By Denise Ross

Due to the unfortunate timing of US Ag Secretary (former Nebraska Gov) Mike Johanns’ announcement of this year’s round of drought aid from the White House, much of the political and even agricultural sizzle was lost in the shadow of the Elijah Page execution story.

Here’s what AP reported Tuesday, a rather big news day in SD, if you’ll recall.

A portion of the plan will provide $50 million to livestock producers in counties where drought is the most severe in about 20 states, he said.

Johanns said direct payments of as much as $10,000 per farm or ranch will be available in at least 38 South Dakota counties and 27 North Dakota counties.

Johanns said the additional aid package, which also includes an additional $30 million in untapped conservation funds, can help producers hold on until next year.

Johanns also announced that $700 million in planned payments to cotton, grain sorghum and peanut farmers would be accelerated.

This year, as the sequel to the 2002 drought drama plays out, the Senate is working on passing a $4B drought package (down from the $6B of ‘02), which many of its members are using to taunt the Bush administration.

So the White House comes out with what is mostly accelerated payments, and even Sen. John Thune, the lone GOP member of our Congressional delegation, couldn’t muster kind words.

“I appreciate Secretary Johanns visiting South Dakota to see firsthand the devastating effects of this year’s drought. The economic impact of this drought is not only going to severely impact South Dakota ranchers and farmers, but the entire South Dakota economy for years to come, without substantial federal assistance. Any amount of relief is a step in the right direction, but more is needed. I’m hopeful the House of Representatives and the Administration will work together and meet the $3.9 billion drought relief package already passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.”

Sen. Tim Johnson, who probably owes his seat to the White House’s ineptitude on this issue in ‘02, was of course more colorful.

The USDA set up a nice event and a fast motorcade, but they forgot to bring the substance. This plan is all hat and no cattle. While I appreciate that the White House finally recognizes the drought as a disaster, this plan leaves producers empty handed.

The Senate passed a $4 billion package to help our producers recover from emergency disasters. South Dakota would have received nearly $100 million under the Senate passed plan that the White House threatened to veto.

The USDA is proposing $50 million for affected states, which is only 2% of what the Senate passed.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth hit the point that the accelerated payments are probably all headed South, not to South Dakota, which has been tagged the “epicenter” of the drought.

“This package ignores South Dakota corn, soybean and wheat producers and will do very little to assist hard-hit cattle producers,” Herseth said. “I’m glad that the Secretary took the time to see the devastation firsthand, but this package does not do enough to help producers who are suffering through one of the worst droughts in a generation. This is a major natural disaster that requires significant relief.”

Since this news was overshadowed by other events and reactions reported by the media nearly non-existant, how is this playing out in the countryside? Are the $10,000 block grant payments something good? Are accelerated payments better than a kick in the shorts?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: HUNG JURY! SEE STORY IN TODAY’S (FRIDAY’S) PAPER.
By Bill Harlan

In a move that had Mount Blogmore written all over it, Rapid City Journal editorial page editor Randy Rasmussen was rejected this morning as a juror in Bob Newland’s trial for handing out petitions at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in violation of a city ordinance.

Though Randy thought he could be impartial in Bob’s trial, he did admit he had written an editorial critical of a proposal totighten restrictions on circulating petitions on city property. But the editorial agreed with the city about the ban on signature gathering inside the civic center. In other words, Randy was a bad pick for both sides.

Randy was back in his office by 9:20 a.m. The trial continues this morning.

By Denise Ross

We might be small, but by gosh, we’re hot! And that’s an official no comment from the camps of Stephanie Herseth and John Thune, who have been deemed Capitol Hill’s hottest in Washingtonian magazine’s bi-annual poll of Hill staffers. South Dakota, once again, emerges on the national stage.

Here’s the RC Journal story, running in Thursday’s paper. The official Washingtonian poll results were not available online as of Wednesday night, and Mount Blogmore has not yet obtained a printed edition of the magazine’s September issue.

Herseth at the July 31 farm bill hearing in Wall. (Steve McEnroe/Journal Staff)

Thune at a 2004 campaign appearance/basketball game in Eagle Butte. (Steve McEnroe/Journal Staff)

Here’s Washingtonian’s 2004 results.
Herseth was No. 1 for “Best Newcomer” and No. 2 for “Looks Good in a Bathing Suit,” presumably the category in which she edged out Mary Bono this round.

Tom Daschle got voted “Best Leader” in the Senate, and Herseth’s boyfriend Max Sandlin won top honors for “No Altar Boy” in the House.

