Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription Read Dakota Dunes North Sioux City Times Read Southern Union County Leader-Courier Copyright © 2025 Dakota Dunes North Sioux City Times & Southern Union County Leader-Courier. All rights reserved. The secretary vowed to work to bridge those disparities by improving health outcomes and death rates among Native Americans. “We’re taking a very hard look at this, because this means something to me,” she told a committee of lawmakers on the House Health and Human Services committee during an informational briefing. Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Dakota Scout to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. PIERRE \u2013 Health disparities between South Dakota\u2019s white and Native American populations have \u201Catrocious\u201D disparities Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt told lawmakers Thursday The secretary vowed to work to bridge those disparities by improving health outcomes and death rates among Native Americans \u201CWe\u2019re taking a very hard look at this because this means something to me,\u201D she told a committee of lawmakers on the House Health and Human Services committee during an informational briefing The University of Kansas has nominated four juniors for a prestigious scholarship that recognizes their academic excellence and undergraduate research in STEM this year’s candidates for the Barry M cellular and developmental biology and minoring in Spanish degrees in cancer biology and practice as a physician-scientist and medical oncologist Her current research is “related to the impact of metabolic syndrome on the progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer with Jennifer Davis at KU Medical Center in the Department of Cancer Biology,” according to the release is majoring in interdisciplinary computing with a concentration in chemistry She plans to pursue a doctorate in computational biology with a direct focus on biomedical research She’s currently focused on “the structural determination of the major outer membrane protein in Chlamydia trachomatis and developing a dataset of human metalloenzymes” in her research is majoring in biochemistry and minoring in astrobiology he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in biochemistry to have a career in academia He’s currently studying prebiotic molecules that form in interstellar media he hopes to engage underserved schools with STEM is majoring in chemistry and minoring in mathematics she plans to pursue a doctorate in physical chemistry aspiring to continue conducting research in surface science while teaching at the university level Her current research is about “using atomic force microscopy to study self-assembled monolayers with an emphasis on understanding molecular organization and surface interactions at the nanoscale,” according to the release The Goldwater Scholarship is open to sophomore- and junior-level students Nominees submit applications with essays about their career aspirations and research along with three faculty recommendations Winners — around 450 every year — will be announced by the Goldwater Foundation trustees in late March Scholarship awards cover eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition KU has had 79 students receive Goldwater scholarships since they were first awarded in 1989 Read more about each nominee on the KU News website, news.ku.edu Click here to learn more about our newsletters first This post is by the Lawrence Times news team If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact. Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you: MORE … Q39 barbecue restaurant seeks tax breaks from city to finish downtown Lawrence site City of Lawrence seeks volunteers for winter shelter Kansas owned and operated publication covering key news and providing important information for the Lawrence and Douglas County We operate without a paywall so that everyone can read our coverage, regardless of ability to pay. Please click here to support us if you are able The Times is a proud “aspiring entrepreneur” member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers We are happy to consider individual requests to republish content; however no content from this site may be republished without express permission The Department of Health is releasing a video to clarify the state’s lone abortion exception—life of the mother The video was published on the Department of Health’s YouTube page earlier this week It features Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt outlining the state’s abortion law and when an abortion is acceptable  “South Dakota law permits appropriate and reasonable medical judgement giving physicians flexibility to make decisions as long as physicians document their thought process in making their decision,” Magstadt said in the video South Dakota state law bans nearly all abortions—including for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest The lone exception is to preserve the life of the mother Some providers have called the law confusing That confusion was one of the drivers for the video Secretary Magstadt says state law does not require a woman be critically ill or actively dying for a “needed medical intervention to end the pregnancy.” The video comes two years after the state’s abortion trigger law went into effect following the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v Wade in June of 2022 Special sessions to address the state’s abortion law change never materialized and attempts to clarify the law in 2023 failed Republican Representative