FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND USDA DROP CHARGES AGAINST MAUDE FAMILY IN SOUTH DAKOTA LAND DISPUTE
SOUTH DAKOTA – On Monday the Trump Administration announced that they were dropping charges over a land dispute against Charles and Heather Maude, a South Dakota family with a small cattle and hog operation.
According to the USDA, the Maudes were alerted by the United States Forest Service that fencing on their property blocked access to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. With consent from the family, a survey was then conducted.
On June 20, 2024, a grand jury indicted the Maudes for theft of government property. The inditement stated that Charles and Heather Maude knowingly stole, purloined, and converted 50 acres of national grassland from the federal government.
The fence at the heart of the situation had been erected in the 1950’s and the family was operating under the understanding that the Forest Service had given an easement for their cattle to graze while a resolution was found.
Ben Patterson, assistant U.S. attorney for the Federal District Court in the Western Division of South Dakota, signed a motion to dismiss the indictment against Charles Maude and Heather Maude, dated April 28, 2025.
Yesterday (Wednesday, April 30), the USDA held a press conference with United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, Sen. Mike Rounds, and Rep. Dusty Johnson, who all praised the Trump Administrations efforts in dismissing the case.
Heather Maude said during the press conference they are both 5th generation farmers and ranchers, their families have a combined 250 years in production agriculture.
“When this hit, it hit at the heart and soul of our place that has been in Charles family since 1910, they came to the area in 1907 and purchased the adjoining property and have managed it without issue and with great care since,” Heather Maude said.
BILL TO ADJUST VOTER-APPROVED MINIMUM WAGES ADVANCES IN THE NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE
LINCOLN, NE (KOLN) – With a filibuster and a forced vote, Lincoln Senator Jane Raybould’s efforts to change the voter approved minimum wage laws advanced one step closer to becoming law Wednesday.
An amended version of LB 258 was passed with 33 votes. The bill caps the annual increase to Nebraska’s minimum wage to 1.75% starting in January 2026. The original proposal capped the increase at 1.5%.
The ballot initiative passed by voters in 2022 increased the minimum wage to $15. It would also allow for much larger annual raises based on the inflation rate reflected on the Consumer Price Index for the Midwest. Average inflation for the last five years was 4.18%.
Sen. Raybould, who recently stepped down as Vice President of B&R Stores, which owns Super Saver and Russ’s Markets, said business owners called for these changes.
“I have spent hours answering emails, phone calls with my constituents, visiting daycare centers, visiting with non-profits, talking to small businesses, Chamber of Commerce, home health providers and how they’re going to be paying for all of these increases, and the impacts it’s had on them,” Sen. Raybould said.
Another senator, Paul Strommen, said he believes wage increases will lead to businesses looking for opportunities to increase efficiency.
“At the end of the day, we’re pushing businesses to move to automation, and we’re pushing businesses to reduce their labor force, and that is a bad, bad direction for us to be going in,” Sen. Strommen said.
Lincoln Senator Danielle Conrad said the reduced annual increases will harm workers because pay will not keep up with inflation.
“It makes decisions at the kitchen table harder when deciding whether or not they’re going to replace bald tires on cars, whether or not they’ll be able to get birthday presents, when deciding if they’ll be able to pay the utility bill that month,” Sen. Conrad said.
The law was debated for hours largely because it’s another example of the legislature making changes to voter approved laws.
“Before you watered down the minimum wage that was passed on the ballot did you go to your people and ask them that? I don’t think so. I don’t think the online comments reflect that. I don’t think the response reflects that,” Omaha Senator Terrell McKinney said.
Omaha Senator Wendy DeBoer proposed taking the changes proposed by LB 258 back to the voters.
“I think that’s the solution. Some of the points that folks are making about why they want the bill to be the way it is makes a lot of sense to me. I can understand where they’re coming from,” Sen. DeBoer said. “I think the best procedure here would be to distill what Senator Raybould has here into some kind of a resolution we could put back before the people and basically ask them, ‘okay you told us to do this, is this the kind of clarification you’d like?’”
Sen. Raybould said she supported resolutions like that and overall supports the will of the people. She also said the Nebraska constitution allows the legislature to make adjustments to ballot measures passed by voters.
“Our state is great because people can bring forth issues like Medicaid expansion, minimum wage, medical marijuana, term limits, death penalty, etcetera,” Sen. Raybould said. “I also respect this institution and our role in this process of finding balance.”
LB 258 will go through one more round of voting before becoming law. In addition to capping the annual raises to the minimum wage, the law also reduces the hourly pay from $15 to $13.50 for 14 and 15-year-old employees. Teens aged 16 to 19 would also get paid that lower rate during their first 90 days on the job.
PROTESTS OVER KRISTI NOEM AS DSU COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER PLANNED
MADISON, S.D. – Students, faculty and alumni of Dakota State University (DSU) plan to line the streets to peacefully protest Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (formerly South Dakota Governor) as the spring commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from DSU.
Graduation is set for the Dakota Prairie Playhouse on May 10 at 10:30 a.m., preceded by a hooding ceremony for graduate students at 8:30 a.m. Both the hooding and commencement will be livestreamed and available for people who cannot attend in person.
Over 1,000 people have signed a petition to rescind Kristi Noem’s honorary degree nomination and commencement speaker invitation from DSU.
A local advocacy group, Madison Area Stands Together (MAST) in announcing plans for a protest, called Noem’s appearance “an affront” due to her role in President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the effect this has had on immigrants and international students.