While Herseth and Thune, frankly, would rather not be on this list of Hill hotties, or the various others on which they’ve appeared, it could be worse. At least no one in our small but mighty delegation made the Fashion Victim, No Rocket Scientist or Spineless categories.

By Bill Harlan

It was an interesting gathering at the South Dakota State Penitentiary. I won’t say reporters outnumbered protesters — pro and con the death penalty — but it was close. I counted more than a dozen television cameras. Some protesters had reporters lined up to talk to them.

Morgan Seezs, 15, a student at Lincoln High School, is interviewed by television, as other reporters wait their turn. See the RCJ homepage for the story that explains the sign. Her half-sister, Emily Wendel, is seated at left.

Sam Nagoor, 41, of Alvord, Iowa, protested against the execution yesterday. She described herself as “a planter of seeds, a waterer of children.” She got the T-shirt at a Rainbow Gathering in Missouri.

The back of Sam’s T-shirt.

Journalists and others (including RCJ photographer Steve McEnroe) gather round Peace and Justice Center director Deb McIntyre as she listens to Gov. Mike Rounds’ press conference yesterday on public radio.

Anti-death penalty protesters pray after learning of the stay of execution. That’s Deb McIntyre, director of the South Dakota Peace and Justice Center, in the white visor.

“The Hill,” which is the nickname of the 125-year-old main building of the South Dakota State Penitentiary.

By Denise Ross

It wasn’t a call from the governor just as the inmate was being strapped into the electric chair, but pretty close.

Gov. Mike Rounds stayed Elijah Page’s execution about four hours from the scheduled lethal injection. Rounds and AG Larry Long cited a problem with a state statute.

Here is that statute.

23A-27A-32. Place and manner of execution–Qualifications to perform–Exemptions. The punishment of death shall be inflicted within the walls of some building at the state penitentiary or within the yard or enclosure adjoining thereto. The punishment of death shall be inflicted by the intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultra-short-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent and continuing the application thereof until the convict is pronounced dead by a licensed physician according to accepted standards of medical practice. An execution carried out by lethal injection shall be performed by a person selected by the warden and trained to administer the injection. The person administering the injection need not be a physician, registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse licensed or registered under the laws of this or any other state. Any infliction of the punishment of death by administration of the required lethal substance or substances in the manner required by this section may not be construed to be the practice of medicine and any pharmacist or pharmaceutical supplier is authorized to dispense the drugs to the warden without prescription, for carrying out the provisions of this section, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

Here is the statement Rounds’ office issued shortly after the press conference.

“I have ordered a stay of execution for Elijah Page. The existing statute (SDCL 23A-27A-32) defining how lethal injection is performed, was last updated in 1984. Since that time, states utilizing lethal injection for executions use a three drug protocol. I will not have the individuals responsible for carrying out the execution be placed in a position of being in violation of state law. The reprieve will delay the execution until after July 1, 2007. This will allow the SD Legislature enough time to amend the current statute; reflecting more recent lethal injection protocols.”

The execution is postponed until at least July 1, 2007, which is the earliest any new law would be in effect.

By Bill Harlan

See our homepage for a mid-morning update on protests, but the bottom line is there weren’t many people there this morning.

Barb Kremer of Worthington, Minn., also volunteers in a prison ministry.

Roger Elgerson of Sioux Falls described himself as a nonviolent person.

The east parking lot

By Denise Ross

The penalties imposed by our legal system, and by extension, our society, for taking the life of another are controversial, whether the death penalty which we are about to impose Tuesday night or a jail sentence measured in days.

This letter writer, whose thoughts appear in Tuesday’s RC Journal, reminds us.

I wonder if the lady that killed a biker the other day on Highway 16 will get 100 days in jail like Janklow did?

Here’s a link to the only story on the Highway 16 crash I could find on the RCJ site.

By Bill Harlan

Many of you have noticed a lack of attention to the Mount in the past week or so. Some of you also have noticed the Denise R. and Kevin W. and I — along with many other RCJ staffers — have been focusing our attention on the execution of Elijah Page, which is set for 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Over the course of the past week, I’ve heard from a number of readers, some of them angry, about two stories I reported: a profile of Elijah Page that ran a week ago yesterday, and a recounting of the crime that ran Saturday. Some of that criticism already has appeared on the Mount. I think the bottom line, for critics, is that both stories were over the top on details — of Page’s horrific childhood, of the love his family and friends still feel for him and of the horrific crime to which he confessed.

I’ve read and listened to all the comments, and I welcome that discussion. News, by definition, often includes violence, death and heartbreak. How to report those events is the subject of an ongoing newsroom debate that I’ve participated in for at least 25 years. I think some of you would be amazed at the lack of unanimity among journalists.