Taylor Rehfeldt brought the 2024 bill requiring the Department of Health produce the video "I am impressed with the professionalism displayed in the development and discussion of House Bill 1224," Rehfeldt said in a written statement to SDPB "The instructional video provides clear and concise guidance for physicians on how to approach situations where a woman's life is in danger and an abortion may be necessary." Some obstetricians in the state say the video does not address concerns key concerns in state law Dr. Amy Kelley, an OB/GYN in Sioux Falls, said the video does not address what it means to "procure an abortion." "That's something that would have been really nice to have cleared up," Kelley said "Because that's something that we do all the time and can we refer people out for an abortion or not the biggest thing that I was disappointed about." Kelley said the video also does not address what to do in cases of a fetal anomaly In the video, Magstadt said "intent plays a crucial role" and that providers should use "reasonable medical judgment," which is defined in state law The Health Department spent $14,000 to produce the video Those accused of performing an unlawful abortion face a class six felony Marvin Buehner is a Rapid City OB/GYN who retired last week after thirty years in obstetrics He worries the recommendations are not legally binding—which is mentioned as a disclaimer at the end of the video “None of this protects any OBs from doing what they need to do in complicated pregnancies when it might come to terminating a pregnancy," Buehner said Buehner worries the felony charge for providing an abortion discourages obstetricians from practicing in the state Buehner and Kelley have voiced support for Constitutional Amendment G which would enshrine a trimester abortion rights framework into the state constitution Opponents of the amendment call the measure extreme and are challenging it in court — Two people were injured following a one-vehicle crash on Wednesday according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol on a gravel road at 34th Street and 71st Avenue Southeast The patrol said in a news release that Larry Magstadt lost control of the 2012 Ram 2500 he was driving which ran off the roadway and overturned into a creek emergency responders responded to a report of a one-vehicle rollover near Beaver Lake State Park The call was reported by family members of the occupants of the vehicle Magstadt reported that he lost control of his vehicle on 71st Avenue Southeast His vehicle began rotating before leaving the roadway his vehicle fell down an embankment and came to rest facing west on its side in Beaver Creek were injured and treated on the scene by Wishek Ambulance who sustained non-life-threatening injuries was transported to the hospital in Wishek for further care Magstadt was arrested and charged with DUI and failing to give immediate notice Other responding agencies included the Logan County Sheriff’s Office and Wishek Fire Department The crash remains under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol Kristi Noem announced Thursday she appointed Melissa Magstadt as the next Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Health after former DOH Secretary Joan Adam retired Monday Adam had served in her role at the DOH since March 29 She announced her retirement a few days after news broke about the state's termination of a contract between the department and Transformation Project The contract was meant to hire and train a community health worker to help connect members of the LGBTQ community to physical and mental health care but it remains unclear if her retirement is directly related to the issue.Noem also still has two major cabinet positions to fill — the Secretary of the Department of Social Services and the Secretary of the Department of Education — before the 2023 legislative session kicks off Jan Magstadt has been working in South Dakota health care for more than 30 years She is an advanced practice registered nurse and co-owner of Quick Care SD an organization providing health care across the eastern part of the state She also owns an integrated medicine practice More:Joan Adam retires as secretary for the South Dakota Department of Health Noem said Magstadt will advance the vision of "trusting our people to exercise personal responsibility over their healthcare decisions," as well as bring a fresh perspective to the DOH Magstadt served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014 and was a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services “South Dakota should be on the forefront of supporting proactive quality of care for our people,” Magstadt said in a news release which vary from our rural communities to our big cities We can tackle these challenges by focusing on an innovative rather than simply reacting to difficulties.” More:Transgender advocacy group plans to sue state over contract cancellation Magstadt has a Master’s in Science from South Dakota State University with a focus as a family nurse practitioner a Master’s in Business Administration from Mount Marty University is a graduate of the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Nebraska and is a fellow at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrated Medicine Magstadt and her family live in the Castlewood and Watertown area Melissa is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARPN) an organization that provides quick and affordable healthcare access across Eastern South Dakota She also owns an integrated medicine practice called SG Essentials in both Watertown and