Gov. Noem's bad week, lots of little fires, a news coverage question, the abortion judge & a $77M vote

Gov. Kristi Noem’s camp is attempting to clarify the circumstances around two alleged interactions with foreign leaders that she writes about in her forthcoming book, “No Going Back.” The veracity of those incidents — a canceled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and a meeting with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un — have been disputed by Macron’s office, North Korea experts and former congressional staffers.

A story in Gov. Kristi Noem’s yet-to-be released book about a meeting she had with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un that never happened is forcing the book’s publishing company to correct future editions. In a statement to The Dakota Scout Thursday evening, Noem’s spokesman Ian Fury said that the book’s publisher, Center Street, would be “addressing conflated world leaders’ names in the book” before it is released to the public next Tuesday, May 7.

You’ve read about Clifford the Big Red Dog, but have you heard of Cricket the little dead dog? If you’ve been on social media in the last 24 hours, you likely have. The deceased former dog of Gov. Kristi Noem's is going viral after Noem admitted to killing it for a pattern of bad behavior.

City Councilor Greg Neitzert wants the Mayor’s Office to consider rebate checks for Sioux Falls property owners amid growing calls for tax relief and record-level reserve funds. Neitzert, during a financial briefing of the City Council by the Sioux Falls Finance Department last week, voiced the need to address property taxes, which in Minnehaha County increased by an average of more than 9 percent in 2024. And though the city is resistant to forgoing its annual inflationary tax increase that state law entitles it to, the outgoing Northwest District councilor suggested a property tax rebate program could bring some temporary relief to Sioux Falls taxpayers.

The group seeking to overturn South Dakota’s abortion ban announced Wednesday it will turn in more than 55,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office, capping a nearly 18-month effort to bring a constitutional amendment to voters. Dakotans for Health planned to submit the signatures in Pierre on Wednesday afternoon, triggering an automatic random review of signatures before the amendment can be certified for the ballot in November. Group co-founder Rick Weiland said he is confident they would withstand any challenges.