000 and it's part of our job representing South Dakota to make sure that when the administration has a misstep, that we do what we can to get them back on the right track."

The Associated Press contributed to this story that was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Bart Pfankuch at [email protected].

Photos  Above: U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, right, stands with veterans Robert Orr, left, and Kent Popham, center, during a March 19, 2025, ceremony at the Sturgis, S.D., veteran's center to honor Vietnam veterans for their service. Below: Protesters outside the event. (Photos: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch).

This article is republished online with SDNW's permission.

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MN07 update: Attendees at Congresswoman Fischbach's "conversation" with CAE outnumbered by protesters outside resort

Back on March 7, Bluestem posted Town hall with "garbage" constituents? Heavens no. But Center of American Experiment will interview Fischbach March 20 in Ottertail.

Seems her constituents in Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District want a town hall, as I'd noted in subsequent posts here: Digest: MN07 press, residents and state DFL to Fischbach, "Listen to your constituents" and  Upset MN07 Rep. Fischbach is following GOP script in avoiding town halls, constituents respond with meetings, signs, postcards.

So how did Thursday's meeting go for the powerful think tank and the Republican congresswoman? 

At the Minnesota Star Tribune, Jenny Berg reports in At ticketed event, Rep. Michelle Fischbach gets questions about federal funding cuts, tariffs:

Attendees at the Thursday event were outnumbered by the protesters outside the Ottertail resort. 

OTTERTAIL, MINN. – U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach made a rare public appearance in her western Minnesota district Thursday, but it wasn’t the free-for-all town hall that many constituents were hoping for.

The Republican House member spoke and answered questions before about 140 registered guests, who each paid $10 to attend what was billed as a conversation hosted by the Minnetonka-based conservative think tank Center of the American Experiment.

But they were outnumbered by the protesters who lined the road outside the grounds of Thumper Pond Resort in Ottertail. And the group inside included more than a dozen who clearly took issue with Fischbach — some of whom interrupted her with questions about federal funding cuts and were asked by organizers to be quiet or leave. . . .

Outside, the protesters hoisted signs and chanted “Throw the fish back,” a play on Fischbach’s name. Madalyn Pretzer, 24, of Morris, brought a tater tot hot dish and wild rice soup to keep them warm and fed. . . .

Read the rest at the Strib.

A CD7 county DFL party posted on its Facebook page:

The Detriot Lakes/ Perham Focus's Barbie Porter reports a somewhat smaller protest crowd--and ticketed attendees in About 160 people show to protest as U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach answers questions at ticketed event:

'. . . Oftentimes, Fischbach was interrupted by attendees, who felt she was not answering the question or had not provided a full truth with her answer.

Of the 70-plus people in attendance at the event, about seven people were asked to leave the conference room for being disruptive, while more than a dozen vocally disagreed with what Fischbach was saying. At times, people also laughed.

Those who wanted to hear Fischbach did not appear amused, and at times told those speaking over Fischbach to “shut up,” “sit down” or were simply shushed. 

. . .In recent weeks protests have been staged outside Fischbach's offices in Moorhead and Willmar . Fischbach called the Moorhead protests "garbage" and said she thinks the protesters likely live outside of her district and were possibly being paid to protest, according to reporting from The Forum.

A more in-depth story with Fischbach’s responses to questions, as well as interviews with protesters, will be available Friday, March 21.

I'm certainly looking forward to that article, especially given the fact that the DL Tribune and Perham Focus are both part of the Forum Communications network, which includes about a half dozen newspapers throughout the district, from Worthington to Willmar to Moorhead (Fargo Forum).

Photo: Protestors outside of Thumpers Pond. Source: Polk County Minnesota DFL Facebook page.