Pierre Melissa served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014 and was a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services She has been involved in South Dakota healthcare for more than 30 years …Melissa has a Master’s in Science from South Dakota State University with a focus as a family nurse practitioner. She also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Mount Marty University. She is a graduate of the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Nebraska. And she is a fellow at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrated Medicine [Office of the Governor, press release The swiftness of this appointment suggests the Governor was not taken by surprise by Adam’s Monday departure and had a succession plan in mind Magstadt is thus an experienced health care provider but she’s also a typical SDGOP machine politician ready to put the culture war above health and public safety Published in South Dakota As I suspected — a political hack verses a legitimate public servant The SD limp media will not embark on any vetting nor will the go-along-to-get-along SD legislature. At least 82 children in Ohio infected with measles more than half of whom are unvaccinated babies and toddlers This could be interesting in SD with its battered DOH and the new political crony A migration historian educated in the U.K. Stepanka currently teaches at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and online courses at Mount Mary University Stepanka published a book on Czech migration to the Midwest titled “To Reap a Bountiful Harvest: Czech Emigration to Beyond the Mississippi River 1860-1900.” She taught Czech language and culture courses at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln Copyright © University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Get the latest on courses and certificates in your areas of interest “The True Believer,” a classic on mass movements Hoffer writes about the personality traits of figures like Lenin “seem to be neither indispensable nor perhaps desirable.” Then he added these requirements: … audacity and a joy in defiance … faith in his destiny and luck .. a capacity for passionate hatred … delight in symbols … disregard for consistency and fairness Anti-Communist hysteria after the Maoist takeover in China made the country ripe for demagoguery How would we recognize an authoritarian personality posing as a populist If Eric Hoffer were observing the political scene today he’d most likely make up a whole new list of traits and behaviors manifested by a whacked-out wannabe dictator with 89 million Twitter followers 1) Takes narcissism to level that is the stuff of legends 4) Spreads lies and provokes the most violent elements in society 5) Raises the level of anger and deepens the divisions in society to a level just short of open incitement to violence 7) Gives credence to disinformation in social media and helps it go viral 8) Vilifies the opposition and belittles his critics 9) Calls the mainstream news media “the true enemy of the people.” 10) Fires staff members who don’t meet his expectations for abject loyalty 11) Loses an election but refuses to concede defeat 12) Uses the power of his high office to destabilize the government and undermine national security 13) Is associated with dark rumors of a planned coup attempt 15) Shows no compassion for children and separates babies from parents at our southern border 16) Refuses to wear a mask and discredits medical science in a public health crisis The most dangerous man in America is not a deep-cover agent or terrorist or mass murderer he is a former reality TV star famous for saying “You’re fired!” The rest of the world has known it all along How is it possible that more than 47% all Americans who voted in the 2020 presidential election had still not figured it out If you got on the train by mistake believing it was going in the right direction But the country is heading for a train wreck dairy cattle in multiple herds in northern Texas were suddenly producing less milk The typically voracious eaters also had seemingly lost their appetites She talked to dairy owners and exchanged notes with fellow vets in the panhandle of Texas She submitted numerous samples to labs that tested for more than 200 potential causes “Any fluid you can collect from a live animal who was raised in Iowa on a dairy farm near Davenport "There were so many of us at the same time texting each other and trying to figure this out.” who she had studied alongside at Iowa State University years before He now works at the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory — a preeminent national animal lab in Ames — and researches infectious disease in cattle When the voluminous amount of testing in Texas failed to find any clues Magstadt and Petersen concluded that a likely cause was ill-made food “The affected cattle were very high-producing dairy cows and they are on a race-car ration,” Magstadt said Petersen agreed to send Magstadt some samples from the feed and animals for testing provide companionship and need little help to survive Some dairy farmers also feed them milk from their cows and sick cows can shed viruses in their milk I couldn’t figure it out — the cats usually come to my vet truck,’ ” Petersen recalled “And then someone called me and said half of his cats had passed away without warning and so then all the alarm bells start going off in your head.” Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have plagued poultry producers in the United States since early 2022 and have led to the culling of more than 90 million domestic birds in backyard and commercial flocks The virus had never been known to infect cattle in the U.S. and so the potential for it to have sickened the Texas cattle seemed highly unlikely It would be a “zebra,” Petersen said ― medical parlance for a surprising Yet Magstadt immediately tested Petersen’s milk samples for influenza A — which most commonly infects birds — before investigating the feed He thought the testing would merely rule out bird flu as a potential cause Further testing and retesting confirmed that the virus is the type that has been driving the poultry outbreaks The initial affected herds were in northern Texas and southwest Kansas infected cattle have been discovered in far-flung states often the result of infected cattle being transported to new herds bird flu has been detected in 28 dairy cattle herds in eight states There is evidence that the virus has transmitted cow-to-cow an alarming revelation that heightens its threat One person who worked closely with infected cattle also contracted the illness More: The bird flu has jumped to foxes, bears and other mammals. Are humans next? “There’s plenty of times that we get called in to these types of situations and sometimes we strike out,” Magstadt said … Everybody was just stumbling around in the dark and it’s great to be involved in turning on the light.” The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Ames is the largest tester of livestock disease in the country It conducted about 1.6 million tests last year The first construction phase for its new facility recently finished and the second part is expected to be complete in 2026 South Dakota Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt during a briefing to the Legislature’s Tribal Relations Committee on the Flandreau Santee Sioux reservation told lawmakers the state is falling behind its neighbors when it comes to getting school-age children immunized for preventable diseases like mumps and diphtheria and keeping young people from becoming overweight. And when looking at Native American populations within the state, the statistics are even more startling, she said. “This one breaks my heart, actually,” Magstadt said before sharing data highlighting a stark disparity in life expectancy among white and native populations in South Dakota. NEWS: Judge denies bench warrants despite evidence of animal hoarding, neglect Subscribe to The Dakota Scout to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. FLANDREAU \u2014 The state\u2019s top public health official painted a bleak picture Monday about South Dakota\u2019s overall wellness, honing in on rising rates of infant and maternal mortality, childhood obesity, and falling childhood vaccination numbers. South Dakota Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt during a briefing to the Legislature\u2019s Tribal Relations Committee on the Flandreau Santee Sioux reservation told lawmakers the state is falling behind its neighbors when it comes to getting school-age children immunized for preventable diseases like mumps and diphtheria and keeping young people from becoming overweight. And when looking at Native American populations within the state, the statistics are even more startling, she said. \u201CThis one breaks my heart, actually,\u201D Magstadt said before sharing data highlighting a stark disparity in life expectancy among white and native populations in South Dakota. NEWS: Judge denies bench warrants despite evidence of animal hoarding, neglect Bob Magstadt with Jared's Lawn Care clears driveways in Baxter on Tuesday afternoon with a snow blower attached to a tractor.Kirsti Marohn | MPR NewsPlayListenSnow brings loads of work for clearing crewsGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories With a hefty snowblower attached to the back of the tractor, he's clearing snow from the driveways of a long line of town homes. "Every few days, we're out and at it," Magstadt said. "In December, [business] didn't look good until the end of the month. But it's looking good now." Magstadt is an office manager for a small snow removal business, Jared's Lawn Care, that mostly clears driveways for residential customers. This winter, he's been spending a lot of time in the cab. MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. "We've got two tractors that stay busy full time," Magstadt said. For Minnesota's public works departments and private snow removal companies, this winter's record-breaking precipitation has meant brisk business, long hours and trying to figure out what to do with those piles of snow. Mike's Tree Company handles snow removal for about 120 customers in the Brainerd area — mostly businesses, churches, schools and hospitals. Mindy Serocki, who handles office marketing, said the company's crew of about 20 employees has worked steadily for the past few weeks — and they're tired. "It's been pretty consistently every day," she said. "When we do have downtime, they're out scraping and cleaning and salting and turning around and prepping for the next round." The snow may be good for business, but Serocki said their employees still have to come in to start equipment and answer the phones even when schools are closed and temperatures are well below zero. "You can't complain. It's the nature of the game," she said. "Personally, I'm just tired of it because we've still got to get in here no matter what the roads look like to get the job done." The heavy volume of snow this winter also has meant long hours for city public works departments with limited staff that sometimes struggle to keep up. Snow removal crews