For my own part, I’ll admit to a bias tend toward “more” rather than “less.” I think that has a lot to do with my experience in Vietnam. For most of the last half of 1970 I was a medic with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The war was “winding down” then. So was news coverage and public interest. When I returned home,very few people wanted to talk about Vietnam, and, frankly, that was just fine with me. The less said, the better.

It turned out, for me at least, that the less said was not better. In fact, it was toxic. I also think it’s toxic for citizens in a Democracy not to be informed about life-and-death public policies — sometimes even when the details are painful.

I’m NOT saying the news media should turn itself into a big encounter group, into which we spill all the details of the terrible events in our world. Without limits that respect taste and decency we turn into Jerry Springer or worse. Some of you think I’ve already crossed that line. My view is we should pay very close attention to the events that likely will lead to South Dakota’s first execution in 59 years.

Which brings me to Tuesday night. I’ll be one of two media witnesses. The Rapid City Journal was chosen to provide one pool reporter. Several of us volunteered. I covered parts of the case early on, so I got the nod. Kevin W’s already in Sioux Falls, as you’ll note on today’s front page. Denise R. has been a special editor on the coverage. Mount Blogmore, in other words, has been busy with the real paper.

I wouldn’t change that. I think our level of coverage is appropriate. I also invite your continuing comments, criticisms and suggestions. We are all paying close attention to them.

By Kevin Woster

Did you see the news out of Sioux Falls earlier this week? Mayor Dave Munson has a new chief of staff - at $98,000 a year.

Actually, it’s $98,758.40. But who’s counting? (Sniff. Sniff.)

Well, me for one. Bill Harlan for another.

See, the new chief of staff for the state’s largest city is Jodi Schwan, a 26-year-old reporter for KELO-TV.

I don’t know Jodi, but people tell me she is a solid TV reporter, a bright and likable young woman expected to be good for the mayor’s office and its communication with the outside world.

Based what I know about news reporters’ salaries (sniff, sniff), I’d guess Jodi will be enjoying about a tripling in salary to go to City Hall. That puts her in the same salary neighborhood as Harlan and me - if you either add our salaries together (with a bit of Denise’s thrown in), or simply define “neighborhood” as roughly the size of the North American Continent.

I’m not saying Harlan and I are jealous. We’re seasoned journalism pros - if you define “seasoned” as old enough to be useful in carbon dating. (Kranz, you know what we’re talking about…)

Anyway, Bill and I aren’t about to get upset about little things like unfavorable salary comparisons.

Besides, we don’t have time to be jealous. We’re too busy sprucing up our resumes to send to Jim Shaw.

By Denise Ross

Jonathan Adelstein, Federal Communications Commissioner and son of Stan, has been in the Black Hills area as of late and has given a few speeches about telecommunications in rural America.

I missed one on Friday in Rapid City, but here’s the story we ran in the RC Journal Saturday.

Tuesday, I made it up to Spearfish, where Adelstein spoke to a group of telecom folks, the people who run the co-ops, I think. I must confess I don’t know and couldn’t find the name of the event. And I call myself a journalist.

Federal Communications Commissioner/Rapid City native Jonathan Adelstein, left, and SD Public Utilities Commissioner/Mitchell native Dusty Johnson chat Tuesday at a telecom meeting of indeterminate origin. (Denise Ross/Mount Blogmore)

I do have three audio downloads of Adelstein for this week’s edition of Talkin’ Smack: The South Dakota Political Junkies’ Weekly Fix on the Inside Dope. (This would have been posted after Adelstein’s speech in Rapid City on Friday had I remembered to attend that speech.)

1) Adelstein’s speech, mostly about rural broadband and phone service via the Universal Service Fund and how he’s unhappy about a recent FCC action in which the agency essentially, as he tells it, rolled over for Verizon.

2) Adelstein and me talking about FCC’s newly opened case on media regulation, a repeat of the highly publicized push from a few years ago that resulted in a court saying, “Yeah, no.”

3) A Q&A with telecom pros after his speech, talking in technical jargon that I could tell you about had I been able to comprehend it. This one is for true telecom geeks only.

For more on Adelstein and some of the stuff he talked about, visit the Federal Communications Commission.

Programming note: I had pitched Adelstein on a podcast about net neutrality, but he declined as the FCC is about to rule on some big net nuetrality case and he doesn’t want to talk publicly, even to explain the complex issue. BUT, I did meet a guy from Nebraska on Tuesday who agreed to explain the finer points of net neutrality. So I’ll be calling him in the coming weeks, and then maybe I’ll finally understand this net neutrality brain teaser.

