A brief synopsis of what's going on out in South Dakota

It's 6AM, and I couldn't sleep.

Why? None of my kids had to be hauled anywhere last night, so I treated myself to an icy cold beverage in a frosty mug. The downside of that, is any intake of alcohol causes me to wake up ridiculously early. So, at about 5am this fine Saturday morning, my internal alarm clock started blaring for me to get up. And here I am.

After checking the news and e-mail - What can I tell you about what's going on in South Dakota today?

I've got a parade in Volga I'm taking the kids over to this morning. And I had a note from former Senator Lee Schoenbeck that he's going to abuse his body by doing a triathlon up at Lake Poinsett today. I could handle the swimming and the biking, but the running? Forget it. I'm not sure I have any cartilage remaining in any part of my left leg which tends to hinder such foolish notions.

What else is happening?

Pierre lost a local personality in Radio Broadcaster Del Fischer who passed away yesterday:
Del Fischer died at his home this morning. He was 62 years old.

Fischer’s booming voice was heard for years in this area. He also was a well-known DJ, playing records for various charitable events. He and the late Fred Smith of KCCR were the two signature voices in the Pierre area for decades.
Read that at KCCR.

Dennis Eisnach, The mayor of Pierre, had a bit of a scare himself as he was put into the Hospital with chest pains....
The 71-year-old mayor originally was admitted to St. Mary's Healthcare Center around 1 a.m. Thursday, and then rode with his wife Shirley by air ambulance to The North Central Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls later Thursday morning. Shirley Eisnach said an angiogram has shown that the pain is not related to his heart.

"He'd been sleeping and then work up and said 'I have chest pains,'" she said. "It was one of those things where he just thought, you don't fool around with this, he hasn't experienced this before."
It sounds like the mayor turned out just fine. Must have been losing that guaranteed Schwellenbach rubber-stamp vote on the city council. Read that at the Capital Journal.

I just found out that the Union County GOP is having a Lincoln Day Dinner on August 6th in Dakota Dunes. I'll get more details on that as they come.

Mt. Blogmore isn't showing me any love this AM, as reporter Kevin Woster seems to intimate he isn't familiar with the SDWC, as they debate the merits of the Herseth trip on Global warming.
PP? Who’s that? K.W.
Ugh. (You know, Bob Ellis did do a whole column on SD blogs.) In the same blog post, I will note that I thought long-time South Dakota environmentalist Donald Pay had one of the most intelligent points I've heard to date on the Herseth trip:

What has this to do with Herseth Sanlin’s trip? Probably not much, except that she is getting a first-hand introduction to some data. She could probably get more out of reading 40 years of climate research, but so could the global warming doubters.

Read that here as well.

The Argus Leader takes a look at South Dakota's conflict of interest laws after the Ted Klaudt rape accusation issue brought up the fact that his wife was involved in the Foster care program:

"No complete bright line has yet been drawn between prohibited and permissible legislator business dealings with the state," according to a document prepared by then-Attorney General Mark Barnett in 1998.

That remains essentially the case these days, as Attorney General Larry Long said in a recent interview in which he declined to discuss specifics of the Klaudt contract and possible conflicts.

and...

Senate Democratic Leader Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls recognizes that the conflict provisions are open to interpretation, but he thinks the Klaudt case crossed the line.

He said it's possible for a legislator's spouse to have a state contract involving something entirely separate from the lawmaker's duties.

"The idea of a foster home, though, almost presupposes that both spouses will be directly involved in the process," Heidepriem said.

Read that all here.

That's about all I've got this morning. What else is going on?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think KW is just kidding about not knowing who you are, PP.
Anonymous said…
The AFP, Americans for Prosperity, is having a seminar in Sioux Falls this morning at 10:30 at the Holiday Inn.
PP said…
Yes they are - and a good one. If I didn't have the parade obligation, which is related to my part time occupation, that's where I'd be.
Publisher said…
I was shocked about Del, and even more shocked about Mr. Fred. When did he leave us?
Anonymous said…
KW becomes enraged just thinking about all the scoops you get on him. He knows who you are, PP, he knows.
Anonymous said…
Taking a pack of kids to a parade on a beautiful June day is more fun than attending a taxation seminar. And if you are lucky something really interesting might happen and the day will go down in Power's family history as "remember that time we went to that parade in Volga".
Anonymous said…
It was lame for the KW at the Rapid Journal to let on (even in a joking form) that he didn't know who "PP" was.
Lame Lame Lame
Anonymous said…
hummmmmmmm, what else is going on in SD.....