clear the way for cars and pedestrians downtown in December 2017 in Minneapolis.Ellen Schmidt | MPR News 2017In Brainerd, city engineer Paul Sandy said just seven snow plow drivers clear all the streets and alleys. "They're getting a little tired of being out and plowing every day," he said. "There's other duties that we do during the winter that have taken a back seat to keep the streets clear. So it has been a challenge." Sandy estimates there's almost 40 inches of snow on the ground around the north-central Minnesota city already. It's getting tough to see around those huge piles at intersections, and the streets are narrower. "As we get more and more, the plows can't push it back far enough without having a lot of weight behind them to try to get that snow pushed way back in the boulevard," Sandy said. "Then we run into problems with covering sidewalks up. So it's kind of a Catch-22." It does help that the month of December was drier than normal, said Lisa Cerney, deputy public works director for the city of Minneapolis. "We had a lot of space starting here in January and February," she said. "But we are continuing to push the snow to the sides of the streets, clear the bike lanes and sidewalks. And it's starting to pile up." If these long days of clearing snow continue, some public works departments will start going over budget. Some public works officials say they're trying to plan schedules around the snowstorms so their drivers don't rack up too many overtime hours. Bear with me now. I’ll get to the part about Trump fiddling in a minute, but I wouldn’t be writing this piece if it weren’t for “Coffee Talk.” No, it’s not a morning radio show. Just a few friends who meet for coffee every Tuesday morning. We’ve been doing it for years now. We talk. More importantly, we listen. We have more questions than answers. We don’t agree on everything but nobody shouts or gets red-faced and blows a gasket. Talking is how normal people solve problems. Screaming and shouting is a sign of problems with no solution in sight. The Coffee Talk group is a convivial circle of friends with very different life stories. One is a native of New Zealand, one lived in various foreign capitals as the child of a career diplomat, one, a doctor, is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served in the Medical Corps, another is also a retired physician who served in Vietnam and plays a mean clarinet, one is a personal friend of Jim Walton, one is a retired railroad executive who (surprise!) knows a lot about trains. Membership in Coffee Talk has nothing to do with politics and has changed over the years due to moves, dropouts and, sadly, deaths. The conversation is typically engaging. The topics range far and wide from ancient history to modern art, from Keynes and economics to music and Artie Shaw. One member of the group was a prodigy who mastered the violin by age 9 or 10. In normal times, politics hardly ever comes up. We don’t deliberately avoid politics, but we normally have a lot of other things to talk about. These are not normal times, however. Lately, we’ve been talking a lot about politics. Not arguing or haranguing. Talking. As it happens, talking about complex problems when everyone respects each other and behaves accordingly often leads to a meeting of the minds. Which is where Donald Trump comes into the picture: It is inconceivable that this president, or anyone with a similar personality, would ever be invited to Coffee Talk. Not because he’s a Republican, because he’s really not, of course. He’s nothing. Never was. Never will be. Which is why he saw fit to ruin and tear down the Grand Old Party . The successor to the GOP is his personal party. Without Donald Trump, it has no identity. Its existence as a party is coterminous with his existence, politically. Dictators are so-o-o predictable. They create a cult of personality and a party that consists of adoring followers and rapturous fans who show up at rallies and give the leader all the love he lives for. At the last Coffee Talk, one of the guys mentioned three figures in history who remind him of President Trump. Like Mussolini, Trump is “bombastic and arrogant,” he said. Like Hermann Goering (head of Hitler’s Luftwaffe) Trump is “crass and corrupt and corpulent.” Then this: "However, the greatest similarity is the Roman Emperor Nero. Like Nero, our President was born into power and privilege. And like Nero, he is a lover of excessive and often crass luxury. (Nero ... almost bankrupted the Roman Empire). Finally like Nero ... Trump has a fantastical and distorted view of himself ... according to the Roman historian Suetonius, (Nero’s) dying words were, “Oh. What an artist dies in me!” Like Nero, Donald Trump fiddled while COVID-19 burned the hopes and dreams of countless Americans. This fall, we need to vote like America’s life depends on it. Because it does. Tom Magstadt, of Westwood Hills, co-wrote a book first published in 1984, “Understanding Politics.” 