Straight Outta Pierre | Campaign prisons, culture wars, and tangled cords

Sharp, snappy and South Dakotan — an anonymous shot of insight with a twist of sarcasm

Project Prison Reset has finally escaped the task-force stage and been paroled into reality: a $650 million East Sioux Falls monument to concrete and campaign slogans, but also a reminder of what a governor can get done when he actually decides to push. After four years of consultants cashing checks, legislators wringing their hands, and everybody pretending we’d magically fix a 144-year-old prison with duct tape and baling twine, the Legislature finally pulled the trigger.

Governor Larry Rhoden calls it “the largest investment in public safety in South Dakota history.” Translation: the world’s most expensive campaign billboard for a man who just happens to be likely running for governor. But credit where credit is due — Rhoden worked the halls, kept his caucus close, and delivered the biggest construction project in state history. That’s a win, politically and practically.

Straight Outta Pierre | Prairie Thunder, latte art & the fine print on public safety