I bet there is more going on than what gets listed in paper,or on blogs.

I had to miss the AFP, I had to get other stuff done and not feeling so hot.

I see they are holding a "Capital Celebration" in Pierre in a joint effort with Pierre/Ft. Pierre on June 13.
Haggs said…
Canton is having a city-wide rummage sale today. It's supposed to end at 4 PM, but if anyone is nearby and interested, you can drop by. Be sure to pick up a map with directions to all the sales. Maps are located at Pump-N-Pak, Sunshine, Pizza Ranch, Haisch Pharmacy, Taco Johns and Hills Cafe.
Anonymous said…
1:47 Actually, it was a pretty nice little promo for him.
Anonymous said…
Well, Bill, I think I know where you are coming from.

So, could I have been Wrong?
That question, I think will be answered soon and maybe not by a poster.

do I have you thinking. Most likely not Bill F.
Anonymous said…
A bunch of us got together to grill burgers and drink beer, and we started talking politics and held a fantasy election. PP was the consensus choice to run for office, even though when he does become a politician he probably would be a bit more heavy handed moderating his web page. Or even turn it over to his chief of staff.
Anonymous said…
6:12 What a curious post!

Do you have me thinking?

Um... well.. er.. I.. aah...I mean..geeze...I guess...kinda... no, but yet, then maybe...ok..so, well...yeah..then sorta...

Anyway, thanks for the fun!
Anonymous said…
Woster has a huge ego and finds it hard to acknowledge that anybody else knows anything.
Anonymous said…
Bill, good come back. Well, at least people on the blog are not fighting. lol or at least not yet!
Anonymous said…
PP, you need to start a new article on the AFP seminar, lots of good stuff to share on Grover's speech and attendees
Anonymous said…
8:O9 Big Smooch.
Anonymous said…
Barnett’s admittedly valiant effort to prosecute the Gina Score killers failed. Of course, he was up against the entire SD GOP (gang of psy…). Klaudt played a role in that incident. Powers never answered the question, “how?”

He also never answered this question: “Who – in the lofty principled, under god the people rule state – went to prison for that brutal killing? Hmmmmmmmmmm?

Klaudt’s wife involved with SD’s Foster Care program? No surprises. What did she know and when did she know it? Any experienced criminal investigator know this: there are NO coincidences.

More lofty principled judicial appointments. Hooray.

Carnivore opinion.
Anonymous said…
Hey, Bill,

Sounds like the "no fighting" comment I posted just might be changing now with poster 7:12a.

Are we all ready to rumble!

All I have time to post at this point is; the key word that stick out in post 7:12a.

"Killing"

Gina's death was very tragic (put midly) but, it was a death not a killing.
I would have to go back and do a little research, but off the top of my head i do believe that many different factors lead to her death that killed her.
If I recall some of the facts surrounding the case involved protocol and procedure and the competence of the professionals.
I just think that the words were used incorrectly in the post. This does not mean the death was not horrible and sad it was!
Anonymous said…
The real synopsis is the dog that did not bark, or rather, the JAILer that did not file.

Stegmeier and Branson promised to come back with something for 2008. Yet, they still have not filed a thing with the Secretary of State.

By this point in 2005, Stegmeier and Branson had already started their paid signature gathering.

As of now, there is nothing. What gives?
Anonymous said…
10:36
Those people screwed up. There's just no way around it. Ok, so the system cut them some slack.
They still have to live with themselves. Personally, if I were them, I'd be sending Gina's family my sincere apology and my deepest regrets.

How about you?
Anonymous said…
I'm sure Mr. Klaudt feels real bad about Gina's death. I don't think anybody ever accused him of anything related to that. He's only recently been accused of egg harvesting, and to insinuate he had any role in Gina Score's unfortunate death is simply irresponsible.
Anonymous said…
O, yes poster 5:41, Gina's family deserves sorrow! This was terrible.
I would think all involved have a hard time.
Anonymous said…
I for one will miss hearing "The Country Fish" and his take on the Wheeler Dealer show. God's Speed Del...you were a big part of my youth, listening to KGFX in the tractor all those years!

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