1);}.css-4hf0t5:focus{outline:none;}.css-4hf0t5:hover{border-color:rgba(215 Drew Magstadt from Iowa State University to discuss Johne's disease in beef cattle Johne's disease is caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis that studies have shown affects up to 50% of cow-calf herds however a small percent of animals are infected (3% to 8%) Magstadt discusses some of the unique challenges of combating this disease in cow-calf herds where calves are raised with the adult cows contrasted with calf separation from the adult herd on dairy operations Some of the frustrating problems when implementing a Johne's control program in beef herds include the chronicity of the disease and the limitations of the various tests that are available We talk through the tests that are available for beef herds and the advantages and disadvantages of each complement fixation and serum ELISA antibody testing Magstadt discusses a retrospective study he performed from submissions at the Iowa State University Diagnostic Laboratory looking at serum ELISA and fecal PCR submissions from the same animal and then evaluating if the submissions were from herd surveillance or non-surveillance sampling They compared serum ELISA S:P ratios with fecal PCR results and found that high positive S:P ratios were highly correlated with a positive fecal PCR a medium positive S:P ratio showed about 50% of cattle shedding MAP in the feces and a low positive S:P ratio typically had a negative fecal PCR result This information can help producers making culling decisions Submitting both serum and feces to the lab is a good idea so that additional tests can be completed without the need to collect additional samples from the herd He suggests that veterinarians should work with producers to develop a control program and to talk to your diagnostic lab about testing options Veterinarians can also decrease the cost associated with testing in pooled samples by looking at body condition and fecal scores on cows as they are processed for sample collection and separate those samples from non-clinical cows Magstadt also reminds our listeners that contamination can be a significant issue when collecting samples and veterinarians and processing crews should be aware of the possibility of contaminating multiple samples if care is not taken to ensure clean samples Eliminating Johne's disease from a beef herd is a multi-year endeavor that requires a team effort from the diagnostic lab veterinarian and producer that also requires instituting management practices to decrease the introduction and spread of the disease within a herd powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com If you've ever wanted to know about champagne Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche The number of South Dakota children receiving common childhood vaccinations ahead of starting kindergarten has continued to drop according to the South Dakota Department of Health The lagging number is because of aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as growing vaccine hesitancy DOH Secretary Melissa Magstadt told lawmakers during a Government Operations and Audit Committee meeting Tuesday "We've also gotten some loss of trust in the public health in what we do," she said "We've got to run back some things because I do not want to see that dropping down any further than it is the percentage of children receiving measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines ahead of kindergarten has dropped by about 4% South Dakota continues to lead with higher vaccination rates Minnesota and North Dakota had lower percentages of MMR vaccinations at the time which left families unable to get their kids preventative care She added confusing public health messaging also existed during the pandemic between the COVID-19 vaccine and childhood preventive vaccines "That muddied the water a little bit," she said Even though MMR vaccine percentages have dropped Magstadt said there has not been an uptick in MMR cases in South Dakota children recently More: Gov. Kristi Noem, DOH grow medication stockpiles from 2 to 7 cities in South Dakota To get families and children the MMR vaccines they need Magstadt said DOH officials are working with clinics to reach patients and are planning to roll out new mobile clinics that will be equipped to give vaccinations to populations who may be unable to travel to a local clinic The mobile clinics will have refrigerators inside to stotre vaccines properly There will also be a new public health campaign The mobile clinics will allow the DOH "to be able to mobilize and get out to the people instead of spending less time thinking that people should overcome all these barriers to get to us," Magstadt said Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that the South Dakota Department of Health is contracting with partners in five cities in the state to create new prescription drug stockpiles to mitigate future shortages Framed by the white countertops of the Lewis Drug pharmacy on south Minnesota Avenue Noem said creating the stockpiles is one measure to protect South Dakotans from running out of vital medications but the root of the problem is much more far-reaching Noem called on lawmakers in Washington to explore long-term solutions to the pharmaceutical drug shortage such as requiring more transparency from the FDA and the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry re-examining the FDA’s guidance on expiration dates and requiring closer risk assessments of foreign-sourced ingredients “We need Congress and the FDA to be aware of the problem and the challenges and get them to step up and to act today,” Noem said Noem issued an executive order directing the state Department of Health to investigate the cause of the prescription drug shortage plaguing the state The order directed the agency to determine the extent of South Dakota’s reliance upon foreign-sourced medications and raw materials more than 80% of the active ingredients in prescription drugs sold in the U.S the stockpiles will now include more drugs including Albuterol Noem said these new stockpiles will work to shore up the pharmaceutical supply in case of another extreme fluctuation in availability of these medications