Related posts

• Upset MN07 Rep. Fischbach is following GOP script in avoiding town halls, constituents respond with meetings, signs, postcards
• Digest: MN07 press, residents and state DFL to Fischbach, "Listen to your constituents"
• Town hall with "garbage" constituents? Heavens no. But Center of American Experiment will interview Fischbach March 20 in Ottertail

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Justin Eichorn resigns from Senate following federal charge; LeClaire to seek Senate 6 seat

Updated March 21: In Minnesota Public Radio's always excellent Capitol View morning newsletter, Brian Bakst and Dana Ferguson report:

Of note on the special election watch, House GOP leaders said they’re keeping their eyes on members in that Senate district that might try to make the jump. With a 67-67 split in the House, it could give Democrats a temporary advantage if either Reps. Josh Heintzeman or Ben Davis ran and won the seat. That grew less likely later Thursday when Keri Heintzeman, the wife of House member Josh Heintzema, became the first to open a campaign . A special election date has not yet been set. Republicans would be favored in the district. Eichorn had held the District 6 seat since 2017.

The businesswoman, party activist and mother of six has set up a candidate's Facebook page, Keri Heintzeman for Senate, where her announcement is posted:

Her campaign website and X account listed on the page are works in progress. [End update]

Already, one DFL candidate has thrown her hat into the ring for the special election to replace Eichorn, the Brainerd Dispatch' editor Matt Erickson reports in DFLer LeClaire announces intention to seek Senate District 6 seat:

Shortly after Republican State Sen. Justin Eichorn announced his resignation on Thursday, March 20, Emily LeClaire announced her intention to seek a DFL endorsement to run for the Senate seat.

LeClaire, a lifelong Brainerd resident, was the DFL-endorsed candidate for the Minnesota House District 6B in the 2024 election but lost to incumbent Rep. Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa. . . .

From the Minnesota Reformer.

Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, resigns from Senate following federal charge
by Madison McVan and Max Nesterak

From a Hennepin County jail cell, Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, has resigned from the Legislature, Senate Republicans announced Thursday morning.

Eichorn is facing a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. 

The resignation came moments before the state Senate was expected to expel him during the chamber’s floor session at 11 a.m. That vote is no longer necessary.

Eichorn, who was arrested Monday in Bloomington, submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Tim Walz. 

The resignation saved the Senate from taking the unprecedented step of expelling a member, which has never been done on the chamber’s floor. 

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said the allegations laid out in the federal charging documents were so “severe” and “damning” that the body had to expel him.  

“This would have been a cloud hanging over the Senate,” Johnson said. “We don’t need another one of those.”

At a simultaneous news conference, Senate Democrats welcomed Eichorn’s resignation while continuing to defend their own caucus member, Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, who faces felony burglary charges for allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s house.  

“It is a night and day situation,” said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul. “The predatory behavior demonstrated in the criminal complaint… puts people at risk in this chamber.” 

Mitchell was notably absent from the Capitol on Thursday, allowing her to avoid an awkward vote given the push by Republicans to expel her from the body. Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said Mitchell had to take her child to a medical appointment.

Eichorn allegedly responded to an online advertisement for sex and agreed to meet a 17-year-old girl in person, but the girl was actually an undercover officer, according to charging documents. He was charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and in Hennepin County district court with one count of allegedly attempting to hire a prostitute under 18 but at least 16. The state charge was later dropped following the federal charge, which carries a higher sentence.

A federal judge Thursday afternoon ordered Eichorn to stay in a halfway house until his trial. Eichorn will have his location monitored with GPS tracking; he will only be allowed to leave the halfway house for work, court dates, doctors’ appointments or other court-approved activities; he is barred from having unsupervised contact with minors; and he cannot use the internet without permission from his supervisory officer, and any internet use will be subject to monitoring. 

Eichorn accepted the conditions. He wore a black polo and jeans in his first court appearance since his arrest on Monday. He was represented by a federal public defender, who said Eichorn was in the process of obtaining a private attorney, but the agreement was not yet finalized. 

Eichorn’s next court date is March 26; he has not yet decided whether to plead guilty or contest the charge.

Photo: State Sen. Justin Eichorn, right, was arrested Monday in Bloomington. He’s a Grand Rapids Republican. Photo via Senate Media Services.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

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• State Senator Justin Eichorn, Republican-Grand Rapids, arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 17-year-old girl
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