By Kevin Woster

Bill Harlan’s compelling story of Elijah Page in Sunday’s Journal has prompted a flurry of responses from unhappy readers.

I’ve handled a few of the calls myself, and let me tell you they’re ticked.

“When are you going to run the baby pictures of the victim in this case?”

“Why are you trying to get sympathy for that monster?”

“How can you work so hard to save the killer when you don’t say anything about Chester Allan Poage?”

As I tried to explain to the callers, Harlan’s story was meant to tell more of the truth about Elijah Page, beyond the obvious truth - which is that he is a brutal killer.

But that’s not all he is. And Harlan’s story showed that, in important ways.

It wasn’t intended to diminish Chester Allan Poage,whom we have covered in detail over the years. And we’ll feature Chester in this Sunday’s Journal, which was part of the plan when Harlan wrote the Elijah story last week. Harlan’s package was supposed to include notice of the Chester package to come, but that preview somehow got lost in the weekend shuffle.

But we did contact Chester’s family in advance, to let them know the Elijah package was coming, that that it would be followed by Chester’s a week later.

I think the plan made sense. Our readers deserve deeply personal looks at both the victim and the killer, who may himself soon die.

What do you think?

By Kevin Woster

I ended up in a strange situation today, writing a good-bye column to Peg Sagen at the same time I was writing our latest two stories on the Elijah Page execution.

What dramatically different lives, huh? What profoundly different ways to live, and die.

Peg - the accomplished editor and compassionate crusader for honest, accurate news reporting and defense of human dignity - who fought for her life in a way that inspired and humbled us here in the newsroom every day.

And Page - the troubled boy who grew into an desperately unbalanced young man who was apparently capable of both childish sweetness and unspeakable, murderous cruelty - who took one life and now wants to discard his own.

I wish I had something profound to say about all this. But all I know for sure is that I’m exhausted and confused.

And very sad.

By Bill Harlan

Mayor Shaw stickin’ it to the man

Rapid City Mayor Jim Shaw was wrestled to the ground and cuffed at the Iowa State Fair. You can accuse Mayor Shaw of a lot of things: having too perfect a radio voice, maybe, or trimming his beard too neatly or even tending to avoid controversy or tendentious public arguments. However, does anyone on Mount Blogmore, political friend or foe, in their wildest dreams, think Mayor Shaw would be capable of “fighting” and “resisting arrest”?

At the risk of calling the mayor innocent until proven guilty, Mount Blogmore thinks at the very least we should recall our ambassador to Iowa for “consultations.”

State Fair in happier times

PS: When a young RCJ staffer (born during the Reagan administration) heard of the incident, her reaction was, “Oh yeah, those fair police …” Mount Blogmore was unable to obtain further information about that incident.

By Bill Harlan

Alert Blogmorites have pointed out difficulties reaching the Mount. The RCJ site was down for a time early today. All is well now.

I’ll take this opportunity to say we’ve got a temporary spam fix that could result in collateral damage to innocent bystanding comments. We regret the loss of civilian comments. If you think you’ve been a victim, send me an an e-mail with date, time and contents of comment. All of this will be rectified soon in a much better way.

And thank you for the several offers of assistance to recent technical difficulties. Our technical staff is hard at work — VERY hard at work — but they are dealing with an online system in the context of a major corporate entity with newspapers throughout this great land. Nothing is simple.

By Kevin Woster

(Howard Dean speaks to a house packed with Democrats, and a couple of Republicans, Wednesday at the Radisson.)

DNC Chairman Howard Dean had a full day in Rapid City on Wednesday. It started with a tour of Soo San Hospital, included a meeting with tribal leaders and an honoring ceremony for Lakota code talker Clarence Wolf Guts, and concluded with a private fund-raiser and a public speech.

Dean drew predictable cricitism from Republican officials, and even inspired a small “scream-alike” contest by college Republicans outside the Radisson, where the evevning events took place.

Dean actually didn’t do any screaming, that I saw, and even welcomed Republicans - including District 32 Senate candidate and state vice chair Elli Schwiesow and state ED Max Wetz - who showed up for his evening speech.

Hey, now that’s a big tent.

(Democratic state Executive Director Jason Schulte and District 34 House candidate Justin Lena seem confident…)

Dean has made about 45 states so far on his 50-state outreach to Democrats. And he brings more than controversy. His fund-raising for state party efforts has meant about $100,000 a year in South Dakota for three Democratic staffers - which helps drive the candidate recruitment effort and public information campaigns, said Dean staffer Damien LaVera and South Dakota Democratic National Committeeman Nick Nemec.

(Dean staffer Damien LaVera and South Dakota Democratic National Committeeman Nick Nemec think Deans visit will mean more party clout in South Dakota.)