holds a cache of pharmaceuticals at its distribution center in Sioux Falls this was the only stockpile of medication in the eastern side of the state There will now be emergency drug supplies in Aberdeen senior vice president of professional services at Lewis Drug said the company did everything it could during that winter to supply pharmaceuticals to South Dakotans is to make sure that we make Washington understand how critical this is going to be going forward,” Ladwig said “We’ve been very fortunate that our supply chain has not been interrupted to a larger extent than what it is but it doesn’t mean that we should not take notes.” leads in the manufacturing of brand-name pharmaceuticals Noem said Congress needs to step up to address the root causes of the shortage but also the national security risks associated with depending on foreign countries for vital prescription drugs when they control our supply chain that we need to live South Dakota Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt cited a 2019 Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs report that found the U.S did not have the capabilities to rally a response to future disruptions in the pharmaceutical industry could not dispense amoxicillin for months,” Magstadt said of the antibiotic commonly used to treat ear infections and chest infections in children So few companies make generic medications that if one goes bankrupt “That company may have been the one and only manufacturer of that particular drug,” Magstadt said the rest of the companies cannot respond to the demand that that loss created.” Senate report on drug shortages found that work stoppages in China and India agency oversight in tracking medication ingredients supply pharmacies to ensure generic medicines are available to their customers associate chief pharmacy officer at the University of Utah government to develop a rating system for pharmaceutical manufacturing reliability with the goal of helping health systems choose more reliable suppliers will start paying closer attention to this problem Noem drafted a letter to leaders in the U.S asking them to work with Congress to come up with long-term solutions to the drug shortage — One of the best strategies for raising a healthy baby is making sure her mother is healthy too mothers across the state of South Dakota could use some more support this was South Dakota Secretary of Health Melissa Magstadt's main message as she presented a series of health indicators to the lawmakers in the interim committee on State-Tribal Relations South Dakota's infant mortality rate is the highest in the Midwest and Plains states with 7 mortalities per 1,000 live births every year The only other states with this many infant mortalities per year are West Virginia Those recommendations and indicators Magstadt highlighted for lawmakers centered on how mothers and local healthcare organizations can make a difference in the lives of infants and children in the state "Infant mortality is a thermometer of general population health," Magstadt said that is an indicator that the rest of a population needs help Eighty percent of the cases of infant mortality in the state were caused by children sleeping in adult beds Another significant cause of infant mortality in the state Congenital syphilis occurs when a mother with syphilis passes her infection on to her baby during her pregnancy The top method for counteracting infant mortality is through better support for mothers a two-decades old nurse-family partnership health care service that provides income-eligible mothers with free nursing services for the first 24 months of their child’s life the services this program provided were only available in Spearfish Kristi Noem announced the program would be expanded to encompass the entire state The 2022 Legislature granted another $2.5 million to the program to expand its services and Magstadt said this in line with the Department of Health's goals to get that infant mortality rate down Due to the limited service availability of the Bright Start program where the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is located has not had access to critical family health services since its inception and the poor health indicators for children and mothers in that region reflect the need for those services Those services include helping new mothers with nutrition breastfeeding and childcare tips and tricks that with the help of the Bright Start program can be disseminated through healthcare organizations even in the most remote health organizations in the state Magstadt recommended to the committee that regional healthcare organizations should focus on engaging with parents to improve vaccination rates in children “We need to earn back our trust,” Magstadt said Magstadt said the Department of Health will be changing its messaging for childhood vaccinations especially for those illnesses that are long-term preventable like MMR Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription Copyright © 2025 Dakota Dunes North Sioux City Times & Southern Union County Leader-Courier One of the more familiar sounds of the holiday season comes from Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringers Holiday shoppers all around the world hear the ringing of bells urging them to donate their spare change to support Salvation Army programs that help the needy the sound of bells may be accompanied by the chattering of teeth While Salvation Army bell ringers are normally stationed in a heated entry of stores or malls a former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing Watertown