U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) announced the 2021 Congressional Art Competition, which puts the artwork of South Dakota students in the nation’s Capitol building. The South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) is now accepting entries on behalf of Rep. Johnson’s office.

The contest is open to all South Dakota high school students, and the first-place winning entry will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the United States Capitol for one year. The second-place winning entry will be displayed in Johnson’s Washington, D.C., office.

“Year after year, it’s awesome to see the talent of our high school students and have the chance to show our appreciation and support of their artwork,” said Johnson. “As I walk by the artwork of so many talented students each day, I’m reminded of home every time I pass South Dakota’s unique creation. Please reach out to the South Dakota Arts Council if you need any help, and get your artwork submitted by the deadline.”

The Arts Council will accept only digital submissions on behalf of Rep. Johnson. Students should send one email including a high-resolution JPEG image, along with a completed, typed PDF of the student release form to rebecca.cruse@state.sd.us. Submissions must be received by Tuesday, April 27.  Winners will be notified by Thursday, April 29, and will be responsible for shipping their artwork and student release forms to the SDAC offices. The South Dakota Arts Council will have the artwork framed and will ship it to Washington, D.C., for the student.

Please review the artwork specifications and guidelines before submitting and download the student release form at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/CAC/index.aspx.

The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in each congressional district. The South Dakota Arts Council partners with Johnson’s office to carry out this initiative.

The Chamberlain School District 7-1 will hold their bi-monthly school board meeting this evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Chamberlain Middle School/High School Library.  Stayed tuned later in the week to KWYR News for Superintendent Dr. Justin Zajic’s full report.

Governor Noem returned HB 1217 to the South Dakota Legislature with Style and Form suggestions.  Specifically, the Governor suggests four Style and Form changes to address the potential unintended consequences of HB 1217 as originally enrolled.

Governor Noem’s Full Letter:

Dear Legislators,

I respectfully return to you House Bill 1217 with the following recommendations as to STYLE and FORM.

I believe that boys should play boys’ sports, and girls should play girls’ sports.  As the legislative findings in the original version of the bill set out, “[w]ith respect to biological sex, one is either male or female[,]” and “[p]hysiological differences between males and females include ‘those most important for success in sport: categorically different strength, speed, and endurance.’”

That is why House Bill 1217 properly provides that females should have opportunities to play youth sports on teams comprised of females and against teams of females. Unfortunately, as I have studied this legislation and conferred with legal experts over the past several days, I have become concerned that this bill’s vague and overly broad language could have significant unintended consequences.

For example, Section 2 of House Bill 1217 requires a student athlete to verify, each year, that the student “is not taking and has not taken, during the preceding twelve months, any performance enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids.”

Presumably, this requirement was included to address a student taking these drugs as a part of a gender transition, but House Bill 1217 is not limited in this way. Rather, if a male student athlete failed to make the football team, and later learned that another student on the team was taking steroids without disclosing it, the student who didn’t make the team would be entitled to sue both the school and the steroid-using student for damages.

In addition, Section 2 creates an unworkable administrative burden on schools, who under its terms must collect verification forms from every student athlete, every year, as to age, biological sex, and use of performance-enhancing drugs; and furthermore must monitor these disclosures throughout the year so that if “reasonable cause” is found of a false or misleading form, the school can take action to avoid civil liability.

I am also concerned that the approach House Bill 1217 takes is unrealistic in the context of collegiate athletics. In South Dakota, we are proud of our universities’ athletic programs, and in particular the great strides we have taken to gain national exposure and increase opportunities for our next generation over the past two decades.

South Dakota has shown that our student athletes can compete with anyone in the country, but competing on the national stage means compliance with the national governing bodies that oversee collegiate athletics. While I certainly do not always agree with the actions these sanctioning bodies take, I understand that collegiate athletics requires such a system – a fifty-state patchwork is not workable.