“The party produced more candidate for the Legislature this year than it had in 13 or 14 years,” LaVera said.

“It helps us build momentum in the elections,” Nemec said. “We don’t have to get a majority this time around. We need to gain seat this year, and again in 2008.”

(Democratic Party Secretary Glen Rice of Sioux Falls and Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel celebrate the Dean visit.)

Lt. Gov. candidate Eric Abrahamson said Dean’s visit was about more than money. Dean also had a chance to hear from South Dakota Democrats, a voice that tends to get lost at the national level.

“That’s why he should be here, to listen to us,” Abrahamson said. “I think the Democratic Party needs to listen to the heartland more than it has in a generation.”

LaVera said Dean came to see and listen, and also to generate energy among the party faithful. He figures his boss did just that.

(A crowd of mostly Democrats enjoys Dean’s speech. Can you see any Republicans in the crowd?)

“When’s the last time you saw 150 Democrats in the same room?” he asked.

Good question. Out here in Wild West Republican Country? It’s been a while.

By Denise Ross

It was Howard Dean’s press conference, but it was Clarence Wolf Guts’ day. And I don’t think the DNC chairman minded a bit that Wolf Guts, simply by sitting quietly, leaning against his cane and sometimes smiling at remarks, stole the show.

How could he not? The Lakota codetalker from WWII, now in his 80s, is living history, literally a living legend. Both Dean and Wolf Guts got a plaque commemorating their meeting.

Howard Dean, at podium, and Clarence Wolf Guts wearing quilt. (Steve McEnroe/Journal staff)

Dean, of course, is no shrinking violet and he held his own in taking questions from the press, mostly about partisan politics.

For anyone who missed the press conference and regrets that, here’s the video in two parts.

Clarence Wolf Guts honored.

Howard Dean talks, takes questions.

By Bill Harlan

I’ve repeated this so often in individual notes, I think it’s worth its own topic. If you think we’ve missed a post, please don’t ask us where it is without including the content of the post, the day and time it was posted and the topic under which it was posted.

I KNOW this is a pain in the neck. I apologize. That doesn’t change the fact that without that information your question is unanswerable. The fault might be ours. (It could have been deleted as spam.) It might be yours. (You crossed one of our blurry, difficult-to-detect editorial lines) or it might be the Internet’s fault (in which case, complain to Al Gore).

By Kevin Woster

Rumor has it - but not on Wikipedia - that Chad, thatClean Cut Kid guy, is unhappy that I described Howard Dean as “controversial” in my story Tuesday about the DNC chairman’s visit to Rapid City.

A reporter pal of mine sent a copy of CCK’s ruminations on that point, which apparently ran on the kid’s blog. In it, he charges that I offered no facts to back up the “controversial” adjective and seemed to be taking my lead from the Republican National Committee.

Actually, as difficult as it might be to believe, I came up with “controversial” all on my own. And it didn’t seem like much of a stretch, given Dean’s way with words.

But I’m willing to consider the possibility that I was wrong. So what do you guys think? Is Howard Dean controversial?

Is Clean Cut Kid?

Am I?

By Denise Ross

I say timing is everything, but when you’re a modern politician, misdeeds, misjudgements and miscues stay with you forever, electronic ghosts of speeches or actions past that will not leave you for a moment’s rest.

For Bruce Whalen, it will be Wikipedia. For Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia, it will be macaca.

Here’s the WaPo story.

Allen, whose re-election campaign manager is Dick Wadhams of Thune 2004 fame, pointed out a staffer of his opponent — apparantly the only non-white dude in the room — by calling him “macaca” more than once. Macaca, as I learned today, can be a racial slur.

Depending on how it is spelled, the word macaca could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs.

So, what now of 2008?

By Denise Ross

I’m seeking Blogmore’s vast knowledge on a letter published in the Tuesday RC Journal.

We all appreciate our Wild Land firefighters …

The shocking news is that they are paid $9.04 per hour, with no benefits, holidays, vacation or medical insurance. These firefighters are employed by the state of South Dakota who is reimbursed by the federal government $27 for every hour every firefighter works.

There is not even a raise scheduled for these valiant workers.

I am straining to accept that state employees — unless they are seasonal, in which case that should have been noted — receive no benefits, especially those listed above.

There is no strain but much interest in the federal reimbursement rate, how that’s calculated and what becomes of the money once it reaches Pierre.

I’m not at all surprised that there is no raise scheduled for firefighters or any other state employee, as that matter, called “salary policy” by the beaurocrats and legislators, has become a contentious issue each year between the Gov. and the appropriations committee. Such raises get decided each legislative session.