said she was walking into Walmart earlier this week — when the temperature was well below zero — and spotted the Salvation Army bell ringer braving the cold and you could just see a little gap where her eyes were,” Magstadt said Magstadt did what most people do these days when they have something on their mind: She got on Facebook “I am kind of annoyed with Walmart for making the Salvation Army bell ringers stand all the way outside to ring on such cold nights,” she wrote “There is plenty of room in the place where the carts go Can’t they even share a warmer space with a cart The next morning she saw her Facebook post had struck a nerve with many of her 1,200 or so online friends “There were people from 12 different states who were talking about it.” Many of the Facebook posts said it was Walmart’s corporate policy to not allow bell ringers inside the store Some were even former bell ringers with their own stories of suffering outside of Walmarts while customers shopped in comfort just a few feet away Reading the Facebook feedback spurred Magstadt to call the Watertown Walmart store where a manager told her it was corporate policy to have the bell ringers outside the next phone call Magstadt made was to Walmart corporate headquarters in Bentonville She spoke with a customer service representative who agreed it was not good to make the bell ringers suffer “She looked up the official corporate policy,” Magstadt said “and thought it just prohibited them in the selling area of the store Walmart said it is up to the Salvation Army to protect its bell ringers from adverse weather conditions Walmart’s senior manager for corporate relations “We’ve enjoyed working with the Salvation Army for more than 20 years,” he wrote.” As part of our agreement the Salvation Army decides whether inclement weather would prevent its volunteers from being stationed outside our stores.” Salvation Army bell ringers have raised more than $500,000 outside of Walmart stores over the past 20 years “We’re proud to have been a small part of those efforts,” Crowson said Kenyon Sivels of the local Salvation Army said the bell ringers are well-prepared for the cold weather “We have an orientation with the bell ringers and tell them to dress properly for the cold weather,” he said “We give them hand-warmers and things like that And we do take into account the weather on any particular day Sivels said some bell ringers actually request working at Walmart because there is usually more customer traffic there “We have an excellent relationship with Walmart,” he said They help us year round with food donations for our weekly food giveaway and other things.” kids from Watertown Christian School are going to be ringing the bells outside of Walmart and I want to make sure it’s safe for them.” administrator for the Watertown Christian School said safety of the bell ringers is always watched “We have parents with the kids while they are ringing the bells,” she said “and they will take the students inside to get warm if necessary and we expect it to be OK again this time.” The Salvation Army has seven Red Kettle locations throughout Watertown who handles public relations for the Salvation Army in South Dakota “You should remember,” she told the Public Opinion from her office in Omaha warm home and have a hot meal when their shift is over Many of the people the Salvation Army helps don’t have that option.” Print The Laguna Beach High girls’ tennis program will have a new leader in 2011 with the arrival of Don Davis as head coach Davis is a tennis instructor at the Nellie Gail Tennis Club in Laguna Hills He will coach a high school team for the first time this fall who takes over the program from Alec Horton will get a first look at the program Monday the first day of practice where he will determine the varsity and junior varsity rosters which simultaneously is the most important aspect of being a coach rather as individuals and build some type of rapport,” he said Davis said that several returning players from last year’s Orange Coast League championship squad have “indicated” that they will be back this season 1 singles player and defending league singles champ Taylor Nederlander who was all the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010 league doubles champion with Jaeger in 2008 and a team member both her freshman and sophomore years Davis said that some “very strong additions” to the program are sophomore Brooke Michaels and freshmen Bailey Jaeger McMahon teamed last year with Aislin Elkin in doubles play and the pair finished runner-up to teammates Haley Moss and Bianca Sganga in the league doubles final the composition of the team should be stronger than last year,” Davis said Coaching staff: Janice Ashton (junior varsity coach); Chelsea Loomis (assistant coach) 2010 CIF results: First-round Division 1 loss (13-5) to Woodbridge Taylor Nederlander; sophomores Sarah Nederlander Newcomers: Senior Lauren Michaels; sophomores Brooke Michaels Josie Goson; incoming freshman Bailey Jaeger Sister Act: The Breakers have four sets of sisters in the program: Katelyn and Nina Bo Schedule of events: The first regular-season match is Sept we play the toughest portion of our schedule in matches with Newport Harbor which are some very tough CIF Division 1 teams,” Davis said this gives us little time to experiment with doubles combinations or to get used to playing with a set partner we have some great veteran players providing leadership to the younger members of our team.” 21-22: at Dana Hills Coastal Championships (9:30 a.m.) Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map