The Knights of Columbus will host their Fish Fry on Friday, March 26th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Hall in Winner, South Dakota.  They will be serving Fish, French Fries, Coleslaw and Dinner Rolls. It’s a free will offering with proceeds going to youth activities in the parish.

Governor Noem signed Senate Bill 171, which provides $50 million for the South Dakota Freedom Scholarship. This money, together with other generous donations, will create a $200 million endowment for needs-based scholarships in South Dakota.

“With this historic scholarship, we’ll be giving thousands of promising young South Dakotans the opportunity that they need to succeed,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I challenged legislators to get this across the finish line, and they got it done. These dollars will sustain needs-based scholarships for South Dakota students far into the future, setting our kids and grandkids up for long-term success. I want to thank T. Denny Sanford, PREMIER, Avera Health, Sanford Health, and everyone else who has made this project a top priority.”

Governor Kristi Noem announced that Kevin Robling will continue his service to South Dakota as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP).

“Kevin has a great understanding of our natural resource and conservation priorities, “ said Governor Noem. “He has already done fantastic work to protect and promote South Dakota’s outdoor opportunities while balancing conservation efforts with landowners and outdoor enthusiasts. I’m pleased that he will continue to serve South Dakota as the permanent secretary of the department.”

Robling received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from South Dakota State University. He began his career with the department in 2011 when he was hired as a resource biologist in Sioux Falls and was promoted to a big game biologist in 2012 out of Rapid City. In 2017, he transitioned into a leadership role working with the GFP Commission and the state Legislature to enhance recreational opportunities and simplify regulations that have significantly reduced barriers to outdoor participation. He began serving as the Interim Secretary of GFP in December 2020.

“I am extremely honored to serve as department secretary under Governor Noem,” said Secretary Robling, “Together, team GFP will strive each and every day to enhance South Dakota’s quality of life through our great outdoors. Providing excellent customer service, creating partnerships with landowners, focusing on habitat development, expanding public access opportunities, and operating one of the best state parks systems in the country are all top priorities for me and my team. I am excited to continue my passion of sustaining South Dakota’s strong outdoor heritage for current and future generations, and I am very grateful for this incredible opportunity.”

Robling and his wife, Holly, have three young children and reside east of Pierre. In their free time as a family they hunt, fish and camp frequently and also take care of their cow-calf herd.

South Dakota Parent Connection will host another state wide sib shop on April 10th.  Virtual Statewide Sibshops are for brothers and sisters (ages 8 to 13) of children with special needs or disabilities. Sibshops are a time to do action packed activities, play goofy games, and a time to talk about how things are going with other siblings who really know what it is like to have a sibling with a disability. To register please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/977DD8M

The South Dakota Board of Vocational Rehabilitation, Board of Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Statewide Independent Living Council are now accepting nominations for the 2021 Governor’s Awards.

The Governor’s Awards recognize South Dakotans for their contributions to the employment of people with disabilities.

The nomination categories are:

• Distinguished Service
• Outstanding Individual with a Disability
• Outstanding Employee with a Disability
• Outstanding Private Employer (Small Employer)
• Outstanding Private Employer (Large Employer)
• Outstanding Employer (Other)
• Outstanding Transition Services

Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination. Nomination forms can be found online at https://dhs.sd.gov/rehabservices/govawards.aspx.

For assistance, please contact Colette Wagoner at 605-494-3613 or by emailing cwagoner@bhssc.org.

The deadline for submitting names for consideration is Friday, May 3.

The City of Winner will have their meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Winner City Council Chambers.  The City of Gregory will also meet this evening at 6:00 p.m. at Gregory City Hall.  Both cities hold their regular meetings on the first and third Monday of each month.

The Chamberlain City Commission will hold their bi-monthly meeting  Monday, March 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the Chamberlain City Offices located at 715 N. Main Street.  For those needing assistance please contact the Finance Office at 234-4401 by 10:00 a.m.  the day of the meeting.