On a group Facebook post, Susan Keey Wicks wrote, “Our small local organization, Madison Area Stands Together (MAST), in coordination with a group of DSU students who are planning their own events, plans to have a peaceful rally and sustained presence on the streets of Madison the morning of commencement. We encourage those in opposition to Noem’s actions to be aware and prepared.”
On March 19, 2025, the DSU Student Senate voted against a commencement address invitation and awarding Noem an honorary degree. The university’s general faculty also voted against Noem presenting the commencement address or an honorary degree, according to Anden Wieseler, Vice President of the Student Senate.
The resolution rejecting Noem as DSU commencement speaker or honorary graduate refers to Noem’s statements on “immigrants, transgender people, those of opposing political viewpoints, and other classes of individuals,” which the students described in the letter as “widely perceived as negative, in some cases false, and is therefore a detriment to the goals and mission of Dakota State University.”
Noem’s rhetoric regarding immigrants, transgender people, political opponents and others are cited in the resolution against Noem and university administration. The Student Senate’s resolution said the honorary degree is “ill-timed, ill-advised, and a violation of Dakota State University Policy.”
After the resolution had passed however, the general faculty reconvened for a second vote on Noem’s commencement address and nomination to receive an honorary doctorate from DSU, which passed.
A group of DSU alumni have expressed their support for the Student Senate and its rejection of Noem. Elliott O’Donnell, Brandi Lueninghoener, Jordan Stewart, Nathan Harmer and Nathan Ord, wrote a letter expressing “our strong support” of the Student Association Senate, saying Noem’s recognition brings out “serious ethical and moral concerns.”
“When the university chooses to elevate a figure like Secretary Noem—whose record includes policies and public statements that many view as directly harmful to marginalized communities—it sends a signal that runs counter to the values of inclusivity, integrity, and academic responsibility that should guide higher education,” the statement read.
The university has not indicated plans to withdraw Noem’s invitation, instead stressing her support of DSU as an institution.
DSU Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Sogn told the Madison Daily Leader, “During her time as governor, Noem was an unwavering champion of Dakota State programs and initiatives. She was able to see that cybersecurity had the potential to be the next big industry in South Dakota and could bring an economic benefit to the state through its workforce development potential. With her support, DSU was able to develop, amplify, and implement our ideas about cybersecurity education, research, and workforce development into a $100 million cyber-research initiative, including $30 million from the state for program expansion. She was also a champion in our efforts to establish a Center of Quantum Information Science & Technology in partnership with South Dakota School of Mines.
As Homeland Security secretary, Noem oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been at the center of numerous federal controversies regarding deportations.
Multiple universities, including in South Dakota, have reported that international students had their visas revoked, including over minor traffic offenses, multiple media outlets have reported. At least one of those revocations has been challenged in federal court with the judge in that case issuing a stay.
An overall cloud of fear and apprehension is being reported across campuses in the U.S. (including South Dakota) where foreign exchange students are afraid of being arbitrarily taken by Noem’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) personnel, detained and deported to unknown destinations.
DSU currently has 200 international students who come from over 52 different countries. No DSU international students have informed the university that their visas were revoked, Sogn told the Daily Leader on April 28.
One Madison resident and DSU alum said he’s appalled at the decision to allow Noem to speak at the graduation.
“Students who come here to Dakota State whether they’re immigrants or not should know that their hard work and their efforts towards education are going to be honored and respected and made secure,” Charlie Johnson said.
“The DSU Student Association Senate understands the gravity of the actions of our administrators, both locally and federally,” Wieseler said. “Know that I and my fellow senators will not stop fighting to make sure there is transparency and accountability to students, including being situationally aware of what’s happening on campus, speaking out on behalf of student interests and concerns to University administrators, and promoting the right of the students to advocate for each other.”
NEW UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA LAW PROGRAM WON’T REQUIRE STUDENTS TO TAKE THE BAR EXAM
VERMILLION, S.D. – Nine University of South Dakota law students won’t have to worry about taking the traditional bar exam after being selected for the new public service pathway bar admission pilot program.
“What South Dakota was experiencing is that there were really good students who were graduating with high marks in law school but then failing the bar examination,” said Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel. “So, it was time to think about whether that should be the only pathway for admission to practice.”
“Instances when people don’t pass the first time and it disrupts their career plans are unfortunate,” said the dean of USD’s Knudson School of Law, Neil Fulton. “ But I do think it’s necessary to have that rigorous process because of the magnitude of what lawyers do.”
The program allows students at Knudson School of Law to combine their practical experience and legal education. Students are required to complete a minimum of two years of public service employment before being allowed to practice law in the state.
“I don’t think this is an easier path than the bar exam,” said Fulton. “Quite honestly, the study for a two-day exam is going to be easier than going to work for a full semester and demonstrating over and over again your competence.”
Fulton said the real focus of the program was to find a way to motivate a few more students to consider public service. Roetzel said there’s another important reason for the program. “We want South Dakota, University of South Dakota law graduates to stay in South Dakota,” said Roetzel.
Students will be working with different public service offices throughout South Dakota, including the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The public service offices will provide a mix of experiences and opportunities for program participants, allowing them to show their competence in law. Each student will be supervised, mentored and assisted by an attorney.
“I expect our students will be doing court, writing briefs, talking to witnesses, talking to victims,” said Roetzel.
Roetzel doesn’t believe the bar exam should be the only way to practice law in South Dakota.
“Imagine going to law school for three years, all the difficulties that presents and failing that test three times, to find out that you can never practice law,” said Roetzel.
The program will officially launch this fall.
